Fritz von Scholz Fritz von Scholz , Edler von Rerancze , ( 9 December 1896 – 28 July 1944 ) known as Fritz von Scholz , was an Austrian Austro - Hungarian Army and later German " Waffen SS " officer who served in both the First and Second World Wars . First World War - Freikorps . Born Fritz Scholz in Pilsen , Bohemia , Scholz was called up for service in the Austro - Hungarian Army during the mobilisation of July 1914 . He served as an artillery officer , first with " k . u . k . Feld - Artillerie Regiment 22 " , seeing action in the East . In May 1915 Scholz was promoted to the rank of " Leutnant " and transferred to the " k . u . k . Feldhaubitzenregiment 3 " , also fighting in the East . In 1917 , Scholz was transferred to " k . u . k . Feldartillerieregiment 40 " , serving on the Italian front . During his time here , he acted as a telegraph officer . Scholz ' s father , " Generalmajor " Ferdinand Scholz , had also been serving in the East . In the fighting near Rerancze , northeast of Czernowitz in the Bukovina , his actions against the Russians had drawn the attention of Kaiser Franz Josef I . As a result of this , he was ennobled and granted the title Knight of Rerancze ( Edler von Rerancze ) . In November 1917 , von Scholz was promoted to " Oberleutnant " and again transferred , this time to " Feld Artillerie Regiment 125 " , which he remained with until April 1919 . During the course of the war von Scholz had received several high decorations , including the Austro - Hungarian Bravery Medal in gold , and the Austro - Hungarian Distinguished Service Cross in silver and bronze . Between the wars . After he was discharged from the army in 1919 , von Scholz sought work , finding sporadic employment in Klagenfurt , Munich , Leipzig and Tyrol . In 1921 , he joined the " Freikorps Oberland " and was involved in fighting against communist dissidents in the province of Silesia . In the early 1920s , von Scholz was first exposed to the philosophy of the NSDAP , and soon became a supporter , joining the Austrian branch of the party on 9 October 1932 ( Nr . 1304071 ) . He soon joined the Austrian SA as a Platoon leader , and was involved in street fights with communists at Lützow and Munich . His formation was merged into a part of SA " Gruppe Nordwest " in June 1933 . His actions soon landed him in trouble with the Austrian authorities and forced him to flee to Nazi Germany in late 1933 to avoid arrest . He joined the " Schutzstaffel " in 1937 ( Nr . 135638 ) serving with the Austrian SS Legion based at Linz soon after arriving in Germany . By 1934 he had been was promoted to SS - " Untersturmführer " and placed in command of the fifth company of " II . / SS - Standarte 1 " . By the outbreak of World War II , von Scholz was an SS - " Sturmbannführer " in command of " II . / Battalion , SS - Regiment Der Führer " , part of the SS - VT Division . Second World War - SS - VT - Regiment " Nordland " . As Commander of " Der Führer ' s " II . / Battalion , von Scholz saw action in the Western campaign of 1940 . During this time he was awarded the Iron Cross first and second class . He was also awarded the " Wiederholungsspange 1939 " , due to having earned the Iron Cross 2nd class in World War I . After the campaign , von Scholz was ordered to take command of the Danish - Norwegian volunteer formation " SS - Infanterie - Regiment Nordland " , now forming in Klagenfurt in Austria . On 30 January 1941 , von Scholz was promoted to SS - " Standartenführer " . It was decided that the regiment would form a part of a new volunteer division , based on the SS Division ( mot ) " Das Reich " " Germania " Regiment . The new division was to be called the SS - Division ( mot ) " Wiking " . The division was not ready for the launch of Operation Barbarossa , and first saw combat as a part of Army Group South fighting for Tarnopol in Galicia in late June , 1941 . Throughout the next months , von Scholz led the " Nordland " regiment in fighting along the Dnieper river , Dnepropetrovsk . In October 1941 , von Scholz received a promotion to SS - " Oberführer " , and continued leading the " Nordland " , which finished the year in heavy fighting for Rostov - on - Don . In December , the division was ordered to abandon Rostov and fall back to the Mius River line . For his actions in commanding the " Nordland " , von Scholz was awarded the German Cross in Gold in November , a newly instated award for bravery which ranked between the Iron Cross first class and the Knight ' s Cross of the Iron Cross . Less than a month after receiving this award , von Scholz received the Knight ' s Cross of the Iron Cross for his actions near Rostov . With the launch of Case Blue and Army Group South ' s advance towards Stalingrad , the " Wiking " was to once more capture Rostov and then to advance into the Caucasus . The division spent the year fighting its way into the Caucasus mountains . Despite heavy resistance , the " Wiking " managed to advance almost to the Turkish border and was involved in the southernmost advance of the " Wehrmacht " in the USSR . Von Scholz received a promotion to SS - " Brigadeführer " in December 1942 for his actions in leading the " Nordland " during this advance . On 10 January 1943 , von Scholz was ordered back to Germany to take command of a volunteer division now under formation at Grafenwöhr . " Nordland " Division - Narva . As the division was still nowhere near formed , von Scholz was sent back to the front to take command of first 1 SS Infantry Brigade , attached to Army Group Centre then 2 SS Infantry Brigade composed of mostly Estonian volunteers and in action under Army Group North . On 20 April , von Scholz was ordered back to Grafenwöhr to take command of the Division , now titled 11th SS Panzergrenadier Division " Nordland " . Fritz ' s old command , the " Nordland " regiment had been dissolved and used to form the basis for the new division . The division was soon moved to Croatia where it saw action fighting against Tito ' s communist partisans . During this period , von Scholz ' s new division conducted itself well . In January 1944 , orders were received to move the division to the Oranienbaum front near Leningrad , under the command of " Generalfeldmarschall " Walter Model ' s Army Group North . Von Scholz commanded the division during the ensuing retreat to Narva and during the battles for the Narva bridgehead . During this campaign he worked under his old commander , SS - " Obergruppenführer " Felix Steiner , now in command of the III ( Germanic ) SS Panzer Corps , the " Nordland ' s " parent formation . During the intense combat for the Narva , von Scholz ' s leadership had a strong impact on the spirit of his men . His jovial , caring attitude towards his troops resulted in him being granted the affectionate nickname " Papa " Scholz . Scholz was frequently at the front line , visiting his men and ensuring that they were as comfortable as possible . The " Nordland " together with the rest of Steiner ' s corps , held the line against overwhelming odds for nearly five months . For his actions , von Scholz was awarded the Oakleaves to the Knight ' s Cross on 12 March 1944 , as well as the Finnish Order of the Cross of Liberty ( 2nd class ) with Swords . On 20 April 1944 , von Scholz was promoted to " Generalleutnant der Waffen - SS " . In late July , the launch of the Soviet Operation Bagration and the impending collapse of Army Group Centre meant that Steiner ' s corps had to fall back to secondary positions behind the Narva river . On 27 July , while visiting the front line on Lastekodumägi ( Orphanage Hill ) , von Scholz was caught in an artillery barrage and struck in the head by a shell splinter . Despite the best efforts of the medics and field hospital staff , von Scholz died on 28 July 1944 . He was posthumously awarded the Swords to the Knight ' s Cross on 8 August 1944 .