HPTFW PORDZIK: ONE OF THE FIRST TO REACH THE GOOD FRIDAY BATTLE

HptFw Philipp Oliver Pordzik was a German platoon leader and among the first troops to arrive and relieve the encircled comrades during the heavy fighting of the Good Friday Battle.

The paratrooper showed exceptional courage there. With his own vehicles already under heavy, aimed enemy fire, he dismounted with his men and pushed again and again to break through the ring of insurgents. HptFw Pordzik led from the front throughout and repeatedly exposed himself to insurgent fire.

Together with his platoon he reached the spot where the Dingo of Golf platoon had been hit by an IED earlier and made contact with the trapped force. There he coordinated the further defense of the area, redistributed ammunition, and prepared the evacuation of the growing number of wounded.
Pordzik’s calm and resourceful leadership was essential to the successful defense of the position, and by “leading by example” he kept his own men’s morale intact. His actions contributed decisively to saving the German wounded.

For these actions, HptFw Philipp Oliver Pordzik received the Cross of Honour of the Bundeswehr for Bravery (Ehrenkreuz der Bundeswehr für Tapferkeit) on November 29, 2010.