In memory of an Eichenlaubträger

[Waffenreich]

Good morning,

As today is the 76th anniversary of the awarding of the Eichenlaub to Hauptmann Helmut Bruck I thought it appropriate to honor his memory. I purchased his formal presentation document on 27 January 2019. It is a vet bring-back from a U.S. Army V Corps soldier who brought it back from Germany in 1945. I hope you enjoy the following presentation.

[Waffenreich]

Helmut Bruck was born on 16 February 1913 in Kittlitzrebeb, (Kreis Bunzlau) Silesia. After completing school he attended the Polizeischule in Bremen. On 1 August 1935, his entire class of graduating officers was absorbed into the Luftwaffe. He underwent basic flight training in Magdeburg and on 1 April 1936 was promoted to Leutnant and assigned to the 1 Staffel./Sturzkampfgeschwader 165 at Kitzingen. Helmut Bruck was promoted to Oberleutnant on 1 November 1938 and was appointed as Staffelkapitan (Staka) of 1/StG 165. On 1 May 1939 he was reassigned as Staka of 1./St.G. 77.

[Waffenreich]

Beginning on 1 September 1939, Bruck would take part in the campaign in Poland. On the first day of the invasion his Ju-87B was hit by anti-aircraft fire near Wielun/Opole and he was forced to make a crash landing. Unhurt, he would continue to fly missions in support of FALL WEIß (Case White - codename for the invasion of Poland) until the Polish surrender. For his actions he was awarded the Iron Cross II on 13 September 1939.

[Waffenreich]

Oberleutnant Bruck would go on to distinguish himself in the campaign in the West (FALL GELB), where he flew missions over Eben-Emael, the Meuse crossing, and Dunkirk. For his actions in support of Assault Group Granite at Fort Eben-Emael and other units of the German Army in their push through Belgium and France he was awarded the Iron Cross I on 21 May 1940.

After the campaign in the West, StG 77 participated in the early phase of the Battle of Britain. As a prelude to destroying RAF Fighter Command and establishing air superiority for Unternehmen SEELÖWE (Operation See Lion - codename for the invasion of England), the Luftwaffe began by attacking shipping in the English Channel. 18 August 1940 would prove to be a dark day for StG 77. On this date 109 of its Stukas would be committed to destroying airfields belonging to RAF Coastal Command and the Fleet Air Arm, and the Chain Home radar station at Poling. The Stukas were supported by 157 Bf-109s; 70 from JG 27; 32 from JG 53 acting as close escort; and 55 from JG 2. Poling was so badly damaged it was out of action for the rest of August.

The 28 aircraft of I./StG 77 were attacked by 18 Hurricanes of Nos. 43 and 601 Squadron. The escorting Bf-109s from II./JG 27 were flying too far away and could not stop the Hurricanes making an attack before the Ju-87s made their dives. Three Ju-87s were shot down in exchange for a damaged Hurricane, hit by return fire. Some hangars were hit and much damage done. As the Bf-109 escorts turned to meet the two engaging RAF Squadrons, around 300 aircraft filled a patch of sky 25 miles long, from Gosport to Bognor Regis.

The lack of protection for I./StG 77 had cost it 10 Ju-87s with one damaged beyond repair. Oberleutnant Bruck's Stuka would be one of them having been damaged by gunfire from an RAF fighter and making a forced landing near Barfleur, France.

StG 77’s total casualties on 18 August amounted to 26 killed, 6 taken prisoner, and 6 wounded. Among the dead was Herbert Meisel, commanding officer of I./StG 77. On 20 August 1940, Helmut Bruck replaced him.

The price of using the Stukas was too high and with the exception of sporadic attacks on convoys later in the year, they played no further part in the Battle of Britain.

[Waffenreich]

StG 77 was transferred to the Balkans in 1941 where it flew sorties against the Metaxas line. After the Balkan campaign it was transferred back to Germany to rest and refit. Oberleutnant Bruck followed the action on Crete and upon realizing things were not going according to plans collected several men from the unit and organized a Gruppe for deployment. For his participation in Operation MERKUR he would be awarded the KRETA cufftitle on 28 Jun 1943.

[Waffenreich]

With the outbreak of the campaign in the East on 22 June 1941, Bruck and his unit were ordered to assist the advance of Panzergruppe Guderian towards Kiev and Moscow. He was awarded the Knight’s Cross of the Iron Cross on 4 September 1941 in recognition for his service as Staka 1./StG. 77. By 26 February 1942, Bruck had already flown 300 sorties. On 20 October 1942 he was awarded the German Cross in Gold.

[Waffenreich]

Helmut Bruck would serve with distinction on the Eastern Front, taking part in combat missions over Belgorod, Charkov, Kursk, Poltawa and Mius. On 19 February 1943 he became the 193d recipient of the Oak Leaves to the Knights Cross and on 20 February 1943 he became Kommodore of StG 77 with the rank of Major.

