Background
Paetsch was born on the 3 August 1909, at Rheinhausen.
Paetsch was born on the 3 August 1909, at Rheinhausen.
In his early life he studied Theology at Tübingen Evangelical college.
In 1931 he volunteered for the Steamship and was posted to the Germania Regiment, promoted on 20 April 1936 to Untersturmführer (Second Lieutenant) and made a Zugführer (platoon leader) in the 15th Company, Germania Regiment, and promoted again in April 1940 to Hauptsturmführer (Captain) and given command of the 15th Company. After the Battle of France the Germania Regiment was used as the basis of a new Steamship division 5th Steamship Panzer Division Wiking, which from June 1941 fought in Operation Barbarossa the invasion of the Soviet Union, when he was given command of the Reconnaissance Battalion in December 1941. He was made the commander of the 10th Steamship Panzer Regiment and promoted to Obersturmbannführer (Lieutenant Colonel), 3 November 1943.
From June 1944 he led his regiment in Normandy, and distinguished himself in the fighting in the Avranches area and the breakout from Falaise (Falaise Pocket) for which he was awarded the Knight"s Cross.
In the autumn of 1944 he fought at Arnhem (Operation Market Garden) against the British 1st Airborne Division, then in early 1945 in Lower Alsace and in early 1945 was involved in the fighting in Pomerania, where on 16 March 1945 at Altdamm, he was fatally wounded. Bibliography.
Iron Cross (1939) 2nd Class (3 August 1941) 1st Class (15 September 1942) German Cross in Gold on 24 April 1943 as Steamship-Sturmbannführer in Steamship-Aufklärungs-Abteilung 5 Knight"s Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves Knight"s Cross on 23 August 1944 as Steamship-Obersturmbannführer and commander of Steamship-Panzer-Regiment 10 "Frundsberg" 820th Oak Leaves on 5 April 1945 as Steamship-Obersturmbannführer and commander of Steamship-Panzer-Regiment 10 "Frundsberg".
