highly decorated nco in usa and germany wwii

7/21/2019 Highly Decorated Nco in USA and Germany WWII

http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/highly-decorated-nco-in-usa-and-germany-wwii 1/24

Highly decorated

Non Commissioned Officers

in the

United States Armed Forces

and

German Armed Forces

during the

Second World War

By

SGM Manfred S JERABEK

German Army

Student# 436

Faculty advisor

SGMParham

USASMA

Rll

1



Index

Chapter A

ChapterB

1

2

3.

4.

5.

6.

7.

8.

Chapter C

1

2

3.

4.

5.

6.

7

ChapterD

Annex

Subtitle

Page

Introduction

3 4

United States Armed Forces; NCO- Congressional Medal Honor

Recipients during the Second World War 4 - 12

Bestowal regulations 5

Total overview Army, Navy, Marine Corps and Coast Guard and

posthumous 6

Total overview Officers, NCOs and Junior Enlisted Soldiers 7

NCO- Medal Honor overview - branches and posthumous 8

NCO- Medal Honor overview - ranks from E 4 until E 8 9

NCO- Medal Honor overview - years from 1941 until 1945 10

NCO- Medal Honor overview - war theatres Europe and Asia

11

NCO- Medal Honor overview - in Europe 12

German Armed Forces; NCO- Knight's Cross the Iron Cross

Recipients during the Second World War

13

-

21

Bestowal regulations

13

-

14

Total overview Army, Navy,

Air

Force and Waften- SS and

posthumous and KIA

15

Total overview Officers, NCOs and Junior Enlisted Soldiers 16 - 17

NCO- Knight's Cross - branches and posthumous 18

NCO- Knight's Cross overview - ranks from E 4 until E 9

19

NCO- Knight's Cross overview - years from 1939 until 1945

20

NCO- Knight's Cross overview - in Europe 21

Comparison the highly decorated NCOs in the United States

Armed Forces and the German Armed Forces

22 - 23

References 24

2



A.

Introduction into the important role

o

medals and awards for soldiers and to the

important role o highly decorated Non Commissioned Officers in the Second

World War in two different Armies.

In the years o war, each country

is

honoring their heroes in their own way. In the

old days, heroes received titles like "Count", "Earl" or "Baron" or they got property as an

appreciation for their action

in

combat. However, it was also appropriate to honor them

with promotions to a higher rank or with medals. Honoring their heroes with medals is

the cheapest way for a country to pay back. Because the cost o medals and an

appropriate certificate are less expensive than titles or giving them some real-estate or a

higher rank. Soldiers are not hard to satisfy; a medal or a certificate o appreciation for

their work is the normal and common way to handle their desire . In the following pages, I

will analyze the numbers o Medal o Honor recipients in the United States Armed

Forces and the numbers o Knight's Cross recipients in the German Armed Forces during

the Second World War. Both awards are the highest military recognition in each country

to honor their soldier's action on the battlefield.

From the

18

Million (18.000.000) German Soldiers participated in the Second World

War, only 7320 received the Knight's Cross o the Iron Cross. That

is

only 0.04 percent

o the German Armed Forces.

From the 16 Million (16.000.000) American Soldiers participated in the Second World

War, only 440 received the Congressional Medal

o

Honor. That

is

only 0.002 percent o

the United States Armed Forces.

Pointing to this numbers and percentages, we can speak about "elite" within the Armed

Services o each country. My focus in analyzing those numbers will be only on the

Noncommissioned Officers in each army. Field manuals

o

each army are telling us about

their important role within the forces," NCOs are the backbone in the army". We will see

at the end how true this statement

is.

I will also try in the last part

o

this pamphlet to compare and contrast both armies and I

will try to

find

out, ifbravery is comparable and

i

numbers are comparable.

I will try in this paper to find answers to the questions of,

1. Are the NCOs the backbones

o

their armies and are their armies are

recognizing this, in awarding them an equal portion

o

their awards in combat?

2. Is bravery comparable from one army to another army?

3. Are tough and bloody war theatres or battles are an indication for increasing

awarding medals on both sides

o

the battle?

This paper will also reflect the important and significant role

o

highly decorated NCOs

in two different Armies during the Second World War for their NCO corps and the

public.

More than 90%

o

all statistics, tables and numbers in this paper are unknown to the

public. This means, there were only the individual names, but

no

statistics. During

my

research, I found out, that those numbers are never before shown up at any publications .

