Background
Son of Franz Freiherr Buffa von Lilienberg und Castellalt, Baron of the Holy Roman Empire, he enlisted in the German army in 1912.
Son of Franz Freiherr Buffa von Lilienberg und Castellalt, Baron of the Holy Roman Empire, he enlisted in the German army in 1912.
He entered the Military Academy of Berlin in May 1916. During World War I he was sent to the Western Front. The Knight"s Cross of the Iron Cross was awarded to recognise extreme battlefield bravery or successful military leadership.
Ernst Buffa was taken prisoner by American troops in 1945 and was held until 1947, retiring to live in Argentina in the province of Cordoba where he went on to write about his experiences during the war.
He died in 1971 in the village of Traben-Trarbach at 78 years old. Bibliography.
Iron Cross (1914) 2nd Class (27 January 1915) 1st Class (18 January 1917) Ottoman War Medal (Harp Madalyası), better known as the "Gallipoli Star" or the "Iron Crescent" (20 October 1917) Honour Cross of the World War 1914/1918 (11 January 1935) Wehrmacht Long Service Award 1st to 4th Class (2 October 1936) Anschluss Medal (1 September 1939) Sudetenland Medal with Prague Castle Bar (9 July 1940) Iron Cross (1939) 2nd Class (19 May 1940) 1st Class (3 June 1940) Anti-Aircraft Flak Battle Badge German Cross in Gold (9 November 1943) Knight"s Cross of the Iron Cross on 5 September 1944 as Generalleutnant and commander of 12. Flak-Division(mot).
