Genz, Alfred, born 08-03-1916 in Berlin
, Josef Goebbels (did you know)
was the Gauleiter of Berlin. Son of Fred Genz (1880-1957) and his wife Hedwig Rose, born Donner ( 1885- 1981), Alfred was a Leutnant when the war started and became an Major during the war.


Alfred was involved in the dropping on Crete,
battle Crete on 10-05-1941, were three brothers Blücher
under his command of the 1st Company of the 1st Fallschirm Jäger
, in Hermann Göring’s Luftwaffe (did you know),
were killed in action on the first day. Hans Joachim Blücher and Wolfgang, Genz was the first German Soldier on Crete during Operation “Merkur“. The storm company “Genz”, as part of the 1st Battalion of Major Koch, landed early in the morning as the first soldiers with their gliders in the firing position of three British anti-aircraft batteries on the outskirts of Chania






Generalmajor der Fallschirmtruppe, Kommandeur der 9th Division
on Crete, Bruno Braüer
and General der Flieger, Kommandeur der 1st Fallschirmjäger Regiment, Kurt Student
were the high commanders of this operation. It is reported that Genz was the first German soldier to enter the island of Crete from the ship during the company “Merkur”. The Sturmkompanie “Genz”, part of the First Battalion of the Major Walter Koch,
the hero of Fortress Eben Emael in Belgium in 1940
, landed early in the morning as the first soldiers with their load-sailors in the fire of three British flak batteries on the outskirts of Chania. Genz and his men jumped out, attacked the enemy, overpowered the gunners, and burst Alfred Genz was awarded with the Knight Cross of the Iron Cross
for his excellent leading in this operation, on 14-06-1941, as a Oberleutnant. He ended the war as an Major and commander of the 29th Fallschirm Jäger Regiment
.
Since Genz had lost his two brothers on Crete (Günther in the Parachute Regiment 3 and Harald in the 2nd / Luftwaffe- Storm Regiment 1,
a fate similar to the Blücher brothers) and was the last male member of his family, he became deliberately withdrawn from combat operations, while he repeatedly complained in writing. After rebuilding the 1st Battalion after the losses on Crete, he was sent to a ground school in the Luftwaffe
in January 1942 to give lessons to commanders in the Air Force field divisions. He held further training assignments and was temporarily assigned to the staff of Kurt Student. Harald and Gunther are buried together on Maleme cemetery. 













Death and burial ground of Genz, Alfred.


At the end of December 1949, Genz returned home from the war. From 26-04-1956 to 31-03-1974, Genz was an officer of the Deutsche Bundeswehr’s parachute squad group, among others, in the new German Bundeswehr working for the rebuilding of the Luftwaffe troops, as commander of the 262th Fallschirm, Parachute, Battalion
, meanwhile an Oberst. as the first commander of the Kempten Airborough Battalion 19 in the Prinz-Franz-Kaserne and commander of the Lufttransportschule in Schongau. He retired in 1974 from the Army Service and went to Schongau, Bavaria, where he at the old age of 84, died on 23-04-2000. Oberst Alfred Genz is buried on the Westfriedhof of Munich, because his son Dr. Th Genz lived there and wanted to take care of the graveside, Close by are the graves of SA leader, Ernst Julius Röhm






Oberst Alfred Genz, Ritterkreuzträger der Bundeswehr and Kommandeur der Luftlande- and Lufttransportschule Altenstadt, is carrying the pillow with the decorations of Generalmajor a. D. Hans Kroh, in 1967.






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Paul
In fact, when you read the end, you realize that the portrait photograph is of Generalmajor Hans Kroh, not Oberst Alfred Genz.