[Waffenreich]

Bruck was revered by his men both for his leadership and bravery. Although the exact number has not been recorded, he was known on at least two occasions to land his Stuka behind enemy lines in Russia to rescue crewmen who had baled out or crash landed.

[Waffenreich]

On 18 October 1943 the unit was redesignated Schlachtgeschwader 77 and Bruck remained as its Kommodore. On 14 April 1944, then already an Oberst, he flew his 800th sortie, and on 5 June 1944 his 900th. Throughout his time with StG 77, Bruck flew continuously with his Radio Operator/Air Gunner Oberfeldwebel Franz Hettinger. Ofw Hettinger had one known aerial victory, a Soviet I-15 on 15 January 1942. He would receive the German Cross in Gold and later, on 27 July 1944, the Knight’s Cross of the Iron Cross.

Between November and December 1944 Oberst Bruck attended a specialized Verbandsführer-Lehrgang for Schlachtflieger and was appointed Kommodore of Schlachtgeschwader 151 in January 1945.

On 1 April 1945 Oberst Bruck was appointed as General der Schalchtflieger Nord and finally reached 973 operational missions, ending the war in the Fw-190F. Oberst Bruck was taken prisoner of war on 28 April 1945.

Helmut Bruck would become a forester after the war. He passed away on 25 August 2001 in Veitlahm near Kulmbach/Bavaria.

[Waffenreich]

In 1998, Helmut Bruck sold his remaining personal items from WW2 to a German collector/dealer. His Konvolut included the eagle you see in this Thread, his tunic with awards, Zweitschrift Soldbuch, and award documents (with the exception of his formal RK and OL document sets). I have been able to locate the tunic with the awards on it and am in the process of negotiating the purchase, and know where his Soldbuch and Eichenlaub are. I am interested in finding his award documents that were auctioned by Thies-Johnson in June 2015: https://www.the-saleroom.com/en-gb/a...4-a4b201737358

[VtwinVince]

Fantastic material, thanks for the presentation.

[Waffenreich]

Promotions:
1 April 1936: Leutnant;
1 November 1938: Oberleutnant;
1 April 1941: Hauptmann;
1 March 1943: Major;
1 November 1943: Oberstleutnant;
1 April 1944: Oberst

Career:
1 April 1936: Flugzeugführer I. / Sturzkampfgeschwader 165;
1 May 1939: Staffelkapitän 1. / Sturzkampfgeschwader 77;
20 August 1940: Gruppenkommandeur I. / Sturzkampfgechwader 77;
20 February 1943 – 18th october 1943: Kommodore Sturzkampfgeschwader 77;
18 October 1943 – 15th February 1945: Kommodore Schachtgeschwader 77;
7 December 1944 – 31st March 1945: Kommodore Schlachtgeschwader 151.

Awards:
14 December 1936, Pilot"s Badge
15 December 1937, Wehrmacht Long Service Award 4th Class
13 September 1939, Iron Cross II
21 May 1940, Iron Cross I
15 May 1941, Operational Flight Clasp in Silver (Kampfflieger)
31 May 1941, Knights Cross of the Hungarian Merit Order with Swords
27 June 1941, Operational Flight Clasp in Gold (Kampfflieger)
6 September 1941, Knight’s Cross of the Iron Cross
11 October 1941, Romanian Knights Cross of the Flyer’s Bravery Award and Romanian Pilot’s Badge
10 Apr 1942, Croatian Order of the Crown King Zvonimir 2nd Class with Swords
20 October 1942, German Cross in Gold
4 December 1942, Operational Flight Clasp in Gold with Pendant
19 February 1943, Oak Leaves to the Knight’s Cross of the Iron Cross
15 March 1943, Krim Shield
12 April 1943, Russian Front Medal 1941/42
18 June 1943, KRETA Cufftitle
27 August 1943, Hungarian Pilot’s Badge

[Waffenreich]

I want to thank Mike (WAF member Wessel) for helping me start the process of reuniting this group by moving his presentation eagle along to me, and Larry deZeng for his help with unpublished notes on StG 77 and Helmut Bruck.

I hope you’ve enjoyed this look into the career of one of Germany’s brave airmen and thank you for taking the time to view it.

Best regards!

Bob

Sources:
https://www.tracesofwar.com/persons/...uck-Helmut.htm

https://www.the-saleroom.com/en-gb/a...itary-auctions

http://www.aircrewremembered.com/KrackerDatabase/

[hkusp40]

Very nice narrative. Thanks for sharing. -Ger

[wessel]

Very professional presentation, Bob. I hope you manage to track down the other award documentation.