Brühl, Graf von, Friedrich-August

Date of birth:: May 1st, 1913 (Sorau/Brandenburg, Germany)
Date of death:: November 5th, 1981 (Bramsche/Lower Saxony, Germany)
Nationality:: German

Biography

23.03.1937: Leutnant der Reserve
01.11.1939: Oberleutnant der Reserve
30.05.1942: Hauptmann der Reserve
10.09.1943: new RDA 01.05.1942
30.11.1944: Major in der Reserve RDA 01.10.1944
1958: Oberstleutnant in the Bundeswehr

After completing his Abitur in 1934, Brühl joined the Reichswehr as a soldier and completed his basic infantry training there, which he completed as a private (sergeant candidate). He then returned to his former bourgeois life as a reservist in the Wehrmacht, where he was promoted to lieutenant in the reserve on March 23, 1937. In the course of the general mobilization, Brühl was reactivated on August 1, 1939 and assigned to the 2nd Division of Panzer Regiment 2 (16th Panzer Division). With this company, which had crossed the Polish border at Grunsruh on September 1, 1939, von Brühl took part in the attack on Poland with an attack in the direction of Warsaw. After the end of the Blitzkrieg, he was promoted to first lieutenant in the reserve with effect from November 1, 1939. Subsequently, he was deployed in the same company on the western campaign.

With effect from June 22, 1941, the day of the start of Operation Barbarossa, Brühl was deployed as chief of the 8th Company of Panzer Regiment 2 within the Army Group South in the Black Sea section, where he was on May 30 In 1942 he was promoted to captain of the reserve with seniority. On July 2, 1942, he received the German Cross in Gold. In the Battle of Stalingrad, Brühl and his subordinate armored forces destroyed more than 100 Soviet tanks, so that an important high altitude area north of Stalingrad could be occupied. As a result, Brühl received the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross on November 3, 1942. After the complete annihilation of Panzer Regiment 2 in Stalingrad in January 1943, von Brühl, who was able to escape the boiler, returned to Germany, where he was immediately transferred to Italy after a short home leave.

Shortly thereafter, Brühl returned to the Eastern Front, where on September 10, 1943 he was again promoted to Captain of the Reserve with a different seniority. On March 20, 1944, Brühl was appointed commander of the 2nd Division of the 16th Panzer Regiment, which was deployed on the Western Front. Brühl and his company were then involved in battles in the Normandy area and moved eastward. On November 30, 1944, Brühl was promoted to major in the reserve. On August 26, 1944, his son Friedrich Leopold was born to his wife Marie Elisabeth Countess von Korff in Breslau. As part of the Ardennes offensive, Brühl was involved in the unsuccessful company with his tank department at the turn of the year 1944/45. He retreated to the Kleve-Wesel area in renewed retreat battles, was trapped in the Ruhr basin in April 1945 and was taken prisoner by the British there.

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Eisernes Kreuz 2. Klasse

Period:: Second World War (1939-1945)
Awarded on:: June 7th, 1940

Eisernes Kreuz 1. Klasse

Period:: Second World War (1939-1945)
Awarded on:: July 6th, 1941

Deutsches Kreuz in Gold

Period:: Second World War (1939-1945)
Rank:: Oberleutnant (1st Lieutenant)
Unit:: Panzer-Regiment 2, 1. Panzer-Division
Awarded on:: July 2nd, 1942

Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes

Period:: Second World War (1939-1945)
Rank:: Hauptmann der Reserve (Captain of Reserves)
Unit:: Chef, 8. Kompanie, Panzer-Regiment 2, 16.Panzer-Division / 6.Armee / Heeresgruppe B
Awarded on:: November 3rd, 1942

Awarded for his actions on the front north of Stalingrad. Here he and his Kampfgruppe repelled numerous Soviet breakthrough attempts and destroyed over 100 tanks. His brave command here was vital in ensuring the successful defense of a decisive area of high ground in this sector.

Submitted on October 28th 1942.
Preliminary document en decoration on November 9th 1942 to AOK 6.