julius meimberg (11 january 1917 – 17 january 2012) was a luftwaffe fighter pilot and recipient of the knight's cross of the iron cross during world war ii. the knight's cross of the iron cross was awarded to recognise extreme battlefield bravery or successful military leadership. in the 1960s he invented an open end spinning device and received patents in the us and germany for it. in 2001 he received the rudolf-diesel-medaille