The Americans And British Barely Managed To Escape Complete Destruction | Real WW2 Stories
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The night from November 29th to November 30th went by without further events but the next morning we were greeted by yet another artillery strike this time the shells struck significantly closer to our positions they had to have an observer in the area to direct the guns
I could not see any other explanation it was past time to do something about that I sent my Runners to the rear requesting our own artillery strike focused on the single house and in need support was granted not by artillery fire however instead several Luft wafa soldiers towing a 20mm anti-aircraft Cannon
Arrived at noon they set up on the small hill behind us and they began firing at the house with explosive and Tracer ammunition I also told one of my MGS to fire at will so we let loose a few bursts of fire towards the building the first salvos already struck the Target
And smoke emerging from the house indicated that it had started to burn the lvfa soldiers fired a few more salvos before withdrawing with their Cannon for a while I kept looking at the house through my binoculars but nothing seemed to happen well I may have been right because the afternoon went by
Calmly and there were no more artillery strikes it was only a day later that another artillery strike forced us deep into our fox holes this was the fourth time and it was more intense than the ones before all almost like a miracle none of my soldiers had been wounded by all these
British shells and especially in Woodlands artillery could be terribly effective where shells with impact fuses could hit a tree and thus detonate above ground we had been lucky however even though this last attack showered us not only in leaves and branches but also chunks of Earth and rocks it was just a
Matter of time until the British shells would strike home that we all knew the night before December 1st was also quiet and the morning greeted us with another British artillery strike these recurring attacks slowly wore my men down and I enjoyed the thought that we would leave our positions the following morning even
Though the reason for that was our assault still better to make a move than having to Bear one artillery strike after the other around noon the paratroopers arrived and we went through the mission details together tomorrow morning December 2nd 1942 at 07 hours I was to assault the British
Positions on the other side of the ridge after a preliminary bombardment the paratroopers of battle Group K wanted to execute the decisive Advance on elbon further south once the paratroopers had departed in the evening I gave some final orders I went through all the details again trying to convey trust and
Conviction finally everyone returned to their positions and it was time to wait for Dawn this would be my first real assault and I was responsible for a whole platoon to boot my head was full of thoughts about this and that going through all our options time and again
What if our artillery did not fire what if enemy defensive fire caused heavy casualties and we were halted right in front of their positions pinned down without any way around so many questions that I could not answer I lay in my Foxhole in the fading heat of the day
Contemplating the coming attack and what it might spell for us in the early morning hours when I had just caught a little sleep a shot suddenly whipped through the night I startled up immediately and the men of my platoon command Squad who had their fox holes
Right next to mine were Wide Awake as well just like me they had been barely able to sleep I sent out the runners to check all our positions and find out what had happened after a a short time I knew it disaster had Struck One Rifleman of third Squad 30-year-old gorg seagull
Had ventured too far away from his Foxhole and on his return was shot by one of his comrades I rushed to the squad there he lay a bullet hole in his chest already dead his squad’s Commander Sergeant Hegel was distraught and wanted to find out how it could have happened
Still in shock The Rifleman who had fired tried to EXP explain how he had seen a figure approach his Foxhole from the front thinking it was part of a British reconnaissance Patrol what Rifleman seagull was doing in front of our line we did not know perhaps he had
Wanted to relieve himself and got lost I asked the shooter to calm down it was not his fault it had simply happened I ordered Sergeant Hegel to calm the men down adjuring him to not let any unrest emerge shortly before our attack the Dead man was to be put behind our line
And we would retrieve his body after the assault Hegel nodded and I rushed back inside I was a gast why did this have to happen just now was this a dire Port tent shortly before 06 hours I ordered the alarm and we began our Advance through the Grove along the whole line I
Wanted to take up a favorable starting position before waiting for our artillery strike everything went smoothly we secured a position in a shallow ditch undetected quietly we hunkered in the undergrowth I was sure everyone knew what had happened shortly before even though nobody let it show now the attack
