Richard Daniel

Richard Daniel
Born	24 December 1900 Anspach
Died	4 May 1986 (aged 85) Neumünster
Allegiance	German Empire (to 1918)  Weimar Republic (to 1919)  Nazi Germany
Service/branch	Heer
Years of service	1916–19 1935–45
Rank	Generalmajor
Commands held	45. Volksgrenadier-Division
Battles/wars	World War II Invasion of Poland Battle of France Operation Barbarossa Siege of Odessa (1941) Siege of Sevastopol (1941–1942) Siege of Leningrad Lower Silesian Offensive
Awards	Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves
Other work	Police officer

Richard Daniel (24 December 1900 – 4 May 1986) was a highly decorated Generalmajor in the Wehrmacht during World War II. He was also a recipient of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves. The Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross and its higher grade Oak Leaves was awarded to recognise extreme battlefield bravery or successful military leadership. Richard Daniel was captured by British troops in April 1945 and was released in June.

Awards and decorations

• Iron Cross (1939)
  • 2nd Class (12 July 1941)^[1]
  • 1st Class (28 July 1941)^[1]
• Wound Badge (1939)
  • in Black (23 September 1942)
  • in Silver (24 March 1945)
• War Merit Cross with Swords
  • 2nd Class (1 November 1939)
• Eastern Front Medal (10 July 1942)
• Infantry Assault Badge (25 March 1942)
• Crimea Shield (15 February 1943)
• Honour Roll Clasp of the Army (25 February 1945)^[1]
• German Cross in Gold on 2 June 1943 as Oberst in Grenadier-Regiment 391^[2]
• Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves
  • Knight's Cross on 25 July 1942 as Oberstleutnant and commander of Infanterie-Regiment 391^[3]
  • (857th) Oak Leaves on 30 April 1945 as Generalmajor and commander of 45. Volksgrenadier-Division^{[4][Note 1]}

Notes

1. The sequential numbers greater than 843 for the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves are unofficial and were assigned by the Association of Knight's Cross Recipients (AKCR) and are therefore denoted in parentheses.^[5]

References

Citations

1. Thomas 1997, p. 109.
2. Patzwall & Scherzer 2001, p. 78.
3. Fellgiebel 2000, p. 133.
4. Fellgiebel 2000, p. 85.
5. Fellgiebel 2000, pp. 102–111.

Bibliography

• Fellgiebel, Walther-Peer (2000) [1986]. Die Träger des Ritterkreuzes des Eisernen Kreuzes 1939–1945 — Die Inhaber der höchsten Auszeichnung des Zweiten Weltkrieges aller Wehrmachtteile [The Bearers of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross 1939–1945 — The Owners of the Highest Award of the Second World War of all Wehrmacht Branches] (in German). Friedberg, Germany: Podzun-Pallas. ISBN 978-3-7909-0284-6.
• Patzwall, Klaus D.; Scherzer, Veit (2001). Das Deutsche Kreuz 1941 – 1945 Geschichte und Inhaber Band II [The German Cross 1941 – 1945 History and Recipients Volume 2] (in German). Norderstedt, Germany: Verlag Klaus D. Patzwall. ISBN 978-3-931533-45-8.
• Scherzer, Veit (2007). Die Ritterkreuzträger 1939–1945 Die Inhaber des Ritterkreuzes des Eisernen Kreuzes 1939 von Heer, Luftwaffe, Kriegsmarine, Waffen-SS, Volkssturm sowie mit Deutschland verbündeter Streitkräfte nach den Unterlagen des Bundesarchives [The Knight's Cross Bearers 1939–1945 The Holders of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross 1939 by Army, Air Force, Navy, Waffen-SS, Volkssturm and Allied Forces with Germany According to the Documents of the Federal Archives] (in German). Jena, Germany: Scherzers Militaer-Verlag. ISBN 978-3-938845-17-2.
• Thomas, Franz (1997). Die Eichenlaubträger 1939–1945 Band 1: A–K [The Oak Leaves Bearers 1939–1945 Volume 1: A–K] (in German). Osnabrück, Germany: Biblio-Verlag. ISBN 978-3-7648-2299-6.