Kurt Meyer(1910-1961)

Kurt Meyer was born in Jerxheim, Lower Saxony. He joined the police force in 1929, and got his nickname "Panzer" from the time he tried to play a prank on another policeman. He was on the roof of a two-story building, waiting to throw water on the man, when Meyer fell and landed on his feet, suffering multiple fractures. He lived through his life-threatening injuries and was called "Panzer" by his classmates, since he proved to be tough as a tank. Meyer joined the SS in 1930, and became a 2nd Lieutenant in 1932. He fought in the invasion of Poland in 1939 in command of the antitank company of the Leibstandarte SS-Adolf Hitler. He then commanded the motorcycle company of the regiment during the invasions of Holland and France. Meyer then commanded the unit in the invasion of Greece in 1941, and later in "Operation Barbarossa," the invasion of Russia. His unit later captured the staff of a Soviet division, and helped the SS to retake Kharkov in 1943. Meyer then became part of the command staff of the 12th SS division, the "Hiterjugend" division, and fought in the German effort to repel the invasion of France in Normandy in June, 1944. In this battle, he ordered that no prisoners should be taken, and his men killed 18 Canadian prisoners. His division commander was killed on June 14th, and Meyer was given command of the Hitlerjugend at the age of 33. He led his men out of the Falaise pocket in July, 1944, and was captured on September 6th. He was presumed dead by the Germans and was promoted to Major General. In December, 1945, he was tried by court-martial for war crimes by Canada for the killing of prisoners. He was sentenced to death, but the sentence was commuted to life imprisonment. He served part of the sentence in Canada, but was transferred to a British prison in West Germany, and was released in 1954. Kurt Meyer died of a heart attack on December 23, 1951, on his 51st birthday, in Hagen, West Germany. Some 15,000 people attended his funeral.