Was occupying their minds the mg42 near the railroad embankment was to cover our first advance I wanted to move along the embankment and the rows of trees as projected by our plan tensely we lay between the tree row covering all directions I took a look at my watch
645 so it won’t be long I thought all of a sudden I heard an unmistakable sound a faint Clank of tracks and vibrations in the ground heralded the approach of war machines the engine noise came from behind us our panzers were on the advance the humming of engines and
Metallic Clank of tracks in their bogey Wheels grew louder and louder until suddenly the first tank appeared on the railroad in bment a German Panzer the th as I expertly recognized behind it another but what kind of monstrosity was among them it had to be a tiger it was almost twice
The size of a Panzer the th and its wide tracks lumbered Along on both sides of the railroad track in the lead vehicle I could spot a crew member with headphones sticking out of the turret hatch I moved a bit out of the protective undergrowth and held my mp 40 up high
With a jolt the Panzer came to a halt and the tank commander raised his hand as well the Panzer directly behind him kept going for a bit while the tiger came down from the embankment closing up to the leading vehicle it now stood in a shallow ditch that offered some cover
Its engine chugging along its fearsome 88mm gun menacingly pointed in our Direction I could feel my adrenaline level rising looking at my men’s faces I recognized guarded Joy stemming from The Unexpected arrival of these tanks again I looked at my watch just before 7:00 now all that was left was for our
Artillery to keep its promise and fire in time and indeed muffled bang sounded and just like that shells whizzed over our heads a mushroom cloud Rose from the hillside before us and then another right next to it but I immediately realized they were firing too short shell upon shell now detonated ahead of
Us on the hill not on the ridge or shortly behind it however where the British had their positions I counted 12 impacts then the show stopped so that was all the ammunition they had in stock for us behind us the engines roared up and I gave the sign to attack I gripped
My submachine gun and we swarmed The Grove in a line formation staying close to the ground we took the first 20 yards 60 yards to our left one of the panser the THS ground along the railroad on top of the embankment I was animating the men and we had almost reached the ridge
When all of a sudden Hell broke loose a machine gun rattled directly ahead projectiles whizzed past us and bangs of small arms fire filled the air next to me one of my men slumped down in front of me another was carried off his feet enemy bullets tore through our ranks and
We dropped prone gasping for air I looked at the panzers the leading Panzer the three jolted to a halt its hatches swung open and its crew dropped out onto the ground an anti-tank hit crossed my mind the second Panzer the 30 now started firing while the tiger was still
Standing in its ditch all of that happened in mere seconds impacts around me brutally put me back into my own situation enemy fire intensified we were almost on top of the the ridge our enemies behind it crossing the ridge seemed impossible to me their fire was
Too intense I yelled at my men around me pointing towards the embankment we had to reach it and take cover there two of my MGS opened fire and we threw ourselves towards the embankment while I was running I was looking around we were around 25 men left which meant that I
Had lost around 10 men already one or two more leaps later we reached the embank I felt the hot whizzing of projectiles flying past us with a shriek one of my soldiers a runner fell to the ground we ran past the firing Panzer the th’s rear
And lied down on the other side the runner had made it as well blood squirted out of his upper leg and he hunched with pain sweat poured over my face and into my eyes I panted the bang of the nearby tank gun hurt in my ears
Sergeant rup laid down next to me me how many are left I yelled almost 20 was his response forward here along the embankment the tank will support us I screamed and ran along the slope the soldiers followed some of them overtaking me on the assault again the fire intensified and we
Dropped on the slope after around 110 yards to our left I discovered a house Figures were emerging from it hands up Englishmen I gestured towards the rear without giving us any further attention they ran back directly ahead I saw a culvert in the embankment perhaps a dried out irrigation canal between the
River and the eucalyptus and Olive Grove something was moving in the Culvert it seemed to be a wounded Englishman apparently we were now on a level with the British positions on the far Hillside I sent one of my men to capture him carefully the former approached him a upon which the Englishman suddenly
