Unterscharführer Emil Dürr sacrificed his life for his comrades! June 11, 1920 - June 27, 1944 At dawn on the morning of 26th June 1944, the Allies began a ferocious three hour bombardment of the 'Hitlerjugend' positions centred in and around St Mauvieu. Shortly after the barrage ended, SS-Unterscharfuhrer Emil Durrs Abteilung HQ (4./26.SS Panzergrenadier Regiment) came under attack from a force of M4 Shermans. As if the situation was not desperate enough, a flamethrower tank (crocodile) appeared. SS-Unterscharfuhrer Durr immediately volunteered to 'kill' the tank. Picking up a Panzerfaust he leapt from cover, took aim and fired but his shot went wide! Now the enemy tanks turned on him and opened fire with their machine guns. Durr was hit in the chest but managed to make his way back to cover. Furious at his failure, he snatched up another Panzerfaust and set off again despite his wounds and his comrades attempts to dissuade him, however the Allied tanks once again drove him back with machine gun fire. Durr knew that if the 'Crocodile' was not knocked out, his comrades would be finished so, despite heavy enemy machine gun fire he ran forward, towards his target, this time carrying a Haft-Hohlladung (magnetic ant-tank weapon). Reaching the tank unscathed, he placed the charge on its hull and waited for the explosion. The charge fell off! Durr ran forward, picked it up and held it to the tanks hull, knowing full well that his own life would be forfeit. The charge exploded and the tank burst into flames. Durr felt a tremendous punch in his chest as the blast flung him like a rag doll, to lie paralysed by the excruciating pain of his mutilated limbs. Despite his chest wound and mutilated legs, he managed to drag himself back to his men who pulled him into cover and summoned a medical orderly. Nothing could be done for him other than to make him as comfortable as possible as his life ebbed away. His kameraden carried him to the shade of a tree in a small hollow and gently laid him down. He asked to be propped up so that he could see what was happening, but the smoke and flames obscured the scene " Is it gone?" he asked. His comrades gently removed his helmet and laid him back down, his gas mask container used as a pillow. He lay, quiet and thoughtful, his blue eyes clear, then turned to his comrades and said "Say hello to my wife, and little ones - look after yourselves" Durr then closed his eyes, took one last deep breath, and was still. The heroic NCO from Muhlacher in Wurttemberg was awarded the Knights cross of the Iron Cross for his bravery and self sacrifice on the 23rd August 1944, becoming the first junior NCO of the 12.SS Panzer Division to receive the award.