Knight's Cross Holders Identification

[Sinjoorke]

From ebay...

Hello
About post left by Malvinas on page 832 (Young Panzer-Oberleutnant), I think the pic is giving to us some clues:

- No eagle chest => this might imply the RKT was photo'd when he was PoW
- It is also worth noting that he bears a sleeve patch barely seen on his right arm.

To my knowledge, only 2 units have been identified with insignia on their right arm:
- one was the 4. Kav.Division
- the other was the 23. Pz. Division
Both badges were introduced in the very last days of the war (for the 4. Kav. Div.) or even after the war for the 23. Pz. Div.

As we have here a Pz officer, I would like to think we have a RKT from the 23. Pz. Div.
Here is a list of all RKT from this division:
http://www.axishistory.com/axis-nations ... r-division
Unfortunately, facial features of this Young RKT are not really matching wih those of RKT from 23. Pz. Div. I have made ashort list below of possible people.

Partial facial features:
- Josef Eisermann rather similar with the Young undiendtified RKT but Eisermann has ended the war as Oberfeldwebel
- Kurt Bergerhoff: very close but this latter one was killed in August 44 and was awarded RK after his death
- Hans Keck: I lack of a clear picture of Keck to say if it's him or not

A link to a picture of Eisermann:
http://forum.axishistory.com/viewtopic. ... 0#p1988221

All other RKT from 23. Pz Division are not matching with this Young Oblt. leaving us with a mistery so far.

All inputs will be very welcome!
Thanks

Hello Denis,
accidentaly I came accross a photo of someone who looks very similar to that Pz-man. I don't know if there can be any connection with this one. The RK has also been addded afterwards and he wares a grenadier uniform. It is Olt. Hans-Günther Voigt of 5./GR 154.
Regards,
Hugo.

[Denis]

Hello Hugo,

Yes I do agree with you that HG Voigt's face looks like with the Young Pz Oblt. but it is not perfectly matching (especially glance / eyes).
Besides, Voigt was posthumously awarded the KC while the Young Oblt has very likely survived the war.
The fact you wrote that the RK was added in your last thread has pushed me to look more closely to the KC as I haven't realized that so far.

When zooming on it, it seems the cross has been denazified.
What is also Strange is that you can not seen any suspension loop above the cross as if it was just sat on the Oblt neck.
I think (even I'm not sure) that it might be a denazified EK I pinned to the tie of the recipient (I have already seen this case for early recipients in 1940 who were lacking true KC and were using EK I instead of).

All these points (denazified cross, possible EK I used by lack of Ritterkreuz) added to the removal of eagle chest are loobying for a photo of a PoW.

Thanks Hugo

Denis

[malvinas82]

Hugo and Denis, here is the photo with zoom. Maybe it can help!

[GWorldmann]

Thanks!

@93 - Id: Dr. rer. pol. Friedrich Franek


@94 - Id: Erwin Rauch

[chris44]

pic @93 on this page
I think this is Friedrich FRANEK
it should be the MMTO next to the KC

[Frech]

I can confirm chris44: it´s FRANEK

[legionair]

Hello, who s this KC-holder?
Thanks Legionair

[graveland]

@93 Friedrich Franek (full agree)
@94 Erwin Rauch

[Sinjoorke]

Unknown from Legionair is FhjOfw. Friedrich Piefer.
Regards,
Hugo.

[Sinjoorke]

To my opinion, the KM-officer on page 187 pic.: Copia de unk km rkt (sammler.ru).jpg can't be Hans Heidtmann. Comparing photo's I think it must be Jost Brökelmann.
Regards,
Hugo.

[Sinjoorke]

Hello again Denis,
thanks very much for your reflection on the young Pz-man mystery. If I may, I would like to come back once more on the case. I ad here the photo that I was referring to, of Hans-Günther Voigt, with a detail of the afterwards added RK, since he was awarded posthumously. I also don't see a ribbon. It's clear that it is too big, but I wonder if you can clarify why he is waring such a dark (black) uniform as a grenadier, because I don't have such an expertise in that matter? Do you have knowledge how they photograficaly added that RK in those days? In the case of that young Pz-man and in case it was added photograficaly it looks to me a simpler technique than in the case of Voigt, because it is so horizontal and 2-dimentional.
Thanks in advance,
Hugo.

[John Toner]

This image was on e-bay a long time ago. Does anyone recognise the officer?

Thanks
John

[GWorldmann]

thanks!

@19 - Id: Werner Ostendorff


@20 - Id: Matthias Kleinheisterkamp (left), Georg Keppler (right)



@22

[joerg]

@ John Toner : Unknown Heeres officer is RUDOLF HOLSTE

[gunter83]

@19 Werner Ostendorff
@20 Matthias Kleinheisterkamp (left), Georg Keppler (right) and Gen. von Richthofen