Period:

Second World War (1939-1945)

Period:

Second World War (1939-1945)

Period:

Second World War (1939-1945)

Rank:

Gefreiter (Lance Corporal)

Unit:

14. Kompanie, III. Bataillon, Grenadier-Regiment 101, 14. Infanterie-Division, Heer

Awarded on:

May 9th, 1945

According to Scherzer his name is Max Morche. Morche had been nominated for the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross on 31 January 1945 via teleprinter message by the XX Army Corps. This teleprinter message is no longer available. The Heerespersonalamt Abteilung P 5/Registratur (Army Personnel Office Department P 5/Registry) received a teleprinter message on 8 February 1945 from the commander-in-chief of the Army Group North, which made reference to the former message. This second message contained the approvals of Morche's intermittent commanders, General der Infanterie Friedrich-Wilhelm Müller (4th Army) and Generaloberst Lothar Rendulic (Army Group North). Nevertheless the nomionation must have been rejected because Morche was not listed in the nomination book. Also missing are the nominations by the troop and the Heerespersonalamt-Verleihungsvorschlag (HPA-VV—Army Staff Office Nomination Recommendation), nor is there a file card. The Order Commission of the Association of Knight's Cross Recipients (OdR) never processed Morche's case. According to the OdR the award was presented in accordance with the Dönitz-decree. This is illegal according to the Deutsche Dienststelle (WASt) and lacks legal justification.