Rudi Brasche

Rudi Brasche
Born	17 August 1917 Halberstadt
Died	22 November 1975 (aged 58) Ziemetshausen, Bayern
Allegiance	Nazi Germany
Service/branch	Heer
Years of service	1938–45
Rank	Feldwebel (Wehrmacht)
Unit	Infanterie-Regiment 93 (mot.)
Battles/wars	World War II Invasion of Poland Battle of France Operation Barbarossa Operation Overlord Battle of the Bulge
Awards	Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross

Rudi Brasche (17 August 1917 – 22 November 1975) was a decorated Feldwebel in the Wehrmacht during World War II and a recipient of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross.

Biography

Rudi Brasche was born August 17, 1917 in Halberstadt, Germany. He joined the Wehrmacht in 1938, and participated in the German invasions of Poland, France and Russia. In November 1942, he was awarded the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross for his role in repelling 14 battalion-level attacks with just a few other members of his squad. This action took place during the German assault in the Caucasus.

Awards

• Iron Cross (1939)
  • 2nd Class (18 July 1940)^[1]
  • 1st Class (26 September 1942)^[1]
• Wound Badge (Brasche was wounded 6 times during the war and therefore would be eligible for the Silver for 4 and the Gold for 5.)
  • in Gold (1 April 1945)^[1]
• Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross on 9 November 1942 as Obergefreiter and group leader in the 4./Panzergrenadier-Regiment 93^[2][3]

References

Citations

1. Thomas & Wegmann 1993, p. 40.
2. Fellgiebel 2000, p. 143.
3. Scherzer 2007, p. 240.

Bibliography

• Fellgiebel, Walther-Peer (2000) [1986]. Die Träger des Ritterkreuzes des Eisernen Kreuzes 1939–1945 — Die Inhaber der höchsten Auszeichnung des Zweiten Weltkrieges aller Wehrmachtteile [The Bearers of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross 1939–1945 — The Owners of the Highest Award of the Second World War of all Wehrmacht Branches] (in German). Friedberg, Germany: Podzun-Pallas. ISBN 978-3-7909-0284-6.
• Kurowski, Franz (2005). Infantry Aces: The German Soldier in Combat in WWII. Mechanicsburg PA, USA. StackPole Books. ISBN 978-0-8117-3202-4.
• Huß, Jürgen (2009). Ritterkreuzträger im Mannschaftsstand 1941 - 1945. Zweibrücken: VDM Nickel. ISBN 978-3-86619-042-9.
• Scherzer, Veit (2007). Die Ritterkreuzträger 1939–1945 Die Inhaber des Ritterkreuzes des Eisernen Kreuzes 1939 von Heer, Luftwaffe, Kriegsmarine, Waffen-SS, Volkssturm sowie mit Deutschland verbündeter Streitkräfte nach den Unterlagen des Bundesarchives [The Knight's Cross Bearers 1939–1945 The Holders of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross 1939 by Army, Air Force, Navy, Waffen-SS, Volkssturm and Allied Forces with Germany According to the Documents of the Federal Archives] (in German). Jena, Germany: Scherzers Miltaer-Verlag. ISBN 978-3-938845-17-2.
• Thomas, Franz; Wegmann, Günter (1993). Die Ritterkreuzträger der Deutschen Wehrmacht 1939–1945 Teil III: Infanterie Band 3: Br–Bu [The Knight's Cross Bearers of the German Wehrmacht 1939–1945 Part III: Infantry Volume 3: Br–Bu] (in German). Osnabrück, Germany: Biblio-Verlag. ISBN 978-3-7648-1734-3.

External links

"Rudi Brasche". Ritterkreuzträger 1939–45. Retrieved 6 February 2010. "Rudi Brasche". World War 2 Awards. Retrieved 14 February 2011.