War Hero - SS-Oberscharfuhrer (basically a Technical Sergeant), Das Reich Division, Waffen-SS and recipient of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross. Also known as Ernst Schmuck-Barkmann after WWII, Barkmann was born, died and buried in the town of Kisdorf, in the German State of Holstein. His father was a farmer, and after attending school in 1936, Barkmann followed in his father's footsteps and began working on the family farm. On April 1st, 1936, Barkmann volunteered to join SS-Standarte "Germania" and after three months of training, joined the III Battalion of the Standarte. Barkmann took part in the Polish Campaign of 1939 serving with the 9th Company of Germania as a machine gunner and received his first combat wound. In the Autumn of 1941, Barkmann was seriously wounded during fighting near Dnieprpetrowsk, Russia, during Operation Barbarossa and earned the Iron Cross 2nd Class. In late 1941, Barkmann was transferred to Holland as an instructor of European SS-Volunteers but in early 1942, he volunteered for service with the division's Panzer Regiment. This decision would forever change his life. Barkmann returned to the Eastern Front in the winter of 1942 and was transferred to the 2nd Company, 2nd Panzer Regiment, 2nd SS Panzer Division "Das Reich". Barkmann's unit was equipped with the Panzer III (50mm gun) tanks, a weapon system that was outclassed by the durable Soviet T-34 tanks. In early 1943 the 2nd Panzer Regiment took part in the Battle for Kharkov, where he won the Iron Cross First Class. In mid 1943, Barkmann was transferred to 4th Company which was equipped with new and by far superior, Panther tanks. In early 1944, he was promoted to the rank of SS-Unterscharfuhrer (sergeant). His division was soon transferred to the Bordeaux area in southern France for rest and refitting as a Panzer division. Following the D-Day invasion on June 6, 1944, the 2nd SS Panzer Division was ordered to move northwards and was committed to battle. In July of 1944, Das Reich was moved to the French village of Saint Lo to try and stop the advance of the United States Army's 9th and 30th Infantry Divisions as well as the the 3rd Armored Division. On July 8th, Barkmann's Company attacked the advancing American units. He earned his first tank kill that day when he destroyed a United States Army M4 Sherman tank near St.Lo. On July 12th, he destroyed two more Shermans while disabling a third. During that engagement, Barkmann moved his camouflaged Panther into an ambush position and awaited for more Allied armor, destroying an additional three Shermans. His tank was hit by an American anti-tank gun which caused his tank to catch fire. He and his crew put out the fire and saved the tank but it had to go back to the rear to the division workshop for repairs. On July 14th, after a day of rest, Barkmann was ordered to recover four Panthers that had been cut off behind enemy lines. He succeeded in this task and added three more Shermans to his total score in the process. On July 27, 1944 outside of the village of Lerey, France, Barkmann positioned his Panther in a grove of trees and proceeded to single-handedly destroy 9 Sherman tanks as well as some support vehicles effectively stopping an American armored assault. This battle became known as "Barkmann's Corner". For this heroic stand, he was awarded the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross, roughly the equivalent of the United States' Medal of Honor. The United States never confirmed this battle happened but German reports verify it did. By July 30th, Barkmann had destroyed 15 US Sherman tanks. During the Ardennes Offensive (Battle of the Bulge), Barkmann's Panther tank drove into a group of American tanks from the 2nd Armored Division. A battle began with Barkmann being greatly outnumbered. Even with the odds against him he was able to knock out a few Sherman tanks. One Sherman rammed his Panther but didn't cause much damage although both tanks got stuck together and the Panther's engine stalled. Barkmann's mechanic managed to restart the engine and the Panther broke free and retreated. Even with the damage, Barkmann knocked out another Sherman that foolishly began chasing after him. In March 1945, Barkmann was once again fighting against the Soviets in the area of a town called Stuhlweissenburg. Here Barkmann knocked out four Soviet T-34 tanks. At the time, the Das Reich division was exhausted by non-stop fighting and lack of replacement vehicles. Barkmann and the other tank crews could no longer engage in sustained fighting against the numerically superior Soviet forces and were forced to retreat. During fighting at and around Vienna, Austria, the 4th Company was to link up with the remnants of the once famous Panzer Regiment of the 1st SS-Panzer Division, the Liebstandarte SS Adolf Hitler (LSSAH), commanded by SS-Standartenführer (Colonel) Joachim Peiper, who would be tried after the war for war crimes