Drew his carbine and shot him in the belly the bullet went out of his back and my Soldier dropped to the side I yelled at the next man hand grenade he understood he pulled the pin and threw it into the Culvert with a dull bang it
Exploded I raised my mp 40 to get the men’s attention but all of a sudden stinging pain flashed through my lower right arm the MP 40 dropped to the ground and I gazed at my my arm I was shocked to see blood dripping out of my sleeve apparently I had been shot
Through my lower arm a shell detonated close by shrapnel whizzed above our heads it seemed that we were being targeted by cannon fire perhaps the anti-tank guns that had taken out our Panzer we hunkered into the slope suddenly it was as if the embankment was
Torn apart to my left I was sprayed with rocks and chunks of dirt almost the same instant Sergeant rot bumped into me burying me under him almost stunned I pushed him away with my left and lost my breath a shell had struck right next to us Sergeant rup bore the brunt of the
Shrapnel and his body had protected mine what had landed on me were his mutilated remains his right side was unrecognizable everywhere blood streamed out of his torn up body we had to move away if we wanted to survive I looked looked around we were no more than 10 to
12 men with my left hand I drew my pistol looked to my left and right and yelled assault forward I dragged myself up and together with what was left of my platoon I Advanced over the railroad embankment towards the British positions ahead with one Leap we left the embankment behind the first British
Foxholes appeared ahead inside them British soldiers unmistakable thanks to the flat steel helmets on their heads were pointing their weapons at us bayonets fixed I screamed in English hands up come on hands up and ran towards them my pistol drawn up to them the first Englishman dropped their guns
And raised their arms I slowed down out of the corner of my eye I saw how right next to me in front of one of my men an Englishman yanked up his hands and my man shot him with his carbine realizing his mistake my Soldier immediately lowered his rifle suddenly I saw
Movement less than three yards away an Englishman drew a bead on me with his bayonetted rifle I raised my pistol and in the same moment I felt an impact in my lower body I could see The Recoil pushing the englishman’s shoulder back tumbling forward I shot at him multiple
Times the bullets hit his body and he collapsed burying his rifle under him I fell on him I had been hit again that I could feel but I was not in pain I rolled to the side and dragged myself to sit up my pistol it turned out was
Emptied the rest of my platoon assembled around me I saw only a few soldiers where are my other men I thought where is my platoon things went quiet the shooting had ended we had almost wiped each other out 2third of my platoon were either dead or wounded with myself being being
Severely wounded by shots through my lower arm and hip this had been the price of this assault my medic private Hartman who had made it unharmed in whatever way leaned towards me I wanted to stand up but he gently pushed me to the ground he gestured towards two Englishmen and
Together they picked me up and supported me I ordered my men to bring the captured tomies to the rear and secure our new positions then I commenced the March back with Hartman the light ly wounded and our prisoners we arrived at our staging area there a vehicle a customized opal P4 was
Ready to transport the wounded I was not yet ready to leave however I indicated to one of the British that I wanted my coat picked up which I had left behind before the assault I took off my steel helmet and dawned my uniform cap then I
Took my camera out of the coat showed the Englishman how to use it and asked him to take a picture picture of us the man gave me a puzzled look at first but then bunched us together and took the picture the resulting photograph shows a group of people who just minutes ago had
Wanted to kill each other and were now standing in togetherness after taking the picture I was loaded into the opal P4 and together with two other wounded from my platoon as well as my two tomies we went to the medic station now in the car the adrenaline subsided and the pain darted
My trousers and my sleeve were full of blood in the arm it seemed that no bones had been hit but my hip was hurting immensely with my lips pressed against each other I made it through the ride my two British prisoners looked at me compassionately without hatred the
British soldiers asked me whether they would now become German prisoners of War I said no since in Africa Allied prisoners of War were principally handled by the Italians they looked saddened and asked if we could maybe make an exception for them despite the pain this request made me smirk again I
Declined and told them that in Africa there was only Italian imprisonment the car rumbled along and the pain made my forehead sweaty the pain became unbearable in the Tunis hospital I was treated professionally the arm wound was a clean penetration between the alna and radius things were worse with my hip wound
