- Period:
- Second World War (1939-1945)
- Rank:
- Feldwebel (Staff Sergeant)
- Unit:
- Zugführer 12. / Infanterie-Regiment 410
- Awarded on:
- December 4th, 1942
The following divisional newsletter excerpt describes why Nürnberger was awarded the Knight’s Cross…
“On the 19.04.1942 the III./G.R. 410 found itself providing northern flank protection for Seydlitz’s assault group. On the left wing one could hear the suspicious noises of cracking wood, it sounded like the grinding of tank tracks. Alarm! Tank attack!
Three tanks had already appeared before the positions of the Kompanie to which Feldwebel Nürnberger and his heavy machine-gun Zug belonged. The men rushed out of the bunker, but even then there was barely any time to fire. The tanks crushed the position, criss-crossing around the area as they went. One tank drove to the 8.8 cm Flak gun, and seconds of unimaginable tension ensued. But all was quiet in the gun position. It appeared that bad luck doesn’t strike once, for the Flak gun had damage that prevented it from firing. The 2 cm Flak gun was firing on another tank, however its blows were completely ineffective. The already understrength Kompanie was now almost totally wiped out. The Kompanie commander fell from a direct hit. His Kompanie HQ squad leader, an Oberfeldwebel, was wounded. The remnants of two Kompanien had to fall back to the Bataillon command post.
But the rattling of an MG from a forest edge got their attention. Feldwebel Nürnberger was located there, fighting on even as he was cut off. Meanwhile the Bataillon launched its counterthrust. Nürnberger withstood all attacks. As the crew took losses from tank hits, he personally sprang to the heavy machine-gun and engaged the enemy infantry. His fearless devotion to duty aided in the sealing off of this penetration.”