Date of birth:

October 25th, 1912 (Mülheim an der Ruhr/Rhineprovince, Germany)

Date of death:

October 25th, 1996 (Nauort/Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany)

Nationality:

German

Promotions:
?: Gefreiter;
June 1st, 1942: Unteroffizier;
March 9th, 1944: Feldwebel;
?: Oberfeldwebel.

Career:
October 1st, 1938: Wehrmacht;
?: 9. / Infanterie-Regiment 2;
February 3rd, 1940: 5. / Infanterie-Regiment 2;
September 1st, 1941: 11. / Infanterie-Regiment 2;
December 8th, 1941: 2. / Infanterie-Ersatz-Bataillon 2;
?: 3. Genesenden-Kompanie;
March 27th, 1942: Gruppenführer 5. / Infanterie-Regiment 2;
September 6th, 1943: 2. / Infanterie-Ersatz-Bataillon 2;
?: 2. Genesenden-Kompanie;
?: Marsch-Kompanie / Grenadier-Ersatz-Bataillon 2;
February 10th, 1944: 2. / Marsch-Bataillon 11/8;
February 11th, 1944: 5. / Grenadier-Regiment 2;"
?: Grenadier-Ersatz-Bataillon 2;
?: Stab / Grenadier-Regiment 2;
September 27th, 1944: 5. / Grenadier-Regiment 2.

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Period:

Second World War (1939-1945)

Rank:

Unteroffizier (Junior Officer)

Unit:

Gruppenführer, 5. Kompanie, II. Bataillon, Infanterie-Regiment 2, 11. Infanterie-Division, Heer

Awarded on:

June 30th, 1942

Period:

Second World War (1939-1945)

Period:

Second World War (1939-1945)

Rank:

Unteroffizier (Junior Officer)

Unit:

Gruppenführer, 5. Kompanie, II. Bataillon, Infanterie-Regiment 2, 11. Infanterie-Division, Heer

Awarded on:

April 20th, 1943

Period:

Second World War (1939-1945)

Period:

Second World War (1939-1945)

Rank:

Unteroffizier (Junior Officer)

Unit:

Gruppenführer, 5. Kompanie, II. Bataillon, Grenadier-Regiment 2, 11. Infanterie-Division, Heer

Awarded on:

June 6th, 1943

The following wartime excerpt describes why Block would be awarded the Knight’s Cross…

“Unteroffizier Josef Block… distinguished himself as a patrol leader in a Grenadier-Regiment during the fighting south of Lake Ladoga. Here he broke into the enemy position on his own initiative and rolled it up despite the bitter resistance offered by its garrison. After this he became the first one to report on the Bolshevik offensive intentions in the area.”

Period:

Second World War (1939-1945)

• Photo 1: Andrew Straube
• Photo: Andrew Straube via Death-Cards.com
  
• - FELLGIEBEL, W.P., Elite of theThird Reich, Helion & Company Limited, Solihull, 2003.
  - THOMAS, FRANZ & WEGMANN, GÜNTER, Die Ritterkreuzträger der Deutschen Wehrmacht 1939-1945, Biblio Verlag, Osnabrück, 1992.
  - Ritterkreuz Sammlerbild
  - das-ritterkreuz.de