Joachim Boosfeld

Background

Boosfeld was born on 1 June 1922, in Aachen.

Education

After he had graduated from school in 1939, aged 17 years, he volunteered to join the Steamship-Vermont (Steamship number 362256), he was selected to become a tank commander and attended the Steamship NCO"s school. In May 1941 he was recommended to become an officer and sent to the Steamship-Junkerschule which he graduated from in December 1941.

Career

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 He was also one of 631 men to be awarded the Close Combat Clasp in Gold. lieutenant was awarded for 50 days hand to hand or close combat. He was then posted to the 1st Steamship Cavalry Regiment as a platoon commander and later served as a Battalion Adjutant.

His regiment was involved in Operation Barbarossa the invasion of the Soviet Union and by January 1942 was on the outskirts of Moscow, involved in the heavy fighting around Ilmensee and Rzhev, where he earned a reputation for his leadership.

In May 1942 he was posted as an instructor to the Steamship Cavalry School at Braunschweig and in November 1943 was promoted to Obersturmführer (First Lieutenant) and returned to the Eastern Front to the newly formed 8th Steamship Cavalry Division Florian Geyer. From December 1943 he was given commanded of the 4th Squadron, 16th Steamship Cavalry Regiment and led his Squadron during the fighting in Romania and Hungary.

In November 1944, together with the rest of the Division, Boosfeld was involved in the Battle of Budapest and assigned the defence of the village of Vesce and counterattacks on the villages of Kiraly and Terebes. On 11 February 1945 the order was given to attempt to break out of the encirclement of Budapest.

Leading a small Kampfgruppe Boosfeld managed to lead his men to the new German front line by 14 February.

He then returned to the Steamship Cavalry School at Göttingen where he was captured by the advancing allied forces. In 1956 Boosfeld was one of the few former Waffen Steamship officers to be allowed into the Bundeswehr with the rank of Hauptmann. He attended one of the first General staff courses between 1956 and 1959.

Promoted to Major he served on the staff of the new 11th Panzergrenadier Division in Oldenburg.

In 1970 he was the deputy commander of the 1st Panzergrenadier Brigade and in 1972 moved to Bonn to serve on the General staff He retired from the Bundeswehr with the rank of Oberst im Generalstab (in the General Staff) on 30 September 1981.

He died in 2015. Bibliography.

Achievements

• Wound Badge in Black Infantry Assault Badge in Silver Iron Cross 2nd and 1st Class German Cross in Gold on 30 December 1944 as Steamship-Obersturmführer in the 4./Steamship-Kavalerie-Regiment 16 Close Combat Clasp in Gold on 21 February 1945 for 57 days in close combat Knight"s Cross of the Iron Cross on 21 February 1945 as Steamship-Obersturmführer and chief of the 4./Steamship-Kavalerie-Regiment 16.

Views

At the end of December his Squadron was located in Budapest defending the Golf course below the Schwabenland mountain, which was the only location left where the Luftwaffe could land their aircraft. On 15 October 1944 he was wounded in the heel but remained in command of his squadron which was now located to defend Farkasréti Cemetery.