Josef Brandner

Josef Brandner
Born	1 September 1915 Hohenberg, Lower Austria
Died	6 June 1996 (aged 80) Vienna
Allegiance	First Austrian Republic (to 1938)  Nazi Germany
Service/branch	Heer
Years of service	1936–45
Rank	Major
Unit	Sturmgeschütz-Brigade 912
Battles/wars	World War II Annexation of the Sudetenland Battle of France Operation Barbarossa Battle of Kursk Battle of Kiev (1943) Cherkassy Pocket Courland Pocket
Awards	Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves
Other work	Austrian Armed Forces

Josef Wilhelm Brandner (1 September 1915 – 6 June 1996) was a highly decorated German panzer ace in the Wehrmacht during World War II who was one of only 882 recipients who were awarded 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.

Awards and decorations

• Sudetenland Medal with Prague Castle Bar (1 October 1938)
• Iron Cross (1939)
  • 2nd Class (14 October 1941)^[1][2]
  • 1st Class (16 January 1942)^[1][2]
• Eastern Front Medal (1 August 1942)^[1]
• Wound Badge (1939)
  • in Black (24 March 1942)^[1]
• General Assault Badge (4 April 1942)^[1]
  • General Assault Badge (100) (20 October 1944)^[1]
• German Cross in Gold on 14 September 1943 as Hauptmann in Sturmgeschütz-Abteilung 202^[3]
• Honour Roll Clasp of the Army (7 September 1944)^[1][2]
• Armband Courland (4 May 1945)
• Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves
  • Knight's Cross on 17 March 1945 as Hauptmann and commander of Sturmgeschütz-Brigade 912^{[4][Note 1]}
  • 846th Oak Leaves on 26 April 1945 as Major and commander of Sturmgeschütz-Brigade 912^{[6][Note 2]}
• Close Combat Clasp
  • in Bronze (11 April 1945)^[1]

Notes

1. According to Scherzer as commander of Heeres-Sturmartillerie-Brigade 912.^[5]
2. No evidence of the award can be found in the German Federal Archives. According to Josef Brandner's own account he received the Oak Leaves from the commanding general of the XXXVIII. Armeekorps, General der Artillerie Kurt Herzog in the Courland Pocket. He didn't mention a date for the presentation. Presumably pictures showing him with Oak Leaves exist. The Association of Knight's Cross Recipients (AKCR) assumes a direct presentation from Berlin. The presentation date is also an assumption by the AKCR. A presentation of the Oak Leaves only four to five weeks after the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross is very unlikely. The German Federal Archives holds numerous records of nominations which have been rejected on the grounds that a high-ranking military award had just been presented. Brandner was a member of the AKCR.^[7]

References

Citations

1. Thomas & Wegmann 1985, p. 48.
2. Thomas 1997, p. 73.
3. Patzwall & Scherzer 2001, p. 56.
4. Fellgiebel 2000, pp. 142, 487.
5. Scherzer 2007, p. 239.
6. Fellgiebel 2000, p. 102.
7. Scherzer 2007, p. 123.

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 (2004). Panzer Aces II: Battle Stories of German Tank Commanders of WW II. Mechanicsburg PA: StackPole Books. ISBN 0-8117-3175-8.
• Patzwall, Klaus D.; Scherzer, Veit (2001). Das Deutsche Kreuz 1941 – 1945 Geschichte und Inhaber Band II [The German Cross 1941 – 1945 History and Recipients Volume 2] (in German). Norderstedt, Germany: Verlag Klaus D. Patzwall. ISBN 978-3-931533-45-8.
• 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; Wegmann, Günter (1985). Die Ritterkreuzträger der Deutschen Wehrmacht 1939–1945 Teil I: Sturmartillerie [The Knight's Cross Bearers of the German Wehrmacht 1939–1945 Part I: Assault Artillery] (in German). Osnabrück, Germany: Biblio-Verlag. ISBN 978-3-7648-1447-2.
• 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.