due to the execution of American soldiers at Malmedy, France. Barkmann's tank came under fire accidentally from German forces which disabled Barkmann's tank, wounding him and his crew in the process. Barkmann blew up their tank as he knew his war was quickly coming to an end. They were able to escape Russian capture and made it to the British lines to surrender to the allies. Barkmann's war record reflects he destroyed over 82 allied tanks, 136 miscellaneous vehicles and 43 anti-tank guns. After the war Barkmann returned to the village he had been born in. He would serve his community as a local fire chief and Burgermeister (mayor). Barkmann added "Schmuck" to his name, after the war. Ernst Barkmann earned the following awards and decorations for his service during World War II:
- Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross
- Iron Cross 1st Class
- Iron Cross 2nd Class
- Wound Badge in Silver
- Infantry Assault Badge (for actions in Poland)
- Panzer Assault Badge with "50" designation∼Ernst Barkmann was the son of a german farmer, born in 1919. He joined German paramilitary activities in 1936 and was in the tank corps from 1939 throughout WW2. His exploits as a tank commander at St Lo during the Normandy invasion were the song of legend. Alone with his panther tank and crew, he disabled several of our tanks and support vehicles. This place is remembered today as "Barkmanns Corner". There, he single handedly took on an advancing file of 15 USA Shermans and additional support vehicles. At the end of this action, he limped away, his panther shot up, having halted or put out of action the Sherman column. For a single action by a sole tank commander it is one of the greatest tank encounters of any war, in any theater, ever.
His exploits at "Barkmanns's Corner" near St. Lo, 1944 earned for him the Knights Cross rating of the iron cross.
Later during the Normandy campaign, he was ordered to advance (under fire) to recover captured germam soldiers and equipment and was successful in doing so. During these rescue missions his panther tank was repeatedly hit, finally being out of action by our air attacks. He was wounded on at least two occassions, once severely on the russian front in 1942. That action earned him the Iron Cross, 2nd class. He was later awarded an Iron Cross, 1st Class. These and his Knights Cross award distiungush him above his peers. His battle experiences had him in many of the classic european hot spots of the war including winter in russia 1942-43, Operation Citadel (Kursk)1943, Normandy 1944, the Ardennes in 1944 - 45 and the fighting against the russians around Berlin in 1945.
After the war he returned to civilian life, becoming the fire chief of Kisdorf fire department. He is buried in Germany in the town of Kisdorf.
(There has never been a validation of the
"Barkmanns Corner" encounter by the US Army.)
- Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross
- Iron Cross 1st Class
- Iron Cross 2nd Class
- Wound Badge in Silver
- Infantry Assault Badge (for actions in Poland)
- Panzer Assault Badge with "50" designation∼Ernst Barkmann was the son of a german farmer, born in 1919. He joined German paramilitary activities in 1936 and was in the tank corps from 1939 throughout WW2. His exploits as a tank commander at St Lo during the Normandy invasion were the song of legend. Alone with his panther tank and crew, he disabled several of our tanks and support vehicles. This place is remembered today as "Barkmanns Corner". There, he single handedly took on an advancing file of 15 USA Shermans and additional support vehicles. At the end of this action, he limped away, his panther shot up, having halted or put out of action the Sherman column. For a single action by a sole tank commander it is one of the greatest tank encounters of any war, in any theater, ever.
His exploits at "Barkmanns's Corner" near St. Lo, 1944 earned for him the Knights Cross rating of the iron cross.
Later during the Normandy campaign, he was ordered to advance (under fire) to recover captured germam soldiers and equipment and was successful in doing so. During these rescue missions his panther tank was repeatedly hit, finally being out of action by our air attacks. He was wounded on at least two occassions, once severely on the russian front in 1942. That action earned him the Iron Cross, 2nd class. He was later awarded an Iron Cross, 1st Class. These and his Knights Cross award distiungush him above his peers. His battle experiences had him in many of the classic european hot spots of the war including winter in russia 1942-43, Operation Citadel (Kursk)1943, Normandy 1944, the Ardennes in 1944 - 45 and the fighting against the russians around Berlin in 1945.
After the war he returned to civilian life, becoming the fire chief of Kisdorf fire department. He is buried in Germany in the town of Kisdorf.
(There has never been a validation of the
"Barkmanns Corner" encounter by the US Army.)
