German tanker Kurt Knispel: biography, achievements and interesting facts

2024 Author: Henry Conors | [email protected]. Last modified: 2024-02-12 02:45

Kurt Knispel, with 168 confirmed victories, is considered the most successful tanker of World War II, credited with taking out a T-34 tank from 3,000 meters away, destroying over 70 enemy anti-tank guns, as well as countless bunkers and field fortifications.

Origin

Kurt Knispel is a Sudeten German by origin. He was born in Czechoslovakia on September 20, 1921 in a small town called Salisov. Kurt spent most of his childhood in Mikulovice, where his father worked in a car factory. The future German tanker Kurt Knispel disliked working at the factory, so in April 1940, at the age of 20, he volunteered for the Wehrmacht.

Basic preparation for service in the Wehrmacht

Kurt received basic training in a reserve tank training battalion in the city of Sagan (today it is the Polish city of Zagan). There he was taught general military skills:properly march, salute, and use firearms such as the P38 submachine gun, Kar98k rifle, and hand grenades. After basic training, Knispel began training to work on the Pz I, II and IV tanks. On October 1, Knispel was transferred to the 29th Panzer Regiment of the 12th Panzer Division, where he completed his training and became a loader and gunner on a Pz IV tank. During training, Knispel demonstrated his gunner's abilities for the first time; he had the gift of three-dimensional vision, as well as unusually sharp reflexes. However, he was then left to load.

First combat experience

Knispel was at the front for the first time in August 1941. He served as a gunner for Lieutenant Helman on a Pz IV tank during Operation Barbarossa and participated in the invasion of the Soviet Union as part of the Third Panzer Group of the 57th Army Corps under the command of General Adolf-Friedrich Kuntzen. Kurt Knispel took part in the fighting from Yartsevo to Stalingrad, in the north in the Tikhvin region of the Leningrad Region, and also in the Caucasus under the command of Eberhard von Mackensen. In November 1942, the photographer captured Corporal Knispel with the badge "For a tank attack", the Iron Cross of the second degree and the badge "For wounding".

Kurt Knispel: duty stations and critical operations

In January 1942, having already had 12 tank victories to his credit, Knispel returned to Putlos to train on a new tank"Tiger". From Putlos, his group was sent to the 500th tank battalion in Paderborn. This group, led by Hauptmann Hans Fendesak, became part of the first company of the 503rd heavy tank battalion, which fought in Kursk as a flanking cover for the 7th Panzer Division. Later, Knispel participated in the operation to break through the pocket of Korsun-Cherkassy, as well as in battles near Vinnitsa, Yampol and Kamenetz-Podolsky. Then his company was moved from the Eastern Front and transferred to the latest heavy tanks Tiger II. After that, Knispel fought in France near the city of Caen, and also covered the retreat of German troops from Normandy. After returning to the Eastern Front, his crew fought near Mezetur, Kecskemet, Tsegled, Bab Castle, Laa and in many other places (it is reported that in one battle Knispel knocked out 24 enemy tanks on his Tiger II). Knispel's last battle took place near the village of Vlasatice in the Czech Republic, where he, along with another tank commander, Sergeant Major Skoda, was mortally wounded on April 28, 1945, ten days before the end of the war.

Attitude towards awards and honors

Kurt Knispel, whose biography and achievements rightfully make him the best tanker of the Second World War, was a rather modest and non-conflict person in life. As commander of the Tiger and Tiger II tanks, Knispel scored another 42 victories. But he didn’t really boast about it, and in the event of a controversial situation, when someone claimed a wrecked enemy tank, Knispel usually conceded,always ready to give his success to someone else.

He was nominated for the Knight's Cross four times, but he never received the award, which is common among most other German tank aces of World War II. This did not bother Knispel at all, since the main driving force for him was not vanity. On account of Knispel, one hundred and sixty-eight confirmed knocked out tanks, and with unconfirmed cases, their number reaches one hundred and ninety-five. Even if you take into account only the first number, Kurt Knispel is the most successful tank shooter of World War II.

Military merit

Once Knispel knocked out a Soviet T-34 tank from a distance of 3000 meters in an absolutely incredible way. After the first fifteen victories, he was awarded the Iron Cross First Class, and then the gold badge "For tank attack". After the 126th victory, Knispel received the German Cross in Gold and became the only German non-commissioned officer whose name was mentioned in the Wehrmacht's official communiqué. It is said that he gave others many victories that he could rightfully consider his own. Kurt Knispel usually shied away from any controversy and earned himself the reputation of an affable and open person. As a tank commander, he felt like a fish in the water, sometimes even single-handedly confronting superior enemy forces in order to give his unit more opportunities to successfully advance or retreat. Alfred Rubbel, one of Knispel's early commanders, claimed that Kurt neverabandoned comrades even in the most difficult situations.

Lack of respect for senior commanders is the main reason why Kurt Knispel moved so slowly through the ranks. Once he attacked an officer who was beating a Soviet prisoner of war. Knispel's appearance did not match the stereotypical image of a German soldier: he had a tattoo on his neck, a small beard and longer hair than was required by the charter. However, his brother-soldiers loved him very much, and in terms of skill he had no equal. At the age of 23 Knispel had more tank victories to his credit than famous aces like Michael Wittmann, Ernst Barkmann, Johannes Bolter or Otto Carius.

The burial place of the German ace

The remains of the legendary tanker were found on April 9, 2013 by Czech archaeologists in an unmarked grave behind a church in the village of Vrbovci, near the Czech-Austrian border. Moravian Museum spokeswoman Eva Pankova explains that he was identified by a tattoo on his neck. On April 10, 2013, Czech authorities confirmed that Knispel's remains were found among the bodies of fifteen other German soldiers behind the church wall in Vrbovci. In all likelihood, Kurt Knispel will be reburied at a military cemetery in the city of Brno.

K. Knispel among tankers is the same legendary hero as the Red Baron among pilots.

Awards

• Iron Cross (2nd Class).
• Iron Cross 1st Class for the fighting on the Kursk Bulge in July 1943. During this battle, he destroyed 27 T-34 tanks in 12days.
• Medal "For the winter campaign in the East". This award is sometimes referred to as the Frozen Meat Order.
• Badge "For Wound" (Silver).
• Badge "For Tank Attack" (Silver).
• Badge "For a tank attack" first degree for 100 battles.
• German cross in gold May 20, 1944.
• Knispel is the only non-commissioned officer of the German army who was mentioned in the so-called Wehrmachtbericht (daily report of the Wehrmacht High Command) dated April 25, 1944. The reason was the destruction of 101 enemy tanks.