High Scorers with Panzers and Paks

[alcius]

Kürsten in a Zeitung (I don't speak German, only Italian), maybe I was wrong to translate it

kurnsten1.png

kurnsten2.png

[Gastolli]

Thank you alcius,

it's always good to see these sources

Oblt. Rudolf Brauer was credited with the EK 1. class on 7.7.1941, and later on 2.8.1941 was rewarded with the Anerkennungsurkunde, the latter for actions on 28.6.1941 at Pelisve, so, his actions on 23.6.1941 with 23 tank kills to his credit "just" got him the EK!

Oliver

[Gastolli]

Hello alcius,

o.k., as for Kürsten one should read the he was the Spitzenzug-Führer (leader of the leading troop), and I know from other German texts, claiming tank kills, that in THAT case the success of the troop is meant, not the personal score of the Zugführer. It's kind of a textual trap (difficult German). Only if it's claimed that the person in question "persönlich" or "alleine mit seinem Wagen" destroyed a given number of tanks you can be sure that it is his personal score.

Of course, as Hans Kürsten was in action before and until Dec. 1942, his personal score may have been much higher than 20 kills.

It's just an estimate and kind of the lowest possible number ...

Oliver

[alcius]

Gastolli thanks you for the information and corrections
Alcius

[alcius]

I add more panzer aces:
Jakob Weber - pzrgt 21 - 32 kills
Paul Spiess - Pzrgt 21 - 21 kills
Justus-Wilhelm von Oechelhaeuser - pzrgt 23 - +14 kills
Hans-Theodor Dern - pzrgt 23 - +12 kills
Siegfried Freyer - Pzrgt 24 - +15 kills
Conrad Gaida - Pzrgt 24 - +11 kills
Gunther Lehrter - Pzrgt 27 - 41 kills
Arno Thiele - Pzrgt 29 - +50 kills
Ernst August arndt - II/Pzrgt 29/ Muncheberg - 48 kills on Panther Infrared

Alcius

[alcius]

I don't know if they have already been entered:
Norbert Kujacinski - Pzrgt 23 - +51 kills
Herbert Elsner - Pzrgt 23 - 56 kills
Alcius

[alcius]

Idem for:
Willy Bachor - Pzrgt 24 - 57 kills
Heinz Ott - Pzrgt 24 - 47 kills

[alcius]

Here are other panzer regiment aces:
Georg Gransee - pzrgt 31 - 21 kills
Heinz Zobel - pzrgt 31 - 32 kills
Josef Beginen - pzrgt 35 - 25 kills
Wilhelm Wolf - pzrgt 35 - +52 kills
Paul Palm - pzrgt 35 - 80 kills
Friedrich Banach - pzrgt 36 - 43 kills
Robrt Eichert - pzrg 36 - 36 kills
Herbert Zimmermann - pzrgt 36 - +18 kills
Paul Rudloff - pzrgt 36 - 54 kills
Willi Sammet- pzrgt 36 - 29 kills

Alcius

[Edward L. Hsiao]

So far so good. Quite a few of the panzer aces on the list were Knight's Cross holders.

Edward L. Hsiao

[alcius]

I finish inserting the panzerregiment aces;

Paul Sonntag - pzrgt 27 - +19 kills
Erich Kaiser - pzrgt 39 - 17 kills
Werner Pietsch - pzrgt 39 - +23 kills
Adolf Schnauder - pzrgt 39 - 55 kills
Richard Schimpf - pzrgt GD - +19 kills
Hans -Georg Risch - pzrgt Gd - +18 kills
Hans-Achim Liebscher - pzrgt GD - 30 kills

Then I will continue with the panzerabteilung, schwere panzerabteilung, Waffen- SS, schwerepanzerjäger, Sturmartillerie e Panzerjäger aces.
I have a lot of them
Helllo, Alcius

[Gastolli]

Hi Alcius, before continuing with these other guys ...

...
Adolf Schnauder - pzrgt 39 - 55 kills
Richard Schimpf - pzrgt GD - +19 kills
...

thank you for adding these men. I have heard from most of them, including newspaper and information from books, but do you have details (sources) for the two mentioned above, Schnauder and Schimpf? Do you found newspaper clippings for them?

