Period:

Second World War (1939-1945)

Rank:

Oberfeldwebel (Warrant Officer)

Unit:

Zugführer 10. / Infanterie-Regiment 62 / 7. Infanterie-Division

Awarded on:

October 5th, 1941

The following newspaper excerpt (dated 11.10.1941) describes why Roßfeld received the Knight’s Cross…

“During the battle of Mogilev the Regiment of Oberfeldwebel Roßfeld received the mission of assaulting the heavily fortified forest located along the northern arterial road east of Gay. In the fighting that followed Oberfeldwebel Roßfeld managed to find success as early as the first friendly attack, which took place on the afternoon of the 20.07.1941. On this day he and his Zug were ordered to only provide covering fire for the other Zügen, however he decided to instead attack alongside them on his own initiative. His superior and inspiring leadership would ultimately be the deciding factor that enabled him to capture the lynchpin of the Bolshevik’s forest bastion. From there he paralyzed the enemy’s entire defensive effort, and simultaneously secured the decisive preconditions for the success of the third friendly attack against this Soviet wooded fortress. Throughout this battle he repeatedly struck into the heart of the enemy’s defensive network and crushed the much larger numbers of determined defenders despite the significant depletion of his own Zug.

The clearing of this wooded fortress enabled the Regiment to swiftly advance to its subsequent objectives. By midday on the 22.09.1941 [according to the original article, most likely the 22.07.1941] it had established a blocking position along the north/northeastern edges of Mogilev, and had also reached the commanding heights along the Dnieper river in the area east of Mogilev. This in turn meant that the Division was able to cross the Dnieper and establish a bridgehead on the opposite bank on the very same day.”

Period:

Second World War (1939-1945)

Period:

Second World War (1939-1945)