Kurt Knispel
Kurt Knispel | |
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| Born | 20 September 1921 Salisfeld, Czechoslovakia |
| Died | 28 April 1945 (aged 23) Urbau, German occupied Czechoslovakia |
| Allegiance |  Germany |
| Service | Wehrmacht |
| Years of service | 1940–1945 |
| Rank | Feldwebel |
| Unit | 12th Panzer Division 503rd Heavy Panzer Battalion |
| Battles / wars | World War II |
| Awards | German Cross in Gold |
Kurt Knispel (20 September 1921 – 28 April 1945[1]) was a German tank commander during World War II. A total of 168 enemy tank kills were attributed to him,[2] though that number was disputed,[3] of which 126 as a gunner and 42 as a tank commander. This is considered the highest number of kills by a soldier during World War II.[4] Another 30 kills are unconfirmed. Only the German “tank aces” Michael Wittmann and Otto Carius achieved similar numbers of kills.
Knispel was severely wounded on 28 April 1945 by shrapnel to his head when his Tiger II was hit in battle by Soviet tanks. He died two hours later in a German field hospital.[5]
On 10 April 2013, Czech authorities said that Knispel's remains were found with 15 other German soldiers behind a church wall in Vrbovec, identified by his dog tags.[6][7]
On 12 November 2014, the German War Graves Commission reburied his remains at the Central Brno military cemetery in Brno.[8] He was buried with 41 other German soldiers who died in Moravia and Silesia.[9]
Awards
- German Cross in Gold on 20 May 1944 as Unteroffizier in the 1./schwere Panzer-Abteilung 503[10]
References
- ^ "Detailansicht". Retrieved 2017-08-03.
- ^ Forty, George. Tiger Tank Battalions in World War II. ISBN 978-0-7603-3049-4.
- ^ Kurowski, Franz (2000). Panzer Aces 2. Translated by Johnston, David. Winnipeg, Manitoba Canada: J.J. Fedorowicz Publishing, Inc. p. 159. ISBN 0-921991-49-5.
- ^ Gernot Kramper (2021-02-07). "Kurt Knispel – er war der gefährlichste Panzermann aller Zeiten, aber die Nazis hassten ihn". Retrieved 2023-07-14.
- ^ Hans-Jörg Schmidt (2014-06-16). "Sudetendeutsche: Tschechien kümmert sich nicht um deutsche Gräber". Die Welt. Retrieved 2016-11-25.
- ^ "Archeologové objevili hrob největšího tankového esa 2. světové války — Zprávy — Zpravodajství Brno — Česká televize". Ceskatelevize.cz. 2013-04-09. Retrieved 2015-12-17.
- ^ "Remains of Kurt Knispel located ..." War History Online. 2014-12-19. Retrieved 2017-01-28.
- ^ Grabstätte von Kurt Knispel
- ^ "MZM - Uložení ostatků Kurta Knispela". Mzm.cz. Archived from the original on 2015-12-22. Retrieved 2015-12-17.
- ^ Patzwall, Klaus D.; Scherzer, Veit (2001). Das Deutsche Kreuz 1941 – 1945 Geschichte und Inhaber Band II [The German Cross 1941 – 1945 History and Recipients Volume 2] (in German). Norderstedt, Germany: Verlag Klaus D. Patzwall. p. 238. ISBN 978-3-931533-45-8. Patzwall & Scherzer 2001, p. 238.
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