Horst Harras (22 March 1915 - 26 October 1999) received the Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes on 14 June 1940 as Oberleutnant and Zugführer in I.Abteilung / Flak-Regiment 38. The following contemporary press article describes the Ritterkreuz actions of Horst Harras as follows: "On 24 May 1940 Oberleutnant Horst Harras succeeded in making the wall of the Boulogne citadel ripe for an attack with a gun from his heavy Flak Batterie. Under heavy defensive fire he brought the gun into position 20-30 metres from the wall. After he had opened up breaches in the wall with the gun, he pressed on into the citadel with his Erkundungsoffizier and an Unterwachtmeister in order to reconnoitre the possibilities for an attack. He was thus the first German soldier to enter the Boulogne citadel. He thereafter stormed the guard’s walkway with a Schützen Kompanie. Despite the heavy fire, against which the attackers responded in kind from the middle castle, Harras and his men managed to disarm 2,500 men from the garrison. He then forced the commander to cease resistance and took the rest of the garrison (some 6,000 men) prisoner. Thus, through outstanding bravery, courage and dedication to duty, Oberleutnant Harras brought about the fall of the Boulogne citadel in a coup-de-main.”
Source :
https://forum.axishistory.com/viewtopic.php?p=2447239#p2447239
https://www.tracesofwar.com/persons/66161/Harras-Horst.htm
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