- Period:
- Second World War (1939-1945)
- Rank:
- Oberleutnant der Reserve (1st Lieutenant of Reserves)
- Unit:
- Chef, 7. Kompanie, II. Bataillon, Infanterie-Regiment Großdeutschland 1, Heer
- Awarded on:
- September 18th, 1942
The following divisional order of the day (dated 09.10.1942) describes why Blumenthal was awarded the Knight’s Cross…
“The Führer and Supreme Commander of the Wehrmacht has awarded the Knight’s Cross of the Iron Cross to Oberleutnant Blumenthal, commander of the 7./I.R. GD 1. This is in recognition of the actions he undertook on his own initiative on the 04.07.1942. On this day he led a group of just 5 men from his Kompanie in a bold thrust over the Don bridge near Voronezh and created a bridgehead. By doing this he gave his Regiment the opportunity to carry on its advance Voronezh on the following day.
The Regiment is proud of the fact that the achievements during the offensive battles in the south have been recognized through this high award.”