The bullet had entered my groin and exited on the other side the wound was sanitized and I got a cast to remain absolutely still the pain did not subside however after a few days the wound began festering the doctors realized that there was little to do about it here in Africa consequently I
Was to be brought back to Europe I was also told that our offensive had been successful with all objectives reached by December 3rd the Americans and British only barely managed to escape complete destruction on the battlefield they left 134 destroyed tanks most of them from the regiments of the American
First Armored Division when my belongings were packed I was directly handed my German Italian dictionary and paybook I quickly saw why both had been in my trousers back pocket and now they both had a small hole the bullet that had penetrated my hip had also passed
Through both book on its way out it was not only those that had been damaged however but also the photograph of my beloved Helena which I had put inside the paybook had a bullet hole on December 7th 1942 I was brought to Tunis Airfield other wounded were put next to
Me until the plane was eventually full the doors were shut and before I knew it the aircraft took off the pain in my hip was still enormous and I could barely move with that cast Africa had not kept me for long this time just a few days and I was already
On my way back home a new assignment my flight with Auntie Jew carried me from Tunis to katania Sicily the medical personnel carrying me out of the plane and into an ambulance tried to handle me as gently as possible some degree of bumping and shaking was unavoidable
However and I had to bite my lips to not moan once I was lying next to other fellow wounded strapped down in the ambulance the doors were closed and we were driven to the verand lazarette wounded Hospital in pmo there I was not kept for long after
A thorough examination by the doctors it was decided to transfer me to Germany after more than a week on the train we finally arrived at tutl and Reserve Hospital on December 17th 1942 I was completely exhausted the constant pain had taken a toll on me and all I wanted was one thing relief
Everything else I did not care about luckily the doctors at tuttlingen seemed to employ an effective therapy just 3 days after my arrival and after taking appropriate medication I was feeling significantly better for the first time in a long while I fell into a deep dreamless sleep out of which I awakened somewhat
Recuperated the doctors told me that the infection was starting to heal and that my leg was saved they did not know yet however if I would regain full Mobility that was up to the progress of the coming weeks with these worries in the back of my head I observed Christmas of
1942 I was cheered up by mail from home I had as soon as possible sent a short telegram to my parents carefully telling them that I had returned to Europe battered but still alive they wished me all the best for my recovery and pleaded for me to write right back soon my dear
Helena too sent me a letter full of heartfelt wishes these messages from my loved ones at home gave me strength and made me look forward in defiance of the pain Christmas celebrations were prepared and held by the hospital staff with quite some enthusiasm many patients were not in the
Mood to celebrate because of their injuries and our caregivers were very well aware of this they went out of their way to pull us out of our lethargy after the cast was taken off I began restoring my old Mobility this was not so easy however but I kept a stiff
Upper lip with deliberate movements like bicycle exercises for example things were improving slowly but steadily as soon as I was able to walk again I forced myself on ever farther excursions without concern I went as far as I could and only then turned back upon seeing this doggedness doctors and nurses just
Shook their heads but as as long as I was not harming myself they refrained from gently forcing me back into my accursed sick bed in mid-February 1943 I had recovered to the point where I could be dismissed from the hospital and could finally go on my long desired
Cure leave before I was released however there was another surprise all of a sudden a delegation appeared at my bed and with some dramatic rhetoric I was awarded the verw and abin in Schwarz wound badge in black as well as the Iron Cross second class ek2 the black wound badge was the lowest
Tier indicating that I had been wounded once or twice in combat the ek2 was awarded to me in the name of the furer and supreme commander of the Vermont for my efforts during the assault on the British positions in Tunisia thus I became one of the roughly 2.3 million
German soldiers who would receive this order during the War I was very proud of receiving these awards at the time from that day on everyone could clearly see that I had been to the front and earned my merits in combat so I diligently attached them to my uniform jacket