War Hero - SS-Oberscharfuhrer (basically a Technical Sergeant), Das Reich Division, Waffen-SS and recipient of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross. Also known as Ernst Schmuck-Barkmann after WWII, Barkmann was born, died and buried in the town of Kisdorf, in the German State of Holstein. His father was a farmer, and after attending school in 1936, Barkmann followed in his father's footsteps and began working on the family farm. On April 1st, 1936, Barkmann volunteered to join SS-Standarte "Germania" and after three months of training, joined the III Battalion of the Standarte. Barkmann took part in the Polish Campaign of 1939 serving with the 9th Company of Germania as a machine gunner and received his first combat wound. In the Autumn of 1941, Barkmann was seriously wounded during fighting near Dnieprpetrowsk, Russia, during Operation Barbarossa and earned the Iron Cross 2nd Class. In late 1941, Barkmann was transferred to Holland as an instructor of European SS-Volunteers but in early 1942, he volunteered for service with the division's Panzer Regiment. This decision would forever change his life. Barkmann returned to the Eastern Front in the winter of 1942 and was transferred to the 2nd Company, 2nd Panzer Regiment, 2nd SS Panzer Division "Das Reich". Barkmann's unit was equipped with the Panzer III (50mm gun) tanks, a weapon system that was outclassed by the durable Soviet T-34 tanks. In early 1943 the 2nd Panzer Regiment took part in the Battle for Kharkov, where he won the Iron Cross First Class. In mid 1943, Barkmann was transferred to 4th Company which was equipped with new and by far superior, Panther tanks. In early 1944, he was promoted to the rank of SS-Unterscharfuhrer (sergeant). His division was soon transferred to the Bordeaux area in southern France for rest and refitting as a Panzer division. Following the D-Day invasion on June 6, 1944, the 2nd SS Panzer Division was ordered to move northwards and was committed to battle. In July of 1944, Das Reich was moved to the French village of Saint Lo to try and stop the advance of the United States Army's 9th and 30th Infantry Divisions as well as the the 3rd Armored Division. On July 8th, Barkmann's Company attacked the advancing American units. He earned his first tank kill that day when he destroyed a United States Army M4 Sherman tank near St.Lo. On July 12th, he destroyed two more Shermans while disabling a third. During that engagement, Barkmann moved his camouflaged Panther into an ambush position and awaited for more Allied armor, destroying an additional three Shermans. His tank was hit by an American anti-tank gun which caused his tank to catch fire. He and his crew put out the fire and saved the tank but it had to go back to the rear to the division workshop for repairs. On July 14th, after a day of rest, Barkmann was ordered to recover four Panthers that had been cut off behind enemy lines. He succeeded in this task and added three more Shermans to his total score in the process. On July 27, 1944 outside of the village of Lerey, France, Barkmann positioned his Panther in a grove of trees and proceeded to single-handedly destroy 9 Sherman tanks as well as some support vehicles effectively stopping an American armored assault. This battle became known as "Barkmann's Corner". For this heroic stand, he was awarded the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross, roughly the equivalent of the United States' Medal of Honor. The United States never confirmed this battle happened but German reports verify it did. By July 30th, Barkmann had destroyed 15 US Sherman tanks. During the Ardennes Offensive (Battle of the Bulge), Barkmann's Panther tank drove into a group of American tanks from the 2nd Armored Division. A battle began with Barkmann being greatly outnumbered. Even with the odds against him he was able to knock out a few Sherman tanks. One Sherman rammed his Panther but didn't cause much damage although both tanks got stuck together and the Panther's engine stalled. Barkmann's mechanic managed to restart the engine and the Panther broke free and retreated. Even with the damage, Barkmann knocked out another Sherman that foolishly began chasing after him. In March 1945, Barkmann was once again fighting against the Soviets in the area of a town called Stuhlweissenburg. Here Barkmann knocked out four Soviet T-34 tanks. At the time, the Das Reich division was exhausted by non-stop fighting and lack of replacement vehicles. Barkmann and the other tank crews could no longer engage in sustained fighting against the numerically superior Soviet forces and were forced to retreat. During fighting at and around Vienna, Austria, the 4th Company was to link up with the remnants of the once famous Panzer Regiment of the 1st SS-Panzer Division, the Liebstandarte SS Adolf Hitler (LSSAH), commanded by SS-Standartenführer (Colonel) Joachim Peiper, who would be tried after the war for war crimes due to the execution of