Karl Brommann
Encyclopedia
Karl Brommann was a Untersturmführer
(Storm Leader/Second Lieutenant) in the Waffen SS during World War II
. Who was awarded the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross
, for the destruction of 66 tanks along with 44 anti tank guns and 15 vehicles in the battle for Danzig. The Knight's Cross was awarded to recognize extreme battlefield bravery or successful military leadership by Nazi Germany
during World War II
.
in Holstein
. In 1937 he volunteered to join the SS at the age of seventeen and was posted to the 2nd Brandenburg Standarte, SS Totenkopf (SS service number 316479).
In 1938 he took part in the Anschluss
of Austria
and the occupation of the Sudetenland
.
and was twice wounded the first time in both hands and feet the second time was a serious lung wound. Brommann stayed in Hospital for almost one year recovering from his injuries.
After recovering from his wounds he was posted to the 11th SS Panzergrenadier Division Nordland in May 1943 and fought on the Eastern Front
. He was also promoted to Oberscharführer
at this time.
In October 1943, he was transferred to the newly forming 103 SS Heavy Panzer Battalion
and trained on the Tiger tank
.
In October 1944 the Battalion received their first King Tigers
and on 27 January 1945, was transferred to the Eastern Front. Following their arrival at the front, the Battalion saw heavy combat in the Stettin area. They also participated in the escape of refugees from East Prussia
. During the night of February 17/18, the Battalion was loaded onto trains and moved to Danzig. During the fighing in Danzig and Sopot
, Untersturmführer
Karl Brommann now the commander of the 2nd Company, destroyed 66 tanks along with 44 anti tank guns and 15 vehicles.
Following this action he was awarded the Knight's Cross. Brommann received further honors when he was mentioned in the daily Wehrmachtbericht
on 10 April 1945 for this action.
In March 1945, he was wounded for the third time suffering burns to his head and hands and a splinter in his eye. Evacuated by hospital train to Flensburg
. He was captured by the British on 21 May 1945.
Untersturmführer
Untersturmführer was a paramilitary rank of the German Schutzstaffel first created in July 1934. The rank can trace its origins to the older SA rank of Sturmführer which had existed since the founding of the SA in 1921...
(Storm Leader/Second Lieutenant) 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...
, for the destruction of 66 tanks along with 44 anti tank guns and 15 vehicles in the battle for Danzig. The Knight's Cross 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
Brommann was born on 20 July 1920 in NeumünsterNeumünster
Neumünster is an independent town in Schleswig-Holstein, Germany, which has a total of four independent towns.-Current Situation:Neumünster station is major railway junction with lines running in six directions, including the important Hamburg-Altona–Kiel and Neumünster–Flensburg lines.Near...
in Holstein
Holstein
Holstein is the region between the rivers Elbe and Eider. It is part of Schleswig-Holstein, the northernmost state of Germany....
. In 1937 he volunteered to join the SS at the age of seventeen and was posted to the 2nd Brandenburg Standarte, SS Totenkopf (SS service number 316479).
In 1938 he took part in the Anschluss
Anschluss
The Anschluss , also known as the ', was the occupation and annexation of Austria into Nazi Germany in 1938....
of Austria
Austria
Austria , officially the Republic of Austria , is a landlocked country of roughly 8.4 million people in Central Europe. It is bordered by the Czech Republic and Germany to the north, Slovakia and Hungary to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the...
and the occupation of the Sudetenland
Sudetenland
Sudetenland is the German name used in English in the first half of the 20th century for the northern, southwest and western regions of Czechoslovakia inhabited mostly by ethnic Germans, specifically the border areas of Bohemia, Moravia, and those parts of Silesia being within Czechoslovakia.The...
.
World War II
Brommann was posted to the 6th SS Gebirgs Division Nord (Mountain Division) and fought in FinlandFinland
Finland , officially the Republic of Finland, is a Nordic country situated in the Fennoscandian region of Northern Europe. It is bordered by Sweden in the west, Norway in the north and Russia in the east, while Estonia lies to its south across the Gulf of Finland.Around 5.4 million people reside...
and was twice wounded the first time in both hands and feet the second time was a serious lung wound. Brommann stayed in Hospital for almost one year recovering from his injuries.
After recovering from his wounds he was posted to the 11th SS Panzergrenadier Division Nordland in May 1943 and fought on the Eastern Front
Eastern Front (World War II)
The Eastern Front of World War II was a theatre of World War II between the European Axis powers and co-belligerent Finland against the Soviet Union, Poland, and some other Allies which encompassed Northern, Southern and Eastern Europe from 22 June 1941 to 9 May 1945...
. He was also promoted to Oberscharführer
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...
at this time.
