Period:

Second World War (1939-1945)

Rank:

Hauptmann (Captain)

Unit:

Kommandeur III./Infanterie-Regiment 3 / 21. Infanterie-Division

Awarded on:

November 23rd, 1941

The following wartime excerpt describes why Engbrecht would be awarded the Knight’s Cross…

“After successfully crossing the Volkhov river, Hauptmann Engbrecht and his Bataillon were able to capture the heavily fortified village of Perechod in a surprise attack on the 16.10.1941. There they repelled an enemy counterattack and subsequently stormed the commanding hill located 1.5 km east of Grusino which had been undergoing fortification work for weeks.

The attack succeeded in no small part due to the personal example that Hauptmann Engbrecht gave to his Bataillon. The capture of Perechod and the hill east of Grusino by Hauptmann Engbrecht and his Bataillon created the basis for the creation of the Grusino bridgehead. It was from this bridgehead that the XXXIX. Armee-Korps would later conduct its thrust against Tikhvin.”