No one before conducted a research on the NCO corps o both armies in relation to the

highest military award. Therefore, the overviews and numbers you will see and I will try

to analyze, are unknown in public. I counted everything

my

self and put

all

the tables

and statistics

in

place,

as

you will see on the following pages. I asked in preparation o

this paper the "Medal

o

Honor Society" and the "Knight's Cross Association" in

3



Germany about my enquiry, but both organizations had no information about it and told

me never before someone did a research on this subject or showed some interests.

By talking about each single overview I will divide my thoughts into three parts and I

will follow an old military principle,

the

triad of - address - appraise - conclude.

The special role

ofNCOs

in the United States Armed Forces and German Armed Forces

who

got

a "Field Commission" and

was

promoted from

an NCO

rank

to

an Officer rank

is not a part of this pamphlet. An

unknown

number ofNCOs in

both

armies got this

commission because of their heroic action on the battlefield. Just two examples

to

understand the meaning of this paper. Audie Murphy was the most decorated and well

known US- Hero in the Second World War.

He

started his career as an NCO and received

countless awards and a field commission to 2nd Lieutenant. Audie Murphy received the

Congressional Medal of Honor in

the

rank of an 2

nd

Lieutenant. Therefore, he is not

recognized in this booklet. Michael Wittmann, on the German side, was

the

most

successful tank commander in the whole Second World War. Wit tmann and his tank crew

shot down more than 150 enemy tanks on the Russian Front and later on in the

Normandy. He started as an NCO in

the

Waffen- SS, he received countless awards and

decorations

as

an

NCO

and a field commission

to

2nd

Lieutenant as well.

He

received the

Knight s Cross of

the

Iron Cross as a 2nd Lieutenant in January 1944 on the Eastern

Front, the Oak Leaves to the Knight s Cross as a 2

nd

Lieutenant in January 1944 on the

Eastern Front and the Swords

to

the

Knight s

Cross as a 1

st

Lieutenant in June 1944 in the

Normandy. Therefore, he is not recognized in this booklet.

HAWKJohnD

Sergeant (E5)

Co E, 359

th

Infantry, 90

th

InfDiv

Medal of Honor on

August 20

1944

Falaise / France

AHRENS Hinrich

Sergeant (E5)

Anti Tank Cannon Commander

Knight's Cross on

January 1 t, 1945

Eastern Front

4



B.

UnitedStatesArmedForces;CongressionalMedalofHonorRecipientsinthetimeframe

from1941-45.

1. BestowalregulationsfortheCongressionalMedalofHonor.

TheCongressionalMedalofHonor wasestablishedinJuly1862

by

joint

resolution

of

Congress.

Quote:

Awardedinthename

of

Congressto apersonwho,whileamemberof

theArmedServices,distinguishedhimselfconspicuouslybygallantryand

intrepidityattherisk

of

hislifebeyondthecallof dutywhileengagedinan

actionagainstanyenemyofTheUnitedStates.

Unquote

TheMedal

of

Honorwasgiven

to

3459soldierssince1862andonly440

timesduringtheSecondWorld

War

.Thatmeans, fromthe16Million

(16.000.000)AmericanSoldiersparticipatedintheSecondWorldWar,only

440receivedtheCongressionalMedal

of

Honor,thisrepresentsonly0.002

percentof theUnitedStatesArmedForces.Sinceitcreationin1862,the

Medalof Honor wasandstillisthesymbolof courageandbraveryon the

battlefield.Recognizedbyothersoldiers,civiliansandpoliticiansandbythe

formerenemiesaswell.TheGermanKnightsCrossAssociationishonoring

andrespectingtheircounterpartsintheUnitedStatesofAmericaashero s and

eliteonthebattlefields of thelastWorldWar.Oncestandingandfighting

againsteachotherinthetrenches

of

theWesternFront

or

on

theBeaches

of

NormandyandItalylostitsmainreason

of

beingthebadenemy.Todaythe

veterans

of

theSecondWorldWararerespectingtheirformerenemiesfor

fulfillingtheirdutiesfortheircountry.

5



2. Total overview structured into branches, Army, Navy,

Marine

Corps, and

Coast Guard and posthumous.

44 Medal

of

Honor

100

90

total

overview

80

branches and posthumous

I

0

60

60

40

II 88.4

30

20

10

II

0.2

I

J

13.0

L

'

1

I

Army Navy

Marine Corps

Coast Guard Posthumous

301 57

8

1 250

(A) As you can see on this figure, the total

number

of conferments in

the

US-

Armed Forces during

the

Second World War has

been 440

within 45

month of

combat. During

the

Civil

War

1861 until 1865 (51 month), 520

times the Medal of Honor were given

to

soldiers from the Union. The US- Air

Force

is

not

recognized in this overview,

because

this

branch was

established

later

on

in 1947.