In October 1943, he was transferred to the newly forming 103 SS Heavy Panzer Battalion
103 SS Heavy Panzer Battalion
SS Heavy Panzer Battalion 103 or s.SS-Panzer Abteilung 103 was originally formed on 1 July 1943 as the II.Battalion, 11 SS Panzer Regiment and sent to Yugoslavia to fight as infantry, however, at the end of November, the battalion was converted back to the Tanks.The Battalion was then issued six...
and trained on the Tiger tank
Tiger I
Tiger I is the common name of a German heavy tank developed in 1942 and used in World War II. The final official German designation was Panzerkampfwagen Tiger Ausf. E, often shortened to Tiger. It was an answer to the unexpectedly formidable Soviet armour encountered in the initial months of...
.
In October 1944 the Battalion received their first King Tigers
Tiger II
Tiger II is the common name of a German heavy tank of the Second World War. The final official German designation was Panzerkampfwagen Tiger Ausf. B,Panzerkampfwagen – abbr: Pz. or Pz.Kfw. Ausführung – abbr: Ausf. .The full titles Panzerkampfwagen Tiger Ausf...
and on 27 January 1945, was transferred to the Eastern Front. Following their arrival at the front, the Battalion saw heavy combat in the Stettin area. They also participated in the escape of refugees from East Prussia
East Prussia
East Prussia is the main part of the region of Prussia along the southeastern Baltic Coast from the 13th century to the end of World War II in May 1945. From 1772–1829 and 1878–1945, the Province of East Prussia was part of the German state of Prussia. The capital city was Königsberg.East Prussia...
. During the night of February 17/18, the Battalion was loaded onto trains and moved to Danzig. During the fighing in Danzig and Sopot
Sopot
Sopot is a seaside town in Eastern Pomerania on the southern coast of the Baltic Sea in northern Poland, with a population of approximately 40,000....
, Untersturmführer
Untersturmführer
Untersturmführer was a paramilitary rank of the German Schutzstaffel first created in July 1934. The rank can trace its origins to the older SA rank of Sturmführer which had existed since the founding of the SA in 1921...
Karl Brommann now the commander of the 2nd Company, destroyed 66 tanks along with 44 anti tank guns and 15 vehicles.
Following this action he was awarded the Knight's Cross. Brommann received further honors when he was mentioned in the daily Wehrmachtbericht
Wehrmachtbericht
The Wehrmachtbericht was a daily radio report on the Großdeutscher Rundfunk of Nazi Germany, published by the Oberkommando der Wehrmacht regarding the military situation on all fronts of World War II....
on 10 April 1945 for this action.
In March 1945, he was wounded for the third time suffering burns to his head and hands and a splinter in his eye. Evacuated by hospital train to Flensburg
Flensburg
Flensburg is an independent town in the north of the German state of Schleswig-Holstein. Flensburg is the centre of the region of Southern Schleswig...
. He was captured by the British on 21 May 1945.
Post war
Brommann remained in captivity until November 1947, when he was released he trained to be a dental laboratory technician at the University Clinic of Germany.Awards
- Anschluss Commemorative Medal 13 March 1938Anschluss MedalThe Anschluss Commemorative Medal was a decoration of Nazi Germany awarded in the interwar period.-Description:Instituted on May 1, 1938, the medal commemorated the return of Austria to the German Reich...
(26 October 1939) - The Sudetenland Commemorative MedalSudetenland MedalThe The Sudetenland Commemorative Medal was a decoration of Nazi Germany awarded in the interwar period.-Description:...
(19 September 1939) - War Merit Cross 2nd Class with SwordsWar Merit CrossThe War Merit Cross was a decoration of Nazi Germany during the Second World War, which could be awarded to civilians as well as military personnel...
- Iron CrossIron CrossThe 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....
(1939)- 2nd Class (1 December 1941)
- 1st Class
- Infantry Assault BadgeInfantry Assault BadgeThe Infantry Assault Badge was a German war badge awarded to Waffen SS and Wehrmacht Heer soldiers during WWII. This decoration was instituted on December 20th 1939 by the Oberstbefehlshaber des Heeres, Generalfeldmarschall von Brauchitsch...
in Silver (31 December 1941) - Wound BadgeWound BadgeWound Badge was a German military award for wounded or frost-bitten soldiers of Imperial German Army in World War I, the Reichswehr between the wars, and the Wehrmacht, SS and the auxiliary service organizations during the Second World War. After March 1943, due to the increasing number of Allied...
in Black (15 January 1942) - Panzer BadgePanzer BadgeThe Panzer Badge was a German medal awarded to armour troops during World War II. It was introduced during World War II in December 1939 .- History :The Tank Combat Badge, or Panzer Badge, first existed in the German Army during World War I, and was later...
in Silver (24 February 1945) - Knight's Cross of the Iron CrossKnight's Cross of the Iron CrossThe 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...
(29 April 1945)