Shortly thereafter I made my farewells to the hospital staff I was full of Hope and the train ride seemed to last for an eternity thanks to all the anticipation I had for seeing my loved ones the Bavarian landscape passed by we crossed Saltsburg in Vienna and then the moment
Finally came I arrived at my beloved hometown of for time able to embrace my family again but all of that was still nothing compared to the moment I was finally holding Helena in my arms after a few days I also had the chance to meet my older brother Otto again I had not
Seen him for a long time as well he had been drafted before me and just like me he had seen quite a lot at the time he was serving in Panzer regiment 4 of the 13th Panzer Division as commander of a Panzer wine V tank he had lived through
Several dangerous encounters on multiple occasions he had been barely able to cheat death in January of 1943 his Panzer Division under the command of army group a had stood at the Caucasus so he had close experience of events at the vulga up to that day my brother Otto had made it through the
Ranks of the Vermont rising from a humble Rifleman to Corporal in honor of his accomplishments he had also been awarded the ek2 and for his combat service in Russia in the winter before he had received the winter schocked IM Austin 1, 1941-42 winter battle in the East 1,
19442 medal which was jokingly called the frozen meat medal when when I told him about the new tiger tanks I had seen in Africa he listened with deep interest although neither of us could have known that only months later he would command one of these behemoths himself in September of
1943 the Panzer regiment that Otto served in was converted into a heavy tank Detachment called sha pancer up tyong 507 and equipped with fresh tiger tanks this unit was then deployed at the hot spots of the Eastern front and Otto would stay with it until the end of the
War my brother and I did not want to spend all of our short leave talking about the war so we found much joy in the fact that we could Embrace each other and that we were both well not to mention our parents who could hardly believe their luck when after several
Years of war both of their sons were back under their roof not just merely alive but even in good health I could also see however that my mother mother already dreaded the moment we had to leave her again because of this Otto and I did our best to hearten our parents
Spending more time with them than we had in a long while we all knew that it could be the last opportunity in a long time during my cure leave I worked primarily on regaining my old Mobility I did a lot of gymnastics but also broke out my skis and immediately attacked
Towards the schwartzal and schneberg mountains on my first downhill run at the schwarzwald The Unwanted jerky movements during turns made me clench my teeth in pain but I did not slacken off turning even harder the bullet wound in my lower right arm had completely healed although I probably had suffered some
Nerve damage certain parts of the arm became irritated upon touching them luckily I am left-handed so this was not much of a detriment slowly but steadily things were back in order again everything else was was done by my mother’s cooking which my body happily accepted I could feel my old strength
Returning after a short month however this wonderful time in forzheim came to an end and in mid-march of 1943 I was to returned to my Barracks at landow upon arrival I was immediately posted on basic training Duty now that I was a leader and drill instructor myself
I wanted to pass on what I had learned I designed my training to be demanding but I did not employ any of the often pointless chicken which I had seen during my own basic training I had sworn to myself back then that if I ever came
To such a position I would delete such pointless lessons without substitution when I looked into the eyes of my recruits I knew that they were secretly thankful feedback like that did not require many words on May 13th 1943 we at landow received more bad news over the radio
German and Italian forces in North Africa had surrendered after Stalingrad this was the Second Great defeat of the German Reich the term second Stalingrad soon made the rounds Hitler had rejected shipping German and Italian troops back to Sicily until the very end a pointless show of stubbornness up to 250,000
Soldiers were marching into Allied prisoners of War camps with pity rhetoric the verm report informed about the demise of army group Africa during that time I was assigned to a newly formed Panzer Division in France on the quiet I had already heard of plans to establish such a unit rumor had it that
One of the Panzer divisions destroyed in Africa was to be rebuilt when I received the order and skimmed through the lines of text I felt a burning ambition to get back to the front my thoughts were occupied by the war again I was actually happy happy about this news a short
While before I had been certified fit for active service from which point on I was fired up for returning to a combat unit sedate life at landow was not exciting enough for me any doubts that had silently emerged after the surrenders at Stalingrad and in Africa any peaceful thoughts I had had during
