From the Armchair General forums:
Apparently Knispel had a knack of knowing where the enemy was and coupled with that, an uncanny ability as a gunner to hit first time, even when it was a snapshot.
He was a tough soldier. He died somewhere near a place called Wostitz on 29th April 1945.
Knispel trained earlier as a locksmith. This came in handy when he picked a lock on a train one night which was part of a consignment going with the and guarded by the SS Wiking division. Inside was a treasure trove of chocolate, coffee, tobacco, alcohol and so on. As much as possible was ‘borrowed’ and hidden in the Tiger tank air filters of Knispels unit. Bottles of Schnapps were wrapped in cloth and placed in the tank barrels which were then capped. No one realised anything was missing so they got away with Army rules 1 and 2 ( I think these are universal rules for any soldier).
1. Do what you like - just don’t get caught.
2. If it isn’t nailed down - take it.
This happened on a train journey to the Russian front. Knispel was involved in an incident - I think on the same trip - with a prison guard who was kicking a prisoner. Knispel slapped the guard an broke his rifle before giving him a kick up the backside. Everyone up to and including his battalion commander approved and when the military police turned up they were told to “look somewhere else” by the company commander who threatened to shoot them all!
Knispel was such a good gunner he could deal with the T34 using a short barreled 75mm gun (early Panzer IV). He then progressed to the Tiger I and II.
His total of kills as gunner/commander was officially 168 but may have been higher ( some allow up to 195 ). This does not count other vehicles, emplacements, or guns.
he was always held in awe by his fellow tankers for his gunnery and was highly respected as a fair person.
He was never awarded the knights cross although he was reccommended four times. It does seem strange that he wasn’t since he was the highest scoring tankman of the whole war.
And:
Kurt Knispel had troubles with military law. He assaulted an einsatzgruppen officer whom he saw mistreated soviet POWs and apparently looted a wrecked supply train and luzury stole items (Wine, champange, fresh meats) belonging to an AG staff officer (unamed). The commander wanted him shot but his record saved his life. This commander was later sent upstairs to the OKH or OKW (not sure which) as a general staff officer and determined to block promotions, recind field promotions (Knispel served as a platoon C O for several weeks due to injuries and his senior status) and blocked his access to the Knights Cross.
And:
After refit Knispel et al was returning on train to front , when incident occurred in Cracow. While waiting to resume trip Kurt Knispel noticed a striped clothed figure being beaten by a armed soldaten. Knispel ran to scene and corrected the guard by force, and destroying the soldatens rifle, and giving hope to the prisoner.
Upon return to train most of his Komeraden were embarassed by his actions and their lack of, but they warmly welcomed him back. Further along the journey the train was stopped by the military police and his commander was ordered to turn him over.
His commander replied that unless they were willing to take his place, drawing his weapon, Kurt would not be leaving.
He was a marked man for this incident. There are hero’s.
Don