Nickname: No information
Date of Birth: 15.11.1920 - Lalendorf bei Güstrow, Germany
Date of Death: 19.12.1944 - southwest of Malmedy, Belgium
Battles and Operations: Assault on Fort Eben-Emael, Battle of Crete, Ardennes Offensive
NSDAP-Number: No information
SS-Number: No information
Religion: No information
Parents: No information
Siblings: No information
Spouse: No information
Chldren: No information
Promotions:
Unknown exact dates of earlier promotions.
By May 1941: Oberjäger
00.00.1941 Feldwebel (promoted for bravery before the enemy during the Battle of Crete)
00.00.194_ Oberfeldwebel
00.00.1943 Leutnant
Career:
Enlisted in the Luftwaffe and trained as a Fallschirmjäger. Assigned to the Luftlande-Sturm-Regiment 1 (later redesignated Fallschirmjäger-Sturm-Regiment).
10.05.1940: Participated in the assault on Fort Eben-Emael as part of the glider-borne attack force and distinguished himself through exceptional bravery.
20.05.1941: Deployed during the Battle of Crete as Gruppenführer in the 1. Kompanie of Luftlande-Sturm-Regiment 1. When his Zugführer became a casualty during a lightning attack against an enemy Flak battery south of Chania far behind the front lines, he took over command of the Zug. Despite tough resistance from a numerically superior foe he stormed and captured two guns of the enemy battery with his men. In the subsequent fighting of his Kompanie he continued to prove himself as a model of outstanding bravery and bravado. Promoted to Feldwebel for his actions.
Continued frontline service with Fallschirmjäger units through subsequent campaigns.
19.12.1944: Killed in action southwest of Malmedy during the Ardennes Offensive (shrapnel wound to the chest near Honsfeld area).
Awards and Decorations:
Fallschirmschützenabzeichen der Luftwaffe
Eisernes Kreuz II.Klasse
Eisernes Kreuz I.Klasse
Verwundetenabzeichen in Schwarz
Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes (21 August 1941) as Oberjäger and Gruppenführer in 1.Kompanie / I.Bataillon / Fallschirmjäger-Sturm-Regiment. The award was bestowed specifically for his outstanding leadership and bravery during the Battle of Crete in May 1941, with particular emphasis on a daring assault against an enemy anti-aircraft (Flak) battery south of Chania. Contemporary wartime press accounts and the official award rationale also highlighted his earlier distinguished performance in the glider-borne assault on Fort Eben-Emael in Belgium on 10 May 1940. Below are vivid, source-based reconstructions of these key actions, drawn directly from the 1941 press citation that accompanied his Ritterkreuz recommendation and from unit context in the Luftlande-Sturm-Regiment 1 (later redesignated Fallschirmjäger-Sturm-Regiment).
Actions at Fort Eben-Emael, 10 May 1940 (Distinguished Bravery Noted as Precursor to Ritterkreuz)
As an Oberjäger in the elite glider assault force of Sturmabteilung Koch (part of Luftlande-Sturm-Regiment 1), Kempke took part in one of the most audacious special operations of the entire war: the silent, glider-borne coup de main against the supposedly impregnable Belgian fortress of Fort Eben-Emael, which guarded the vital Albert Canal crossings and blocked the German advance into Belgium and the Low Countries.
In the pre-dawn darkness, DFS 230 gliders were released from towed Junkers Ju 52s and silently crash-landed directly atop the fortress’s massive concrete casemates and gun emplacements. The Fallschirmjäger emerged like ghosts from the mist, armed with hollow-charge explosives, machine guns, and flamethrowers. Explosions rocked the fortress as shaped charges blasted open armored cupolas and gun positions in thunderous bursts of flame and smoke. Belgian defenders, stunned by the surprise, poured out machine-gun fire and grenades from slit trenches and observation posts.
Kempke distinguished himself through exceptional personal bravery amid the chaotic close-quarters fighting. Under intense defensive fire from the Belgian garrison, he and his comrades methodically neutralized key defensive positions, clearing casemates and preventing counterattacks that could have trapped the small assault groups. The operation succeeded in just hours, opening the path for the German 6th Army. Though specific details of his individual deeds that day remain unrecorded in surviving accounts, the wartime citation explicitly states that “Feldwebel Wilhelm Kempe had already distinguished himself through exceptional bravery during the operation to take Eben Emael.” This early feat marked him as a rising combat leader and earned him recognition within the elite paratrooper fraternity.
Actions During the Battle of Crete, 20 May 1941 (Direct Reason for the Ritterkreuz)
The award citation centers on Kempke’s heroism during the second day of Operation Merkur, the airborne invasion of Crete. The Luftlande-Sturm-Regiment 1 had been dropped or glider-landed in the Chania sector as part of the desperate fighting to seize the town and its harbor after the costly parachute drops on 20 May. Heavy British, Commonwealth, and Greek resistance had turned the hills and olive groves south of Chania into a killing ground of machine-gun nests, mortars, and well-sited anti-aircraft batteries that were being used in a ground-fire role.