The time with my loved ones all of that was swept away it was at the front that we were needed not here at landow it was especially Among Us officers that we had encouraged each other with propaganda coming through news reels and newspapers doing the rest now more than
Ever we thought such being the case the days at landow soon came to an end in early June 1943 I boarded the train to Versailles near Paris France someone was already waiting there when I arrived a sergeant who reported to me and we walked up to a parked kubal vagen car in
Which we went to my new unit’s base I was then utterly amazed when I realized that we were heading straight towards the famous Palace of Versailles and its spacious Palace Gardens which the famous Sun King Louis the 14th had created in the 17th century our division was to be
Formed there something I could not have expected once arrived at the Versailles command post of Schnell division West the future 21st Panzer Division I was welcomed by my new Battalion Commander Major zipper after some hearty greetings he informed me that I was to be assigned commander of a tank destroyer platoon in
His Battalion one company of his unit was being built up as a heavy company equipped with anti-tank guns mounted on customized French armored chassis major zipper welcomed me as an old African and wished me all the best for the coming months before finally dismissing me with a firm handshake
Being in good spirits I went ahead to my new unit which was housed in a Barracks formerly used by the French Foreign Legion not far from Castle Versailles there at the barracks I was welcomed by my new company Commander first lieutenant Bratz he too gave me a warm
Welcome before briefing me on the location in my new platoon I quickly assess that this ongoing buildup of the 21st Panzer Division was something special due to the present General shortage of material as well as ever increasing demand for new combat units the rebuilding of the 21st Panzer Division went differently
From what had been the norm for example Bratz explained to me that it had been explicitly ordered that required gear and vehicles are to be requisitioned exclusively from French captured Goods or through provision by the commanderin-chief West after the defeat of France in 1940 the German Army had established huge
Collection points for captured weapons across the country this equipment was now to be used Captain Alfred Becker a World War I veteran and the future commander of 21st ponzer division’s newly formed Sturm gits up tailing 200 200th assault gun Detachment was tasked with retrofitting captured French vehicles to accept and be equipped with
German guns he founded bwab Becker bwab meaning construction cop and with a lot of improvisation began fulfilling his mission he knew how to realize the potential of this war material to its greatest effect eventually almost 450 armored vehicles and motor tractors had been converted to tank destroyers self-propelled artillery
And other kinds of combat Vehicles by June 1944 these vehicles had become the backbone of our 21st Panzer Division our heavy company consisted of an anti-tank platoon an anti-aircraft platoon and a grenade launcher platoon each of these units was equipped with three converted French self-propelled guns my anti-tank platoon had three
Half-tracked vehicles with an anti-tank gun on top converted from French somua MCG artillery tractors each of them now bore a German 75 mm pack 40 anti-tank gun back in 1942 I had been trained on a similar vehicle an sdkfz seven at the Panzer forces Academy in essence it was an anti-tank gun with
Additional Mobility bestowed upon it as such the vehicle was extremely well suited for attacking enemy armored groups from the flank but not for an offensive role it was also unsuitable for urban combat since the fighting compartment had no roof making it vulnerable to hand grenades thrown from above so getting cover from accompanying
Infantry was a necessity a vehicle’s crew comprised five men driver assistant driver Gunner loader and Commander in addition to the three half tracks I also had a medium-size Rena truck available as an ammunition carrier whose crew of one NCO and three Riflemen could also serve as emergency infantry protection for myself
There was a type 82 kubal vagen with a driver messenger and a another messenger with this car I could deliver orders myself or establish Communications for the most time however I was riding along On One of the gun carriers in total my platoon had a strength of 22 soldiers of different
Ranks some of the men in my platoon were experienced soldiers who had seen a couple of battles some had fought in Africa just like me once they learned that I had served in Africa twice they happily accepted me without any Prejudice to my great joy I soon found
That I had gotten a glorious bunch of fellows to lead immediately I started to better get to know my soldiers and pushed on with training the vehicle Crews most of our training time was dedicated to handling and operating the half track’s 75 mm guns taking up positions calling and allocating targets
