Ernst Barkmann

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Ernst Barkmann (later Ernst Schmuck-Barkmann; born August 25, 1919 in Kisdorf / Holstein ; † June 27, 2009 ibid) was an SS Oberscharführer and tank commander of the Waffen SS in World War II and mayor of Kisdorf.

Life

On April 1, 1936, at the age of 16, Barkmann volunteered for the SS troops and came to Hamburg for training in the SS standard "Germania" . Barkmann was transferred to the SS garrison in Radolfzell on July 31, 1937 with the 9th Company of III SS-VT "Germania" . As a machine gunner he took part in the raid on Poland in this unit in 1939 . In the SS disposal division formed in October 1939 , Barkmann was one of the SS units involved in the attack on France in May 1940 . With the SS regiment “Germania” he took part in the newly established SS division “Wiking” from June 22, 1941 in the attack on the Soviet Union . After being seriously wounded in July 1941, he joined the 2nd SS Panzer Division "Das Reich" as a tank commander at the end of 1942 and, after deploying in 1943 in Charkow and Kursk after the Allied landing in northern France , took part in fights near Saint- Lô in Normandy. Barkmann's unit was also used in the winter of 1944 as part of the Battle of the Bulge .

Barkmann owes his fame and popularity used for propaganda purposes to a battle on July 27, 1944 on the road from Saint-Lô to Coutances . He managed to shoot down several US tanks with his Panther . The manner in which he waged warfare in this battle became known as the "Barkmann Trap". The place of the battle is known in the English-speaking world as "Barkmann's Corner". For this mission he was awarded the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross on August 27, 1944 .

After his release from British captivity, Barkmann became head of the volunteer fire brigade in Kisdorf and was involved in local politics, initially as a party member of the FDP and later the CDU . He belonged to the so-called Order Community of Knight Cross Bearers (OdR) since the 1950s and took part in their meetings. From 1976 to 1994 he was mayor of Kisdorf (Schleswig-Holstein). Appointed "Honorary Mayor" by the community, he died in 2009 in Kisdorf.

Individual evidence

  1. ^ Hamburger Abendblatt: Mourning for Ernst Schmuck-Barkmann
  2. ↑ Veit Scherzer : Knight's Cross bearers 1939-1945. The holders of the Iron Cross of the Army, Air Force, Navy, Waffen-SS, Volkssturm and armed forces allied with Germany according to the documents of the Federal Archives. 2nd Edition. Scherzers Militaer-Verlag, Ranis / Jena 2007, ISBN 978-3-938845-17-2 , p. 202.
  3. ↑ Kieler Nachrichten: Honorary Mayor Ernst Schmuck-Barkmann is dead
personal data
SURNAME Barkmann, Ernst
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Schmuck-Barkmann, Ernst (full name)
BRIEF DESCRIPTION German SS soldier
DATE OF BIRTH August 25, 1919
PLACE OF BIRTH Kisdorf , Holstein
DATE OF DEATH June 27, 2009
Place of death Kisdorf