Kempke, then still an Oberjäger serving as Gruppenführer in the 1. Kompanie, was part of a small, aggressive “lightning attack” (Blitzangriff) thrust deep behind enemy lines against a heavily defended British Flak battery positioned south of Chania. The objective was to silence the guns that were hammering German air support and ground columns. The patrol advanced rapidly through rugged terrain under cover of darkness and morning mist, moving far ahead of the main German lines into territory still firmly held by numerically superior Allied forces.
When the Zugführer (platoon leader) was suddenly killed or severely wounded in the opening exchange of fire, the young Oberjäger Kempke instantly assumed command of the entire Zug without hesitation. Under his leadership, the paratroopers launched a ferocious assault straight into the teeth of the enemy position. Despite being heavily outnumbered and facing concentrated small-arms fire, grenades, and the very anti-aircraft guns now turned against them at point-blank range, Kempke personally led the storming party. His men charged through a hail of bullets, overran the perimeter, and captured two of the enemy guns in savage hand-to-hand combat. The citation describes how they “stormed two guns of the enemy battery despite tough resistance by a much superior foe.”
Even after securing the immediate objective, Kempke continued to inspire his Kompanie through the subsequent hours of bitter fighting around Chania. He repeatedly demonstrated “outstanding bravery and bravado,” rallying his men, leading further attacks, and holding captured ground against counterattacks. His actions helped neutralize a key defensive strongpoint that had been pinning down German forces. For this combination of decisive leadership under fire, personal courage, and tactical success far behind enemy lines, he was immediately promoted to Feldwebel on the battlefield and recommended for the Ritterkreuz. The award was formally presented on 21 August 1941.
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Wilhelm Kempke was a German paratrooper who served as a Feldwebel in the Luftwaffe during the Second World War and became one of the early recipients of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross among the elite Fallschirmjäger forces. Born on 15 November 1920 in Lalendorf near Güstrow in northern Germany he enlisted in the newly formed airborne troops in 1938 and quickly distinguished himself through aggressive leadership and personal courage in high-risk special operations. Assigned to the Luftlande-Sturm-Regiment 1 later redesignated as the Fallschirmjäger-Sturm-Regiment within the 7th Flieger Division Kempke participated in some of the most daring glider and parachute assaults of the early war years. His combat record culminated in the award of the Knight's Cross on 21 August 1941 for extraordinary bravery during the invasion of Crete though he continued frontline service with paratrooper units until his death in action on 19 December 1944 southwest of Malmedy in Belgium during the Ardennes Offensive.
Kempke's military career began in the pre-war buildup of Germany's airborne arm when the Fallschirmjäger were still an experimental force trained for surprise attacks behind enemy lines. Joining at the age of seventeen he underwent rigorous training in gliding jumps and close-quarters combat tactics that emphasized speed initiative and the use of specialized demolition charges. By 1940 he had been selected for the elite Sturmabteilung Koch the handpicked glider assault detachment commanded by Hauptmann Walter Koch. This unit was tasked with the most sensitive missions requiring silent insertion and immediate neutralization of fortified positions. Kempke's early reputation as a reliable Gruppenführer stemmed from his calm demeanor under fire and his ability to motivate small teams in chaotic environments where traditional command structures often broke down.
On 10 May 1940 Kempke took part in the legendary glider-borne assault on Fort Eben-Emael the massive Belgian fortress guarding the Albert Canal crossings and blocking the path of the German Sixth Army into the Low Countries. Released from towing aircraft in the predawn darkness eleven DFS 230 gliders crash-landed directly onto the fortress roof in a operation of unprecedented audacity. Emerging amid smoke and explosions the paratroopers used hollow-charge explosives to blast open armored cupolas and gun emplacements while Belgian defenders responded with machine-gun fire and grenades from slit trenches. Kempke fought in the thick of the close-quarters battle clearing casemates and repelling counterattacks that threatened to isolate the small assault groups. Although specific details of his individual actions that day were not separately recorded the official wartime citation later highlighted his exceptional bravery during the Eben-Emael operation as a foundational achievement that marked him for higher recognition.
