Berndt Lubich von Milovan

Berndt Lubich von Milovan  was a Hauptsturmführer (Captain) in the Waffen-SS during World War II who was awarded the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross, which was awarded to recognize extreme battlefield bravery or successful military leadership by Nazi Germany during World War II.

Berndt Lubich von Milovan was serving as the commander of the 1st Battery, 3rd SS Sturmgeschütz Battalion, SS Division Totenkopf when he was awarded the Knight's Cross in October 1943.

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Berndt Lubich Milovan comes from an old noble family. He was born on 7 Born December 1913 in Riga. His father was a brewer in Moscow, who moved the brewery after the Bolshevik October Revolution to Riga.

Berndt Lubich Milovan later went to school with the brilliant support of the U-boat commander Wolfgang Lüth and later Knight's Cross winner and U-boat commander Hans Dietrich von Tiesenhausens.

Later he studied in Reutlingen. In June 1940 he became a soldier in the Waffen-SS and came to a Junkerschule der Reserve course, and  then attended SS artillery training and was assigned to the replacement regiment. As an SS-Standartenoberjunker Berndt Lübich Milovan commanded an assault gun battery of the SS Division "Totenkopf" in November 1941 during the Russian campaign.0

In 1942, he was outside of the  Demyansk Pocket near Staraya Russa. In 1942, in Debica, the Assault Gun Battalion was prepared for the Division "Totenkopf", and he took over the leadership of the first battery.

On 5 September 1943 SS-Obersturmführer Berndt Lubich Milovan at Sslobodka with his assault gun, destroyed 11 enemy tanks. He prevented by a strong Soviet breakthrough in Kolontjew. 

Berndt Lubich Milovan had destroyed 31 enemy tanks from March to September 1943. Due this performance he was nominated for the Knight's Cross, which was awarded to him on 14. October 1943.

On 26 August 1944, Berndt Lubich Milovan was wounded, east of Warsaw, but returned attached to the Division.  On 9. October, 1944. he was awarded the German Cross in Gold. SS-Hauptsturmführer Berndt Lubich Milovan remained with the Division until 1945, and escaped becoming a prisoner of war and later lived abroad. 

Berndt Lubich Milovan died in January 2006 at the age of 92 in Norway.

Avots: http://www.2kompanie.org/berndt-lubich-von-milovan.html