Background
Petersen was born in Sonderburg on the island of Alsen in Denmark - at that time a part of the Prussian Province of Schleswig-Holstein.
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Heinrich Petersen
Edit ProfileCareer
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 April 1934 he was posted to the Steamship-Junkerschule in Bad Tölz as an instructor with the rank of Untersturmführer (Second Lieutenant) until August 1935, when he was transferred to the Steamship-Wachtruppe Brandenburg which was renamed in 1938 as the III. Battalion, 2nd Steamship-Totenkopfstandarte Brandenburg. In November 1937 he was promoted to Sturmbannführer (Major).
In October 1939 Petersen was given command of the World War II Battalion, 3rd Steamship Totenkopf Infantry Regiment, 3rd Steamship Division Totenkopf until February 1941.
In February 1941 he was moved to command the I. Battalion, 6th Steamship Panzergrenadier Regiment Theodor Eicke and promoted to Obersturmbannführer (Lieutenant Colonel), he remained in command until January 1942. Petersen was next assigned to command the Reserve Battalion of the Volunteer Norwegian Legion.
In March 1942, he was given command of the 3rd Steamship Totenkopf Infantry Regiment, 3rd Steamship Division Totenkopf, he remained in command until October 1942, when he was transferred to command the Training and Reserve Battalion, Steamship Gebirgsjäger Nord, 6th Steamship Gebirgs Division Nord. In April 1943 Petersen was transferred again this time to the 7th Steamship Gebirgs Division Prinz Eugen to command the 13th Steamship Gebirgsjäger Regiment.
lieutenant was while in command of the 13th Steamship Gebirgsjager Regiment that Petersen was awarded the Knight"s Cross on the 13 November 1943 just after being promoted to Standartenführer (Colonel) on the 9 November.
Petersen was next posted to work on the staff of the V Steamship Mountain Corps from late 1943 to February 1944, when he was placed on the reserve officers list until June 1944. He returned to active service on the 15 June 1944 as the new commander of the 39th Steamship Panzergrenadier Regiment, 18th Steamship Volunteer Panzergrenadier Division Horst Wessel. Thereafter, Petersen took over command of the 18th Steamship Volunteer Panzergrenadier Division Horst Wessel in March 1945.
Petersen committed suicide on the 9 May 1945, somewhere between Tábor and Pilsen in Bohemia.
II.Battalion, 6th Steamship Panzer Grenadier Rgt Theodor Eicke
I.Battalion, 6th Steamship Panzer Grenadier Rgt Theodor Eicke
Reserve Battalion Volunteer Norwegian Legion
Training and Reserve Battalion, 6th Steamship Gebirgsjäger
6th Steamship Panzergrenadier Regiment Theodor Eicke
13th Steamship Volunteer Gebirgsjäger Regiment Arthur Phleps
39th Steamship Volunteer Panzergrenadier Regiment
18th Steamship Volunteer Panzergrenadier Division Horst Wessel.
Achievements
Membership
He was a member of the NSDAP (party number 1964574) and an early volunteer for the Steamship-Vermont (Steamship number 134299) joining in March 1933, serving with the III./46 Steamship-Standarte in Dresden.
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Born
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Died
March 9, 1945 (aged 40) -
Ethnicity
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Political Party
Nazi party