Fölkersam was born into an aristocratic
Baltic German family with a long record of service to the
Russian Empire. Fölkersam's family fled Russia after the
Russian Revolution and settled in
Latvia. From 1934 he attended university in Munich, Königsberg and Vienna studying economics, at this time he became a member of the National Socialist movement and the
SA. Fölkersam joined the
Brandenburgers in May 1940, forming a special unit comprising
Volksdeutsche (ethnic Germans) of Russian origin. His unit was active extensively during
Operation Barbarossa, and he even led an operation to capture the Maikop oilfields with his men dressed as an NKVD detachment. In 1944 Fölkersam's unit transferred to the
Waffen-SS and became the major part of
SS-Jagdverband Ost. This unit was active on the
Eastern Front and took part in the kidnapping of
Miklós Horthy Jr. and the deposition of his father, the Hungarian regent
Miklós Horthy in
Operation Panzerfaust. During the
Battle of the Bulge, Fölkersam participated in
Operation Greif, and worked in close coordination with
Otto Skorzeny. In January 1945, having been posted to the Eastern Front, he fought against the advancing
Red Army in central
Poland. Adrian von Fölkersam was killed in action on 21 January 1945 near
Inowrocław, Poland. At the time of his death, he was an
SS-Hauptsturmführer (captain), and was in command of the
SS-Jagdverband Ost. ==Awards==