Hermann-Heinrich Behrend was a German general during World War II who rose to the rank of generalmajor in the Heer. Born on 25 August 1898 in Perleberg, Brandenburg, in the Kingdom of Prussia, he became a recipient of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves and Swords, one of the highest decorations awarded by Nazi Germany. His military career spanned both world wars, marked by consistent frontline leadership, tactical initiative, and resilience in encirclement situations. Behrend served primarily on the Eastern Front during the Second World War before commanding a division in the final defensive battles in northwest Germany. He died on 19 June 1987 in Soltau, West Germany, at the age of 88.
Behrend enlisted as a war volunteer in the Imperial German Army on 1 June 1915 at the age of sixteen, joining Füsilier-Regiment 90 and deploying to the Eastern Front. After a brief period with Infanterie-Regiment 43, he gained rapid promotions through demonstrated competence under fire, advancing to gefreiter in January 1916, unteroffizier in March 1916, fähnrich in February 1917, and leutnant in April 1917. He served in various roles including company officer, ordinance officer, and machine-gun platoon and company leader. His World War I service earned him the Iron Cross second class in June 1917 and first class in November 1918, along with the Mecklenburg-Schwerin Military Merit Cross second class in January 1918 and the Wound Badge in black. After the armistice he participated in volunteer formations before retiring from active service in March 1920.
Reentering the Reichswehr in January 1924 as a leutnant with Infanterie-Regiment 1, Behrend undertook extensive training and staff roles, including signals and pioneer detachments and officer courses in Dresden. He progressed steadily through company commands in several infantry regiments, reaching hauptmann in September 1933. A riding accident forced his temporary retirement in January 1937, after which he worked as a defense representative at Rheinmetall-Borsig AG in Berlin. Recalled to service in 1939 as a supplemental officer, he directed noncommissioned officer courses before assuming command of the first battalion of Infanterie-Regiment 489 in the 269th Infantry Division upon mobilization.
During the 1939 Polish Campaign and 1940 Western Campaign, Behrend earned clasps to both classes of the Iron Cross. His most notable early World War II action came on the opening day of Operation Barbarossa, 22 June 1941. As major commanding his battalion on the left flank near Tauroggen in Lithuania, Behrend advanced ahead of schedule at around 3:05 a.m. to exploit morning fog and the dust of the German artillery barrage. His troops rapidly penetrated ten kilometers of fortified Soviet lines, seized a key railway viaduct over the Jeziorupa River within thirty minutes, cleared the southern sector of the town despite sniper and grenade resistance, and neutralized a motorized battery. By 6:30 a.m. they had secured the eastern part of Tauroggen, enabling a larger kampfgruppe breakthrough. For this decisive leadership from the front he received the Knight's Cross on 15 July 1941 as the 353rd recipient.
Behrend was wounded near Krasnogvardeisk in September 1941 and later held various staff and security commands in Ukraine and Norway. Promoted to oberst, he took command of Grenadier-Regiment 154 in the 58th Infantry Division in late 1943. In early February 1944 west of Luga his regiment became encircled for three days by a full Soviet division while partisan forces cut supply lines. Behrend maintained cohesion, integrated reconnaissance elements for counterattacks, secured much of Potschap village, and executed a nighttime breakout across the Pljussa River under darkness. This successful extrication preserved the regiment's fighting strength and earned him the Oak Leaves on 6 March 1944 as the 421st recipient, presented personally by Adolf Hitler later that April.
In April 1945 Behrend was promoted to generalmajor and assumed command of the improvised 490th Infantry Division on the Western Front. Positioned along the Fladder Canal with limited resources and mixed troops including Volkssturm, the division faced advancing American armored forces. Behrend emphasized close-quarters anti-tank defense with Panzerfausts. He personally destroyed an Allied tank at close range during intense fighting, rallied his men, and organized a breakout that accounted for fourteen Sherman tanks destroyed mostly by infantry ambushes. Elements of the division temporarily recaptured Sage airfield in a counterattack. These actions, which delayed the enemy advance despite overwhelming odds, brought him the Swords on 26 April 1945 as the 148th recipient and a mention in the Wehrmachtbericht. Captured by British forces at the end of the war, Behrend was released from captivity in May 1947 and lived quietly afterward, working as a farmer in the Soltau area.