The Air Corps was

a part

of the US- Army

at this time.

(B)

The

Army

was

and still is

the

main figure during a conflict, therefore

the

numbers

of

casualties and heroes in this

branch

are

the

highest in the

Armed Forces. With 68.4 %, and 301 Medals ofHonor, the Army is the

carrier of the battle. Exact 250 soldiers did not survive their heroic action on

the

battlefield

and

received

the Medal

of

Honor

posthumous.

The Army

is carrying

the

main load in battle; this rule will continue in present

and future

wars as

well.

(C)

Must

a hero

be

dead,

to

be

recognized?

The

high

number

of

more

then

56.8% soldiers never received the Medal ofHonor during their life time, could

be an

indicator of a

true

hero has to

be

dead . However, this is

not the

real

meaning behind the bestowal regulations!

Is

it not?

6



3

Total overview structured into the three rank groups o Officers, Sergeants

and Junior Enlisted Soldiers.

%

100

90

8

7

6

5

40

3

2

10

440 Medal of Honor

total overview

WW

36 4 31 0

32 6

33.3

Total Officers Sergeants

jun. Enlisted

440 160

136 144

(A)

n

this figure we can see the comparison o numbers o conferments

between Officers, Sergeants and the Junior Enlisted Men (from E1 until E3)

during the timeframe o the Second World War.

(B) Very interesting

to

notice is the almost equal percentage o Medal

o

Honor recipients in the three rank groups, i you take a closer look at the

33.3% line.

(C) The almost equal percentage o Medal o Honor Recipients in the

three rank groups could be seen as an unwritten rule, to keep the numbers o

recipients

on

the same level in the ranks. A closer look into other conflicts like

the Korean War

or

Vietnam War could be very interesting

to

compare and

contrast those numbers. Maybe there was a political or military reason

to

keep

the numbers between the rank groups at the same level. However, it is very

interesting to observe.

7



4. NCO- Medal ofHonor Recipients structured into branches and posthumous.

100

90

80

70

60

50

40

30

20

10

Posthumous

136 Medal

of

Honor

for

NCOs,

the branches and

n

posthumous

73 8

I I

3 0

111 8

i

c=:

Anny

Navy Marine

Corps

ir Corps Posthumous

100 8 24 4

56

32

7

16 1

(A) This Figure shows the NCO- Medal ofHonor Recipients divided into

the branches and posthumous. The Coast Guard had no recipient in the rank

of

a Sergeant; therefore, this branch is not longer recognized in this paper. To get

a better impression and idea about the

War

in the Air", I took the liberty and

brought in the overview the US-

ir

Corps as an own sup branch.

(B) As mentioned before the Army is carrying the main load of the battle,

the number in this table is recognizing the high effort

of

this branch.

The high number

of

posthumous conferments is, again, an indicator

of

the

brutal fight in the trenches and

on

the beaches

of

Europe and Asia. With

41.6%, the NCOs are 15% lower then the total number, seen before. The low

number ofMedals in the Navy and ir Corps are the result

of

being assigned

to a branch, were officers are almost in charge

of

ships and airplanes.

(C) Comparing the numbers

of

casualties

ofthe

Medal

of

Honor

recipients within the different branches, the impression may appears that the

Navy and the Marine Corps are having a different classification for awarding

the Medal

of

Honor. Only one

NCO

from the Navy received his award during

life time and only one third of the Marines. Again, the impression appears, the

Medal

of

Honor is an award for "dead heroes".

8



5

NCO- Medal

of

Honor Recipients structured into ranks from E to E8 and

posthumous.

%

1

9

8

7

6

5

4

3

2

1

~

136

Medal

of Honor

for NCOs,

the

ranks and

posthumous

46 6

I

t

21 4

I

3 0

4.4

E

E5 E6

E7

E8

24

62

40

4 6

Posthumous

11

25

12 4 4

(A) The figure shows the number

of

soldiers in the rank from Corporal

until Master Sergeant who received the Congressional Medal ofHonor in the

Second World War. The rank of Sergeant Major was not established at this

time in the Armed Forces.

(B) The structure and the numbers in this particular overview are almost

identical with the rank structure in the Forces, therefore the numbers

of

Medal ofHonor recipients are in the same percentage. The numbers of

posthumous conferments are lower then the total average, with two

exceptions.

(C) Sergeant and Staff Sergeants are in the center

of

battle within the rank

group of Sergeants. Their efforts on the squad level and their abilities to take

charge on a higher level

of

responsibility, like platoon

or

company, are

mirroring this numbers. The fact, that all Sergeants First Class and 66% of

the Master Sergeants have not survived their action on the battlefield, is very

interesting to observe, but not comprehensible.

