Period:

Second World War (1939-1945)

Rank:

Hauptmann (Flight Lieutenant)

Unit:

Kommandeur II./Stukageschwader 1

Awarded on:

August 19th, 1940

The following wartime excerpt (dated 30.08.1940) describes why Keil received the Knight’s Cross…

“Hauptmann Keil delivered effective service during the Polish campaign. Later, in the Western campaign, he distinguished himself with his Stukagruppe during the breakthrough battles in Flanders and at the Somme river. He and his men also were heavily involved in the annihilation of enemy armoured forts at Saargemünd, Weißenburg and Kolmar. These latter attacks significantly contributed our forces’ swift breakthrough of the Maginot Line. He and his men also succeeded in anti-shipping operations in the North Sea, where they sunk large quantities of merchant shipping as well as several destroyers and cruisers. Particularly noteworthy among his successes however were the effectively led and navigated attacks he directed against English airfields while flying at the spearhead of his unit.”