Kurt Walter

Kurt Walter
Born	(1908-01-27)27 January 1908 Sagan in Silesia
Died	27 June 1944(1944-06-27) (aged 36) at the Berezina River (MIA)
Allegiance	Weimar Republic (to 1933) Nazi Germany
Service/branch	Heer
Years of service	1927–44
Rank	Oberst
Commands held	Grenadier-Regiment 11
Battles/wars	World War II
Awards	Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves

Kurt Walter (27 January 1908 – 27 June 1944) was a highly decorated Oberst 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. Walter went missing in action on 27 June 1944 near the Berezina River.

Awards and decorations

• Iron Cross (1939)
  • 2nd Class (26 September 1939)
  • 1st Class (8 July 1941)
• Anerkennungsurkunde des Oberbefehlshabers des Heeres
  • on 8 March 1942
  • on 15 July 1942
• Eastern Front Medal
• German Cross in Gold on 17 August 1942 as Hauptmann in the II./Infanterie-Regiment 32
• Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves
  • Knight's Cross on 25 September 1942 as Major and commander of the II./Infanterie-Regiment 32
  • 345th Oak Leaves on 4 June 1944 as Oberstleutnant and commander of Grenadier-Regiment 11
• Mentioned in the Wehrmachtbericht on 22 June 1942

Wehrmachtbericht reference

Date	Original German Wehrmachtbericht wording	Direct English translation
Monday, 22 June 1942	In den Kämpfen vor Sewastopol haben sich der Führer einer aus Infanterie und Pionieren zusammengesetzten Kampfgruppe, Hauptmann Walter, und der Kommandeur eines Pionierbataillons, Hauptmann Graumann, durch besondere Tapferkeit ausgezeichnet.	In battle at Sevastopol, the leader of a composite infantry and pioneers combat team, Captain Walter, and the commander of a pioneer battalion, Captain Graumann, has distinguished themselves by exceptional bravery.

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)
• Die Wehrmachtberichte 1939–1945 Band 2, 1. Januar 1942 bis 31. Dezember 1943 (in German). München, Germany: Deutscher Taschenbuch Verlag GmbH & Co. KG. 1985. ISBN 978-3-423-05944-2. CS1 maint: unrecognized language (link)

External links

• "Kurt Walter". World War 2 Awards.com. Retrieved 1 October 2014.
• "Kurt Walter". Lexikon der Wehrmacht (in German). Retrieved 1 October 2014.CS1 maint: unrecognized language (link)