Albert Frey

Who was Albert Frey?

Albert Frey was a Standartenführer in the 1st SS Division Leibstandarte SS Adolf Hitler. He was born on 16 February 1913 in Heidelberg, the son of a master baker. In December 1933 he joined the SS-Verfügungstruppe.

In 1937 as an SS Oberscharführer, he attended the SS Junker school at Brunswick where he came out in the top 12 on the course.

In March 1938 he was promoted to an SS-Sturmfuhrer and was posted as a platoon commander to the 1st SS Division Leibstandarte Adolf Hitler Regiment.

On 20 April 1939 he was again promoted to SS-Obersturmführer and given command of the 9th company of the Leibstandarte, for the Poland Campaign and the Battle of France.

In November 1940 he took command of the 1st Company LSSAH which he commanded throughout the Balkans Campaign. After the start of Operation Barbarossa he was in July 1941 given command of the 3rd Battalion LSSAH. With this battalion he had a decisive impact on the subsequent battle, capturing a bridge over the Mius north of Taganrog. The bridge was then attacked by three Russian armored trains. Despite severe losses all three armored trains were destroyed. For this action Frey was awarded the German Cross in Gold.