Josef Diefenthal

Josef Diefenthal
Nickname(s)	Jupp
Born	5 October 1915
Died	13 April 2001(2001-04-13) (aged 85)
Allegiance	Nazi Germany
Service/branch	Waffen-SS
Years of service	1939–45
Rank	Sturmbannfuhrer
Unit	SS Division Leibstandarte
Battles/wars	World War II
Awards	Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross

Josef Diefenthal (5 October 1915 – 13 April 2001) was a Sturmbannfuhrer (Major) in the Waffen-SS and a war criminal during World War II. He was a recipient of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross on 5 February 1945 for his actions during the Ardennes Offensive, while in command of the 3rd Battalion, 2nd SS Panzer Grenadier Regiment, SS Division Leibstandarte.^[1]

Diefenthal, commanding the 3rd Battalion, 2nd SS Panzergrenadier Regiment, watches American soldiers of the 3rd Battalion, U.S. 119th Infantry Regiment, 30th ID, as they surrender in Stoumont, Belgium on 19 December 1944.

Diefenthal was found guilty of war crimes committed during the Battle of the Bulge, and sentenced to death, which was later changed to life imprisonment. He was released in 1956.^[2]

Till 1980 he was working as tax officer in the tax office in Euskirchen/North Rhine-Westphalia.

References

Citations

↑ The 1st SS Panzer Division in the Battle of the Bulge By Steve Kane p.149
↑ The 1st SS Panzer Division in the Battle of the Bulge By Steve Kane p.149

Bibliography

Scherzer, Veit (2007). 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] (in German). Jena, Germany: Scherzers Miltaer-Verlag. ISBN 978-3-938845-17-2.

Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross recipients of the SS Division Leibstandarte

Staff	Sepp Dietrich¹ (Oak Leaves, Swords & Diamonds) Theodor Wisch (Oak Leaves & Swords) Rudolf Lehmann² (Oak Leaves)

Units	Hans Becker Josef Diefenthal Albert Frey (Oak Leaves) Erich Göstl Erich Grätz Martin Groß Max Hansen (Oak Leaves) Frank Hasse Heinrich Heimann Konrad Heubeck Georg Karck Hugo Kraas (Oak Leaves) Heinrich Kling Herbert Kuhlmann Gustav Knittel Kurt Meyer⁸ (Oak Leaves & Swords) Heinz Nowotnik Joachim Peiper (Oak Leaves & Swords) Gerhard Pleiß Werner Pötschke (Oak Leaves) Karl Rettlinger Georg Preuß Rudolf Sandig Bernhard Siebken Fritz Witt⁶ (Oak Leaves) Michael Wittmann⁴ (Oak Leaves & Swords) Werner Wolff Max Wünsche⁵ (Oak Leaves)

¹Diamonds with the I SS Panzer Corps. ²Oak Leaves with the 2nd SS Panzer Division Das Reich. ⁴Swords with 101st SS Heavy Panzer Battalion. ⁵Oak Leaves with the SS Division Hitlerjugend. ⁶Knight's with the SS Division Das Reich. ⁸Swords with the SS Division Hitlerjugend.

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