Heinrich Kling

Template:Template other Heinrich Heinz Kling (10 September 1913 – 30 September 1951) was a German Waffen-SS commander during the Nazi era, who served with the Leibstandarte SS Adolf Hitler (LSSAH).

Biography

Kling graduated from the SS-Junkerschule Bad Tölz in 1938. On November 14, 1939 he joined the 12th SS Totenkopf Standarte in Łódź, which shot a thousand residents of the psychiatric hospital in Owinsk near Poznań.Template:Sfnb He participated in so called operations against "partisans", which meant the execution of Polish intellectuals and Jews.Template:Sfnb For his service he was awarded with the Iron Cross 2nd Class and the War Merit Cross with swords.Template:Sfnb Prior to Operation Barbarossa he came to the Leibstandarte, and commanded its 13th (heavy) company of Tiger I tanks.Template:Sfnb As an ardent Nazi, Kling was popular among his fellow Waffen-SS soldiers.Template:Sfnb

Since late November 1943 the SS Panzer Regiment 1 was commanded by Joachim Peiper, of whom Kling was a personal favorite. Peiper consequently made Kling leader of the 2nd Battalion,Template:Sfnb and nominated him for the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross.Template:Sfnb Kling received the award on 23 February 1944.

Kling was heavily wounded during Operation Overlord.Template:Sfnb On 19 March 1945, he was appointed commander of the 501st Heavy SS Panzer Battalion.Template:Sfnb