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Wehrmachtbericht

After the occupation of Denmark, 10th April 1940, and faced with the ongoing fights in Norway (Operation Weserübung) as well as the preparations for the big attack against France and BeNeLux the Oberbefehlshaber des Heeres Walter von Brauchitsch saw a need for a new honour for his soldiers.

He established a new prominent not wearable award "namentliche Nennung im Wehrmachtbericht" (in today´s German: Namensnennung im Wehrmachtsbericht), or in English "naming in the armed forces report", on 27th April 1940 (published in: HVBl. from 06.05.1940, part C, 27 edit., p. 189, no. 520).

Von Brauchitsch stated the following in his establishing decree: "In future the names of soldiers who excelled them at combat actions in an outstanding way will be named. This is a very special honour. Thus only deeds will be recognized wich call such a special attention from others that they justify a public mentioning in front of the German people.
The task of the generals in command is to judge if the deed does correspond to these high claims. In calm times an other criterion should be used then in times of important combat actions."

The awarding was registered in the Wehrpaß/Soldbuch and personal file.
This honour braught the mentioned soldier a special popularity, because he was mentioned by name and picture in newsletters and radio shows. But in reality it was less worth than the Knight´s Cross of the Iron Cross or the Honour Roll Clasp of the Army.
According to the explanatory notes of the OKH for the commanders the mentioning of the name in the armed forces report (Wehrmachtbericht) did not automatically lead to the naming in the Ehrenblatt des Deutschen Heeres (Honour Roll of the German Army). If the commanding general regarded the deed as so exceptional that the soldier should be named in the Honour Roll of the German Army, this had to be requested separately.

Of the round about 1,631 German soldiers from senior private to field-marshall named in the Wehrmachtbericht some 832 were members of the army and 47 members of the Waffen SS, or together 54 % of the awarded.

Adamowitsch, Felix (Sturmgeschütz-Brigade 904)* November 20th, 1919
† February 10th, 2013

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Grid List
NameDate of birthDate of deathAwards
Baacke, Karl15-05-190702-04-1944more
Baade, Ernst-Günther20-08-189708-05-1945more
Bach-Zelewski, von dem, Erich Julius Eberhard (SS)01-03-189908-03-1972more
Bacherer, Rudolf (Grenadier-Regiment 1049)19-06-189506-07-1964more
Back, Hans-Ulrich26-08-189614-02-1976more
Backe,  
Balck, Hermann17-12-189329-11-1982more
Balthasar, Wilhelm02-02-191403-07-1941more
Banze, Karl-Heinrich (Sturmgeschütz-Abteilung 244)24-02-191131-12-1945
Barkhorn, Gerhard20-03-191911-01-1983more
Barth, Karl Otto Max (Lw-Küstenfliegergruppe)29-12-191409-11-1942more
Barth, Otto (Generalmajor)18-06-189103-05-1963more
Baum, Otto (17. SS-Pz.Gren.Div. 'GvB')15-11-191118-06-1998more
Baumbach, Werner27-12-191620-10-1953more
Bayerlein, Fritz Hermann Michael (General)14-01-189930-01-1970more
Bechler, Helmut02-06-189809-01-1971more
Becker, Carl Hans Wilhelm Ludwig (Generalleutnant)16-01-189524-03-1966more
Becker, Helmuth (SS-Totenkopf-Division)12-08-190228-02-1953more
Becker, Karl-Heinz (Fallschirmjäger)02-01-191403-10-2000
Becker, Ludwig22-08-191126-02-1943more
Becker, Martin12-04-191608-02-2006more
Behnke, Gerhard (Sturmgeschütz-Brigade 322)23-12-191009-05-1962more
Behrend, Hermann-Heinrich25-08-189819-06-1987more
Beier, Wilhelm (Nachtjagdgeschwader 2)18-11-191312-07-1977more
Bentivegni, von, Franz-Eccard18-07-189604-04-1958more
Bercken, von, Werner08-02-189729-02-1976
Berlin, Wilhelm (General der Artillerie)28-04-188915-09-1987more
Betzel, Clemens09-06-189527-03-1945more
Bigalk, Gerhard (U 751)26-11-190817-07-1942more
Birnbacher, Heinz26-05-191005-12-1991more
Bismarck, von, Klaus06-03-191222-05-1997more
Bittrich, Wilhelm "Willi" (Waffen SS)26-02-189419-04-1979more
Blanc, von, Adalbert11-07-190707-11-1976more
Blancbois, Gustav-Adolf Eugen Johannes Erich13-09-191715-01-1993more
Blaskowitz, Johannes10-07-188305-02-1948more
Bleichrodt, Heinrich Carl Bernhard Rudolf "Ajax"21-10-190909-01-1977more
Bleyer, Eugen-Heinrich20-11-189618-03-1979
Block, Johannes17-11-189426-01-1945more
Bochmann, Georg Heinz „Schorsch" (Waffen SS)18-09-191308-06-1973more
Bock, von, Moritz Albrecht Friedrich Franz Fedor03-12-188004-05-1945more
Boddien, von, Oskar19-04-190006-01-1942more
Bodenhausen, Freiherr von, Erpo12-04-189709-05-1945
Boeckh-Behrens, Hans27-11-189813-02-1955more
Boege, Ehrenfried-Oskar11-11-188931-12-1965more
Bohn, Wolfgang (Panzergrenadier-Regiment 8)12-01-191726-04-1945more
Bonte, Friedrich (Kommodore)19-10-189610-04-1940more
Borowietz, Willibald17-09-189301-07-1945more
Brandenberger, Erich (8. Panzer-Division)15-07-189221-06-1955more
Brauneis, Erich16-03-189420-08-1954more
Bregenzer, Josef30-06-190916-07-1944more
Breith, Friedrich25-05-189209-07-1982
Breith, Hermann07-05-189203-09-1964more
Briesen, von, Kurt (General der Infanterie)03-05-188320-11-1941more
Brinkforth, Hubert15-04-191605-06-1942
Brommann, Karl (Waffen SS)20-07-192030-06-2011more
Bruck, Helmut16-02-191325-08-2001more
Brücker, Otto-Hermann17-10-189912-12-1964more
Bräuer, Bruno Oswald (Fallschirmjäger)04-02-189320-05-1947more
Buchterkirch, Ernst-Georg10-09-191417-08-1971more
Buck, Albert23-01-189506-09-1942more
Bulla, Ludwig09-08-189626-02-1964more
Burdach, Karl28-07-189130-12-1976more
Burmeister, Arnold (Generalleutnant)28-02-189902-07-1988more
Busch, Ernst Wilhelm Bernhard (General)06-07-188517-07-1945more
Busch, Hans Konrad05-03-191513-04-1998more
Buschenhagen, Erich Otto Ludwig (General der Inf.)08-12-189513-09-1994more
Bülow, von, Otto (U 404)16-10-191105-01-2006more
Bäke, Franz28-02-189812-12-1978more
Bär, Heinrich "Pritzel" "Heinz"25-03-191328-04-1957more
Bärenfänger, Erich (Generalmajor)12-01-191502-05-1945more
Bätge, Niels19-04-191312-12-1944more
Böhlke, Hellmuth07-02-189308-04-1956more

Sources