The picture was taken on 2 April 1941 during propaganda tour in the homeland. Original caption: "Das Ritterkreuz für einen Gefreiten. Der Führer und Oberste Befehlshaber der Wehrmacht verlich auf vorschlag des Oberbefehlshabers des Heeres, Generalfeldmarschall von Brauchitsch, des Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes and den Gefreiten Hubert Brinkforth, Richtschütze in einem Infanterieregiment. Gefreiter Brinkforth der am 15. April sein 25. lebensjahr vollender vernichtete mit seinem geschütz bei Abbeville innerhalb 20 minuten 11 Englische Panzer, die er trotz heftigen feuers bis auf 100 meter entfernung herankommen liess und dann abschoss." (The Knight's Cross for a private. The leader and Supreme Commander of the Wehrmacht, at the suggestion of the Commander-in-Chief of the Army, Field Marshal von Brauchitsch, awarded the Knight's Cross of the Iron Crosses to Private Hubert Brinkforth, gunner in an infantry regiment. Private Brinkforth, who turned 25 on April 15th, destroyed 11 English tanks with his gun near Abbeville within 20 minutes. Despite heavy fire, he allowed them to come up to a distance of 100 meters and then shot them down.)
"The City of Marl greets his Knight's Cross holder."
Hitlerjugend marching to greets Hubert Brinkforth. Hochstraße Alt-Marl towards Barkhausstrasse.
Obergefreiter Hubert Brinkforth (center), Ritterkreuzträger from Marl, between NS-Ortsgruppenleiter Paul Becker, Nazi local group leader and city mayor (with beard), and NS-Amtsbürgermeister Willeke, who after 1945 (from 1953) became representative for the CDU in the West German Bundestag.
Obergefreiter
Hubert Brinkforth (second from left) during propaganda tour in Marl, his hometown, shortly after receiving the Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes, April 1941.
Obergefreiter Hubert Brinkforth (center), the first soldier from the enlisted rank to be awarded the Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes, during a visit in the Druckhaus Tempelhof of the Deutscher Verlag, 3 April 1941. The picture was taken by photographer Erich Engel and first published by 'Berliner Volkszeitung' on 4 April 1941.
Obergefreiter Hubert Brinkforth (center), the first soldier from the enlisted rank to be awarded the Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes, during a visit in the Druckhaus Tempelhof of the Deutscher Verlag, 3 April 1941. The picture was taken by photographer Erich Engel and first published by 'Berliner Morgenpost'.
Source :
https://www.ea-militaria.com/ritterkreuztrager-gefreiter-hubert-brinkforth-press-photo.html
https://www.gettyimages.co.uk/detail/news-photo/brinkforth-hubert-soldier-germany-1942-private-honoured-news-photo/543907901
https://www.marlarchiv.de/ns-stadtwerdung-1936/
https://ww2gravestone.com/people/brinkforth-hubert/
