Johannes Kümmel

Johannes Kümmel
At his funeral Leutnant Spohn is holding Kümmel's war decorations
Nickname(s)	The Lion of Capuzzo
Born	21 July 1909 Coswig
Died	26 February 1944 (aged 34) Cisterna, Italy
Allegiance	Weimar Republic (to 1933)  Nazi Germany
Service/branch	Heer
Years of service	1928–44
Rank	Oberst (Posthumously)
Commands held	Panzer-Regiment 26
Battles/wars	World War II Invasion of Poland Battle of France North African Campaign Operation Battleaxe Operation Crusader Battle of Gazala Battle of Bir Hakeim First Battle of El Alamein Battle of Alam el Halfa Second Battle of El Alamein Allied invasion of Italy Operation Shingle
Awards	Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves

Johannes Kümmel (21 July 1909 – 26 February 1944) was a highly decorated Oberst in the Wehrmacht during World War II, and one of only 882 recipients 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. Johannes Kümmel was killed in an automobile accident on 26 February 1944 in Cisterna, Italy. He was later posthumously promoted to Oberst.

Awards and decorations

• Iron Cross (1939)
  • 2nd Class (27 September 1939)^[1]
  • 1st Class (20 October 1939)^[1]
• Wound Badge (1939)
  • in Black
• Panzer Badge
• Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves
  • Knight's Cross on 9 July 1941 as Oberleutnant and commander of 1./Panzer-Regiment 8^[2]
  • 133rd Oak Leaves on 11 October 1942 as Hauptmann and commander of I./Panzer-Regiment 8^[3]

References

Citations

1. Thomas 1997, p. 423.
2. Fellgiebel 2000, p. 227.
3. Fellgiebel 2000, p. 55.

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.
• Kurowski, Franz (2000). Panzer Aces II: Battle Stories of German Tank Commanders of WWII. Mechanicsburg, PA: Stackpole Books. ISBN 0-8117-3175-8.
• 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.

External links

• Lexikon der Wehrmacht
• World War 2 Awards.com
• Achtungpanzer