Period:

Second World War (1939-1945)

Rank:

Obergefreiter (Corporal)

Unit:

Gruppenführer 6./Infanterie-Regiment (mot) 60

Awarded on:

September 24th, 1942

On a particularly hot day at the start of September 1942, the 6./Infanterie-Regiment 60 (mot) were tasked with taking a hill near Chalchuta (in the Kirgizsteppe) that had until that time been stubbornly held by the Soviets. During the initial heavy firefight the German Kompanie commander and a messenger fell in battle, and soon afterwards the Germans ran out of mortar ammunition. At this critical moment, Obergefreiter Kulot rallied two squads of his badly depleted Kompanie and led another attempt to storm the hill. Here follows his first-hand account of the action which followed…

“As soon as we had worked our way to within hand grenade throwing distance of the enemy positions, the hand grenades flew into the trenches of the surprised Soviets. Immediately afterwards bitter close combat commenced with the desperately defending Soviets. We fought everything in sight and in this way were able to take the commanding height after a short time. We then advanced further and took the village of Chalchuta, which had the only source of drinking water in the entire area nearby. The focal point of the next set of fighting now took place left of the village at the spring, which was simultaneously an important supply node. Our fighting spirit brought success! The spring fell into our hands. My comrades spontaneously named it the “Kulot spring”. With the capture of this spring we had spared two of our battalions a retreat of 180 km as well as some additional fighting, which had already cost our comrades much blood. We captured numerous prisoners as well as weapons and ammunition.”

For this decisive act, which delivered a vital source of water into German control, Kulot would be decorated with the Iron Cross First Class and later the Knight’s Cross.