Dietz, Edwin-Oskar

Date of birth:: July 4th, 1914 (Dortmund/Western Phalia, Germany)
Date of death:: July 17th, 1941 (Szamirajowka, Soviet Union)
Nationality:: German

Biography

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Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes

Period:: Second World War (1939-1945)
Rank:: Leutnant (2nd Lieutenant)
Unit:: Zugführer I. / Schützen-Regiment 11 / 9. Panzer-Division
Awarded on:: August 15th, 1940

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

“Leutnant Dietz, Schützen-Regiment 11, particularly distinguished himself during the battle for the Loire bridge at Nevers. Here he made it to the part of the bridge that had been prepped for demolition and cut the explosive cable successfully in spite of the strong enemy fire. In doing so he created the possibility of forming a bridgehead on the opposite riverbank. The battle was then carried on in a daring fashion until the enemy finally gave up after taking bloody losses. Friendly losses in Dietz’s Zug were minimal. Dietz’s bravery is all the more commendable when one considers that he knew of a similar operation that had been conducted shortly beforehand by a neighbouring Kompanie but had instead failed with heavy friendly casualties.”