Period:

Second World War (1939-1945)

Period:

Second World War (1939-1945)

Awarded on:

August 23rd, 1942

Period:

Second World War (1939-1945)

Rank:

Feldwebel (Staff Sergeant)

Unit:

Truppführer Panzer-Aufklärungs-Abteilung 116

Awarded on:

April 14th, 1945

Muster’s Knight’s Cross recommendation reads as follows…

“On the 05.03.1945 Feldwebel Fritz Muster was deployed in the area around Rheinberg as the commander of an 8-wheeled armoured car troop (with 2 vehicles). Here he launched a surprise attack against enemy armoured forces that were attempting to break up the Wesel bridgehead. As he launched his attack Muster made a decision on his own initiative: He sent one vehicle back to a known 8.8 cm Flak battery to alert it as to his intentions. Muster planned on drawing the attention and fire of the enemy tanks onto himself and, disregarding the great danger to his life, lure them into ideal firing range of the Flak battery.

In this way the Flak guns were able to knock out 16 enemy tanks! Muster then immediately drove back to some Sturmgeschützen and brought these up. As the first to rejoin the battle, he then took on the enemy tank force with his inferior weapons and was able to eliminate the bailed out enemy tank crews and escorting infantry. Feldwebel Muster’s outstanding bravery here therefore made a major contribution to the interception of the dangerous enemy armoured advance that might otherwise have split the Wesel bridgehead.”