Kurt Knispel
Appearance
Kurt Knispel | |
---|---|
Born | Salisfeld (Salisov), Czechoslovakia | 20 September 1921
Died | 28 April 1945 Urbau (Vrbovec), Czechoslovakia | (aged 23)
Allegiance | Germany |
Service | Wehrmacht |
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 ace during World War II, notable for claiming 168 tanks destroyed, making him the most successful fighter in armored warfare.[2][3][4]
On 10 April 2013, Czech authorities confirmed that Knispel's remains were found with 15 other German soldiers behind a church wall in Vrbovec, identified by his dog tags.[5] [6] On 12 November 2014, the German War Graves Commission reburied his remains at the military cemetery in Brno together with 41 other German soldiers who died in various places in Moravia and Silesia.[7]
Awards
- German Cross in Gold on 20 May 1944 as Unteroffizier in the 1./schwere Panzer-Abteilung 503[8]
- Mentioned in the Wehrmachtbericht on 25 April 1944
References
- Citations
- ^ "Detailansicht". Retrieved 2017-08-03.
- ^ Norris, John "Vehicle Art of World War Two" Pen and sword Military, 2016 p85
- ^ Ganz, A.Harding "Ghost Division: The 11th "Gespenster" Panzer Division and the German Armored" Stackpole Books 2016
- ^ Clodfelter, Micheal. "Warfare and Armed Conflicts: A Statistical Encyclopedia of Casualty" McFarland, 2017 p 456
- ^ "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.
- ^ "MZM - Uložení ostatků Kurta Knispela". Mzm.cz. Retrieved 2015-12-17.
- ^ Patzwall & Scherzer 2001, p. 238.
- Bibliography
- 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. ISBN 978-3-931533-45-8.
- Die Wehrmachtberichte 1939-1945 Band 3, 1. Januar 1944 bis 9. Mai 1945 [The Wehrmacht Reports 1939–1945 Volume 3, 1 January 1944 to 9 May 1945] (in German). München, Germany: Deutscher Taschenbuch Verlag GmbH & Co. KG. 1985. ISBN 978-3-423-05944-2.