Gerhard Bremer
Encyclopedia
Gerhard Bremer was a Sturmbannführer
(Storm Unit Leader/Major) in the Waffen SS who was awarded the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves
. Which was awarded for extreme bravery or personal leadership by Nazi Germany
.
.
In 1937 he was the commander of the SS officer school at Bad Tolz
and in 1938 transferred to the LSSAH(Leibstandarte SS Adolf Hitler), and took command of the 10th Company.
and the Balkans.
For his service in the Polish and Western campaigns he was awarded the Iron Cross
both first and second class.
After the end of the Balkan campaign Bremer was promoted to Obersturmführer (Senior Storm Leader/First Lieutenant) and was given command of the 1st Motor Cycle Company of the Reconnaissance Battalion.
He was awarded the Knight's Cross
in the early days of Operation Barbarossa
the invasion of the Soviet Union
.
He stayed with the LSSAH until June 1943 when he was given the command of the 3rd Battalion of the 26th Panzer Grenadier Regiment in the 12th SS Panzer Division Hitlerjugend
. .
In April 1944, he became the commander of the 12th SS Panzer Reconnaissance Battalion, in Belgium which covered the Divisions left flank during the Normandy Invasion on the outskirts of Caen
.
During the Normandy Invasion and the fighting with The Royal Winnipeg Rifles
at Putot-en-Bessin
, Bremer was reported to have taken part in the execution of 12 Canadian Prisoners.
He was trapped with his Battalion in the Falaise Gap but was finally able to withdraw to the Mass
covering the retreat of the 5th Panzer Army for which he was awarded the Oak Leaves to the Knight's Cross.
He was next involved in the Ardennes Offensive
and Operation Spring Awakening in Hungary
in 1945 and ended the war in the area of St Poelten.
in Spain
with his wife Almut and his son Gerd. Bremer died on the 29 October 1989 in Alicante
, Spain
.
Sturmbannführer
Sturmbannführer was a paramilitary rank of the Nazi Party equivalent to major, used both in the Sturmabteilung and the Schutzstaffel...
(Storm Unit Leader/Major) in the Waffen SS who was awarded the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves
Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross
The Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross was a grade of the 1939 version of the 1813 created Iron Cross . The Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross was the highest award of Germany to recognize extreme battlefield bravery or successful military leadership during World War II...
. Which was awarded for extreme bravery or personal leadership by Nazi Germany
Nazi Germany
Nazi Germany , also known as the Third Reich , but officially called German Reich from 1933 to 1943 and Greater German Reich from 26 June 1943 onward, is the name commonly used to refer to the state of Germany from 1933 to 1945, when it was a totalitarian dictatorship ruled by...
.
Early life
Bremer joined the SS aged nineteen and was issued SS number 310 405, and was first assigned to the 3rd Battalion, Germania RegimentDas Reich
Das Reich is the name of:* a German SS-division, see 2nd SS Panzer Division Das Reich* a national socialist newspaper, see Das Reich * the main work of German right-wing intellectual Friedrich Hielscher...
.
In 1937 he was the commander of the SS officer school at Bad Tolz
Bad Tölz
Bad Tölz is a town in Bavaria, Germany, and administrative center of the district of Bad Tölz-Wolfratshausen.- History :Since the retreat of the glaciers at the end of the Ice Age, archaeology has shown continuous occupation of the site of Bad Tölz...
and in 1938 transferred to the LSSAH(Leibstandarte SS Adolf Hitler), and took command of the 10th Company.
World War II
He served in the Polish Campaign, the Battle of FranceBattle of France
In the Second World War, the Battle of France was the German invasion of France and the Low Countries, beginning on 10 May 1940, which ended the Phoney War. The battle consisted of two main operations. In the first, Fall Gelb , German armoured units pushed through the Ardennes, to cut off and...
and the Balkans.
For his service in the Polish and Western campaigns he was awarded the Iron Cross
Iron Cross
The Iron Cross is a cross symbol typically in black with a white or silver outline that originated after 1219 when the Kingdom of Jerusalem granted the Teutonic Order the right to combine the Teutonic Black Cross placed above a silver Cross of Jerusalem....
both first and second class.
