"On the 01.01.1943 Bäke and his men conducted a round of bitter urban
combat in Nowo Marjewka against 2 Soviet battalions and about 30 tanks.
27 of these were destroyed in the resultant fighting, and after this
Bäke launched a counterattack on his own initiative. The result of this
latter move was the destruction of a Soviet armored wedge that had
advanced between Nowo Marjewka and the II./Panzergrenadier-Regiment 114
(Werchne Obliwiski). Another 32 tanks (including 20 T-34s) were
destroyed, and with this the latest attempt by the Soviet 25th Tank Corps to break through to the railway line west of Morosowskaja was
prevented." from his Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross citation, awarded on 11 January 1943.
"On the 11.07.1943 the reinforced Panzer-Regiment 11 reached the village
of Kasatschja, which was located northeast of Belgorod at a point 12 km
beyond the Donez river. Bäke persuaded his regimental commander to go
against the divisional order by capturing the village of Rschawez by
night and creating a bridgehead over the Sswernyi Donez. During the
following night Bäke’s Vorausabteilung (II./Panzer-Regiment 11 and the
II.(SPW)/Panzergrenadier-Regiment 114) thrust past enemy anti-tank gun
positions before finding itself side by side with a column of 20 T-34s. Then 6 T-34s began to surround Bäke’s command Panzer, which was only
armed with a wooden gun as camouflage. Bäke and his Ordonnanzoffizier,
Leutnant Zobel, left the command Panzer and eliminated 4 T-34s with
magnetic anti-tank grenades. The charges placed by the Major on the 5th
and 6th tanks did not explode. Bäke clambered onto an approaching Panzer
sent to support them and directed it to destroy both of these enemy
tanks. The partially destroyed bridge near Rschawez was taken." from his Knight's Cross to the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves citation, awarded on 1 August 1943.
"Awarded for the special operation that his specially prepared schwere
Panzer-Regiment Bäke (consisting of the Stab Panzer-Regiment 11, 34
Tigers of the schwere Panzer-Abteilung 503 and 47 Panthers of the
II./Panzer-Regiment 23) conducted in the time period 23.01.-01.02.1944.
During this armored raid Bäke launched a thrust via Shaskow in order to
reduce pressure on the III. Panzer-Korps. In the process 268 Soviet
tanks and assault guns as well as 156 guns were destroyed." from his Knight's Cross to the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves and Swords citation, awarded on 21 February 1944.
A truly deadly enemy elite!
Brian
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