List of bearers of the Bundeswehr Cross of Honor for bravery

from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Ralf Rönckendorf (2nd from left) and Maik Mutschke (1st from right) in September 2012

The Bundeswehr Cross of Honor for Bravery is the Bundeswehr's highest award and the first explicit award for bravery in the history of the German army.

At the award ceremony on November 29, 2010, two soldiers who had fallen on Good Friday 2010 were honored posthumously and on September 6, 2011, a staff officer was awarded the Bundeswehr Cross of Honor for bravery for the first time. So far there have been 29 awards.

No. Award date Surname Age at award Rank at award Part of the troops at the award commitment Reason for award source
1 July 6, 2009 Jan Berges 29 HptFw 1st / Paratrooper Battalion 263 ISAF On October 20, 2008, about five kilometers southwest of the Kunduz PRT, they came to the aid of their comrades and Afghan civilians who had been victims of a suicide attack, despite burning vehicles and exploding ammunition.
2 Alexander Dietzen 33 HptFw
3 Henry Lukács 28 HptFw
4th Markus Geist 28 OFw Air landing / air transport school
5 January 22, 2010 Daniel Seibert 30th HptFw Combat Training Center Army ISAF On June 4, 2009, near Basoz (Kunduz area), he led his group in an exemplary manner on the front line against a superior enemy in order to reinforce his own scouting party under fire. In the course of a firefight lasting more than an hour, the attackers were repulsed.
6th Steffen Knoska 29 OFw Jägerregiment 1 On June 7th, 2009 he and his troop along the “Little Pluto” march road (Kunduz area) came under heavy fire while attempting to recover a vehicle that had been damaged during a battle. At the risk of his own life and despite a helmet hit, he and his soldiers rescued an injured comrade from the field of fire.
7th May 4, 2010 Jan Hecht 36 HptFw 2nd / Panzer Grenadier Battalion 391 ISAF On June 4, 2009, he was ambushed near Basoz (Kunduz area) with his train, which was tasked with reinforcing a scouting party that had been taken under fire by the enemy. At great personal risk, he and his platoon under his outstanding leadership managed to finally relieve the encircled scouting party in the fight against a numerically superior enemy.
8th November 29, 2010 Mario Kunert 36 HptFw 3rd / Paratrooper Battalion 373 ISAF On April 2, 2010, in Isa Khel (Kunduz area), he and four comrades advanced to an attacked and trapped patrol and enabled the wounded patrol leader to be successfully rescued through his energetic advance and his tight leadership.

9 Philipp Oliver Pordzik 33 HptFw 4th / Paratrooper Battalion 313 On April 2, 2010, after the destruction of an armored Dingo vehicle by a remote-controlled explosive device in Isa Khel (Kunduz area), he rushed to reinforce his train. He dismounted under fierce, targeted enemy fire and made it possible, at the risk of his own life, to rescue the wounded soldiers through decisive action and targeted guidance of his soldiers.
10 Ralf Rönckendorf 38 HptFw 3rd / Paratrooper Battalion 373 On April 2, 2010 he fought his way to a wounded comrade threatened by insurgents in the heavy battle in Isa Khel (Kunduz area) as a medic with gun in hand and provided emergency medical care. Eventually he was seriously injured and lost his eyesight when a booby trap detonated.
11 Maik Mutschke 24/25 StGefr 3rd / Paratrooper Battalion 373 On April 2, 2010 his patrol in Isa Khel (Kunduz area) was attacked by insurgents, trapped and the scout leader wounded. In the heavy battle that followed, he covered 300 meters through the village alone under constant enemy fire, thus establishing contact with his own troops, who were now able to advance to the scouting party.
12 Robert Hartert (posthumously - fallen April 2, 2010) 25 (†) StGefr 3rd / Paratrooper Battalion 373 On April 2, 2010, he fought in the heavy battle in Isa Khel (Kunduz area) as a machine gunner with extraordinary bravery on the front line and was ultimately fatally hit. Through his independent, continuous fire support he had made a significant contribution to the rescue of a wounded comrade from a very difficult situation.
13 Martin Kadir Augustyniak (posthumously - fallen April 2, 2010) 28 (†) HptGefr 3rd / Paratrooper Battalion 373 On April 2, 2010, in Isa Khel (Kunduz area), he played a major role in the rescue of a wounded patrol leader. Despite being wounded twice in the heavy fighting, he then gave fire protection to an armored Dingo vehicle, whose machine gun had been destroyed, with his rifle and the bazooka. Eventually he was killed when this dingo was destroyed by a remote-controlled explosive device.
14th April 12, 2011 Stefan Weinmüller 42 StFw Air landing / air transport school ISAF On July 19, 2009, Weinmüller and Henken recovered a wounded ANA soldier in a battle near the village of Isa Khan / Chahar Darah under enemy fire.

