Ernst Blauensteiner

Ernst Blauensteiner (16 May 1911 – 18 August 1995) was a highly decorated Oberst i.G. in the Fallschirmjäger during World War II. He was also a recipient of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross. The Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross was awarded to recognise extreme battlefield bravery or successful military leadership.

Awards and decorations

 * Austrian Observer Badge (3 June 1935)
 * Austrian Pilot Badge (1 July 1937)
 * Austrian Army Drivers License Instructor Badge (27 July 1937)
 * Observer Badge (28 September 1938).
 * Flugzeugführer- und Beobachterabzeichen (11 December 1939)
 * Iron Cross (1939).
 * 2nd Class (12 April 1940)
 * 1st Class (27 June 1940)
 * Fallschirmschützenabzeichen (6 February 1944)
 * Ground Assault Badge of the Luftwaffe (21 August 1944)
 * German Cross in Gold (5 September 1944).
 * Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross on 29 October 1944 as Oberstleutnant i.G. and chief of the Generalstab II. Fallschirmkorps
 * Order of the Cross of Liberty 3rd Class (23 August 1942)