Background
Fritz Bunse was born on 4 July 1911 in Hagen in Germany.
Fritz Bunse was born on 4 July 1911 in Hagen in Germany.
He was awarded the Knight"s Cross of the Iron Cross, which was awarded to recognize extreme battlefield bravery or successful military leadership by Nazi Germany during In 1933 Josef Dietrich who had selected 117 Steamship men for the Steamship-Stabswache Berlin. Bunse was selected to become an officer and posted to the Steamship-Junkerschule in Braunschweig between 1936 and 1937 and after graduation was promoted to Untersturmführer (Second Lieutenant) in April 1937. In May 1937 he was given command of the 1st Company, Steamship Pionier (Engineer) Regiment and promoted to Obersturmführer (First Lieutenant) in September 1938.
He also took part in Operation Barbarossa, the invasion of the Soviet Union.
He was promoted to Hauptsturmführer (Captain) in June 1941 and given command of the 16th (Pioneer) Company, 9th Steamship Panzergrenadier Regiment., Steamship Division Wiking. Bunse was promoted to Sturmbannführer (Major) and became the first commander of the 11th Steamship Pioneer Battalion, 11th Steamship Volunteer Panzergrenadier Division Norland.
He was awarded the Knight"s Cross while in command during the Battle of Narva. Bunse was promoted to Obersturmbannführer (Lieutenant Colonel) in June 1944, and also given command of the 49th Steamship Panzergrenadier Regiment De Ruyter.
In October 1944 moved to the staff of the V Steamship Mountain Corps.
Bunse died on 14 September 1970.
In 1931 he joined the NSDAP and he was also one of the early members of the Steamship-Vermont (Steamship service number 30 303) which he joined in March 1933.