American soldiers at Malmedy, France. Barkmann's tank came under fire accidentally from German forces which disabled Barkmann's tank, wounding him and his crew in the process. Barkmann blew up their tank as he knew his war was quickly coming to an end. They were able to escape Russian capture and made it to the British lines to surrender to the allies. Barkmann's war record reflects he destroyed over 82 allied tanks, 136 miscellaneous vehicles and 43 anti-tank guns. After the war Barkmann returned to the village he had been born in. He would serve his community as a local fire chief and Burgermeister (mayor). Barkmann added "Schmuck" to his name, after the war. Ernst Barkmann earned the following awards and decorations for his service during World War II:
- Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross
- Iron Cross 1st Class
- Iron Cross 2nd Class
- Wound Badge in Silver
- Infantry Assault Badge (for actions in Poland)
- Panzer Assault Badge with "50" designation∼Ernst Barkmann was the son of a german farmer, born in 1919. He joined German paramilitary activities in 1936 and was in the tank corps from 1939 throughout WW2. His exploits as a tank commander at St Lo during the Normandy invasion were the song of legend. Alone with his panther tank and crew, he disabled several of our tanks and support vehicles. This place is remembered today as "Barkmanns Corner". There, he single handedly took on an advancing file of 15 USA Shermans and additional support vehicles. At the end of this action, he limped away, his panther shot up, having halted or put out of action the Sherman column. For a single action by a sole tank commander it is one of the greatest tank encounters of any war, in any theater, ever.
His exploits at "Barkmanns's Corner" near St. Lo, 1944 earned for him the Knights Cross rating of the iron cross.
Later during the Normandy campaign, he was ordered to advance (under fire) to recover captured germam soldiers and equipment and was successful in doing so. During these rescue missions his panther tank was repeatedly hit, finally being out of action by our air attacks. He was wounded on at least two occassions, once severely on the russian front in 1942. That action earned him the Iron Cross, 2nd class. He was later awarded an Iron Cross, 1st Class. These and his Knights Cross award distiungush him above his peers. His battle experiences had him in many of the classic european hot spots of the war including winter in russia 1942-43, Operation Citadel (Kursk)1943, Normandy 1944, the Ardennes in 1944 - 45 and the fighting against the russians around Berlin in 1945.
After the war he returned to civilian life, becoming the fire chief of Kisdorf fire department. He is buried in Germany in the town of Kisdorf.
(There has never been a validation of the
"Barkmanns Corner" encounter by the US Army.)
- Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross
- Iron Cross 1st Class
- Iron Cross 2nd Class
- Wound Badge in Silver
- Infantry Assault Badge (for actions in Poland)
- Panzer Assault Badge with "50" designation∼Ernst Barkmann was the son of a german farmer, born in 1919. He joined German paramilitary activities in 1936 and was in the tank corps from 1939 throughout WW2. His exploits as a tank commander at St Lo during the Normandy invasion were the song of legend. Alone with his panther tank and crew, he disabled several of our tanks and support vehicles. This place is remembered today as "Barkmanns Corner". There, he single handedly took on an advancing file of 15 USA Shermans and additional support vehicles. At the end of this action, he limped away, his panther shot up, having halted or put out of action the Sherman column. For a single action by a sole tank commander it is one of the greatest tank encounters of any war, in any theater, ever.
His exploits at "Barkmanns's Corner" near St. Lo, 1944 earned for him the Knights Cross rating of the iron cross.
Later during the Normandy campaign, he was ordered to advance (under fire) to recover captured germam soldiers and equipment and was successful in doing so. During these rescue missions his panther tank was repeatedly hit, finally being out of action by our air attacks. He was wounded on at least two occassions, once severely on the russian front in 1942. That action earned him the Iron Cross, 2nd class. He was later awarded an Iron Cross, 1st Class. These and his Knights Cross award distiungush him above his peers. His battle experiences had him in many of the classic european hot spots of the war including winter in russia 1942-43, Operation Citadel (Kursk)1943, Normandy 1944, the Ardennes in 1944 - 45 and the fighting against the russians around Berlin in 1945.
After the war he returned to civilian life, becoming the fire chief of Kisdorf fire department. He is buried in Germany in the town of Kisdorf.
(There has never been a validation of the
"Barkmanns Corner" encounter by the US Army.)
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