The pinnacle of Kempke's combat career came during the second day of Operation Merkur the German airborne invasion of Crete on 20 May 1941. Serving as Gruppenführer in the 1st Company of the Luftlande-Sturm-Regiment 1 he was part of a lightning patrol thrust deep behind British lines south of Chania to silence an anti-aircraft battery that was pounding German air support and ground columns. Advancing through rugged olive groves and hills under cover of mist the small force encountered numerically superior Allied troops entrenched with machine guns mortars and the very Flak guns now turned in a ground-fire role. When the Zugführer was suddenly killed or wounded in the opening fusillade the young Oberjäger Kempke instantly assumed command without hesitation. Rallying his men he led a ferocious charge straight into the enemy perimeter overrunning the position in savage hand-to-hand fighting and capturing two of the guns despite intense resistance. His continued leadership in the subsequent hours of bitter combat around Chania exemplified the aggressive initiative that defined the early Fallschirmjäger ethos and directly earned him an immediate battlefield promotion to Feldwebel along with the Knight's Cross.
Following the costly victory on Crete Kempke remained with the paratrooper regiments through the shifting theaters of the war as the Fallschirmjäger transitioned from offensive airborne operations to elite infantry roles in defensive campaigns across the Mediterranean and later the Western Front. The heavy losses sustained in Crete and subsequent actions in North Africa and Italy thinned the ranks of the original Sturm-Regiment veterans yet Kempke's experience as a seasoned Gruppenführer made him a valued instructor and combat leader for younger replacements. He continued to serve in various Fallschirmjäger formations maintaining the unit's reputation for tenacity even as the strategic situation deteriorated. By late 1944 with Allied forces pressing into the Ardennes he was once again committed to a major German counteroffensive where airborne and mechanized units were thrown into desperate holding actions and spoiling attacks.
On 19 December 1944 during the opening phases of the Ardennes Offensive Kempke was killed in action southwest of Malmedy in Belgium most likely from shrapnel wounds sustained near the Honsfeld area while his unit engaged American forces in intense winter fighting. His death at the age of twenty-four came just over three years after receiving the Knight's Cross and underscored the high attrition rate among the veteran Fallschirmjäger who had survived the early spectacular successes only to fall in the war's final convulsive battles. Though detailed postwar accounts of his later service remain sparse his name endures in lists of Knight's Cross recipients of the Fallschirmjäger as a symbol of the elite paratrooper spirit that combined audacious tactics with unyielding personal courage from the glider assaults of 1940 to the bitter defensive struggles of 1944.
On 21 August 1941, Reichsmarschall Hermann Göring, Commander-in-Chief of the Luftwaffe, personally presented the Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes (Knight’s Cross of the Iron Cross) to six outstanding officers and men of the Fallschirmjäger (German paratroopers) at his headquarters. The recipients—Oberst Hermann-Bernhard Ramcke, Oberstabsarzt Dr. med. Heinrich Neumann, Oberst Hans Kroh, Oberleutnant Heinrich Welskop, Leutnant Erich Schuster, and Feldwebel Wilhelm Kempke—were honored for their extraordinary bravery, leadership, and sacrifice during the Battle of Crete (Operation Merkur) in May 1941. Other pictures from this award ceremony can be seen HERE.
Ritterkreuz award ceremony for the six "Fallschirmjäger Heroes of Crete", 21 August 1941. Reichsmarschall Hermann Göring congratulates Feldwebel Wilhelm Kempke (Gruppenführer in 1.Kompanie / I.Bataillon / Fallschirmjäger-Sturm-Regiment) for his newly awarded Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes.
Ritterkreuz award ceremony for the six "Fallschirmjäger Heroes of Crete", 21 August 1941. From left to right: Major Hans Kroh (Kommandeur I.Bataillon / Fallschirmjäger-Regiment 2), Feldwebel Wilhelm Kempke (Gruppenführer in 1.Kompanie / I.Bataillon / Fallschirmjäger-Sturm-Regiment), and Feldwebel Erich Schuster (Gruppenführer in 3.Kompanie / I.Bataillon / Fallschirmjäger-Sturm-Regiment).
Feldwebel Wilhelm Kempke.
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Walter Koch's funeral in October 1943. Ritterkreuzträger Leutnant Wilhelm Kempke is holding the ordenskissen (medal pillow). Other pictures from this occasion can be seen HERE.
Walter Koch's funeral in October 1943. Ritterkreuzträger Leutnant Wilhelm Kempke is holding the ordenskissen (medal pillow).
Walter Koch's funeral in October 1943. Ritterkreuzträger Leutnant Wilhelm Kempke is holding the ordenskissen (medal pillow).
Source:
https://www.lexikon-der-wehrmacht.de/
https://en.wikipedia.org/
https://www.tracesofwar.com/
https://grokipedia.com/
https://rk.balsi.de/index.php?action=list&cat=300
https://www.unithistories.com/units_index/index.php?file=/officers/personsx.html
https://web.archive.org/web/20091027052912fw_/http://geocities.com/orion47.geo/index2.html
https://forum.axishistory.com/viewtopic.php?f=5&t=29879&p=2427295&hilit=kempke#p2427295
https://www.wehrmacht-awards.com/forums/
https://www.geni.com/
https://books.google.com/
https://www.ww2.dk/lwoffz.html
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