Werner Ostendorff Werner Ostendorff , ( 15 August 1903 - 1 May 1945 ) was an SS - Gruppenführer ( Major General ) and one of the youngest divisional commanders in the Waffen - SS . Ostendorff was also a winner of the Knight ' s Cross of the Iron Cross and German Cross in gold . Career . NSDAP # : 4 691 488 - ( Joined 1 May 1937 ) SS # : 257 146 - ( Joined , 1 October 1935 ) Ostendorff joined the Army on 5 November 1925 . Assigned to the 1st Prussian Infantry Regiment , he remained with the unit for his entire Army service . Appointed an officer candidate on 1 April 1926 , he was promoted to Gefreiter on 1 August 1927 , to Unteroffizier on 1 October 1927 , to Fähnrich on 1 August 1928 and to Oberfähnrich on 1 August 1929 . A month after being commissioned , Ostendorff was given a platoon command in the II . Bataillon . From mid - November 1933 to the start of the following March he helped form the SA military training school at Gudwallen . He transferred to the Luftwaffe on 1 March 1934 . Trained as an observer and pilot , Ostendorff served with the " Fliegertruppe Jüterbog " as a tactical instructor , and head of the photographic interpretation section until the start of October 1935 . Moving to the SS - Verfügungstruppe , he taught classes at " Junkerschule Bad Tölz " until 1 April 1938 . Ostendorff then transferred to the new " SS - Standarte 3 " Der Führer " " and led the " 4 . Sturm " of the " I . Sturmbann " until 1 June 1939 . He next transferred to form and lead the " SS - Flugabwehr - Maschinengewehr - Abteilung " , officially until 10 October 1939 . With the forming of the first SS division on 10 October 1939 , that became " " Das Reich " " , he left command of the anti - aircraft unit to Jakob Fick , was selected as the first divisional " Ia " ( Chief of Staff ) by Paul Hausser and officially held the post until June 1942 . Ostendorff won the Knight ' s Cross on 13 September 1941 for leading a counter - attack against the village of Ushakovo in the vicinity of Smolensk which dominated the highly important Yelnya - Dorogobuzh road . The village was recaptured and the danger of a Russian breakthrough was eliminated . He then led " Kampfgruppe " Das Reich " " in Russia from February to June 1942 , during which Siegfried Max Schultz assumed the " Ia " post duties with those elements being refitted in France . His performance with Kampfgruppe " Das Reich " won him the German Cross in Gold . When Paul Hausser formed the initial SS corps in June 1942 , he selected Ostendorff as his Chief of Staff . He officially held the post with " SS - Generalkommando " ( later II . SS - Panzerkorps ) until 22 November 1943 , when succeeded by Rüdiger Pipkorn . Promoted to " Oberführer " for his actions at Kharkov , he was next given a divisional command . Ostendorff was assigned command of the 17 . SS - Panzer - Grenadier - Division " Götz von Berlichingen " , officially effective 1 November 1943 . However , he remained with his corps post into the third week of November . Delays in the raising of the division lasted until early January 1944 when he actually assumed command from Otto Binge who had led the formation staff . During the fighting in Normandy , Ostendorff was badly wounded near Carentan on 16 June 1944 when he was hit in the shoulder by machine gun - fire . Divisional command then passed again to Otto Binge . Resuming command from then temporary commander Gustav Mertsch on 21 October 1944 , he remained as leader of " " Götz von Berlichingen " " until transferred again in late November 1944 . Temporary divisional command passed to Hans Lingner but Ostendorff officially retained full commander status until early December . Ostendorff was next promoted to Gruppenführer on 1 December 1944 and became the only Chief of Staff for Heinrich Himmler ' s " Heeresgruppe " Oberrhein " " from 2 December 1944 to 22 January 1945 . His final posting was to " " Das Reich " " as divisional commander . He succeeded temporary commander Karl Kreutz officially on 10 February 1945 , and led the division until grievously wounded by an incendiary shell on 9 March 1945 in the vicinity of Székesfehérvár during fighting in Hungary . Rudolf Lehmann assumed command of " " Das Reich " " . Werner Ostendorff died at a field hospital in Bad Aussee from gas gangrene on 1 May 1945 , the same day Berlin fell to the Russians . Personal life . Werner Ostendorff was a son of the Prussian " Regierungsvizepräsident " Ernst Ostendorff . Married in October 1935 , he and his wife had two sons and a daughter .