Hermann-Heinrich Behrend

Hermann-Heinrich Behrend
File:File:Hermann-Heinrich Behrend.jpg
Born	(1898-08-25)25 August 1898
Died	19 June 1987(1987-06-19) (aged 88)
Place of birth	Perleberg
Place of death	Soltau
Allegiance	German Empire (to 1918) Weimar Republic (to 1933) Nazi Germany
Service/branch	Imperial German Army Reichswehr German Army
Years of service	1915–1920, 1924–1945
Rank	Generalmajor
Commands held	I./Infanterie-Regimentt 489 Grenadier-Regiment 154 490th Infanterie-Division
Battles/wars	World War I Eastern Front Western Front World War II Battle of France Operation Barbarossa Eastern Front
Awards	Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves and Swords
Other work	farmer

Hermann-Heinrich Behrend (25 August 1898 – 19 June 1987) was a German Generalmajor, serving during World War II. He was also a recipient of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves and Swords (German language: Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes mit Eichenlaub und Schwertern). The Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross and its higher grade Oak Leaves and Swords was awarded to recognise extreme battlefield bravery or successful military leadership.

Career

Behrend was born on 25 August 1898 in Perleberg in the Province of Brandenburg, a province of the Kingdom of Prussia. Aged seventeen, he joined the German Army on 1 June 1915 with the Großherzoglich Mecklenburgisches Füsilier-Regiment Nr. 90 Kaiser Wilhelm (Grand Duchy of Mecklenburg-Schwerin Fusilier Regiment Nr. 90 Emperor Wilhlem). Where he was assigned to the 4th Company on 15 June 1915 then transferred to the 3rd Company on 20 July 1915 and again moved on 8 August 1915, this time to the 7th Company. With this unit he was sent to the Eastern Front of World War I where he arrived on 9 August 1915. Behrend fell ill and from 1 October 1915 to 6 October 1915 was sent to the Vereinslazarett II (2nd hospital) of the Red Cross in Landsberg an der Warthe, present-day Gorzów Wielkopolski, Poland. Following his sick leave, Behrend was transferred to the 5th Company of the Reserve Infantry Regiment 90 on 7 October 1915, and from 13 October to 4 November 1915 to the 3rd Company of the same regiment.

He was transferred to the 1st Infantry Division on 5 November 1915. Here he was posted to 11th Company of Infantry Regiment 43 on 14 November 1915. While serving with this unit he was promoted to Gefreiter (enlisted soldier) on 4 January 1916, to Fahnenjunker (cadet) on 29 February 1916 and to Unteroffizier (corporal) on 29 March 1916. He was promoted to Fähnrich (ensign) in 1917 for his bravery pefore the enemy and to Leutnant (second lieutenant) the same year.

Awards

• Iron Cross (1914)
  • 2nd Class (9 June 1917)
  • 1st Class (4 November 1918)
• Wound Badge (1914)
  • in Black
• Military Merit Cross, 2nd Class (Mecklenburgisch-Schwerinsches-Verdienstkreuz) (2 January 1918)
• Honour Cross of the World War 1914/1918 (21 January 1935)
• Clasp to the Iron Cross (1939)
  • 2nd Class (12 May 1940)
  • 1st Class (10 June 1940)
• Eastern Front Medal (29 July 1942)
• Infantry Assault Badge in Silver (20 April 1943)
• Wound Badge (1939)
  • in Silver (29 July 1942)
  • in Gold (2 February 1944)
• Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves and Swords
  • Knight's Cross on 15 July 1941 as Major and commander of the I./Infanterie-Regiment 489
  • 421st Oak Leaves on 6 March 1944 as Oberst and commander of Grenadier-Regiment 154
  • (148th) Swords on 26 April 1945 as Generalmajor and commander of the 490. Infanterie-Division
• Mentioned in the Wehrmachtbericht on 18 April 1945

Wehrmachtbericht reference

Date	Original German Wehrmachtbericht wording	Direct English translation
18 April 1945 (addendum)	Bei den schweren Kämpfen in Nordwestdeutschland hat sich die 490. Infanterie-Division unter Führung von Oberst Behrend, ausgezeichnet mit dem Eichenlaub zum Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes, durch vorbildliche Standhaftigkeit hervorragend bewährt. Der mit dem Ritterkreuz zum Eisernen Kreuz ausgezeichnete Oberstleutnant Knaust, Regimentskommandeur dieser Division, hat sich bei diesem Kämpfen durch persönlichen Einsatz ganz besonders hervorgetan.	The 490th Infantry Division under the command of Colonel Behrend, awarded with the Oak Leaves to the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross, has excelled by showing exemplary steadfastness in the heavy fighting in north-western Germany. The winner of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross Lieutenant Colonel Knaust, regimental commander in this division, has personally particularly distinguished himself in these battles.

References

Citations

Bibliography

• Berger, Florian (2000). Mit Eichenlaub und Schwertern. Die höchstdekorierten Soldaten des Zweiten Weltkrieges. Selbstverlag Florian Berger. ISBN 3-9501307-0-5.
• Fellgiebel, Walther-Peer (2000). Die Träger des Ritterkreuzes des Eisernen Kreuzes 1939–1945. Friedburg, Germany: Podzun-Pallas. ISBN 3-7909-0284-5.
• Schaulen, Fritjof (2003). Eichenlaubträger 1940 – 1945 Zeitgeschichte in Farbe I Abraham – Huppertz (in German). Selent, Germany: Pour le Mérite. ISBN 3-932381-20-3.
• Scherzer, Veit (2007) (in German). 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]. Jena, Germany: Scherzers Miltaer-Verlag. ISBN 978-3-938845-17-2. 
• Thomas, Franz and Wegmann, Günter (1987) Die Ritterkreuzträger der Deutschen Wehrmacht 1939–1945 Teil III: Infanterie Band 1: A–Be (in German), Osnabrück, Germany: Biblio-Verlag. ISBN 3-7648-1153-6.
• Thomas, Franz (1997) (in German). Die Eichenlaubträger 1939–1945 Band 1: A–K [The Oak Leaves Bearers 1939–1945 Volume 1: A–K]. Osnabrück, Germany: Biblio-Verlag. ISBN 978-3-7648-2299-6. 
• Die Wehrmachtberichte 1939–1945 Band 3, 1. Januar 1944 bis 9. Mai 1945 (in German). München: Deutscher Taschenbuch Verlag GmbH & Co. KG, 1985. ISBN 3-423-05944-3.

External links

• "Hermann-Heinrich Behrend" (in German). Lexikon der Wehrmacht. http://www.lexikon-der-wehrmacht.de/Personenregister/BehrendHH.htm. Retrieved 13 October 2013. 
• "Hermann-Heinrich Behrend" (in German). Die Ritterkreuzträger der Deutschen Wehrmacht und Waffen-SS. http://www.ritterkreuztraeger-1939-45.de/Infanterie/B/Behrend-Hermann-Heinrich.htm. Retrieved 13 October 2013. 
• "Generalmajor Hermann-Heinrich Behrend". geocities.com. http://www.geocities.com/~orion47/WEHRMACHT/HEER/Generalmajor/BEHREND_HERMANN.html. Retrieved 13 October 2013.