9



6

NCO- Medal

of

Honor Recipients structured into the years

of

war from 1941

until 1945 and posthumous.

%

100

90

80

70

60

60

40

30

20

10

Posthumous

136

Medal of Honor

for NCOs,

the

years

from

1941

1945

and posthumous

7 4 45 6

5 8

2 2

1941

1942 1943 1944 1945

3

8

10 62

53

3 4 3

23

23

(A) The figure shows the five years

of

war,

or

in other words the exactly

45 month

of

war. As

we

know, the war started

in

December 1941 with the

Japanese attack

on

Pearl Harbor and ended in August 1945 in Japan.

Therefore the numbers in 1941 and 1945 are mirroring only the actually

month of war.

(B)

The structure and the numbers in this overview are almost identical

with the timeline and with the battle and war intensity in the different war

theaters in the Pacific and in Europe. Therefore, the numbers

of

Medal

of

Honor recipients are increasing and decreasing within the battle action. The

numbers

of

posthumous conferments are lower then the total average, with

one exception.

(C) After the invasion in Italy in 1943 and in Normandy (France) in 1944,

the war in Europe intensified until the unconditional surrender

of

Germany in

Mai 1945. The percentages

of

posthumous conferments are lower then 50%,

with one exception. The attack on Pearl Harbor in December 1941 took the

lives from all N O recipients. All three of them are from the Navy. The Navy

started at Pearl Harbor their attitude in honoring heroes "killed in action".

10



7

NCO- Medal

of

Honor Recipients structured into

w r

theaters like Europe and

Pacific, and posthumous.

100

90

80

70

60

50

40

30

20

10

136 Medal of

Honor

for

NCOs,

in the two Main War

Theaters

and posthumous

60.2

Europe Pacific

82 54

Posthumous 22 34

(A) This figure gives you an overview about the number

of

Medal

of

Honor Recipients divided into the two main

w r

theaters - Europe and Asia in

the years 1941 until 1945.

t

shows also the given awards posthumous.

(B)

As we can see, the numbers are pointing at Europe as the most

aggressive battlefield theater. The w r

of

course, started for the US- Armed

Forces in the Pacific and ended in the Pacific as well . The numbers

of

recipients in the Pacific are lower, but the percentage

of

killed recipients is

higher than 60 , this would indicate higher battle intensity.

(C) The

w r in

the Pacific Area ended with the unconditional surrender

of

Japan in August 1945 after the dropping

of

two atomic bombs on Hiroshima

and Nagasaki. The reason for this decision was, the high amount

of

accumulate casualties by fighting island for island against the Japanese troops

for a long time.

11



C. German Armed Forces; Knight s Cross

o

the Iron Cross Recipients in the timeframe

1939-1945.

1. Bestowal regulations for the Knight s Cross o the Iron Cross and the higher

graduates.

Established on September 1

st

,

1939:

Quote: The Knight s Cross o the Iron Cross can be awarded to soldiers o

each rank for exceptional acts o gallantry which decisively affect combat

actions. The conditions for this are: Individual decision to act on own

initiative, outstanding personal bravery and decisive success

in

the context o

the overall conduct

o

the action.

Unquote

The Knight s Cross was given to 7320 soldiers from 1939 until 1945. During

the air battle against Great Britain in 1940 and 1941 and the incredible success

o German fighter pilots, the German leadership decided to add additional

steps to the Knight s Cross

o

the Iron Cross. Therefore, the next higher level

o

this award was created and was called the Knight s Cross

o

the Iron Cross

with Oak Leaves. t was presented to 883 German Soldiers. The next higher

level was called the Knight s Cross o the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves and

Swords, given only 159 times to German Soldiers and the next level created

was called the Knight s Cross

o

the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves and Swords

and Diamonds, this award was given only 27 times to German soldiers. The

highest level, given only one time to a German fighter pilot, COL Hans

Ulrich Rudel, was called the Knight s Cross o the Iron Cross with Golden

Oak Leaves and Swords and Diamonds. Each higher level would mean,

awarding the Knight s Cross for a second, third, forth or fifth time to the same

soldiers.

7320 Knight s Cross o the Iron Cross,

established on September 1

st

,

1939.

883 Knight s Cross o the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves,

established on June 3

ed

,

1940.

159 Knight s Cross

o

the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves and Swords,

established on July 15

th

1941 .

27 Knight s Cross o the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves and Swords and

Diamonds, established on July 15

th

1941.

