Kurt Knispel is probably the best tank commander of all time. Why Knispel did not have the fame of his more famous colleagues, Michael Wittman or Otto Karius, is an aspect we will try to shed light on. Although he was part of the German war machine, there is clear evidence that he was not personally a Nazi.

Childhood and enlistment in the Wehrmacht

Knispel was born in September 1921 in the town of Salishov in the former Czechoslovakia. He came from a family of German origin, the majority ethnic group in the Sudetenland. From an early age, a technical inclination was obvious, so his parents sent him to work as an apprentice at a car factory. Here he received the basic mechanical knowledge that will become indispensable in his future career as a tanker driver.

Forced by circumstances, he enlisted in the German army in 1940, initially in the infantry. Later, it will be transferred to armored vehicles, which will perform the role of loader at the first stage.

The main manual did this on the Panzer I, Panzer II and IV models. After training, Knispel will receive baptism of fire in Russia, where he will have the opportunity to fight on all types of tanks available at that time in the German army.

He will see action in hot spots on the front, from blitzkrieg– the first months of the invasion, up to the disaster near Stalingrad and the breakthrough of the encirclement near Korsun-Cherkassy.

In January 1943 he would return to Germany to familiarize himself with the new Tiger models. By this time, he was credited with 12 destroyed Soviet tanks, which was already a considerable number.

Kurt Knispel and the iconic Tiger tank – a legend was born

New Panzerkampfwagen VI H Ausf. H1, better known to the general public as “Tiger”, was supposed to be the armored response of the Germans to the appearance on the battlefield of Soviet tanks of the T-34 series.

The heavy 57-ton tank was superior in terms of characteristics not only to Soviet tanks, but also to any tanks that the Allies had at that time. Essentially, the T-34/57 had to get within a distance that made it vulnerable to penetrate the Tiger’s impressive frontal armor.

Of course, the Tiger also had its drawbacks, meaning a certain lack of mobility, thanks to a slightly underpowered engine for its enormous weight. In addition, another major drawback was the production cost, which was high for the time, as well as some technical malfunctions that it often encountered.

Overall, however, the Tiger I was an excellent model, considered by many to be perhaps the best tank of World War II.

In the tower of such a monster, Knispel, having become a tank commander, will know glory. After retraining on this model, he will be assigned to the famous tank battalion 503 (Schwere Heerespanzerabteilung 503). In this unit, he will take part in the battle of Kursk, as well as in confrontations in other directions, such as Vinnytsia, Yampil or Kamianets-Podilskyi. His victories increased during this period, making Knispel automatically eligible for military honors and promotions.

However, he will never get the recognition he deserves. Frequent conflicts with various senior members of the Nazi hierarchy meant that promotion was slow, and he was also nominated four times for the German Cross in Gold before receiving this award in May 1944.

In addition to his rebellious nature, his appearance was not typical of a kazon. Thus, we are talking about a guy who wore a beard and hair much longer than allowed by military statutes, which was unthinkable in the German army at the time.

Infamously, Kurt Knispel punched a member of the Einsatz group at a train station in Russia because he noticed he was misbehaving with a Russian prisoner of war. Without his impeccable record, without his unparalleled skill (known to his superiors anyway), it is very likely that Knispel would have ended up in a military prison.

This will be followed by a transition to the new Tiger II, in the tower of which Kurt Knispel will participate in the battles at Caen, and then in the withdrawal from Normandy under the onslaught of the Allied forces. His unit will again be transferred to the eastern front, where he will participate in battles in Hungary, in areas such as Mezetur, Terokszentmiklós, Cegled or Kecskemet.

The end of the war will find his unit on the defensive, on the territory of Czechoslovakia. Kurt Knispel will be wounded near the town of Vostitz in a battle with vastly superior Soviet forces and will soon die in a field hospital in Urbau.

Ironically, his death occurred in his native Czechoslovakia, just ten days before the end of the war in Europe. He was only 24 years old… His remains will be found in 2013 behind the wall of a church in the town of Urbau. His identity was confirmed by the identification tags he wore around his neck.

Exhumation of Kurt Ksnipel Photo: Šálek Václav / ČTK / Profimedia

Kurt Knispel’s legacy and how his memory is perceived

With 168 confirmed tanks destroyed (perhaps 195), the Knispel was by far the most successful tank destroyer of World War II, even credited with destroying a T-34 at 3,000 meters, a remarkable performance. He fought on almost all types of German tanks as a loader, gunner and commander.

Awarded the Iron Cross 1st class for the destruction of the fiftieth enemy tank and the golden tankman’s assault badge after more than 100 battles. When Knispel destroyed 126 enemy tanks (and another 20 unconfirmed), he was awarded the German Cross in Gold. He became the only non-commissioned officer named in the Wehrmacht communique. As the commander of the Tiger I and then the Tiger II, Knispel destroyed another 42 enemy tanks.

Despite his amazing achievements, Knispel’s fame was largely overshadowed by other important German tank aces. This was partly due to the chaotic nature of the war, which often made it difficult to accurately track individual achievements.

However, his contribution to the German war effort and his outstanding skills were eventually recognized. He received several medals and awards, including the Knight’s Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves, Swords and Diamonds, one of Nazi Germany’s highest military awards.

There are numerous testimonies from colleagues who claim that Knispel showed extreme modesty, a convincing example being the fact that whenever there was uncertainty about who had destroyed an enemy car, he would take a “step back” and leave it to another victory. . Therefore, it is very possible that the number of his victories exceeds the official figure of 168 confirmed.

His exceptional skills and number of victories make him a legend among tank commanders.

Literature:

– Franz Kurowski, Panzer Aces 2

– Thomas Anderson, The Tiger

– Nigel Askey, Operation Barbarossa: A Complete Organizational and Statistical Analysis and Military Modeling

-Otto Karius, Tigers in the Mud, The Combat Career of German Tank Commander Otto Karius

– Franz Kurovsky, Field Marshal Kurt Knispel

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