- Period:
- Second World War (1939-1945)
- Rank:
- Oberfeldwebel (Warrant Officer)
- Unit:
- Zugführer, 8. Kompanie, II. Abteilung, Panzer-Regiment 11, 6. Panzer-Division, Heer
- Awarded on:
- April 6th, 1944
On the afternoon of the 05.03.1944 Oberfeldwebel Bloos and his Zug of five Panzers went into position west of Staro Konstantinow at the village edge of Kamenka. He ordered two Panzers to take up position at the railway attendant's house (1 km east of the Start Konstantinow railway station) and have them cover his own approach with the other three Panzers.
Bloos had barely reach the village edge when he encountered the first Soviet tanks. 2 T-34s were immediately knocked out at a range of 800 metres. However at the same time another force of 13-15 T-34s were driving from south to north, and they opened up fire at a range of 3-4 kilometres. As this range it was not possible to hit anything, however the Soviets did set the first row of houses along the village edge on fire.
Bloos decided that he would engage the Soviet armour with his three Panzers in order to enable one of his Division’s Panzergrenadier regiments to withdraw in an orderly fashion. He ordered his two Panzers to go into a reverse slope position about a hundred metres back while he went into position behind a row of houses. From here he destroyed 5 T-34 tanks in quick succession. Another T-34 was hit, and another turned around and fled.
By skillfully delaying the enemy like this he enabled the Panzergrenadier-Regiment to disengage and withdraw to its ordered position, and in the process of doing so he personally destroyed 7 tanks altogether. For this he was awarded the Knight’s Cross.
Submitted on April 6th 1944.
Preliminary document and award on April 10th 1944 to Pz.AOK 1.