1 Knight s Cross o the Iron Cross with Golden Oak Leaves

and

Swords and Diamonds, established on December 29

th

,

1944 .

13



The

Knight s

ross

o f

the I ron ross

and his higher s teps

Knight s

Cross

Oak

Leaves

Swords

Diamonds

Golden

Oak

Leaves

Total

732

883

152

27

1

o m cer Sergeant

Jun. Enlisted

5615

846

145

37

255

0

5

27

1

1

0

0

0

0

0

The total number

of

conferments is higher as it appears in this table and in

the history books. The reason for this is easy to describe, Germany lost the war,

and many things happened in the last weeks

of

the

war

in Europe. First, we need

to understand the two different terms in the regulations. The first is called

conferment - de facto the second is called conferment - de jure .

A conferment - de jure is a conferment with obeying all regulations and

meeting all commitments regarding the process and the awarding procedures. A

conferment - de jure is an official recognized and acknowledged conferment.

A conferment - de facto is a conferment were an soldier received an

award (Knight's Cross) in public with witnesses and so on, but the process and

the awarding procedures are not official and the awarding Officer had no

official permission to present the award.

Let me describe the situation with one example, one example

of

many

happened at the end

of

the Second World War. The Army Private 1

st

Class,

Josef

Allenberger, was the second best German sniper during the Second World

War, with more than 250 confirmed kills on the Eastern Front in the time

period from 1943 until 1945. Private Allenberger received the Knight 's Cross of

the Iron Cross from Field Marshal Ferdinand Schoemer

on

April

2

th

1945.

There are enough witnesses for this ceremony and a temporary award certificate

as well. However,

Josef

Allenberger was never recognized in the official books

about the Knight's Cross Recipients.

He

received the Knight's Cross de facto

from a Field Marshal, but de jure , the Field Marshal was not authorized to

present this kind of award and to sign a temporary award certificate. There are

still a lot of discussions going on about this matter, but that kind

of

stories

happened at the end

of

the war, a few times.

14



2.

Total overview, structured into branches, Army, Navy, Air Force, Waffen-SS

and posthumous and KIA

%

100

90

80

70

60

50

4

30

20

10

65 4

7320 Knight s

Cross,

total overview

branches and

posthumousl KIA

24 0

I

4 4

Army Air

Force

Navy WaITen SS Posthumous/ KIA

4779 1786

317

438

2299

(A) As you can see on this figure, the total number of conferments in the

German Armed Forces during the Second World War has been 7320 within

the 69 month ofwar. Exact 2299 soldiers did not survive their heroic action

on the battlefield and received the Knight's Cross posthumous

or

died later on

in combat during the war or

in Prisoner

of

War camps after the war. A more

detailed number is not possible to research, because oftoo many unknown

tragedies during war and captivity.

(B) With 65.4 %, and 4784 Knight's Crosses, the Army is the carrier of

the battle. The Army was and still is the main figure during a conflict,

therefore the numbers of casualties and heroes in this branch are the highest in

the Armed Forces. The Army is carrying the main load in battle; this rule will

continue in present and future wars as well.

(C) The Waffen- SS as the youngest branch within the Armed Forces was

an only Army related organization with Infantry, Armor and Mechanized

units. With 40 volunteer Divisions, this branch was brought into battle as an

Elite- Unit and carried out always the difficult tasks during the war. Their

casualties and therefore their Knight's Cross recipients were in very high

numbers as well. During the Second World War, roundabout 18 Million

German Soldiers served in the Armed Forces. The 7320 Knight's Cross

Recipients are only 0.04% of the total Armed Forces.

15



3.

0 0

1 0 0

80

80

70

e o

50

.... 0

30

20

10

Tc:::»tal

7320

0/0

' 100

9 0

8 0

70

6 0

6 0

40

3 0

2 0

'10

T o t a l

6 6 ' 1 6

Total overview, structured into the three rank groups

of

Officers, Sergeants

and Junior Enlisted Soldiers.

7320 Knlght ·s

C r ~ s s

t ~ t l ~ v _ r v l _

II VVVV

70.7

33.30/0

3.8

-- ;·

-1

c:::tfflcers

Serg_ant_

. . . . . . . . . .c:»r

En l••

ted

8 '1

' 1 4 0 2

(A) In this figure we can see the comparison ofnumbers of conferments

between Officers, Sergeants and the Junior Enlisted Men (from E1 until E3)

during the timeframe of the Second World War.

