Period:

Second World War (1939-1945)

Rank:

Oberleutnant (1st Lieutenant)

Unit:

Chef, Lastensegler-Kommando, 7. Flieger-Division, Luftwaffe

Awarded on:

May 13th, 1940

The following wartime excerpt (dated 30.08.1940) describes why Kiess received the Knight’s Cross…

“Hauptmann Walter Kiss distinguished himself through his personal bravery in the enemy’s rear while serving as an assault troop leader in a Fallschirmjäger-Regiment. His assault troop belonged to those special units of the Luftwaffe that massively aided the forward advance of the German Heer in Belgium. They did this by capturing strategically important points in enemy territory by surprise and then holding onto them until the arrival of friendly reinforcements.”