Who was the toughest German infantry soldier of World War II?


 This is one of the questions that can be asked about German soldiers. We do not have to look at the names that the Nazis were propagating, we should look at what actually the soldiers did.


Günther Viezenz has to be the most difficult soldier.Lieutenant Günther Viezenz was in the 252nd Infantry Division and had an unusual record: He single-handed had eliminated 21 enemy tanks.


That figure is phenomenal since he did not have huge artillery. He did not shoot at a distance, he destroyed every tank by using handheld weapons like the Panzerfaust which is a form of a bazooka.


It was necessary that he had to use these weapons by the speed of his legs and keep within a few feet of the tank as it kept moving and firing. This was very dangerous labor. Even to survive 21 of these experiences is an indication of extraordinary courage, talent and fortune.


His record is genuine because the German Army gave him the Tank Destruction Badge in Gold four times. Viezenz was not a Nazi, the regime never tried to use him as a propaganda machine and that is why his fame was brought to him only through his feats in the battlefield.


He stayed in the army following the war and became a Colonel. His 21 close tank kills make him the tough guy among the Germans in infantry.

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