Behrend enlisted as a war volunteer in the Imperial German Army on 1 June 1915 at the age of sixteen, joining Füsilier-Regiment 90 and deploying to the Eastern Front. After a brief period with Infanterie-Regiment 43, he gained rapid promotions through demonstrated competence under fire, advancing to gefreiter in January 1916, unteroffizier in March 1916, fähnrich in February 1917, and leutnant in April 1917. He served in various roles including company officer, ordinance officer, and machine-gun platoon and company leader. His World War I service earned him the Iron Cross second class in June 1917 and first class in November 1918, along with the Mecklenburg-Schwerin Military Merit Cross second class in January 1918 and the Wound Badge in black. After the armistice he participated in volunteer formations before retiring from active service in March 1920.
Reentering the Reichswehr in January 1924 as a leutnant with Infanterie-Regiment 1, Behrend undertook extensive training and staff roles, including signals and pioneer detachments and officer courses in Dresden. He progressed steadily through company commands in several infantry regiments, reaching hauptmann in September 1933. A riding accident forced his temporary retirement in January 1937, after which he worked as a defense representative at Rheinmetall-Borsig AG in Berlin. Recalled to service in 1939 as a supplemental officer, he directed noncommissioned officer courses before assuming command of the first battalion of Infanterie-Regiment 489 in the 269th Infantry Division upon mobilization.
During the 1939 Polish Campaign and 1940 Western Campaign, Behrend earned clasps to both classes of the Iron Cross. His most notable early World War II action came on the opening day of Operation Barbarossa, 22 June 1941. As major commanding his battalion on the left flank near Tauroggen in Lithuania, Behrend advanced ahead of schedule at around 3:05 a.m. to exploit morning fog and the dust of the German artillery barrage. His troops rapidly penetrated ten kilometers of fortified Soviet lines, seized a key railway viaduct over the Jeziorupa River within thirty minutes, cleared the southern sector of the town despite sniper and grenade resistance, and neutralized a motorized battery. By 6:30 a.m. they had secured the eastern part of Tauroggen, enabling a larger kampfgruppe breakthrough. For this decisive leadership from the front he received the Knight's Cross on 15 July 1941 as the 353rd recipient.
Behrend was wounded near Krasnogvardeisk in September 1941 and later held various staff and security commands in Ukraine and Norway. Promoted to oberst, he took command of Grenadier-Regiment 154 in the 58th Infantry Division in late 1943. In early February 1944 west of Luga his regiment became encircled for three days by a full Soviet division while partisan forces cut supply lines. Behrend maintained cohesion, integrated reconnaissance elements for counterattacks, secured much of Potschap village, and executed a nighttime breakout across the Pljussa River under darkness. This successful extrication preserved the regiment's fighting strength and earned him the Oak Leaves on 6 March 1944 as the 421st recipient, presented personally by Adolf Hitler later that April.
In April 1945 Behrend was promoted to generalmajor and assumed command of the improvised 490th Infantry Division on the Western Front. Positioned along the Fladder Canal with limited resources and mixed troops including Volkssturm, the division faced advancing American armored forces. Behrend emphasized close-quarters anti-tank defense with Panzerfausts. He personally destroyed an Allied tank at close range during intense fighting, rallied his men, and organized a breakout that accounted for fourteen Sherman tanks destroyed mostly by infantry ambushes. Elements of the division temporarily recaptured Sage airfield in a counterattack. These actions, which delayed the enemy advance despite overwhelming odds, brought him the Swords on 26 April 1945 as the 148th recipient and a mention in the Wehrmachtbericht. Captured by British forces at the end of the war, Behrend was released from captivity in May 1947 and lived quietly afterward, working as a farmer in the Soltau area.
Source:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hermann-Heinrich_Behrend
https://www.lexikon-der-wehrmacht.de/Personenregister/B/BehrendHH.htm
https://www.tracesofwar.com/persons/28334/Behrend-Hermann-Heinrich.htm
https://grokipedia.com/page/hermann_heinrich_behrend
https://rk.balsi.de/index.php?action=list&cat=300
http://www.geocities.ws/orion47.geo/WEHRMACHT/HEER/Generalmajor/BEHREND_HERMANN.html
https://forum.axishistory.com/
https://www.wehrmacht-awards.com/forums/
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