Ortwin Kuske

Who was Ortwin Kuske?

Ortwin Kuske was a Hauptsturmführer in the Waffen-SS during World War II. He was awarded the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross, which was awarded to recognize extreme battlefield bravery or successful military leadership by Nazi Germany during World War II.

Ortwin Kuske was born in Militsch in Schlesien. During World War II he volunteered for the Waffen SS. He was awarded the Knight's Cross while a Untersturmführer, in command of the 3rd Company, 17th SS Panzer Reconnaissance Battalion together with an attached Heer unit. It stopped a US armoured advance dead in its tracks whilst 17th SS GvB was involved in defending Metz. Metz subsequently fell to the US forces on 22 November 1944 and Kuske was awarded his Knights Cross for "Outstanding bravery and leadership". Testimony to the savagery of this particular event was that 8O% of Kuske's battlegroup was killed or wounded. Kuske survived the war and died of cancer on 19 February 1972 in Westerholt.