Knight's Cross Holders Identification

Denis · Post by **Denis** » 10 Mar 2004 10:18

Hello Freiherr,
He might be Wilhelm Harms since this is the most likely one, IMHO, among the RKT from 215 ID.
There are also Wilhelm Herb and Friedrich Weglehner which should be taken into account (having DoB allowing them to be a WWI vet) but both were awarded the DKiG before the RK.
Here is information about Harms (no need to go to das-ritterkreuz.de, there is no photo for him)

HARMS WILHELM
DoB : 11/11/1895
DoD : 24/06/1966
Last rank : OBERSTLEUTNANT d.R.
DKiG : Not awarded
RK : 01/02/1945 as Obstlt. d.R. Kdr. GRE. RGT. 390 (215. INF. DIV.).

Do you have info about Kniess (DoD for instance) which might help us in identifying this unknown RKT ?

Regards
Denis

PS edit : I have just seen the swords device on the EK1 ribbon of the RKT. I know this is related to a high WWI award but I am not a specialist of this era. Can a knowledgeable meber enlighten about it and tell us what is it ? This should ease the identification.

VJK · Post by **VJK** » 10 Mar 2004 12:46

Hi Denis!

Unfortunately I don't think it can be Harms for 3 reasons:-

Harms was awarded the RK on 1.2.1945, but...

1. Kniess was awarded the DKiG on 3.8.1942, and I don't see him wearing it;
2. Kniess was promoted to Gen. d. Inf. on 1.12.1942, but it looks very much to me that he is wearing the one pip of a Generalleutnant;
3. On 1.2.1945 Kniess was no longer the Kdr. of the 215 ID.

Regards,

VJK

Elwyn W · Post by **Elwyn W** » 10 Mar 2004 14:14

Thank you Denis and VJK for your input. Casual check with Jason Pipes site suggested all 215 Div RKT's earned their awards in 1944 or 45 with the exception of one in Dec 43. Maybe the RKT was from another unit.

Here is another pic of Kniess of the same period but the undecorated staff officers probably wouldn't yield any more info.
Cheers
Freiherr

Denis · Post by **Denis** » 10 Mar 2004 15:44

Hello
For info, here the list from RKT from 215 ID. First sery of date is DoB, the second one is DoD (blank when unknown)
I begin to believe that the RKT never belonged to 215 ID due to Valdis's comments.

ALTSTADT RUDOLF 16/01/1914 27/05/1974 14/05/1944 Major d.R. I/GRE. RGT. 380 215. INF. DIV.
FRANKEWITZ BRUNO 08/12/1897 11/08/1982 29/02/1944 Gen.Lt. 215. INF. DIV.
GEIGER HERBERT 03/10/1915 08/08/1944 Ofw. 1/GRE. RGT. 380 215. INF. DIV.
HARMS WILHELM 11/11/1895 24/06/1966 01/02/1945 Obstlt. d.R. GRE. RGT. 390 215. INF. DIV.
HEIDBRINK WILHELM 29/10/1903 21/09/1944 06/03/1944 Major d.R. GRE. RGT. 435 215. INF. DIV.
HENKENSCHUH HANS 30/08/1919 01/06/1981 10/09/1944 Fw. 7/GRE. RGT. 390 215. INF. DIV.
HERB WILHELM 22/07/1898 27/05/1969 12/08/1944 Obstlt. d.R. GRE. RGT. 380 215. INF. DIV.
HOCKENJOS FRITZ 26/03/1909 24/02/1995 02/09/1944 Hptm. d.R. II/GRE. RGT. 380 215. INF. DIV.
HORLBECK MAX 16/04/1915 26/03/1945 12/08/1944 Major II/GRE. RGT. 435 215. INF. DIV.
MEHRLE HANS 15/04/1922 15/04/1944 Oblt. GRE. RGT. 380 215. INF. DIV.
MOZER WERNER 05/01/1920 19/12/2000 11/12/1944 Lt. d.R. 5/FELD-E. BTL. 215 215. INF. DIV.
MÜLLER ALOIS 22/07/1913 17/07/1944 12/08/1944 Uffz. 4/GRE. RGT. 435 215. INF. DIV.
PFEIFFER KARL 21/01/1915 29/12/1990 15/03/1944 Oblt. I/GRE. RGT. 435 215. INF. DIV.
PFIZENMAYER PAUL 13/02/1913 09/03/1984 03/11/1944 Hptm. d.R. 3/ART. RGT. 215 215. INF. DIV.
RINGHOF JAKOB 06/07/1911 27/08/1993 23/12/1943 Hptm. DIV. FÜS. BTL. 215 215. INF. DIV.
SCHÄZLZE BERND 27/05/1920 13/07/2000 03/01/1944 Lt. d.R. 11/GRE. RGT. 380 215. INF. DIV.
SCHMID WALTER 05/04/1919 22/09/1944 15/05/1944 Lt. d.R. II/GRE. RGT. 390 215. INF. DIV.
THIELE ARNO 08/12/1912 03/08/1942 24/09/1942 Oblt. 4/PZ. RGT. 29 215. INF. DIV.
VETTER MAX 03/05/1920 07/02/1944 Uffz. 1/GRE. RGT. 380 215. INF. DIV.
WEGLEHNER FRIEDRICH 18/12/1898 12/08/1944 Major d.R. II/GRE. RGT. 390 215. INF. DIV.
WENZ ALFRED 01/12/1919 19/09/1944 21/09/1944 Oblt. 7/GRE. RGT. 435 215. INF. DIV.
ZELLER KONRAD 09/09/1911 24/01/1996 05/01/1944 Hptm. d.R. III/GRE. RGT. 380 215. INF. DIV.
ZELLER WILLY 12/11/1913 09/01/1997 07/02/1944 Lt. 9/GRE. RGT. 380 215. INF. DIV.

