Federal Republic of Germany
Cross of Honour for Conspicuous Gallantry,
for deeds of exceptional bravery beyond the call of duty
The Good Friday Battle
Corporal Robert Hartert, Parachute Infantry Battalion 373, killed in action on April 2, 2010 in Isa Khel, Kunduz Province, Afghanistan (Cross of Honour for Conspicuous Gallantry)
On April 2, 2010 in Kunduz province's Taleban-controlled Char Dara district, a platoon of 34 German paratroopers tasked with clearing a suspected improvised explosive device on a road near Isa Khel was ambushed by at least 40 insurgents and Chechen militants affiliated with the "Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan".
The platoon's vanguard was on the brink of being overrun, its leader wounded and incapacitated. Another group of insurgents some 40 strong attacked a nearby outpost, preventing reinforcements from relieving the German platoon in Isa Khel. Their attacks triggered a complex multi-dimensional battle which lasted for over nine hours. The nature of the engagement, oftentimes fought at very close a distance, rendered close air support and artillery support impossible.
During the early stages of the engagement, Corporal Robert Hartert, a member of the surrounded vanguard, distinguished himself by acts of extreme courage. In a bid to defend his comrades who were seeking to evacuate their wounded leader, Hartert manned a machine gun. He provided fierce and effective covering fire over a prolonged period of time until his supply of ammunition was all but spent. This he did while exposed to the enemy's concerted and resourceful efforts to destroy him. Hartert showed no regard for his own safety. His tenacity awarded his comrades with an opportunity to retrieve their wounded leader. Following their success, Hartert was shot to death almost immediately.
Corporal Martin Augustyniak, Parachute Infantry Battalion 373, killed in action on April 2, 2010 in Isa Khel, Kunduz Province, Afghanistan (Cross of Honour for Conspicuous Gallantry)
On April 2, 2010 in Kunduz province's Taleban-controlled Char Dara district, a platoon of 34 German paratroopers tasked with clearing a suspected improvised explosive device on a road near Isa Khel was ambushed by at least 40 insurgents and Chechen militants affiliated with the "Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan".
The platoon's vanguard was on the brink of being overrun, its leader wounded and incapacitated. Another group of insurgents some 40 strong attacked a nearby outpost, preventing reinforcements from relieving the German platoon in Isa Khel. Their attacks triggered a complex multi-dimensional battle which lasted for over nine hours. The nature of the engagement, oftentimes fought at very close a distance, rendered close air support and artillery support impossible.
During the early stages of the engagement, Corporal Augustyniak, a member of the surrounded advance party, distinguished himself by exceptional acts of courage. He played a vital role in the evacuation of the wounded leader of the vanguard, unyielding in his efforts even after a bullet had graced his head. Augustyniak then proceeded to provide covering fire for the vanguard, which was in the process of being overrun, the enemy having come close enough to hurl explosives and insults at the Germans. Showing utter disregard for his own safety, Augustyniak knowingly exposed himself to the full brunt of the enemy attack.
Using his rifle, his rocket propelled grenade launcher and other arms at his disposal to devastating effect, Augustyniak continued to suppress the attacking insurgents despite having been wounded twice already. His heroism allowed a number of soldiers of his platoon to retreat to what seemed to be a more favourable position. Augustyniak then boarded an armoured personnel carrier, the weapon system of which had been destroyed, and continued to defend this vehicle with handheld weapons.
Unbeknownst to the platoon leader, the attacking force had already cut off his route of retreat. The vehicle which Augustyniak had so valiantly helped to protect was destroyed by enemy action. He died in the wreckage.
Corporal Maik Mutschke, Parachute Infantry Battalion 373 (Cross of Honour for Conspicuous Gallantry)
On April 2, 2010 in Kunduz province's Taleban-controlled Char Dara district, a platoon of 34 German paratroopers tasked with clearing a suspected improvised explosive device on a road near Isa Khel was ambushed by at least 40 insurgents and Chechen militants affiliated with the "Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan".
