Funk, Alois

Date of birth:: September 7th, 1906 (Vienna, Austria)
Date of death:: June 2nd, 1975 (Rettenegg, Austria)
Nationality:: Austrian

Biography

Alois Funke finally reached the rank of Feldwebel.

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Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes

Period:: Second World War (1939-1945)
Rank:: Unteroffizier (Junior Officer)
Unit:: Gruppenführer 5. / Grenadier-Regiment 316 / 212. Infanterie-Division
Awarded on:: April 15th, 1944

The following press article describes why Alois Funk would receive the Knight’s Cross…

“Courageous deed of an Obergefreiter:

Obergefreiter Alois Funk prevented the encirclement of his Bataillon through a courageous action while he was assigned as a messenger for the forward Bataillon command post in the area south of Lake Ladoga. Emerging from a large tank/infantry assembly area, Soviet tanks began moving along the railway line in order to encircle the Bataillon, and at the same time the only available Pak gun was knocked out. At this critical hour the Obergefreiter sprang to the first enemy tank in the face of intense hostile fire, threw the last available Molotov cocktail at it and set it afire. This tank burned out, blocking the path of those behind it. The Obergefreiter went on to eliminate numerous enemy soldiers and use a concentrated charge to knock out another tank that had bogged down in a shell crater. The attempted enemy enveloping maneuver came to a halt, and it was finally smashed with Sturmgeschütze, Artillerie and hastily brought up Pak after it had been held off long enough by the courage of a single soldier.”