Indeed, 6. Kompanie, Pz.Rgt. 39, is very interesting as this company alone was credited with 2 Ritterkreuz, 1 Anerkennungsurkunde and 13 (!) Deutsches Kreuz in Gold (Schnauder one of them). A lot of Tiger companies didn't got this amount of higher awards, with 6./39 being "just" a Panzer IV company, from a not well known Panzerdivision (17. Pz.Div.)

Oliver

[alcius]

Adolf Schnauder:
Völkischer Beobachter 4. März 1944 Pag.5
https://anno.onb.ac.at/cgi-content/anno ... ch&seite=5

schnauder.png

Richard Schimpf:
Generalmajor Otto Ernst Remer - Kommandeur der Führer-Begleit-Division pag.230
so hat es Oberfeld Schimpf gemacht , ihn nannten die Männer von , Großdeutschlandt an der rumänischen Ostfront den , Panzerlöwen ' , und ich konnte bei ihm als Richtschütze 19 feindpanzer abschießen .

Alcius

[Gastolli]

Hello Alcius,

thanks for the snippet for Schnauder. I know these Austrian newsletters, but they are so many ...

So, interesting that he was a Richtschütze, but as we know, 6./Pz.Rgt. 39 was a highly successful company, so no wonder that after two years of action he had that impressive personal score to his credit!

Richard Schimpf:
... und ich konnte bei ihm als Richtschütze ...

Ah, do you can give me the name of this Richtschütze from Richard Schimpf? His name should be mentioned in this book ...

I will have a look at the other additions you gave recently, will check them with my own notes, may come back to you for one or two of these soldiers

Oliver

[Gastolli]

Hello Alcius,

some corrections and remarks and questions from me

Spiess, Paul = Spiess, Wilhelm, he was Kommandant in Pz.Abt. 21

Gaida, Konrad: he was recommended for the Ehrenblattspange (didn't got it, though) and credited with 22 tank kills during 48 engagements (48 Gefechte).

Thiele, Arno: ah, do you have another newspaper clipping? I just know that he had 10 tank kills during one engagement which got him the RK.

Arndt (Müncheberg): this 48 tank kills were claimed by his tank, Richtschütze Tyma, but for a short time a certain Uffz. Rast was the tank commander, so maybe Arndt has about 40 tank kills to his credit and Uffz. Rast about 5 tank kills (approx.)

Zobel, Heinz, oh, sources? Another newspaper?

Wolf, Wilhelm = Wolf, Walter (Pz.Rgt. 35), it's claimed that he had 68 tank kills when recommended for the RK.

Sonntag (Pz.Rgt. 27): I just know that once he shot 14 russian tanks with 2 own tanks ...

Kaiser, Erich: another one from 6./Pz.Rgt. 39, do you have a source for this tank kills? I know, that his company (3 Pz IV, 5 Pz III) claimed 21 tanks in Febr. 1942 ...

Schimpf, Richard = Schimpf, Kurt (6./Pz.Rgt. GD). His score should be even higher, of course, if his Richtschütze got the 19 tank kills in 1944 alone.

I'm curious to hear from you again

Kind regards
Oliver

[alcius]

thanks for the information and corrections Gastolli, I am attaching information for what you asked me:
for Schimpf the gunner in Muck

For Arno Thiele:
Oberleutnant Arno Thiele, der mit seinem einzigen Panzer mit einer 7,5-cm-Langrohrkanone alle Bunker geknackt und der bereits über 50 Panzerabschüsse erzielt hatte, fiel am Morgen dieses Tages durch Kopfschuß.* Am Abend des 3. August 1942 ... Arno Thiele erhielt am i. September 1942 posthum das Ritterkreuz.
Zeitung Dkig for 39 kills

thiele.png

For Hein Zobel:
from wwii.germandocsinrussia.org

zobel.png

for Paul Sonntag:
https://zeitpunkt.nrw/ulbms/periodical/ ... sonntag%22

For Erich Kaiser:
Die Vierziger: Chronik des Regiments - Pagina 84

kaiser.png

Alcius