Siegfried Karfunkelstein (21 February 1848 – 30 October 1870) was a German Jewish soldier. He joined the army in 1866 and fought during the Austro-Prussian War, and was later killed in action during Franco-Prussian War in October 1870 during the

Battle of Le Bourget The Battle of Le Bourget was part of the siege of Paris during the Franco-Prussian War, fought between 27 and 30 October 1870. Background General Carey de Bellemare commanded the northern section of the Paris defenses, which, being in the vi ...

. He had been awarded the

Iron Cross The Iron Cross (german: link=no, Eisernes Kreuz, , abbreviated EK) was a military decoration in the Kingdom of Prussia, and later in the German Empire (1871–1918) and Nazi Germany (1933–1945). King Frederick William III of Prussia es ...

, second class, for his military services, two days prior to his death.

Biography

Karfunkelstein was born at

Beuthen Bytom (Polish pronunciation: ; Silesian: ''Bytōm, Bytōń'', german: Beuthen O.S.) is a city in Upper Silesia, in southern Poland. Located in the Silesian Voivodeship of Poland, the city is 7 km northwest of Katowice, the regional capita ...

Silesia Silesia (, also , ) is a historical region of Central Europe that lies mostly within Poland, with small parts in the Czech Republic and Germany. Its area is approximately , and the population is estimated at around 8,000,000. Silesia is split ...

on 21 February 1848. At the age of 18, in 1866 he volunteered for military service and fought during the Austro-Prussian War. In the Franco-Prussian War, Karfunkelstein distinguished himself so conspicuously that on 28 October 1870, he was decorated with the

, second class. Two days later he was mortally wounded during field of battle at

Le Bourget Le Bourget () is a commune in the northeastern suburbs of Paris, France. It is located from the center of Paris. The commune features Le Bourget Airport, which in turn hosts the Musée de l'Air et de l'Espace (Air and Space Museum). A very ...

on 30 October when he stormed the first barricade, while rescuing the regimental flag from the hands of the enemy. He was, however, able to hand it to General Budrisky. According to some accounts, Karfunkelstein had jumped out to grab the flag and was shot through the chest, the bullet grazing the iron cross that he was wearing around his neck. ''Die deutschen Juden'' describes this as a "heroic act", citing him alongside the likes of Corporal Rosenthal and Henry Harburg as German war heroes of the battle.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Karfunkelstein, Siegfried 1848 births 1870 deaths German military personnel of the Franco-Prussian War People of the Austro-Prussian War 19th-century German Jews Recipients of the Iron Cross (1870), 2nd class People from the Province of Silesia People from Bytom German Jewish military personnel German military personnel killed in action