Elwyn W · Post by **Elwyn W** » 14 Mar 2004 04:57

Who was he?

Cheers
Freiherr

FANGIO · Post by **FANGIO** » 16 Mar 2004 20:51

Any idea of this RKT? Sturmartillerie?

FANGIO · Post by **FANGIO** » 16 Mar 2004 20:55

Forgott one more, from Grossdeutschland:

Elwyn W · Post by **Elwyn W** » 17 Mar 2004 04:49

The GD man was Hptm Helmuth Spaeter.

Cheers
Freiherr

FANGIO · Post by **FANGIO** » 17 Mar 2004 15:49

Thanks Freiherr!
Any idea of the above one? Anybody?
Regards.

FANGIO

Elwyn W · Post by **Elwyn W** » 18 Mar 2004 04:47

Purportedly a Eichenlaubträger from StukaG 77.

I think there were only 6:
Karl Henze, Helmut Bruck, Georg Jakob, Franz Kieslich, Alexander Glaeser and Gerhard Steudemann. Can anyone confirm that it was a young Glaeser? The RK looks pasted on.

Cheers
Freiherr

Elwyn W · Post by **Elwyn W** » 18 Mar 2004 04:54

Two unindentified RKT from StukaG77.

Cheers
Freiherr

Elwyn W · Post by **Elwyn W** » 18 Mar 2004 04:59

And finally a third unknown RKT from StukaG77. Knowing who the GenMj was who himself was a RKT might help.

Cheers
Freiherr

both pics : Günther Hitz ; presented by Hans Seidemann/ AHF id

Denis · Post by **Denis** » 18 Mar 2004 14:09

Hello Freiherr
The RKT3 is GÜNTER HITZ.
Here is info about him
DoB : 17/07/1916
DoD : 11/04/1944
Last rank : HAUPTMANN
Last unit : I/S.G. 77
DKiG : 05/06/1942 as Oblt. I/St.G. 77
RK : 22/11/1943 as Hptm. 2/St.G. 77
Regards
Denis

Elwyn W · Post by **Elwyn W** » 18 Mar 2004 14:18

As always, Denis, thanks for your help.

Cheers
Freiherr

Denis · Post by **Denis** » 19 Mar 2004 10:04

FANGIO wrote:Any idea of this RKT? Sturmartillerie?

This is Josef Trausnitz.

TRAUSNITZ JOSEF
DoB : 06/04/1916
DoD : 28/09/1995
Last rank : LEUTNANT
Last position : PIONIERSCHULE I (18. FHJ-LHRGANG)
EK1 : 12/09/1942
DKiG : Not awarded
RK : 03/11/1944 (3969th) as Ofw. 3/SKI-PI. BTL. 85 (1. SKI-JÄG. DIV.)

He is not a memebr of the sturmartillerie or a Panzer Grenadier unit neither but mebers of the Ski Jäger Division wear the feldgrau wrapper.

Regards
Denis