Wilhelm Dipberger

Wilhelm Dipberger
Born	30 May 1918 Ziegelhausen, district of Heidelberg
Died	10 September 2005 (aged 87) Heidelberg
Allegiance	Nazi Germany (to 1945)  West Germany
Service/branch	Kriegsmarine Luftwaffe
Years of service	1936 – 1945, 1956
Rank	Oberfeldwebel
Unit	LG 1, KG 6
Battles/wars	World War II
Awards	Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross

Wilhelm "Willi" Dipberger (30 May 1918 – 10 September 2005) was a German Luftwaffe observer and recipient of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross (German: Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes) during World War II. The Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross was awarded to recognise extreme battlefield bravery or successful military leadership. Dipberger was a member of the Hermann Hogeback bomber crew. Hogeback's crew earned the distinction of being the only crew to have all members awarded the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross by the end of the war, and Dipberger was the last of his crew (aside from Hogeback himself) to be awarded after Oberfeldwebel Günter Glasner on 31 December 1943 and similarly ranked Willy Lehnert on 5 April 1944.

Awards

• Iron Cross (1939)
  • 2nd Class (4 May 1940)^[1]
  • 1st Class (29 September 1940)^[1]
• Front Flying Clasp of the Luftwaffe for Bomber Airmen
  • in Silver (17 May 1941)^[1]
  • in Gold with Pennant 300 (26 February 1943)^[1]
• Ehrenpokal der Luftwaffe (20 July 1942)
• Crimea Shield^[1]
• Cuff title "Afrika" (26 May 1943)^[1]
• German Cross in Gold on 17 November 1942 as Oberfeldwebel in the III./Kampfgeschwader 6^[2]
• Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross on 9 January 1945 as Fahnenjunker-Oberfeldwebel and observer in the Stab/Kampfgeschwader 6^[3][4]

References

Citations

1. Schumann 2007, p. 62.
2. Patzwall & Scherzer 2001, p. 86.
3. Fellgiebel 2000, p. 162.
4. Scherzer 2007, p. 274.

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.
• 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.
• Schumann, Ralf (2007). Die Ritterkreuzträger 1939–1945 des LG 1 (in German). Zweibrücken, Germany: VDM Heinz Nickel. ISBN 978-3-86619-013-9.

External links

• "Wilhelm Dipberger". Ritterkreuzträger 1939–45 (in German). Retrieved 19 December 2012.
• "Wilhelm Dipberger". World War 2 Awads.com. Retrieved 19 December 2012.