ϟϟ-Hauptsturmführer der Waffen-SS Bremer

SS-Obersturmführer Gerd Bremer

Gerhard Bremer from Saarbrücken studied at the Napola school in Plön between 1933 and 1936. He then joined the SS-VT aged 19 and was first assigned to SS-Standarte Germania. In 1938, after graduation from the SS-Junkerschule Bad Tölz he took command of the 10.Kompanie of the Leibstandarte SS. Bremer served in Infanterie-Regiment Leibstandarte SS in the Polish Campaign, the Battle of France and the Balkans. After the end of the Balkan campaign he was promoted SS-Obersturmführer and given command of the first motor cycle company of the Leibstandarte SS, the SS Aufklärungs-Abteilung 1. He was awarded the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross during Operation Barbarossa on October 30 1941, at the age of 24. The Kradschützen Company had earned this recognition. Bremer participated in battles for Kharkov and SS-Brigadeführer Kurt Meyer later wrote in Grenadiers: The company commander, Gerd Bremer, looked at me calmly. I could always see in his eyes that he would follow me to the ends of the earth. Nowhere did I see doubt or even the hint of being uncomfortable with was going on. As far as the eye could see the Soviets were stampeding in wild flight. Bremer rampaged like a loosed hunting dog, leading his company toward the densest throng. Our lightning speed had literally unnerved the Soviets. I followed Bremer and stormed through approaching Russians with my dispatch riders. Bremer stayed with the Leibstandarte SS until June 1943 when he was given the command of III.Battalion/SS-Panzergrenadier-Regiment 26 of the newly formed SS-Panzergrenadier-Division Hitlerjugend. Image: SS-Obersturmführer Gerhard Bremer in Ukraine. Photo taken by SS-Kriegsberichter Geyk. U.S. National Archives. Fair use.