Ofw. Kurt Knispel (the highest scoring Panzer ace)
Ofw. Kurt Knispel (the highest scoring Panzer ace)
Having achieved 168 (or maybe 195) tank kills Ofw. Kurt Knispel was apparently Killed in Action in late April 1945.
I do not understand why he did not receive the RK as he was apparently recommended 4 times. Has anybody examined his service record please ?
Has anybody got a good formal portrait of him ? There must be one from when he got his DK/Gold.
I do not understand why he did not receive the RK as he was apparently recommended 4 times. Has anybody examined his service record please ?
Has anybody got a good formal portrait of him ? There must be one from when he got his DK/Gold.
-
- Member
- Posts: 8695
- Joined: 11 Nov 2004, 13:53
- Location: Hohnhorst / Deutschland
-
- Member
- Posts: 8695
- Joined: 11 Nov 2004, 13:53
- Location: Hohnhorst / Deutschland
-
- Member
- Posts: 282
- Joined: 07 Aug 2005, 18:28
- Location: Raleigh NC
Just a guess; but Germany generally reserved its higher medals for officers. Kurt wasn't one.
Also, he might have not been a good little nazi poster boy like Witman; German propaganda loved military officers who supported the nazi line. thus the promotion of rommel while sacking Guderian et al for disagreeing with hitler over Russia
Also, he might have not been a good little nazi poster boy like Witman; German propaganda loved military officers who supported the nazi line. thus the promotion of rommel while sacking Guderian et al for disagreeing with hitler over Russia
-
- Member
- Posts: 8695
- Joined: 11 Nov 2004, 13:53
- Location: Hohnhorst / Deutschland
Be aware that Knispel lookd that way only for "public" purposes , like this Propaganda-Parade for the Wochenschau ...
Normally he looked more THIS way :
Picture provided by OTL a.D. Alfred Rubbel , who was Knispels 1st Kdt. and later had the fate to bury Knispel .
Jan-Hendrik
Normally he looked more THIS way :
Picture provided by OTL a.D. Alfred Rubbel , who was Knispels 1st Kdt. and later had the fate to bury Knispel .
Jan-Hendrik
- Attachments
-
- 241qtjb.jpg (34.3 KiB) Viewed 4393 times
-
- Member
- Posts: 8695
- Joined: 11 Nov 2004, 13:53
- Location: Hohnhorst / Deutschland
Many reasons , first of all member of a "Heerestruppe" , hard enough for a Kdr. of such units to bring through a proposal for a higher decoration for one of his men ( look at the "amount" of RKs that were given to members of sPzAbt. of Heer during war ...) , for second he was not that what you would call in our days useable for "publicity purposes" , yes , no "Mustersoldat" , rather an old Unteroffizier who had seen more during the war than he ever wanted to see , Wolchow in Winter , Kaukasus in Summer , Kalmückensteppe in bitterst Winter , Kursk , Tscherkassy relief , Hube-Kessel , Normandy , Hungary , with all its bitterness ...
Jan-Hendrik
Jan-Hendrik