Böbel, Hermann

Date of birth:: October 24th, 1918 (Ingolstadt/Bavaria, Germany)
Date of death:: April 2nd, 1990 (Munich/Bavaria, Germany)
Nationality:: German (1933-1945, Third Reich)

Biography

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Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes

Period:: Second World War (1939-1945)
Rank:: Obergefreiter (Corporal)
Unit:: Zugführer 1. Kompanie, Divisions-Füsilier-Bataillon 88, 88.Infanterie-Division, Heer
Awarded on:: February 18th, 1944

During the defensive fighting around Cherkassy at the end of 1944 Obergefreiter Böbel and his Zug managed to capture a village following bitter urban combat and then hold it against multiple ferocious attacks. On the next day his Zug received the mission of capturing an important small hill. Two attempts at a frontal attack in the evening hours did not succeed. When he was once again told that the hill had to be taken under any circumstances he decided to take a different approach to capturing the hill.

Realizing that a frontal attack would not work, he ordered his men to infiltrate through the Soviet defensive line one by one so as to eventually take it by storm from the rear. He succeeded in getting his men into the Soviet rear unnoticed after three hours of difficult and delicate operations, and after this they attacked the totally surprised defenders from the flank and rear. The hill was captured and then held afterwards in fierce defensive fighting, during which Böbel was the soul of the resistance despite being wounded himself.

His bravery, initiative and resilience was ultimately able to eliminate the danger of an imminent envelopment for his unit. He would subsequently be awarded the Knight’s Cross in recognition of this feat.