I'm sure I've read of German tank/softskin repair crew/Werkstattzug/Werkstattkompanie ORs/Commanders receiving Knights Crosses for repair efforts in the field. However, now thinking I might be wrong, as having difficulty pinning one down in the morass of online RK stuff. Got a chap here who seems to have got his RK version of the War Merit with Swords while commanding such, & while the Kriegsverdienstkreuze RK is technically equivalent, I'm still wondering if 'gallantry' RKs were ever awarded for maintenance work. Hoelck, Klaus - TracesOfWar.com Anybody know? Cheers, ~A
I can find a couple more for the RK-KvK in relation to Werkstatt-Kompanien (Karl Kunstmann with Werkstatt-Kp./Pz.Rgt 1 & Georg Neubert with Werkstatt-Kp/s.Pz.Abt 503 but I can't find any in my searchable list for the RK des Eisernen-Kreuz. It would feasibly be possible to win one especially in the last months of the war when such rear area units were being overrun and so such men were involved in last ditch combat actions but as the RK was also issued for front line leadership that could be where the RK-KvK kicked in for those in rear areas,
Hoelck was a Legion Condor veteran and led the radio workshop of his unit (Panzer-Werkstattkompanie, Panzer-Regiment 6) obviously with remarkable great zeal and ambition. However, he never took part directly in combat operations. Interestingly, the award proposal of December 15, 1943 was rejected on January 6, 1944, nevertheless, based on a statement of the Chief of Army Communication Service, General Fellgiebel, the award was finally made on February 21, 1944: The entire back and forth of the award here: Ritterkreuz zum Kriegsverdienstkreuz
The Ritterkreuz was not like the Victoria Cross, i.e. only awarded for bravery in the face of the enemy. It could be awarded like a periodical DSO or an OBE/MBE for continued high performance in a function (normally command). Also keep in mind that one of the few R.A.C. VC's was awarded for the recovery of two armoured cars (Gardner outside Tobruk, 21 Nov 41: PHILIP GARDNER VC) All the best Andreas
Perhaps an addition: the Kriegsverdienstkreuz/war merit cross was intended for non-combatant soldiers (and civilians in the war economy). The Ritterkreuz zum Kriegsverdienstkreuz/knights cross to the war merits cross was thus an extension analogous to the Iron Crosses of the fighting troops And in contrast to these, the principles of awarding the RKzKvK remained very demanding until the end: Hoelck is a good example of this...
