German Soldiers

Lieutenant Colonel Dr.jur. Josef-Franz Eckinger! December 27, 1904, Steyr/Upper Austria - October 17, 1941, Mjednoje/Twer, USSR
In 1924 he joined the Austrian army as a dragoon, became a lieutenant in 29 and a first lieutenant in 33. He then completed a course of study, was taken on as a captain in the WH after the Anschluss and at the end of 38 he became head of the 8th Company/1st Rifle Regiment, Weimar, fought in Poland and from May 40 commanded the II. Battalion/SR 1 in France. During the advance from Besacon to Belfort, the II./SR 1 captured Montbeliard in a quick but tough urban and house-to-house battle and forced the surrender of two French infantry regiments and an artillery regiment.
In November 1940, SR 113 was formed from parts of SR 1 and incorporated into 1st PD. Here he became commander of 1st Battalion, which, at the start of “Barbarossa,” spearheaded 1st PD in the advance on Leningrad. On 1 July 1941, he drove into a concentration of stronger Russian troops near Balvi/LTU, opened fire at close range and scattered the defenders. The next day, I/SR 113 defended Vosiliskis/LTU against Russian attacks with tank support, crossed the Velikaja near Ostrow on 4 July and secured a bridgehead on the east bank. The battalion commander and his staff fought in the front line in house-to-house fighting. While moving toward the target of Moscow, I/SR 113, with subordinate artillery, succeeded in capturing 1000 enemy troops on 14 October. to capture two bridges over the Volga.
Three days later he was killed when his command armored personnel carrier was shot down by a Russian tank near Ujutnoje, or rather Mjednoje in the Kalinin area.
Posthumously he was promoted to lieutenant colonel.
EKII 26.05.40, EKI 13.06.40, RK 17.03.1941, EL 31.12.1941 (posthumously)
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