Theodor Eicke
The Soviet offensive of January 1942 trapped a number of German divisions in the Demyansk Pocket between February and April 1942; the 3rd SS "Totenkopf" was one of the divisions encircled by the Red Army. The Red Army liberated Demyansk on 1 March 1943 with the retreat of the German troops. "For his excellence in command and the particularly fierce fighting of the "Totenkopf"", "Obergruppenführer" Theodor Eicke was awarded the Oak Leaves to the Knight's Cross on 20 May 1942.