The other three soldiers distinguished themselves as members of QRF 5 on July 16, 2010 during a battle in the Baghlan area. Defense Minister Thomas de Maizière said at the ceremony that the soldiers had “distinguished themselves in particular through their outstandingly brave actions in action”.

15th Timo Henken 31 OFw Air landing / air transport school
16 Andreas Mey 30th HptFw 4th / Mountain Infantry Battalion 231
17th Norman Reichow 30th OFw 4th / Mountain Infantry Battalion 231
18th Valeri Müller 21st HptGefr 4th / Mountain Infantry Battalion 231
19th Most likely in 2011 there were two more awards. TS 34 Hptm ISAF Awarded as part of an operation with Task Force 47 in the Meymaneh area. Assigned as LNO to the 209th ANA Corps
20th ? ? Hptm ?
21st September 6, 2011 Jared Sembritzki 42 Colonel Kdr Mountain Infantry Battalion 231 ISAF Deployed as commander of QRF 5 and during a heavy battle for an advanced security outpost near Shahabuddin, he was characterized by “courage, leadership, determination and selfless commitment”.
22nd November 22, 2011 Rene Fandrich ? HptFw Combat Training Center Army ? ?
23 Jürgen Wölfl 42 HptFw 3rd / Panzer Grenadier Battalion 122
24 Jan Bauer ? OStGefr 2nd / Paratrooper Battalion 313
25th Tim Focken 24/25 OStGefr 2nd / Paratrooper Battalion 313
26th Engin Imprammpasi ? StGefr 3rd / Paratrooper Battalion 313
27 March 31, 2014 Jürgen E. ? HptFw Special Forces Command ? Jürgen E. and Benjamin B. were part of an operation in the Kunduz area on February 21, 2013, during which Jürgen E. rescued a seriously wounded Afghan from a danger zone under fire. He was seriously wounded himself, but was saved by his comrade Benjamin B. "The determined, courageous and always cautious action of the two German soldiers in a critical situation thus made a significant contribution to the overall success of the operation."
28 Benjamin B. ? HptFw Special Forces Command
29 22nd September 2014 Daniel Wirth (posthumously - fallen May 4, 2013) 32 (†) HptFw Special Forces Command ISAF The soldier who was killed in a battle south of Kunduz on May 4, 2013 showed extraordinary bravery on that day and “protected the lives of his comrades”.

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Brochure of the BMVg (ed.): Badges of honor and medals of the Bundeswehr. Berlin / Bonn 2009.
  2. ↑ Article on the fifth anniversary of the introduction
  3. ↑ BMVg.de Article on the award on January 22, 2010 by the Federal Ministry of Defense
  4. ↑ Der Panzergrenadier article in Der Panzergrenadier issue 26/09
  5. ↑ Article on the award on the BMVg website
  6. ↑ Video The War Remains - ZDF documentary on the return of soldiers from Afghanistan  in the ZDFmediathek , accessed on February 3, 2014. (offline)
  7. ↑ BILD.de BILD article about the wounding of Sergeant Ralf Rönckendorf
  8. ↑ Article : Article in Bremervörder / Südkreis Anzeiger from December 5, 2010
  9. ↑ sanitaetsdienst-bundeswehr.de Article about the injury of Maik M. from the medical service of the Bundeswehr
  10. ↑ Article on the award on the BMVg website
  11. ↑ Article on deutschesheer.de
  12. ↑ Article on the fifth anniversary of the introduction, evidence by BAPersBw
  13. ↑ Article on the award on the BMVg website
  14. ↑ Article on the award on the BMVg website
  15. ↑ Forum contribution in the forum for German military history under the topic Cross of Honor for Bravery on page 4
  16. ↑ Anzeiger on Sunday, December 11, 2011
  17. ↑ Pilot project of the Bundeswehr - sport for veterans
  18. ↑ Ursula von der Leyen awards crosses of honor to the Bundeswehr for bravery
  19. ^ Award for bravery for fallen KSK soldiers