(B) Very interesting

to

notice is the almost four times higher number

of

Officer-Awardees in comparison with the Sergeants. The very low number

of

Knight 's Cross Recipients in the junior enlisted ranks is with less then 4

insignificant in comparison with the 76.7% on the Officers account.

(C) This overview could be lead

to

the conclusion; the Knight's Cross of

the Iron Cross is an Officer related award and was only given in exceptional

cases to lower ranks. The second conclusion could be, in an exact reading of

the bestowal regulations, all the officers had shown a very outstanding

personal bravery, based on an own resolution. How is it possible for a Staff

Officer in the rank ofColonel or for a General to do so?

Therefore, I think it is necessary

to

have a closer look at the Officer

percentage, to understand the high number of conferments in this rank group. I

added a few other overviews to this subgroup to high light those numbers.

6 6 ' 1 6

Knight's Cross

"or

O ' ff ic e r s t o t a l overvie""

2 6 . 3

6 . 9

G e n e r a l s C O L . L

T C . M A J

C P T

L T · e

6 0 2 ' 1 6 6 7 ' 1 6 2 3

' 1923

16



The bestowal regulations are clear and not to miss interpretate and they

have had not changed during the years

of

war. However, military and political

leaders

in

the German Armed Forces, with Adolf Hitler

on

the top, needed to

make modifications. The modifications were necessary

to

keep the Generals

and the Generalstaffofficers

in

a good mood and high motivated. The Knight 's

Cross

of

the Iron Cross and specially his higher steps, has been awarded also

for "tactical decision" on the battlefield. That is the reason for such a high

percentage

of

conferments in the General and Generalstaffofficer rank group.

From a total

of 7

Knights Crosses with Diamonds,

3

were given to

Generals and four to Colonels. Field Marshal Erwin Rommel and the fighter

ace AdolfGalland were one of those.

The Knlght"s

Crc>ss

c > f ' t h e I r c > n Crc>ss

yvlth C > a k

Leaves ancl

Syvc>rcls

ancl

Dlarnc>ncls

Tc>tal cc>n"f'errnents 27

Generals

1 3

Cc>Ic>nels

4-

Lieutenant

Cc>Ic>nels

I

MaJc>rs 4-

Captains 2

Lieutenants 3

C>ther ranks

0

From a total

of

159 Knight's Crosses with Swords, 75 were given to

Generals and 17 to Colonels. The famous tank ace Michael Wittmann was one

of

the

3

Lieutenants who received the Swords, but unfortunately, he was killed

in action one month later. Sergeant First Class and fighter ace Leopold

Steinbatz, was the only

NCO

who received the Swords to the Knight's Cross,

but also posthumous.

The

Knight's

Cross

o f '

the Iron Cross

v v l t h Oak Leaves and Svvords

Total oonf'errnents

1 6 9

Generals

76

Colonels 17

Lieutenant Colonels 19

Majors 4

Captains 17

Lieutenants

6

Other

ranks I

(SFC Steinbatz)

17



4. NCO- Knight's Cross Recipient overview, structured into branches, Army, ir Force,

Navy, Waffen- SS and posthumous.

%

100

90

80

70

60

60

40

30

20

10

Posthumous

66.4

Army

963

99

1450

Knight's Cross

for

NCOs,

the

branches

and

posthumous

R

Air

Force

399

56

0.9

Navy

13

o

6.2

J

Waffen-

SS

75

9

(A) This Figure shows the

NCO

- Knight's Cross Recipients divided into

the branches and posthumous. As mentioned many times before,

the

Army is

carrying the main load of the battle, the number in this table recognizing the

high effort of this branch.

(B)

The high number

of

posthumous conferments is, again, an indicator

of

the brutal fight in Europe. With 11% / 14%,

or

/ 56 posthumous

conferments are

the

Army and the Air Force in the Armed Services only on

the average. A very higher number of recipients died later on in the war

or

in

captivity.

(C) The low number

of

Knight' s Crosses in the Navy are the result

of

being assigned

to

a branch, were Officers are almost in charge

of

ships

or

submarines. On the other hand, the German Air Force had Sergeants as fighter

pilots in their units. Fully responsible for an air plane and his crew, and very

successful, as the example SFC Leopold Steinbatz shows.

He

was the only

NCO who

received, after his 99

th

air victory

on

the Russian Front, the

Knight's Cross with Oak Leaves and Swords.

18



5. NCO- Knight s Cross Recipient overview, structured into ranks from E4 to E9

and posthumous.

