| Josef "Sepp" Prentl | |
|---|---|
| Nickname | "Sepp" |
| Born | October 14, 1916 |
| Died | 16 July 1996 (aged 79) |
| Place of birth | Rosenheim |
| Place of death | Mittenwald |
| Allegiance |
 Nazi Germany (to 1945) West Germany |
| Service/branch |
Luftwaffe (1936-1945) Bundeswehr (1956-1974) |
| Years of service |
1936–1945 1956–1974 |
| Rank |
Major (Wehrmacht) Oberst (Bundeswehr) |
| Commands held | Flak-Regiment 116 |
| Battles/wars | |
| Awards | Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves |
| Other work | Politician |
Josef "Sepp" Prentl (14 October 1916 – 16 July 1996) was a highly decorated Major in the Luftwaffe during World War II, and one of only 882 recipients of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves. The Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross and its higher grade Oak Leaves was awarded to recognise extreme battlefield bravery or successful military leadership. Josef Prentl joined the post-war Bundeswehr in 1956, retiring in 1974 as an Oberst. From 1974 to 1978 he served in the Bavarian parliament as a member of the Christian Social Union of Bavaria party.
Awards and decorations[]
- Iron Cross (1939)
- 2nd Class (19 May 1940)
- 1st Class (5 June 1940)
- German Cross in Gold (1 January 1945)
- Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves
- Knight's Cross on 21 October 1942 as Oberleutnant and chief of the 2./Flak-Regiment 231[1]
- (851st) Oak Leaves on 28 April 1945 as Major and commander of Flak-Regiment 116[2][Note 1]
Notes[]
- ↑ The sequential numbers greater than 843 for the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves are unofficial and were assigned by the Association of Knight's Cross Recipients (AKCR) and are therefore denoted in parentheses.[3]
References[]
- Citations
- Bibliography
- Fellgiebel, Walther-Peer (2000) (in German). Die Träger des Ritterkreuzes des Eisernen Kreuzes 1939–1945 – Die Inhaber der höchsten Auszeichnung des Zweiten Weltkrieges aller Wehrmachtsteile [The Bearers of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross 1939–1945 — The Owners of the Highest Award of the Second World War of all Wehrmacht Branches]. Friedberg, Germany: Podzun-Pallas. ISBN 978-3-7909-0284-6.
- Scherzer, Veit (2007) (in German). Die Ritterkreuzträger 1939–1945 Die Inhaber des Ritterkreuzes des Eisernen Kreuzes 1939 von Heer, Luftwaffe, Kriegsmarine, Waffen-SS, Volkssturm sowie mit Deutschland verbündeter Streitkräfte nach den Unterlagen des Bundesarchives [The Knight's Cross Bearers 1939–1945 The Holders of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross 1939 by Army, Air Force, Navy, Waffen-SS, Volkssturm and Allied Forces with Germany According to the Documents of the Federal Archives]. Jena, Germany: Scherzers Miltaer-Verlag. ISBN 978-3-938845-17-2.