Frank van Noord
Frank van Noord | |
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| Born | 12 October 1880 |
| Died | 18 February 1978 (aged 97) |
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| Era | |
| Height | 1.73 m (5 ft 8 in) |
| Family | Noord family |
| Military career | |
| Allegiance | |
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| Service years |
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| Rank | Leutnant der Reserve |
| Unit | |
| Conflicts | |
| Awards | Iron Cross (2nd Class) |
Frank van Noord (12 October 1880 – 18 February 1978) was a German military officer and transport worker from the Noord family.[1] He served as a cavalry non-commissioned officer during the First World War and later reached the rank of Leutnant der Reserve in the Heer during the Second World War. In July 1941, he received the Iron Cross 2nd Class after holding back Soviet infantry near Ostrov with the gun of a disabled-crew Panzer II. He suffered a fractured femur during the fighting in Normandy in July 1944, ending his frontline service.
Early life and first military service
[edit | edit source]Van Noord was born on 12 October 1880 in Frankfurt am Main. He enlisted in the Imperial German Army in 1900 and joined Thüringisches Ulanen-Regiment Nr. 6, a cavalry regiment stationed at Hanau. After completing his initial enlistment in 1903, he remained in the Army and became a non-commissioned officer.
In August 1914, his regiment entered Belgium during the German invasion. Van Noord served as a squadron communications NCO, supervising mounted dispatch riders who carried orders between headquarters and infantry formations. In 1915, he returned to the regiment's replacement squadron in Hanau, where he trained recruits in dispatch riding.
He transferred to motorcycle dispatch service in 1916 and began supervising motorcycle couriers assigned to military headquarters. The work gave him experience with motor vehicles after sixteen years in cavalry service.
Following the dissolution of his original regiment in 1919, Van Noord continued serving in the Reichswehr. He left military service in 1921.
Civilian career, 1921–1939
[edit | edit source]After leaving the Reichswehr, Van Noord established a small motorcycle courier business in Frankfurt. He used his experience with military dispatch services to transport messages and documents for paying customers.
He operated the business until 1935, when he closed it and accepted civilian employment with the newly established 1st Panzer Division in Weimar. He worked with the division's motor transport personnel, drawing on his previous military service and experience operating motorcycles.
In October 1938, Van Noord accompanied the division during the German occupation of the Sudetenland. He remained a civilian Army employee until the mobilisation of German forces in August 1939.
Second World War
[edit | edit source]Van Noord entered uniformed military service in August 1939, aged 58. He joined Divisions-Nachschubführer 81, the supply organisation formed for the 1st Panzer Division, and supervised a motor transport column during the invasion of Poland. His column transported fuel and supplies to the division's advancing units.
In 1940, he transferred to the transport personnel of Panzer-Regiment 1. During the Battle of France, he supervised deliveries of fuel and spare parts to the regiment's tanks. Younger soldiers nicknamed him "the Grandfather" because he was approaching sixty. He also habitually neglected washing himself because he could not be bothered.
In spring 1941, the regiment's transport columns were reorganised under Divisions-Nachschubführer 81. Van Noord continued working with the division's motor transport personnel as German forces prepared for the invasion of the Soviet Union.
During fighting near Ostrov in early July 1941, a Soviet counterattack separated Van Noord from the other transport personnel. He found a Panzer II whose crew had been killed, although the vehicle's weapons remained operational. He entered the turret and began firing its 20 mm autocannon at several dozen approaching Soviet infantry soldiers. The shooting delayed their advance until German reinforcements arrived.
Van Noord received the Iron Cross 2nd Class for his actions and was subsequently promoted within the non-commissioned ranks. His commanders recommended him for an officer appointment. Following an assessment, he received an exceptional commission as Leutnant der Reserve in late 1942, aged 62.
He returned to Germany that year and was assigned to training duties at Löberfeld barracks in Erfurt. He instructed replacement personnel in vehicle transport and maintenance. His training establishment had been divided into Panzer-Ersatz-Abteilung 1 and Panzer-Ausbildungs-Abteilung 1 in October 1942.
On 1 August 1943, Van Noord joined the newly formed Reserve-Panzer-Abteilung 1. He accompanied the battalion to occupied France, where it served under the 179th Reserve Panzer Division near Laval. He continued working with vehicle-support personnel while the battalion trained replacement tank crews.
In May 1944, the battalion became the II Battalion of Panzer-Regiment 116 during the formation of the 116th Panzer Division. The regiment received the designation Panzer-Regiment 16 later that month. Van Noord remained with the battalion as a vehicle-support officer.
Injury in Normandy
[edit | edit source]On 30 July 1944, Van Noord was caught in an explosion during fighting near Percy in Normandy. He lost his balance and fell through a window, fracturing his femur when he landed outside the building.
German stretcher-bearers recovered him and medical personnel immobilised his injured leg. He was taken to a dressing station behind the front before being evacuated farther east. He left the Percy area before American forces captured the town on 2 August and was subsequently transferred to a military hospital in Germany.
Van Noord spent the remainder of 1944 receiving treatment. By early 1945, he could walk again, although the fracture had left him with a permanent limp. German military doctors declared him unfit for further service, and he returned to Frankfurt. His military career ended with the rank of Leutnant der Reserve.
Postwar life
[edit | edit source]Van Noord was living in Frankfurt when American forces occupied the city in March 1945. He had never joined the NSDAP.
In 1946, he submitted a Meldebogen to the occupation authorities, declaring his military service and political affiliations as part of the denazification process. The authorities found no grounds to initiate formal proceedings. He received a Nichtbetroffenenbescheid in 1947, confirming that he was not subject to the denazification law. No denazification penalty was imposed.
In 1948, Van Noord joined Spedition Vellbrück & Tamm, a road haulage company in Frankfurt, as a civilian transport dispatcher. He organised vehicle assignments and delivery schedules from the company's office. His permanent limp prevented him from undertaking physically demanding work but did not interfere with his duties as a dispatcher.
He remained employed at Spedition Vellbrück & Tamm for ten years before retiring in 1958, aged 77.
Death
[edit | edit source]In February 1978, Van Noord developed a respiratory infection and was admitted to hospital in Frankfurt. His condition deteriorated despite treatment, and he died from bronchopneumonia on 18 February 1978, aged 97.