Ritterkreuz Award Ceremony for Hubert Brinkforth

Hubert Brinkforth received the Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes on 7 May 1941 as Gefreiter and Richtschütze in 14.Kompanie (Panzerjäger) / III.Bataillon / Infanterie-Regiment 25 (motorisiert) / 2.Infanterie-Division (motorisiert). The following wartime excerpt describes why Brinkforth was awarded the Ritterkreuz: “On 27 May 1940 Gefreiter Brinkforth, the gunner of a Pak gun, shot up a deeply echeloned English tank formation during the defensive fighting near Abbeville. He did this from a forward position 6 km in front of the main battle line along the southern edge of the village of Huppy, one of the most important points of the bridgehead. By allowing the enemy armour to approach within a range of 100 metres he destroyed 11 tanks within 20 minutes despite the heavy cannon and machine gun fire that plastered his own position. This exemplary behaviour also inspired the Pak crews near Gefreiter Brinkforth to give their utmost in this battle, and the result was that the strong English attack was defeated.”

It should be noted that, after the war, the former gun commander Unteroffizier Horst Nickstat wrote that 2 of these 11 tanks were destroyed by another gun from the Kompanie!

Ritterkreuz award ceremony for Obergefreiter Hubert Brinkforth (anti-tank commander in 5.Kompanie / Schützen-Regiment 25 / 12.Panzer-Division) which were held on 1 April 1941 at the Tucheler Heide Truppenübungsplatz, northern Poland. From left to right: Oberst Werner Hühner (Kommandeur Schützen-Regiment 25), Obergefreiter Brinkforth, and Generalmajor Josef Harpe (Kommandeur 12. Panzer-Division).



Ritterkreuz award ceremony for Obergefreiter Hubert Brinkforth (anti-tank commander in 5.Kompanie / I.Bataillon / Schützen-Regiment 25 / 12.Panzer-Division) which were held on 1 April 1941 at the Tucheler Heide Truppenübungsplatz, northern Poland. His battalion commander Major Klaus Freiherr von Hardenberg - who was also a Ritterkreuzträger - is on the left.

Source :
https://crainsmilitaria.com/index.php?route=product/product&product_id=778
https://de.metapedia.org/wiki/Brinkforth,_Hubert
https://www.elgrancapitan.org/foro/viewtopic.php?t=27019
https://www.tracesofwar.com/persons/28709/Brinkforth-Hubert.htm