The platoon's vanguard was on the brink of being overrun, its leader wounded and incapacitated. Another group of insurgents some 40 strong attacked a nearby outpost, preventing reinforcements from relieving the German platoon in Isa Khel. Their attacks triggered a complex multi-dimensional battle which lasted for over nine hours. The nature of the engagement, oftentimes fought at very close a distance, rendered close air support and artillery support impossible.
During the initial stage of the engagement, Corporal Mutschke, a member of the surrounded advance party, distinguished himself by outstanding bravery. After his leader had been wounded and incapacitated, Mutschke took the initiative. In a bid to establish a line of communications between the vanguard and the rest of the platoon, he broke through the encirclement entirely on his own and covered some 300 meters of open ground, defying the enemy's constant and concerted efforts to kill him. After having quickly briefed his platoon leader, Mutschke returned by the very same route to rejoin the fight, during which he was gravely wounded. His valiant effort allowed the vanguard to be relieved and saved it from certain annihilation.
Sergeant First Class Ralf Rönckendorf, Parachute Infantry Battalion 373 (Cross of Honour for Conspicuous Gallantry)
On April 2, 2010 in Kunduz province's Taleban-controlled Char Dara district, a platoon of 34 German paratroopers tasked with clearing a suspected improvised explosive device on a road near Isa Khel was ambushed by at least 40 insurgents and Chechen militants affiliated with the "Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan".
The platoon's vanguard was on the brink of being overrun, its leader wounded and incapacitated. Another group of insurgents some 40 strong attacked a nearby outpost, preventing reinforcements from relieving the German platoon in Isa Khel. Their attacks triggered a complex multi-dimensional battle which lasted for over nine hours. The nature of the engagement, oftentimes fought at very close a distance, rendered close air support and artillery support impossible.
During the early stages of the engagement, Sergeant First Class Rönckendorf distinguished himself by acts of extreme courage. A combat medic, he fought valiantly to clear a path to the wounded vanguard's leader. Showing no regard for his own safety, Rönckendorf then administered first aid while completely exposed to hostile fire. He proceeded to lead his comrades' efforts to evacuate the wounded man. At this point during the engagement, the enemy destroyed the armorred personnel carrier Rönckendorf was in the process of approaching. Despite having lost his eyesight in the ensuing explosion, Sergeant First Class Rönckendorf kept his calm and aided in his very own evacuation to the absolute best of his abilities.
Sergeant First Class Philipp Oliver Pordzik, Parachute Infantry Battalion 313 (Cross of Honour for Conspicuous Gallantry)
On April 2, 2010 in Kunduz province's Taleban-controlled Char Dara district, a platoon of 34 German paratroopers tasked with clearing a suspected improvised explosive device on a road near Isa Khel was ambushed by at least 40 insurgents and Chechen militants affiliated with the "Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan".
The platoon's vanguard was on the brink of being overrun, its leader wounded and incapacitated. Another group of insurgents some 40 strong attacked a nearby outpost, preventing reinforcements from relieving the German platoon in Isa Khel. Their attacks triggered a complex multi-dimensional battle which lasted for over nine hours. The nature of the engagement, oftentimes fought at very close a distance, rendered close air support and artillery support impossible.
During the efforts to relieve the surrounded platoon, Sergeant First Class Pordzik distinguished himself by acts of outstanding courage. As leader of a platoon sent to the relief of Isa Khel, the valiant Pordzik led his soldiers in a vigorous and unyielding bid to break through the insurgents' encirclement. After what was described as the most fierce close-quarters combat German soldiers have participated in since the Second World War, Pordzik arrived where an armoured personnel carrier had previously been destroyed by the enemy. There he assumed the task to coordinate the defense of the perimeter, the replenishment of the defenders' dwindling supplies of ammunition and prepared the evacuation of an ever-growing number of casualties. In this capacity, Sergeant First Class Pordzik continuously exposed himself to unrelenting hostile fire. His calm and resourceful leadership was essential to the successful defense of the position and the preservation of morale.