As well as shifting to a new position especially the ladder had to be done as quickly as possible if one wanted to survive the first salvos on the battlefield consequently I let the crews take up a position time and again until they could go through the procedure in
Their sleep unfortunately it turned out that my three self-prepared self-propelled guns had no radio equipment whatsoever so I gave commands over short distances exclusively via hand signs if I wanted to give a lengthy order or introduce one of my guns to an unusual firing position however I had to
Either take my Kubo vagen from one gun to the next or should we already be in position go there on foot this kept me on the run a lot and more than a few of my men probably had to smirk when they saw me Dart from one gun to the next
Over and over the following weeks of training at Versailles quickly flew by and on July 7th 1943 we were assembled and told that our formation was now officially called 21st Panzer Division from that point on me and my men belong to eth company second Battalion Panzer Grenadier regiment 192 my Battalion
Commander Major zipper now had a total of seven companies three Panzer Grenadier armored infantry companies one heavy company one infantry Gun Company one Rin metal 12.8 CM Flack 40 anti-aircraft company and one Supply Company considering able fighting Power assigned commander of our regiment was Lieutenant Colonel yoseph R while
Command of 21st paner division as a whole went to Brigadier General Edgar finger on August 1st 1943 he had already LED schnella division West at the rank of Colonel before its conversion to an Armored Division now this man was to command 21st Panzer Division and over the coming
Months it would turn out that his ways of employing the formation were not accepted without controversy finger was not a tank head but originally an artillery man who became a known figure in the 1930s for organizing the Reich party rallies at Newberg on these occasions he had gotten
Acquainted with Adolf Hitler and many suspected that his connections to the fur were the sole reason for him being assigned commander of 21st paner division along with other company officers I was housed in in private quarters directly next to Castle Versailles thanks to that I soon came into contact with French locals towards
Us they were quite reserved but not unfriendly it seemed as if they had come to terms with us occupants our food was bought on local markets with the French Farmers and Merchants probably being somewhat grateful for getting to make more business after all our presence came with greatly increased demand for
Food stuffs there was no semblance of supply shortages at the time in mid August of 1943 our regiment was redeployed to the ren Laval area in Britany here there was a large training area where the cooperation of the regiment’s individual units was to be refined my platoon and I
Were quartered in a small tranquil Breton Village while my men were housed in two buildings I enjoyed the privilege of having a room at the local Catholic priest’s home the priest as I would soon discover C had a very National attitude and repeatedly tried to engage me in conversation about the war’s proceedings
He was always very kind and quite obliging towards me in general by initially talking about religion he wanted to earn my trust for instance he inquired whether I knew the sectarian composition of my soldiers and whether I had consideration for that I answered that this was taken for granted as long
As it did not interfere with military considerations it would soon turn out that his curiosity was of a different nature when he discovered my Africa cuff title and I told him that I had served in Libya Egypt and Tunisia he became increasingly pressing he now also directly mentioned our 21st Panzer
Division to his regret however I did not respond to that which increasingly irritated him I soon found out that he was secretly searching my room rumaging through my private belongings and documents when I left them in the morning they were in a slightly different place when I returned in the evening since I
Nevertheless took to him I refrained from reporting this behavior on the contrary I was attentive in not saying anything negative about France in his presence he had a great interest in our activities and intentions during a meeting with first lieutenant Bratz and several locals we conferred about our future quartering on
That occasion we found the priest with an index finger raised talking to the villagers about us Hitler officers I had to smile after all I knew that this opinion came to be through his daily political discussions with me we were anxious to not alienate the local population consequently a lack of
Discipline toward civilians by our men was not tolerated one evening a local girl was halted by some of our soldiers and prevented from leaving after the mayor filed a complaint to company command the soldiers in question were admonished by first lieutenant Bratz with apologies offered to the mayor the girl and her
