Baum, Adolf, born 19-03-1914, in Hirzenhain, 
Lahn-Dill-Kreis, Hessen, Germany. Adolf completed his compulsory military service from 28-10-1935, to 30-09-1936, with Infantry Regiment 36 
under command of Generaloberst Ritter von Schobert, Eugen Siegfried Erichin
in Wetzlar and Ludwigshafen, and subsequently served with Infantry Regiment 110 as part of the 33. Infanterie-Division 
in Mannheim until 30-09-1937. Called up during mobilization, he joined the 5th Company of Infantry Regiment 181 as a reserve non-commissioned officer (Unteroffizier) and participated in securing the Westwall. On 03-02-1940, he transferred to the staff of the II Battalion of Infantry Regiment 205; on 20-03-1940, he moved to the 5th Company of Training Infantry Regiment 2, before returning to the staff of the II Battalion. Baum subsequently took part in the fighting in Western Europe and served as a member of the occupation forces and the Paris Guard Regiment. 
On 22-06-1941, Baum began the campaign against the Soviet Union, Red Army, 
which took him as far as Serpukhov, southwest of Moscow. He was wounded on 23-01-1942, 
during the retreat from Moscow but remained with his unit and was transferred to the staff of Division Fusilier Battalion 197. 
under command of General Major Ehrenfried Oskar Böge. 
Böge survived the war and died 31-12-1965, age 76, in Hildesheim/Lowersaxony, Germany.
Promoted to *Oberfeldwebel* for bravery on 25-02-1942, Baum transferred to the staff of the II Battalion of Infantry Regiment 205 on 01-08-1942; from there, he moved to the staff of the unit—now designated Grenadier Regiment 205—before returning once again to the staff of the II Battalion. On 16-12-1943, he was transferred to the staff of Divisional Fusilier Battalion 197, where he assumed the role of platoon leader in the 1st Company. In early March 1944, Baum held the southwestern sector of the Nowiki bridgehead across the Luchesa River, south of Vitebsk, it blocked Soviet 33rd Army 
under command of General Ivan Yefimovich Petrov 
offensives threatening the Vitebsk–Orsha railway in early 1944.
Facing an enemy force of 400, Baum held the bridgehead with the 12 men under his command. He even launched a counterattack, driving the enemy back and inflicting 136 fatalities. Baum thus played a crucial role in holding the bridgehead—a feat acknowledged in the Wehrmacht communiqué of 08-03-1944. For this action, Baum—then an *Oberfeldwebel* (Master Sergeant)—was awarded the Knight’s Cross 
on 26-03-1944. Promoted to *Leutnant der Reserve* (Reserve Second Lieutenant) for bravery in the face of the enemy on 01-08-1944, Baum joined the staff of the II Battalion, Grenadier Regiment 279, on 10-09-1944; on 20-10-1944, Baum was wounded again at the East Prussian-Lithuanian border and subsequently evacuated to Königsberg and later Herborn. After recovering, he served as a courier officer on the staff of Army Group 7 (*AOK 7*) from February 1 to May 24, 1945.
Death and burial ground of Adolf Baum.
The following newspaper article goes on to describe the actions that followed, which ultimately resulted in Baum being awarded the Knight’s Cross…
“Oberfeldwebel Baum realized that the much larger enemy force would overrun his men, who were by now exhausted from the rigours of both combat and weather. But, also knowing that ultimately the best defense is a good offense, he made the daring decision to take a chance and plunge into the Soviet attackers with his Füsiliers. Himself an inspiring example of determination and death-defying aggression for his men, he gathered up his small group and then rushed the Russians with neither trenches or cover. The enemy was totally surprised, and they either died where they stood or fled before the ear-shattering bursts of machine-gun fire. 136 dead Russians would cover the small battlefield, and in the following days the Russians would launch no further offensive action in this sector. Baum’s initiative and bravery ensured that the bridgehead could be held, and his actions here were among those that led to the 197. Infanterie-Division receiving its worthy recognition in the Wehrmachtbericht of the 08-03-1944.”
Adolf Baum passed away on 15-09-2003, age 89, in Eschenburg-Hirzenhain, Germany and his body was cremated.
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