Emil Dürr

Emil Dürr was a Unterscharführer in the Waffen SS during World War II who was awarded the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross, which was awarded to recognize extreme battlefield bravery or successful military leadership by Nazi Germany during World War II.

Emil Dürr was born on the 1 June 1920, in Mühlacker. During World War II he volunteered to join the Waffen SS and was posted to the 12th SS Panzer Division Hitlerjugend which was formed in 1943.

Located in France during the Normandy Invasion the Division was moved to the front near Caen, Dürr by now a Unterscharführer and Assault gun commander in the 4th (Heavy) Company, 26th SS Panzergrenadier Regiment.

He was awarded the Iron Cross II class on the 23 June and the Iron Cross I class the next day on the 24 June.

Knight's Cross
The Knight's Cross was for the action on the 26 June 1944.

For almost three hours Dürr and the 26th Panzergrenadiers had been subjected to a naval bombardment salvo after salvo landing in the line of main defense outside the village of Saint Manvieu and on the village itself. They had been awaiting a major offensive on the Carpiquet airfield and the Orne river.

When the gunfire stopped they observed Sherman tanks advancing onto their location. They broke through the positions and overran St. Manvieu and surrounded the Battalion command post in the park. They engaged the tank force with mortar fire and some of the tanks turned away, assuming that the forces in the park were much stronger and did not attempt to break through. Then a flamethrower tank set up at the entrance to the park, dominating the command post, and able to harass any movement. “That tank has to go”, the commander ordered.

Unterscharführer Dürr had heard the order, he picked up a Panzerfaust and went out to scout the situation. It was difficult to get close to the tank as it was sitting in a position that dominated the terrain on all three sides. Unterscharführer Dürr jumped across the inner wall of the yard and ran straight at the tank and opened fire with the Panzerfaust which did not pierce the tanks armour. Dürr was wounded in the chest, but he ran back along the path he had come, picked up another Panzerfaust and ran up to the tank a second time. This time, since the distance was unfavorable, he aimed at the tracks. But again, Dürr was hit by machine gun fire. Crawling, he worked his way back and spotted a magnetic charge. For a third time, weak from his wounds, he jumped across the wall and ran, towards the tank. Paying no attention to the bullets he attached the charge to the tank and turned away when he heard a rumbling sound behind him as the charge dropped to the ground, with no regard for his own safety he picked up the charge and held it against the tank. When it exploded he fell to the ground paralyzed and wounded now in the legs.

He was taken to rest in the command post and died four hours later.

Emil Dürr was awarded a posthumous Knight's Cross in August 1944, and entered on the Honour Roll in September 1944.