Ernst Knebel

Ernst Knebel
Born	2 June 1892 Naunhof
Died	13 March 1945 (aged 52) Preußisch-Eylau
Allegiance	German Empire (to 1918)  Weimar Republic (to 1920)  Nazi Germany
Service/branch	Heer
Years of service	1914–20 1935–45
Rank	Generalmajor (Posthumously)
Commands held	Armee-Waffenschule 3. Panzerarmee
Battles/wars	World War I World War II Battle of the Caucasus Operation Bagration East Prussian Offensive
Awards	Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves
Other work	Police officer

Ernst Knebel (6 February 1892 – 13 March 1945) was a highly decorated Generalmajor in the Wehrmacht during World War II. He was also a recipient of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves. The Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross and its higher grade Oak Leaves was awarded to recognise extreme battlefield bravery or successful military leadership. Ernst Knebel was seriously wounded in January 1945 and died of his wounds on 13 March 1945 in Preußisch-Eylau. He was posthumously promoted to Generalmajor.

Awards and decorations

• Iron Cross (1914)
  • 2nd Class (30 September 1914)^[1]
  • 1st Class (26 March 1918)^[1]
• Honour Cross of the World War 1914/1918
• Clasp to the Iron Cross (1939)
  • 2nd Class (10 March 1943)^[1]
  • 1st Class (11 August 1943)^[1]
• Wound Badge (1939)
  • in Black or Silver
• Infantry Assault Badge
• War Merit Cross with Swords
  • 2nd Class
• Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves
  • Knight's Cross on 27 August 1944 as Oberst and commander of Feld-Ersatz-Regiment Panzer AOK 3 and Armeewaffenschule^[2]
  • 744th Oak Leaves on 19 February 1945 as Oberst and commander of the Armee-Waffenschule 3. Panzerarmee (AOK 3)^[3]
• Mentioned in the Wehrmachtbericht on 29 January 1945

Wehrmachtbericht reference

Date	Original German Wehrmachtbericht wording	Direct English translation
29 January 1945 (addendum)	Bei den schweren Kämpfen in Ostpreußen haben Volkssturm und Alarmeinheiten unter Führung des mit dem Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuz ausgezeichneten Obersten Knebel Feind tagelang den Übergang über den Pregel verwehrt und damit dazu beigetragen, daß der Zusammenhang der Front zwischen dem Masurischen Seen und dem Kurischen Haff gewahrt blieb.[4]	In the heavy fighting in East Prussia, Volkssturm and alarm units under the leadership of the bearer of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross, Colonel Knebel, have prevented the passage of the Pregel for days, and thus have contributed that the connection of the front between the Masurian Lakes and the Curonian Lagoon remained preserved.

References

Citations

1. Thomas 1997, p. 381.
2. Fellgiebel 2000, p. 215.
3. Fellgiebel 2000, p. 81.
4. Die Wehrmachtberichte 1939–1945 Band 3, p. 422.

Bibliography

• Fellgiebel, Walther-Peer (2000) [1986]. Die Träger des Ritterkreuzes des Eisernen Kreuzes 1939–1945 — Die Inhaber der höchsten Auszeichnung des Zweiten Weltkrieges aller Wehrmachtteile [The Bearers of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross 1939–1945 — The Owners of the Highest Award of the Second World War of all Wehrmacht Branches] (in German). Friedberg, Germany: Podzun-Pallas. ISBN 978-3-7909-0284-6.
• Scherzer, Veit (2007). Die Ritterkreuzträger 1939–1945 Die Inhaber des Ritterkreuzes des Eisernen Kreuzes 1939 von Heer, Luftwaffe, Kriegsmarine, Waffen-SS, Volkssturm sowie mit Deutschland verbündeter Streitkräfte nach den Unterlagen des Bundesarchives [The Knight's Cross Bearers 1939–1945 The Holders of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross 1939 by Army, Air Force, Navy, Waffen-SS, Volkssturm and Allied Forces with Germany According to the Documents of the Federal Archives] (in German). Jena, Germany: Scherzers Miltaer-Verlag. ISBN 978-3-938845-17-2.
• Thomas, Franz (1997). Die Eichenlaubträger 1939–1945 Band 1: A–K [The Oak Leaves Bearers 1939–1945 Volume 1: A–K] (in German). Osnabrück, Germany: Biblio-Verlag. ISBN 978-3-7648-2299-6.
• Die Wehrmachtberichte 1939-1945 Band 3, 1. Januar 1944 bis 9. Mai 1945 [The Wehrmacht Reports 1939–1945 Volume 3, 1 January 1944 to 9 May 1945] (in German). München, Germany: Deutscher Taschenbuch Verlag GmbH & Co. KG. 1985. ISBN 978-3-423-05944-2.

External links

• Lexikon der Wehrmacht
• Ernst Knebel @ Axis Biographical Research at the Wayback Machine (archived October 28, 2009)