Family then a warning in light of other events was issued to the regiment two soldiers from a neighboring unit had been found in one of the Region’s numerous Forest ponds their lifeless bodies drifting in the water it was determined that they had been shot while bathing apparently an act of the
Resistance this left me much more cautious especially around the priest one man of my platoon hailed from Alis And Thus Spoke perfect French he would often serve as our translator he was a quiet type and known loner when he talked he mostly spoke about his brother
Who served on the Eastern front and whom he had not heard from for a long time the French had quickly found out about his background and he was presumably contacted by resistance members one morning eventually he could not be found even after a long search he had apparently deserted now it became clear
To me why he had been so quiet perhaps he had struggled to find a way out of his situation eventually deciding against us you never knew what was actually going on and what could happen after almost a month in the ren area I was shocked to find my legs making more
And more trouble I was not in pain but it started with a feeling of numbness in both feet that spread upward eventually it became so bad that during field exercises I needed help getting up into the gun compartments stubborn as I was I did not want to admit that
Something was wrong then during one of these exercises our Battalion physician watched me getting helped while climbing up one of the gun Vehicles he asked me about my condition and I told him about my hip wound The Physician insisted on examining me finding that I had no more reflexes in my legs
He immediately took me off duty I was transferred to saran’s Military Hospital near Paris where the doctors at first could not find any cause for my apparent paralysis my condition got worse by the day until I was finally unable to move my legs at all I lay in bed utterly
Desperate the doctor suspected that my gunshot wound and the severe infection that followed had led to some sort of nerve poles they explained to me that recovery could take a long time and that there was some uncertainty about how and if I would recover at all in late September
1943 it was decided that I would leave the Paris Hospital heading for Germany an ambulance train took me to Trier a town at the mosul river near the border with luxemborg apparently there were some nerve paralysis Specialists nevertheless in my case they were at first quite puzzled after a short while
I was treated with light electric shocks which indeed made me very slowly regain control of my legs encouraged by that I commenced exercising my Mobility again it was extremely arduous however because I had to learn to walk like a small child just like after my wounding in Tunisia I doggedly worked on getting
Back on My Feet Again time passed by and I spent another Christmas and another New Year’s Eve in the hospital just like the year before in too long here and now in 1943 to 44 in Trier people went out of their way to make us patients holidays as livable as
Possible by April 1944 I had come to the point where I could walk normally without a stick during my recovery I had followed German newsreel reports with interest and come to realize that since the previous summer at least we had been on the defensive everywhere in September
1943 the Allies had success y landed on the Italian Mainland the Italians had deposed their Duce Bonito musolini and abandoned the axis our forces had occupied Rome and my former Italian brothers in arms entered captivity in the thousands in the winter of 1943 to 44 Fierce fighting erupted around Monte
Casino and in January the Allies landed at anzio and Nuno south of Rome establishing Beach heads that were furiously attacked by our troops on the Eastern Front things were in no way better in early April 1944 Russian forces invaded Romania marking the first time in three years
That they left Russian soil as a consequence 34 verok divisions were sent from Germany to the front in an attempt to stop the Soviet armies a feudal Endeavor as it would soon turn out German troops were on the retreat Westward in the Reich itself the German Army Armament industry as well as the
Civilian populace were under increasing pressure American bomber formations were flying Precision attacks on Military factories by day while the British royal Air Force engulfed German cities in firestorms By Night on August 13th 1943 even Vienna my former school town was attacked by American bombers for the
First time more raage on the town and its industrial facilities followed until the end of the year in March of 1944 American bombers first reached Vienna and dropped their deadly cargo there at the end of my recovery I could look forward to a short home leave I seized that opportunity to finally do
What I had been planning for months asking Helena to marry me the fact that she said yes made me the happiest man on Earth