Gerhard Bremer

Gerhard "Gerd" Bremer
SS-Obersturmführer Bremer
Birth date	27 May 1917
Place of birth	Saarbrücken, Rhine Province, Kingdom of Prussia, German Empire
Death date	29 October 1989 (1989-10-30) (aged 72)
Place of death	Denia, Alicante, Spain
Allegiance	National Socialist Germany
Service/branch	SS Waffen-SS
Years of service	1933–1945
Rank	SS-Sturmbannführer
Unit	Germania 1st SS Division Leibstandarte SS Adolf Hitler 12th SS Panzer Division
Commands held	10th Company LSSAH 1st Motor Cycle Company LSSAH 12th SS Reconnaissance Battalion III./26th Panzer Grenadier Regiment 12th SS Panzer Reconnaissance Battalion
Battles/wars	World War II
Awards	Knight's Cross with Oak Leaves German Cross in Gold Iron Cross 1st Class

Gerhard "Gerd" Bremer (b. 25 July 1917 in Düsterntal, Kreis Gandersheim, German Empire; d. 29 October 1989 in Alicante, Spain) was a German officer of the SS, at last SS-Sturmbannführer (Storm Unit Leader/Major) of the Waffen SS and Recipient of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves in WWII.

Life

Bremer with young Ukrainien women in the Summer of 1942

Bremer with his newlywed bride Almut in 1944

Bremer visiting Germany after the war

Gerhard Bremer was born the son of an estate inspector. He attended the Alfeld Gymnasium from 1927 to 1933 and the NPEA Plön from Easter 1933 to Easter 1936, where he passed his Abitur in 1936. He then completed the labor service (Reichsarbeitsdienst) in Hildesheim.

Bremer joined the SS-Verfügungstruppe on 1 October 1936 and was issued number 310 405. He was first assigned to the 3rd Battalion (Sturmbann), Germania Regiment (SS-Standarte „Germania“) in Wolterdingen. In 1937, he was commanded to the SS officer school (SS-Junkerschule) at Bad Tolz and in autumn 1938 transferred to the LSSAH (Leibstandarte SS Adolf Hitler), where he served in the 10th company in Berlin-Lichterfelde.

World War II

He served in the Polish Campaign, the Battle of France and in the Balkans Campaign. For his service in the Polish and Western Campaigns he was awarded the Iron Cross both first and second class. After the end of the Balkan Campaign, Bremer was promoted to SS-Obersturmführer (Senior Storm Leader/First Lieutenant) and was given command of the 1st Motor Cycle Company of the Reconnaissance Battalion.

He was awarded the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross in the early days of Operation Barbarossa, the invasion of the Soviet Union. He stayed with the LSSAH until June 1943 when he was given the command of the 3rd Battalion of the 26th Panzer Grenadier Regiment in the 12th SS Panzer Division Hitlerjugend. In April 1944, he became the commander of the 12th SS Panzer Reconnaissance Battalion, in Belgium which covered the Divisions left flank during the Normandy Invasion on the outskirts of Caen.

The Division's Aufklärungsabteilung, under the command of SS-Sturmbannführer and Ritterkreuzträger Gerd Bremer, were among the first Divisional elements to reach the front on 7. June. Upon arrival they traveled through 8 miles of no mans land to the Division's far left flank and there established a security line. The Abteilung repulsed numerous heavy attacks from 7-11. June, during which Bremer's command vehicle was knocked out and then the next day he was wounded by shrapnel. Twice wounded he nevertheless remained with his Abteilung until the situation was secure. The Allies penultimate attack came on 11. June, when the English 50th Infantry Division attacked the Abteilung sector in the strength of one Infantry battalion and 84 tanks. The attack was violently repulsed and the positions were held, 7 tanks were knocked out and the English suffered over 250 casualties. The above photo was taken between 12-15. June at the Abteilung command post in Cristot, where one of the 7 knocked out Shermans was salvaged by Hstuf. von Reitzenstein (Chef 5./A.A. 12) and Ustuf. Wieneke and placed over the command post bunker as protection against shrapnel. [...] Among other actions, but primarily for this four day defensive struggle, Bremer was decorated with the German Cross in Gold on 30. August.

During the Normandy Invasion and the fighting with The Royal Winnipeg Rifles at Putot-en-Bessin, Bremer was reported to have taken part in the execution of 12 Canadian Prisoners. He was trapped with his Battalion in the Falaise Gap but was finally able to withdraw to the Mass covering the retreat of the 5th Panzer Army for which he was awarded the Oak Leaves to the Knight's Cross.

He was next involved in the Ardennes Offensive and Operation Spring Awakening (Unternehmen „Frühlingserwachen“) in Hungary in 1945 and ended the war after the Battle of Vienna (Schlacht um Wien) in the area of Sankt Pölten (Austria).

Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves

Gerhard Bremer would receive the Knight’s Cross for his distinguished performance during the latter stages of Operation Barbarossa while serving as a Kompanie commander in the LSSAH’s Aufklärungs-Abteilung. Following the sealing and destruction of a Russian pocket in southern Ukraine, the LSSAH began to pursue the Soviets eastwards along the coast of the sea of Azov with Bremer’s Abteilung in the lead. As with other pursuit operations, it was a race to see how far the Germans could go while the Russians were still disorganized. Bremer’s Kompanie first secured the village of Fredowka on the 05.10.1941. Then his Kompanie charged a bridge that was full of retreating Russians, which engineers promptly blew while their men were still on it. Despite this Bremer was able to find a crossing point over the river less than an hour later. His Kompanie continued the dash, seizing multiple villages and even capturing the staff of the Soviet 9th Army on the 06.10.1941. As the Division drew closer to Berdjansk, Bremer’s Kompanie intercepted a Russian column of 2,000 men and scattered it, while capturing 500 men in the process. Finally, Bremer’s company led the way into Mariupol on the 08.10.1941, which was secured a few days later. It can be assumed that this approximately five-day dash (03.-08.10.1941) was the main justification for Bremer’s award of the Knight’s Cross. Bremer’s Oakleaves’ recommendation reads as follows: “During the first days of the Invasion the SS-Pz.Aufkl.Abt. 12 conducted a flank protection mission along the line Audrieu—Tilly sur Seulleswith great and far-reaching success. However the unit sustained heavy losses throughout both this operation and in the subsequent fighting around Caen (in which it served as a ready reserve). The understrength Abteilung was thus dispatched to the area around Rugles (10 km northeast of Laigle) on the 28.07.1944 to partially refit. While in this area the commander of the Abteilung, SS-Sturmbannführer Bremer, received word from routing friendly troops about a thrust by strong enemy tank forces from the Laval area in the direction of Chartres. Upon hearing this he immediately dispatched all available forces to reconnoiter this enemy force. By doing this the higher commands learned of enemy transmissions that were sent in the clear. The hostile advance was consistently delayed by the reconnaissance patrols that remained in constant contact with the enemy. After friendly blocking formations had occupied the line Laigle—Verneuil the Abteilung was ordered to move to the Evreux area by the Division on the 15.08.1944 so as to resume an accelerated refitting. As a result of independently dispatched reconnaissance at the line Dreux—Houdan—Mantes the Abteilung spotted a northward thrust by enemy armoured forces along both sides of the Eure river at a relatively early time. The available weak forces, together with the support of Kampfgruppe Wahl, subsequently occupied a blocking line at the Eure river. The tireless and skillfully executed reconnaissance brought about a clear understanding of the enemy situation and significantly delayed their forward advance. These measures were taken by SS-Sturmbannführer Bremer on his own initiative and in an unclear situation. They decisively contributed to the prevention of the enemy’s intent to cut off major friendly forces while they were still withdrawing on the western side of the Seine. He and his weak forces tied down much larger enemy forces, delayed their advance and inflicted significant losses. He personally applied himself to the combat on a continual basis in a ruthless and exemplary fashion. I hold Bremer as worthy of being awarded the Oakleaves to the Knight’s Cross of the Iron Cross on account of his unconditional readiness for duty and the bravery that he has repeatedly demonstrated while in difficult situations.”

Post war

Bremer was taken prisoner by the US-Americans, who handed him over to the French Government, which on the other hand imprisoned him until July 1948. When he was finally released, he returned to Germany and moved to Denia in Spain with his wife Almut and his son Gerd in 1954. Denia at times was also home for Otto Skorzeny, Johannes Bernhardt (NSDAP-AO), Anton Galler, Otto Ernst Remer and SS doctor Dr. med. Aribert Ferdinand Heim.

Death

Bremer died on the 29 October 1989 in Alicante, Spain.

Promotions (SS)

• SS-Untersturmführer (9 November 1938)
• SS-Obersturmführer (1 September 1940)
• SS-Hauptsturmführer (21 June 1942)
• SS-Sturmbannführer (30 January 1944)
• SS-Obersturmbannführer (sometimes documented in military history as of 20 April 1945, but without confirmation)

Awards and decorations

• SS-Ehrendegen
• Medaille zur Erinnerung an den 1. Oktober 1938 (Sudetenland Medal)
• Iron Cross of 1939
  • 2nd Class (1 October 1939)
  • 1st Class (7 June 1940)
• Infantry Assault Badge (Infanterie-Sturmabzeichen) in Bronze on 26 June 1942
• Winter Battle in the East 1941–42 Medal (Medaille „Winterschlacht im Osten 1941/42“) on 21 September 1942
• Wound Badge (Verwundetenabzeichen 1939) in Silver (25 November 1943)
• Close Combat Clasp in Bronze and Silver (de)
• German Cross in Gold on 30 August 1944 as SS-Sturmbannführer in SS-Panzer-Aufklärungs-Abteilung 12
• Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves
  • Knight's Cross on 30 October 1941 as SS-Obersturmführer and leader of the 1.(Kradschützen)/Aufklärungs-Abteilung "Leibstandarte SS Adolf Hitler"
  • 668th Oak Leaves on 26 November 1944 as SS-Sturmbannführer and commander of SS-Panzer-Aufklärungs-Abteilung 12 "Hitlerjugend"

Further reading

• Thomas, Franz (1997): Die Eichenlaubträger 1939–1945, Band 1: A–K (in German). Osnabrück, Germany: Biblio-Verlag. ISBN 978-3-7648-2299-6
• Fellgiebel, Walther-Peer (2000): Die Träger des Ritterkreuzes des Eisernen Kreuzes 1939–1945, Podzun-Pallas, Friedburg, ISBN 3-7909-0284-5
• Patzwall, Klaus D. / Scherzer, Veit (2001): Das Deutsche Kreuz 1941 – 1945 Geschichte und Inhaber, Band II (in German). Norderstedt, Germany: Verlag Klaus D. Patzwall. ISBN 978-3-931533-45-8
• 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 (in German). Jena, Germany: Scherzers Miltaer-Verlag. ISBN 978-3-938845-17-2

External links

• Photos of Bremer among others