Nominated For Higher Grades To The KC

[Edward L. Hsiao]

Gentlemen!

Here is what I known about the Knight's Cross winners of the Luftwaffe who were nominated for the Oak Leaves but never received them or perhaps unoffically got them.

Konrad Bauer
Walter Borchers
Hermann Buchner
Peter Duettmann
Hans Ehlers
Gustav Francsi
Siegfried Freytag
Werner Hoffmann
Heinz Kemethmueller
August Lambert
Erich Leie
Siegfried Lemke
Rudolf Rademacher
Guenther Specht
Fritz Tegtmeier
Friedrich Wachowiak
Walter Wolfram
Alois Wosnitza
Bernhard Hamester

The last two were Stuka pilots. The rest were day or night fighter pilots. However August Lambert was a ground attack pilot who gotten 116 victories over enemy aircraft. Can you think of anyone in the Wehrmacht that was nominated for the Oak Leaves but didn't get them? The Kriegsmarine and the Waffen-SS especially!

Sincerely,

Edward

[FlorianBerger]

Hi,

f.e. Karl Auer (WSS) and Franz Dutter (Heer) were nominated, but don´t
reveive the Oak Leaves.

regards,
Flo

[Dieter Zinke]

There are a lot of soldiers, also nominated for
"only" the KC,
the swords,
the diamonds ??

I commend a sticky in the future. We will have to research for a long time. Let' s go, guys, researchers and friends

Oberstab

[JC]

These are some that I have information on. The date is the date that they were put in (Eingang) for the EL that was not awarded.

Hans Jürgen v.Arnim – 27.6.42
Hans Ulrich Back – 3.5.44
Georg v.Bismarck – 16.9.42
Erpo v.Bodenhausen – 10.3.45
Eduard Crasemann – 26.2.43
Wilhelm Crisolli – 9.12.42
Karl Decker – 29.11.44
Hans-Karl Freiherr v.Esebeck – 27.9.42
Hans Freiherr v.Funck – 9.3.43

Crasemann, Decker, and v.Funck all eventually received the EL but it was after they were put in for it again. V.Bismarck was also put in for the RK on 12.6.40 but was turned down and put in again on 3.9.40 which was then awarded on 30.9.40. I think I have similar information on others but it will have to wait until later.

BR………..JC

[FlorianBerger]

Very interesting part of history!
For the swords were nominated:

Major Ehrer (Jagdgeschwader 5) - not confired because conviction military tribunal

General Fretter-Pico (6. Armee)

GenMajor Göbel (InfRgt 420)

General Gollnick (28. Armeekorps)

General Großmann (6. Armeekorps)

Oberstlt. Gust (InfRgt 405)

GenOberst Hilpert (16. Armee)

General Hoßbach (56. Panzerkorps - nominated three times!)

GenLt. Klatt (3. GebJägerdivision)

Oberst Lorenz (InfRgt 287, Holder Close Compat Clasp in Gold)

GenOberst Raus (3. PzArmee)

General v. Roman (35. InfDiv)

Oberst v. Salisch (Jägerregiment 49) Confirmed as holder of the swords by v. Seemen up to 1955. But this was an error

GenLt. Schmalz (Fallschirm-PzKorps Hermann Göring"

Generalmajor Schury (101. Jägerdivision)

Oberst Schwender (InfRgt 3). Like v. Salisch up to 1955 confirmed.

Oberstleutnant Thulke (Chief of a bataillon InfRgt 501) Later Officer of the german Bundeswehr

GenLt. Traut (78. Sturmdivision)

Major Weißenberger (Jagdgeschwader 7, Me-262)

------------

I heard aboud a story, that the Jagdflieger Heinz Bär was nominated for the diamonts one time in 1942 or 1943, but don´t received them because Reichsmarschall Göring don´t like him. So the Ace Nr. 8 of the war with 220 confirmed victories "only" had the swords.

best regards,
Flo

[Edward L. Hsiao]

Gentlemen!

Just as I thought! Oberst Erich Lorenz (Heer) and Generalleutnant Wilhelm Schmalz (Luftwaffe) were the nominees of the Swords! I guess them right! What happened to recommandations for both of them were unknown.
Major Heinz-Wolfgang Schnaufer's two crew members Fritz Rumpelhardt and Wilhelm Gaensler were both recommanded for the Oak Leaves! All three were from the night fighters.
I agree that this topic should be made "sticky"!

Thank You!

Edward

[JC]

Here are a few more who were put in for the RK or the EL and did not receive it. All but Hax subsequently received the decoration but only after being put up for it again.

Josef Harpe RK - 11.7.41
Josef Harpe EL - 10.11.41
Heinrich Hax EL - 29.4.45
Sigfrid Henrici EL - 11.8.43
Traugott Herr RK - 15.7.41
Ewald v.Kleist EL - 2.10.41
Otto v.Knobelsdorff RK - 16.9.40
Willibald v.Langermann-Erlenkamp EL - 10.10.41

JC

[USAF1986]

Here is the complete text of Generaloberst Carl Hilpert's ultimately disapproved Swords proposal previously posted by myself:

http://forum.axishistory.com/viewtopic. ... ht=hilpert

Best regards,
Shawn

[Edward L. Hsiao]

Gentlemen,

Oberst Joachim Reuter,commander of Grenadier-Regiment 386,was recommanded the Oak Leaves. He had received the Knight's Cross on 27 August 1944. However, that recommandation for that award didn't go through in time prior to the cessation of hostilities.

Edward

[Edward L. Hsiao]

Gentlemen!

Max Wuensche,holder of the Knight's Cross with Oak Leaves and commander of the 12th SS Panzer Regiment (12th Panzer Div. "Hitler Jugend") had in the fighting in the Falaise Pocket,led two nearby Army regiments in addition to his own command in the intense struggle to preserve the northern perimeter of the entrapped German 7th Army. For his deeds, Wuensche was made SS-Standartenfuehrer and nominated for the Swords to the Oakleaves of the Knight's Cross. But this award never materialized since he was badly wounded was captured by British soldiers on 24 August 1944.

Regards,

Edward

[Edward L. Hsiao]

Gentlemen,

Oberstlt. Kurt Gierga,holder of the Knight's Cross,was recommended for the Oak Leaves while a Major serving with the 509th Heavy Panzer Battalion. Gierga was awarded the German Cross in Gold instead.

Regards,

Edward

[Edward L. Hsiao]

Gentlemen,

Major d. R. Dr. Albert Bausch, Commander of Sturmgeschuetz Abt. 286 was recommanded for the Oak Leaves to his Knight's Cross on Oct. 11, 1944.

Edward

[herbert]

Hallo

Kurt Gierga wurde am 25.2.1944 zum EL eingereicht, am selben
Tag abgelehnt und wurde am 2.3.1944 mit dem DKiG ausge-
zeichnet.

Gruß

[hec801]

Hallo herbert,

woher hast Du Deine Information? Where do you have this information from?

Wurde eine Liste über die Vorschläge/Einreichungen geführt!? Did they write a list of suggestion for EL!?

Gruss/Regards

Hannes-

[herbert]

Hallo Hannes,

sie stammen von der RK-Kartei im BA. Ob es eine Originalliste
der zum EL eingereichten gibt, weiß ich nicht.

Gruß
Herbert