Sergeant First Class Mario Kunert, Parachute Infantry Battalion 373
On April 2, 2010 in Kunduz province's Taleban-controlled Char Dara district, a platoon of 34 German paratroopers tasked with clearing a suspected improvised explosive device on a road near Isa Khel was ambushed by at least 40 insurgents and Chechen militants affiliated with the "Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan".
The platoon's vanguard was on the brink of being overrun, its leader wounded and incapacitated. Another group of insurgents some 40 strong attacked a nearby outpost, preventing reinforcements from relieving the German platoon in Isa Khel. Their attacks triggered a complex multi-dimensional battle which lasted for over nine hours. The nature of the engagement, oftentimes fought at very close a distance, rendered close air support and artillery support impossible.
Throughout the engagement, Sergeant First Class Kunert showed outstanding leadership and tremendous courage. After his platoon's vanguard had been surrounded early into the engagement and its leader incapacitated, Kunert spearheaded the relief effort. Together with four men, he mounted a fierce counter-attack and threw back the enemy closing in on the vanguard's position. His courage in battle and his rousing and vigorous leadership style allowed the greatly outnumbered vanguard to regroup, and rendered the evacuation of its wounded leader possible. Under Kunert's leadership, the platoon defended a militarily untenable position for a forbidding amount of time.
This thread is reserved for the
highest award for valour; it would be remiss of me not to add the following, though:
So fierce was this engagement not a single member of the surrounded platoon survived unscathed, and so fierce it was that
all the principal participants of the battle received awards for courage – most notably Germany's second-highest award for valour, the Gold Cross of Honour (Special Grade),
for outstandingly brave perfomance and soldierly conduct at the risk of one's life.
This award was given to:
- (posthumously) Sergeant First Class Nils Bruns, who was killed in action during Kunert's counter-attack
- Major Ulrike Hoedel, the company's mobile field surgeon and her assistant, Master Sergeant Thorsten Junker, who took part in the effort to relieve the surrounded platoon. After their arrival in Isa Khel, they stabilized the casualties while under constant fire and even performed basic surgery. After Sergeant First Class Pordzik and his soldiers had repelled the insurgents from a suitable landing zone, Hoedel and Junker covered an extensive swath of open ground no less than sixteen times to carry all the wounded to the landing zone.
- Lieutenant Pierre Schweger, a parachute infantry platoon leader, who showed great personal courage during the relief effort
- the crews of two US Army Blackhawks who, when it was implicitely left at their discretion whether or not they would attempt to land outside fiercely-disputed Isa Khel, defied the insurgents' attempts to deny them the use of the skies and proceeded to evacuate the German casualties to safety. Had it not be for them, the German ministry of defence said afterwards, a day that ended with three German deaths could've had easily ended with eleven. Those soldiers were: Captain Robert Mcdonough, Chief Warrant Officer 3 Steven Husted, Chief Warrant Officer 3 Jason Lacrosse, Chief Warrant Officer 3 Nelson Visaya, Chief Warrant Officer 2 Jason Brown, Chief Warrant Officer 2 Sean Johnson, Chief Warrant Officer 2 Eric Wells, Staff Sergeant Travis Brown, Sergeant William Ebel, Sergeant Antonio Gattis, Sergeant Steven Shumaker, Specialist Matthew Baker, Specialist Todd Marchese, and Specialist Gregory Martinez.
Last but not least, it must not go unmentioned that the Afghan Army also attempted to relieve their German colleagues. Sadly, an unfortunate chain of events (the Afghans arrived with an unmarked technical in the lead) culminated in a friendly fire incident. Six Afghan servicemembers were mistakenly killed by German soldiers.
N.B.: Unfortunately, the press releases I used in the translations above gave conflicting accounts of the exact timeline of events. If any German member or silent reader could provide corrections to the timeline, by all means hesitate not to come forward.