- Period:
- Second World War (1939-1945)
- Rank:
- Obergefreiter (Corporal)
- Unit:
- Gruppenführer 4. / Panzergrenadier-Regiment 93
- Awarded on:
- July 3rd, 1944
On the 20.05.1944, during the fighting along the Lower Dniester river between Dubossary and Butor, a trapped Soviet tank regiment commenced a breakout with the support of Katyusha rocket launchers that blasted an escape path for the unit. About 800-900 men fought to secure a breakout against the thinly held German lines and were partially successful in their efforts.
At this point Obergefreiter Grunge recognized the danger that this breakout was posing for his Division, and so he led a counterattack on his own initiative. During the subsequent fierce infantry battle he showed great bravery and decisiveness, while also creating the necessary preconditions for the armoured group of the Division to complete its own attack on the following day. For his efforts here Grunge would be decorated with the Knights’ Cross.