"The remains of Kurt Knispel - who was the tank warfare equivalent of what the Red Baron was to flight - were found by historians at the Moravian Museum in Vrbovec lying in an unmarked grave for German soldiers at a cemetery in Znojemsko."
http://www.croatiantimes.com/news/Around_the_World/2013-04-17/32974/TIGER_IN_THE_TANK_-_Historians_Find_Body_Of_German_War_Hero
I'd never heard of him before. Cool story.
Yeah, sounds like a unique historical figure... almost a caricature of a real-life figure.
I had never heard of him either. How is he not as widely known as Wittman?
Quote from: mirth on April 25, 2013, 11:26:34 AM
I had never heard of him either. How is he not as widely known as Wittman?
This I would presume ...
Though he was recommended for it four times, Knispel never received the coveted Knight's Cross, a standard award for most other World War II German tank aces. But he was not keen for honours, and when there were conflicting claims for a destroyed enemy tank, Knispel always stepped back, always willing to credit success to someone else.
Knispel's slow promotion is attributed to several conflicts with higher Nazi authorities and he once assaulted a senior officer whom he saw mistreating Soviet POWs.
He also had longer than allowed hair and a beard and a tattoo - the latter that was used to identify him when his body was found in an unmarked grave on the Czech-Austrian border.
He's on Wiki:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kurt_Knispel
Quote from: Zulu1966 on April 25, 2013, 11:36:25 AM
Quote from: mirth on April 25, 2013, 11:26:34 AM
I had never heard of him either. How is he not as widely known as Wittman?
This I would presume ...
Though he was recommended for it four times, Knispel never received the coveted Knight's Cross, a standard award for most other World War II German tank aces. But he was not keen for honours, and when there were conflicting claims for a destroyed enemy tank, Knispel always stepped back, always willing to credit success to someone else.
Knispel's slow promotion is attributed to several conflicts with higher Nazi authorities and he once assaulted a senior officer whom he saw mistreating Soviet POWs.
He also had longer than allowed hair and a beard and a tattoo - the latter that was used to identify him when his body was found in an unmarked grave on the Czech-Austrian border.
gotta love nonconformity in a space where it is not tolerated well
he was profiled in the second Panzer Aces book. quite the character that one!
http://rzm.com/books/sp/sp007.cfm
http://rzm.com/books/sp/sp008.cfm
He sounds like the panzer equivalent of Luftwaffe ace Hans-Joachim Marseille.
...I was thinking he was sort of the Axis version of Oddball from Kelly's Heroes.
get those books. theyre excellent reads.