After the end of the Balkan campaign Bremer was promoted to Obersturmführer (Senior Storm Leader/First Lieutenant) and was given command of the 1st Motor Cycle Company of the Reconnaissance Battalion.
He was awarded the Knight's Cross
Knight's Cross
Knight's Cross refers to a distinguishing grade or level of various orders that denotes bravery and leadership on the battlefield....
in the early days of Operation Barbarossa
Operation Barbarossa
Operation Barbarossa was the code name for Germany's invasion of the Soviet Union during World War II that began on 22 June 1941. Over 4.5 million troops of the Axis powers invaded the USSR along a front., the largest invasion in the history of warfare...
the invasion of the Soviet Union
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
.
He stayed with the LSSAH until June 1943 when he was given the command of the 3rd Battalion of the 26th Panzer Grenadier Regiment in the 12th SS Panzer Division Hitlerjugend
12th SS Panzer Division Hitlerjugend
The 12th SS Panzer Division Hitlerjugend was a German Waffen SS armoured division during World War II. The Hitlerjugend was unique because the majority of its junior enlisted men were drawn from members of the Hitler Youth, while the senior NCOs and officers were generally veterans of the Eastern...
. .
In April 1944, he became the commander of the 12th SS Panzer Reconnaissance Battalion, in Belgium which covered the Divisions left flank during the Normandy Invasion on the outskirts of Caen
Caen
Caen is a commune in northwestern France. It is the prefecture of the Calvados department and the capital of the Basse-Normandie region. It is located inland from the English Channel....
.
During the Normandy Invasion and the fighting with The Royal Winnipeg Rifles
The Royal Winnipeg Rifles
The Royal Winnipeg Rifles are a Primary Reserve one-battalion infantry regiment of the Canadian Forces. Nicknamed the "Little Black Devils", they are based at Minto Armouries in Winnipeg, Manitoba...
at Putot-en-Bessin
Putot-en-Bessin
-External links:*...
, Bremer was reported to have taken part in the execution of 12 Canadian Prisoners.
He was trapped with his Battalion in the Falaise Gap but was finally able to withdraw to the Mass
Mass
Mass can be defined as a quantitive measure of the resistance an object has to change in its velocity.In physics, mass commonly refers to any of the following three properties of matter, which have been shown experimentally to be equivalent:...
covering the retreat of the 5th Panzer Army for which he was awarded the Oak Leaves to the Knight's Cross.
He was next involved in the Ardennes Offensive
Battle of the Bulge
The Battle of the Bulge was a major German offensive , launched toward the end of World War II through the densely forested Ardennes mountain region of Wallonia in Belgium, hence its French name , and France and...
and Operation Spring Awakening in Hungary
Hungary
Hungary , officially the Republic of Hungary , is a landlocked country in Central Europe. It is situated in the Carpathian Basin and is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine and Romania to the east, Serbia and Croatia to the south, Slovenia to the southwest and Austria to the west. The...
in 1945 and ended the war in the area of St Poelten.
Post war
He was kept as a prisoner of war by the French Government from July 1948 to 1954, when he was released he moved to DeniaDénia
Dénia is a city in the province of Alicante, Spain, on the Costa Blanca halfway between Alicante and Valencia, the judicial seat of the comarca of Marina Alta...
in Spain
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
with his wife Almut and his son Gerd. Bremer died on the 29 October 1989 in Alicante
Alicante
Alicante or Alacant is a city in Spain, the capital of the province of Alicante and of the comarca of Alacantí, in the south of the Valencian Community. It is also a historic Mediterranean port. The population of the city of Alicante proper was 334,418, estimated , ranking as the second-largest...
, Spain
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
.
Awards
- 01.10.1939 Iron Cross 2nd Class
- 06.06.1940 Iron Cross 1st Class
- 30.10.1942 Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross
- 26.06.1942 Infantry Assault Badge in Bronze
- 21.09.1942 Winter War Medal 1941/42
- 25.11.1943 Wound Badge in Silver
- 30.08.1944 German Cross in Gold
- 26.11.1944 Oak Leaves for the Knight's Cross
External links
- Photos of Bremer http://home.att.net/~SSPzHJ/Photos.html