Brill Karl-Friedrich
Dr.-Ing. Karl-Friedrich Wilhelm Anton August Brill (18 July 1898 – 22 October 1943) was a Fregattenkapitän of the Reserves with the Kriegsmarine during World War II and member of the Marinebrigade Ehrhardt in the aftermaths of World War I.
He is also a posthumous recipient of the coveted Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves (German: Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes mit Eichenlaub). The Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross and its higher grade Oak Leaves was awarded to recognise extreme battlefield bravery or successful military leadership.
Brill was killed in action when the Minenschiff "Juminda" was sunk on 22 October 1943 west of Porto Santo Stefano by three American torpedo boats from the 15th Squadron MTB coming from the base of La Maddalena. PT 212, PT 206, PT 216 launched several torpedoes but only the PT 212 scored 2 hits at the stern of the vessel. More than 60 German sailors were killed in this enagegement, while only sixteen of them were saved.
The body of Karl-Friedrich Brill was found in the sea two days later and buried with military honors on 27 October 1943 at the cemetery of Orbetello and then transferred to the German cemetery at Pomezia. Brill was also SA-Sturmbannführer zur Verwendung (for disposition) of the SA-Standarte 17, Ludwigshafen (Group Kurpfalz). He was promoted to SA-Standartenführer in conjunction with the Knight's Cross presentation.
Décorations
- Iron Cross (1914) 2nd Class (19 October 1917)
- Clasp to the Iron Cross 2nd Class (9 March 1940)
- Iron Cross (1939) 1st Class (27 April 1940)
- German Cross in Gold (20 November 1941)
- Finnish Order of the Cross of Liberty 2nd Class (1 November 1941)
- Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves
- Knight's Cross on 27 December 1941 as Korvettenkapitän and commander of Minenschiff "Cobra" and leader of Minenschiff group
- 330th Oak Leaves on 18 November 1943 (posthumous) as Fregattenkapitän and commander of Minenschiff "Juminda"
- Kriegsabzeichen für Minensuch-, U-Boot-Jagd- und Sicherungsverbände (5 November 1940)
- with Diamonds on 18 May 1944 (posthumous)