Derk-Elsko Bruins
Encyclopedia
Derk Elsko Bruins was a Oberscharführer
in the Waffen SS during World War II
. Who was awarded the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross
, which was awarded to recognize extreme battlefield bravery or successful military leadership by Nazi Germany
during World War II
.
in the province of Groningen
in the Netherlands
.
. He was awarded the Knight's Cross on the 23 August 1944, for the destruction of twelve tanks in the Battle of Narva
.
At the end of July the 23rd SS Volunteer Panzergrenadier Division Nederland had been forced to withdraw to a new front line. During the withdrawal, the SS Panzergrenadier Regiment 48, had been left behind. On the morning on 27 July Bruins platoon was ordered to try to locate the missing Regiment believed to have been cut off about ten kilometers away.
Setting out with three assault guns he located a Soviet tank patrol and in the small battle two of his assault guns were put out of action and two Soviet tanks destroyed. Not wanting to advance further by himself he located a position he could watch out for the missing regiment.
Shortly afterwards, he observed some Soviet tanks approaching, he engaged the approaching tanks and destroyed five T-34
s and disabled another. Running short on ammunition, he decided to return to the German lines. On the way back he engaged and destroyed a further five tanks.
In 1950, he married a German girl and as given German citizenship. This made it impossible for the Dutch authorities to pursue him and stopped trying to get him returned to Holland in 1955.
Bruins became a successful businessman and kept in contact with his former comrades, until his death on the 5 February 1986, in Gerolstein
Germany.
Oberscharführer
Oberscharführer was a Nazi Party paramilitary rank that existed between the years of 1932 and 1945. Translated as “Senior Squad Leader”, Oberscharführer was first used as a rank of the Sturmabteilung and was created due to an expansion of the enlisted positions required by growing SA membership...
in the Waffen SS during World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
. Who was awarded the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross
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 to recognize extreme battlefield bravery or successful military 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...
during World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
.
Early life
Derk Elsko Bruins was born on the 20 March 1923, in VlagtweddeVlagtwedde
Vlagtwedde is a municipality in the very southeast of Groningen province in the northeastern Netherlands with seat of local government in the community of Sellingen...
in the province of Groningen
Groningen (province)
Groningen [] is the northeasternmost province of the Netherlands. In the east it borders the German state of Niedersachsen , in the south Drenthe, in the west Friesland and in the north the Wadden Sea...
in the Netherlands
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
.
World War II
In 1941, he volunteered to join the Waffen SS and was posted to the 1st Company, SS Panzerjäger Battalion 54 SS Volunteer Panzergrenadier Brigade Nederland and trained as a PanzerjägerPanzerjäger
Panzerjäger was a branch of service of the Wehrmacht during the Second World War which were the anti-tank arm-of-service who operated anti-tank artillery, and made exclusive use of the tank destroyers which were also named Panzerjäger...
. He was awarded the Knight's Cross on the 23 August 1944, for the destruction of twelve tanks in the Battle of Narva
Battle of Narva (1944)
The Battle of Narva was a military campaign between the German Army Detachment "Narwa" and the Soviet Leningrad Front fought for possession of the strategically important Narva Isthmus on 2 February – 10 August 1944 during World War II....
.
At the end of July the 23rd SS Volunteer Panzergrenadier Division Nederland had been forced to withdraw to a new front line. During the withdrawal, the SS Panzergrenadier Regiment 48, had been left behind. On the morning on 27 July Bruins platoon was ordered to try to locate the missing Regiment believed to have been cut off about ten kilometers away.
Setting out with three assault guns he located a Soviet tank patrol and in the small battle two of his assault guns were put out of action and two Soviet tanks destroyed. Not wanting to advance further by himself he located a position he could watch out for the missing regiment.
Shortly afterwards, he observed some Soviet tanks approaching, he engaged the approaching tanks and destroyed five T-34
T-34
The T-34 was a Soviet medium tank produced from 1940 to 1958. Although its armour and armament were surpassed by later tanks of the era, it has been often credited as the most effective, efficient and influential design of World War II...
s and disabled another. Running short on ammunition, he decided to return to the German lines. On the way back he engaged and destroyed a further five tanks.
Post war
At the end of the war, Bruins was captured by a Canadian Army unit and handed over to the Dutch authorities. He was held in a Dutch prison from which he soon escaped and fled to Germany.In 1950, he married a German girl and as given German citizenship. This made it impossible for the Dutch authorities to pursue him and stopped trying to get him returned to Holland in 1955.
Bruins became a successful businessman and kept in contact with his former comrades, until his death on the 5 February 1986, in Gerolstein
Gerolstein
Gerolstein is a town in the Vulkaneifel district in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. It is the seat of the like-named Verbandsgemeinde. Gerolstein is headquarters to a large mineral water firm, Gerolsteiner Brunnen...
Germany.