100

90

80

70

60

60

40

30

20

10

1450

Knight s

Cross

for NCOs,

the

ranks and

posthumous

22 8

28 7

E4I5

E 6

E7

8 9

331

387 674

58

Posthumous 39

37 81

7

(A) The figure shows the number of soldiers in the rank from Corporal

until Sergeant Major who received the Knight s Cross during the Second

World War and the posthumous numbers.

(B)

The structure and the numbers in this particular overview are almost

identical with the rank structure in the Forces, therefore the numbers

of

Knight's Cross Recipients are in the same percentage. Within the Army, the

platoon leader position was given

to

the rank of Sergeant First Class and his

deputy's rank was a Staff Sergeant. The same constellation took place in the

Waffen- SS.

t was

common and normal in the Air Force

to

have Sergeants

as fighter pilots. Therefore, a very high percentage

of Knight s

Cross

Recipients from the Air Force are in the rank

of

Sergeant First Class

or

below. The percentage of posthumous conferments is in the 10 - 12 range

in all ranks.

(C) Staff Sergeants and Sergeants First Class are in the center of battle

within the rank group of Sergeants. Their efforts on the platoon level and their

abilities

to

take charge on a higher level

of

responsibility, like company, are

mirroring this numbers. The posthumous awarding

of

the

Knight s

Cross is in

a normal range of casualties during the

war

.

19



6. NCO- Knight's Cross Recipients overview, structured into the years of war

from 1939 until 1945 and posthumous.

100

90

80

70

60

60

40

30

20

10

Posthumous

1450 Knight's Cross

for NCOs,

the years from 1939 1945

and posthumous

41 2

2 2

1939

1940 1941 1942 1943 1944

1946

o

3

88 170

3 8

596 257

o 2

19

35

89

18

(A) The figure shows the seven years

of

war,

or

in other words the exactly

69 month of

war.

As we

know, the

w r

started in September 1939 with the

German attack

on

Poland and ended in May 1945 in Berlin. Therefore the

numbers in 1939 and 1945 are mirroring only the actually month

of

war.

(B)

The structure and the numbers in this overview are almost identical

with the timeline and with the battle and war intensity in the different war

theaters in Europe. Therefore, the numbers

of

Knight' s Cross Recipients are

increasing and decreasing within the battle action. The numbers

of

posthumous conferments are lower then the total average, with one exception.

(C) After the great losses in Stalingrad in February 1943 and the surrender

of

the German Africa Corps in May 1943 in Tunisia, the w r changed

dramatically. The Eastern front collapsed, the Southern Front broke after Italy

surrendered to the Allied Forces in 1943 and the Western front was unable to

hold, after the landing

ofthe

Allied Forces in June 1944. The number

of

Knight's Cross conferments and heroic actions increased especially on the

Eastern Front by defending Germany against a very brutal fighting Russian

Enemy.

20



7.

NCO- Knight s Cross Recipients overview, structured into

w r

theaters like

Eastern Front, North Africa, Italy, Western Front and Home Front.

" 1 4 6 0

Knight's

Cross

t ' o r

NCOs,

in

the V V a r Theater

Europe

t ' r o r n

" 1 9 3 9 " 1 9 4 6

Eastern Front

Horne Front

918

211

Italy

9

221

5

Ok

1 0 0

9 0

8 0

7 0

6 0

6 0

4 0

3 0

2 0

1 0

o s t h umou s

1 4 6 0

Knight 's

C r o s s

for

N C O s ,

in

t h e

W a r T h ea t e r

E u r o p e

f rom

1 9 3 9

1 9 4 6

a n d p o s th u m o u s

8 3 3

0 3

W e s t e r n

Eas te rn Nor th I t a ly Ho rn e

Front

F r o n t

Afr io a

Front

211

9 1 7

6

96 2 2 1

1 8

1 2 8 1

8

(A) Turning the focus to the different theaters

in

Europe, like the Eastern

Front, North Africa, Italy, Western Front and the Home Front - Germany. This

overview reflects the whole timeframe

of

the Second World War from

September 1939 until May 1945 and the numbers

of

posthumous conferments.

(B)

The total numbers are reflecting the identical timeline with the battle

and war intensity during the w r in Europe. Therefore, the numbers

of

Knight s Cross Recipients are increasing and decreasing within the battle

action and the numbers

of

month in the actual theatre. The numbers

of

posthumous conferments are lower then the total average.

(C) After the Allied invasion in Italy in 1943 and in Normandy in 1944,

the war in Europe intensified on the Southern and Western Front, until the

unconditional surrender of Germany in Mai 1945.

21



----------------------------------------------

---- -

---

---

D. Comparison of the highly decorated NCOs

n

the United States Armed Forces and

the German Armed Forces.

