Hermann-Ernst Bolm (28 February 1919 - 20 October 1944) received the Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes on 20 April 1944 as Hauptmann der Reserve and Führer II.Bataillon / Grenadier-Regiment 434 / 131.Infanterie-Division. The following newspaper article describes why Bolm was awarded the Ritterkreuz:
“The First Breakthrough to Kovel - Hauptmann Bolm Awarded the Ritterkreuz.
A Lower-Saxonian Infanterie-Division had been involved in weeks of heavy combat west of the city of Kovel, which had been encircled on all sides by the enemy. On 29 March 1944 a Regiment (reinforced by Panzers and Sturmgeschütze) of this Division commenced an attack.
Hauptmann Ernst Bolm, commander of the Regiment’s II. Bataillon, stormed at the head of his Grenadiers in the area north of the railway Ch.—K. He and his foremost Grenadiers succeeded in seizing a strongly garrisoned Bolshevik strongpoint following a brief but fierce battle. The Bolsheviks suffered heavy losses in this engagement; during which 7 guns and numerous other weapons fell into the hands of the victors.
The young Bataillon commander realized in this moment that the enemy in his sector had been shaken by the heavy casualties they had just sustained. Thus, he concluded that now was the time to strike in order to effect a breakthrough towards the East. Acting swiftly, he once again placed himself at the spearhead of the assault group. His encouragement and example here inspired his exhausted Grenadiers to once again press forwards. While the Panzers captured a hill west of the village of Cz., Hauptmann Bolm penetrated into the village itself with his now brought-up reserve Kompanie. The village was cleared of the enemy by nightfall following hard close combat.
After this he [Bolm] immediately dispatched reconnaissance elements into the wooded terrain east of Cz. The results of this reconnaissance were surprisingly favourable; the woods were only weakly occupied by the enemy. The Soviets had clearly not had enough time to reposition their forces in the wake of Cz.’s loss. No communications existed with the Regiment at this time; the young officer would have to act on his own initiative.
After a short conference with the Kompanie commander of the Panzers, it was resolved that the existing moment of opportunity had to be exploited. Hauptmann Bolm thus moved out before dawn on the following morning and was able to break through to Kovel in a rapid advance. The encirclement ring around the city was not broken just yet however, as the Red flood once again closed behind the Bataillon after it had entered Kovel proper. However the breakthrough of Bolm’s Bataillon and the Panzer-Kompanie brought about significant aid and moral relief for the hard-pressed defenders of Kovel.”
The village of Cz. referred to in the article was the village of Czerkasy, located along the Chelm—Kovel railway line. The Panzer-Kompanie that broke through to Kovel in conjunction with Bolm’s Bataillon was the 8./SS-Pz.Rgt. 5 “Wiking”, commanded by SS-Obersturmführer Karl Nicolussi-Leck (he also received the Ritterkreuz).
Source :
https://www.generalassaultmilitaria.com/product/hermann-ernst-bolm-portrait/
https://www.tracesofwar.com/persons/2452/Bolm-Hermann-Ernst.htm
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