Josef Prentl

Josef "Sepp" Prentl
Nickname(s)	"Sepp"
Born	14 October 1916 Rosenheim
Died	16 July 1996(1996-07-16) (aged 79) Mittenwald
Allegiance	Nazi Germany (to 1945) West Germany
Service/branch	Luftwaffe (1936–45) Bundeswehr (1956–74)
Years of service	1936–45 1956–74
Rank	Major (Wehrmacht) Oberst (Bundeswehr)
Commands held	Flak-Regiment 116
Battles/wars	World War II Battle of France Battle of Voronezh (1942) Operation Shingle
Awards	Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves
Other work	Politician

Josef "Sepp" Quirin Prentl (14 October 1916 – 16 July 1996) was a highly decorated Major in the Luftwaffe 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. Josef Prentl joined the post-war Bundeswehr in 1956, retiring in 1974 as an Oberst. From 1974 to 1978 he served in the Bavarian parliament as a member of the Christian Social Union of Bavaria party.

Awards and decorations

• Iron Cross (1939)
  • 2nd Class (8 October 1940)
  • 1st Class (10 February 1942)
• German Cross in Gold on 20 August 1944 as Hauptmann in Flak-Kampfgruppe Prentl
• Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves
  • Knight's Cross on 21 October 1942 as Oberleutnant and chief of the 2./Flak-Regiment 231
  • (851st) Oak Leaves on 28 April 1945 as Major and commander of Flak-Regiment 116

References

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 (in German). Friedberg, Germany: Podzun-Pallas. ISBN 978-3-7909-0284-6. CS1 maint: Unrecognized language (link)
• Patzwall, Klaus D.; Scherzer, Veit (2001). Das Deutsche Kreuz 1941 – 1945 Geschichte und Inhaber Band II (in German). Norderstedt, Germany: Verlag Klaus D. Patzwall. ISBN 978-3-931533-45-8. CS1 maint: Unrecognized language (link)
• 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 (in German). Jena, Germany: Scherzers Miltaer-Verlag. ISBN 978-3-938845-17-2. CS1 maint: Unrecognized language (link)
• Thomas, Franz (1998). Die Eichenlaubträger 1939–1945 Band 2: L–Z (in German). Osnabrück, Germany: Biblio-Verlag. ISBN 978-3-7648-2300-9. CS1 maint: Unrecognized language (link)

External links

• Lexikon der Wehrmacht
• World War 2 Awards.com