On the previous pages, I tried to inform about the Congressional Medal

of

Honor

Recipients in the United States Armed Forces in the timeframe from 1941 until 1945 and the

Knight's Cross Recipients n the German Armed Forces in the timeframe from 1939 until 1945.

The numbers

of

conferments are reflecting the important and significant role

of

highly decorated

NCOs in two different Armies during the Second World War for their NCO corps and the public.

The US Armed Forces honored their soldiers equal to each rank group for personnel bravery

on

the battlefield, for their sacrifices and their ability to take over a higher command and for taking

"charge"

Quote:

Awarded

n

the name ofCongress to a person who, while a member

of

the Armed Services,

distinguished himself conspicuously by gallantry and intrepidity at the risk

of

his life beyond the

call

of

duty while engaged in an action against any enemy

of

The United States.

Unquote

The German Armed Forces on the other hand honored their soldiers more

or

less for a individual

decision

to

act

on

own initiative, outstanding personal bravery and decisive success in the

context

of

the overall conduct of the action. The awarding to soldiers

of

lower ranks for

exceptional acts ofgallantry which decisively affect combat actions was the exception. The

numbers

of

conferments

n

the rank groups

of

Sergeants and Junior Enlisted Soldiers are telling

us the truth.

Quote:

The Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross can be awarded to soldiers

of

each rank for exceptional acts

ofgallantry which decisively affect combat actions. The conditions for this are: Individual

decision to act on own initiative, outstanding personal bravery and decisive success in the

context

of

the overall conduct

of

the action.

Unquote

Now I will try to find answers to the questions I have asked before, never the less, the

reader is still free to make his own assumptions to the previous pages und to the following

statements.

1. Are the NCOs the backbones of their armies and are their armies are recognizing this

n

awarding them an equal portion

of

their awards in combat?

Yes, they are! They are the masters

on

the battlefield and the masters in training our

young enlisted soldiers and mentoring our Officers as well . The United States Armed Forces

found a way to share an equal portion

of

their highest military award with each

of

the three rank

groups.

t is

nice to observe this, and hopefully it was not randomly.

The German Armed Forces are more or less "Officer- heavy", when awards are been given to

soldiers. The explained numbers in the statistics are telling us a true story.

22



2.

Is bravery comparable from one army

to

another army?

No, it is not Two different Armies and two different awards given to theirs soldiers in

war, as the highest military recognition. Also two different societies with

two

different kinds

of

"Ways

of

Life". A comparison is not possible, because

of

the different bestowal regulations and

the different outcomes during the war. The US- Armed Forces are honoring soldiers for the

ultimate sacrifice given

on

the battlefield. 56.8% conferments to soldiers posthumous is an good

indicator for it.

3.

Are tough and bloody battles an indication for increasing awarding medals on both

sides

of

the battle?

Yes they are The Battle of the Bulge, December 1944 until February 1945 is a good

example for heroic battle actions given by Noncommissioned Officers on both sides.

n

this

particular timeframe, an almost identical number

ofN Os

received the highest military award of

each country. On the American side, 17 Sergeants received the Congressional Medal

of

Honor

and 14 German Sergeants received the Knight' s Cross

of

the Iron Cross for their outstanding

personal bravery in the face of the enemy. A tough fight, like the battle in the Belgium Ardennes

in the winter 1944/ 1945 is an indicator for bravery on both sides.

Non Commissioned Officers played always a significant role in their Armed Forces, at

any time, and they will in the future as well. NCOs are the link between the Officers and the

Enlisted Men. NCOs are trained and educated to lead troops

on

every level and to take charge

and responsibility in any given situation. Therefore, it is necessary to give them an appropriate

place and recognition in our history

I will dedicate this pamphlet to all

Non

Commissioned Officers in the German Armed Forces

and the United States Armed Forces who fought and died during the Second World War in their

true belief to do the right thing for their country.

23



References:

- www.medalofhonor.com

- www.ritterkreuztraeger.de

- Fellgiebel, Walther-Peer. Die Traeger des Ritterkreuzes des Eisemen Kreuzes 1939

1945. Friedberg! Germany: Podzun- Pallas- Verlag, 1993.

- Lang, George. Medal

of

Honor recipients. 1863 -1994.

New

York: Facts

on

File, c 1995.

- United States, Congress, Senate, Committee on Veterans' Affairs. Medal ofHonor

recipients. 1863-1978. Washington: U.S. Govt. Print. Off 1979.

http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/www.medalofhonor.com



http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/www.ritterkreuztraeger.de


http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/www.ritterkreuztraeger.de

highly decorated nco in usa and germany wwii

Documents