The
Combat History of the
10th SS Panzer Division "Frundsberg"
Chapter 1
Organization
and Training
1943-1944
On 19 December 1942, Adolf
Hitler directed the organization of two new SS divisions, the 9th and 10th
SS Panzer Grenadier Divisions, to form a new reserve for Panzergruppe West
in the area of Oberbefehlshaber (OB) West. The directive provided a replacement
for the SS Panzer Corps, consisting of the Waffen-SS divisions "Leibstandarte,"
"Das Reich" and "Totenkopf," scheduled to depart to the east in February 1943.
The Oberkommando der Wehrmacht or OKW (Chief of the Armed Forces) ordered
the expansion of the Waffen-SS that brought an end to volunteer recruitment
in the Waffen-SS. Nevertheless, recruitment to the Waffen-SS was already in
full swing by the spring of 1942 from service eligible men. On 5 January 1943,
OKW ordered that replacements for the new divisions be allocated no later
than 1 February. OKW estimated raising 27,000 men from the birth-year 1925
in the Reichsarbeitsdienst or "RAD" (compulsory labor service), 10,000 men
from Aktion Rü 43 Tausch (Operation Armament 43 Exchange), and 5,000 Volksdeutsche
(ethnic Germans living outside Germany). In the event the latter 15,000 men
could not be raised, OKW advocated extracting a higher yield from the birth-year
1925, despite their desire to forego weakening the next generation of officers
and non-commissioned officers (NCOs) of the armed forces. Even so, the SS
could not guarantee mustering the personnel requirements. The predictable
manpower shortages required that the chief of replacements, Generaloberst
(Colonel-General) Friedrich Fromm, challenge members from the birth-years
1923 and 1924 to volunteer for the Waffen-SS. SS-Gruppenführer (Lieutenant
General) Gottlob Berger, Chief of the SS Replacement Bureau, spoke personally
at various RAD camps to enlist volunteer men. According to Berger, involuntary
methods for enlistment were not uncommon in the Hessian region. In order to
stave off shortages, OKW directed the SS to lower recruitment standards and
admit men that were previously considered unacceptable. Finally, 800 men from
the protective border police were also available for service in the SS. Despite
a lackluster beginning with 10,000 applications by 26 January 1943, OKW remained
optimistic the number of recruits would double.1
The 10th SS Panzer Grenadier
Division organized alongside its sister division the 9th SS Panzer Grenadier
Division "Hohenstaufen" on 31 December 1942. Command of the Hohenstaufen Division
fell to SS-Brigadeführer (SS Lieutenant General) Wilhelm "Willi" Bittrich
on 15 February 1943. SS-Standartenführer (SS Colonel) Lothar Debes, the first
commander of the Frundsberg Division, was a well-educated Prussian officer,
career soldier, veteran Hauptmann (Captain) of World War I and ardent national
socialist. In May 1919, Debes resigned his commission out of opposition to
the Treaty of Versailles stating, "At the time, I sacrificed my commission
based on my honest conviction that soldiers should not make their services
available to any regime that they themselves opposed." Simply stated, Debes
was unwilling to serve as a soldier in the new Weimar Republic. Instead, Debes
joined the Nationalsozialistische Deutsche Arbeiterpartei (NSDAP or Nazi party)
on 1 May 1930 and the SS seven years later. His longest posting in the SS
was a five-year assignment at the officer's school in Braunschweig. Between
1 January 1942 and 15 June 1944, Debes received seven different assignments
and by early 1943 rated as kriegsbeschädigt (damaged by war). Having sustained
four injuries that included two on a single day, Debes was best suited for
administrative positions. SS officers who were especially talented but unable
to meet the physical requirements for combat commands were not discharged
but rather retained for administrative assignments. The practice had great
long-term benefits.2
The majority of the enlisted
personnel were either conscripted or volunteered for the division. The remainder
of its strength consisted of men transferred from other units. The men were
both Reichs- and Volksdeutsche, between the ages of seventeen to twenty years
from the inflationary period. The nucleus of the division consisted of a thirty
percent cadre of older, seasoned soldiers of all ranks who gained combat experience
in both the east and west. The cadre knew what to expect and offered the younger
men a solid foundation of knowledge that surpassed basic military soldiering.
Many of the older cadres passed through the Jungvolk, Hitler Jugend, and some
even through the Sturm Abteilung (SA or Storm Troops) or the Allgemeine SS
(general SS). The men went on to receive a comprehensive military training
program that neared, in many cases, a duration of one year. The organization
of units was conducted in various geographic areas that required a certain
degree of soldierly adaptation and achievement that offered specific advantages
for teaching self-reliance and sustainability. The strict and very challenging
training was made easier by a well-selected source of food, supply, and quarters.
At the onset of their training, many had already experienced three years of
war within Germany that required their services in various places for labor
or in the air defense zones. Indeed, at the end of their training in early
1944 the war was in its fifth year. Familiar with the reality and hardship
of war, the young men and experienced officers and NCOs forged the steel mettle
of the division.3
In January 1943, OKW emphasized
to OB West the need to accelerate the organization and training of the 9th
and 10th SS divisions until May. After the transfer of three SS divisions
to the east, German capabilities along the Atlantic coast were reduced to
nothing more than operational security, altogether insufficient for large-scale
defensive operations. Moreover, the prospects of imminent Allied landings
along the Atlantic coast were taken very seriously and expected at any given
time.4
The major organization,
training, and replacement units (A.u.E.) were established at the following
locations:
An element
of organizing the division began at Buchenwald in Weimar. SS-Obersturmführer
(SS First Lieutenant (Dr.) H. Kube was assigned the adjutant to the small
Panzer-Instandsetzungsabteilung 10 (SS-Pz.Inst.Abt.10) or SS Tank Organizing
Battalion. Their task was to register all the motorized vehicles for the division.
The first commander of the SS-Pz.Inst.Abt.10 was Ullrich Besch, who later
became the divisional engineer. After the Waffen-Werkstattkompanie (weapons
repair company) was formed as the 4th Company, the battalion was renamed officially
as "Instandsetzungsabteilung 10." The battalion consisted of four companies
and one replacement troop (staffel). The staff and one company of the Inst.Abt.10
deployed in the general vicinity of the divisional staff, whereas the remaining
companies and replacement troop were located in the rear areas.6
The SS Panzer
Regiment 10 (SS-Pz.Rgt.10) began organizing on the last day of the year in
1942. The training of the regiment took place at the training facility near
Bitsch in the region of Elsaß-Lothringen, France. Among eight other companies
in the area, the 6./SS-Pz.Rgt.10 quartered to the west in Rohrbach. The nuclei
of the 6th Company came from the Panzer Ersatz Abteilung Weimar (Pz.Ers.Abt.)
that included Panzer Jägern (also known as tank hunters, tank destroyers or
anti-tankers), members from the "Wiking" Division, and the other four older
and more experienced divisions. Members arriving later were predominately
NCOs from the SS Polizei Division (SS Police Division).7
The company
commander of the 6./SS-Pz.Rgt.10, SS First Lieutenant Leo Franke, arrived
at Bitsch in February 1943 to join other officers and NCOs to organize the
company. At thirty-one years of age, Franke brought a wealth of experience
to the division. As an enlisted man, he served four years in the Reichsheer
and latter Wehrmacht (September 1933 - October 1937) and two years with the
Polizei. On 12 October 1939, Franke entered an SS police unit and transferred
to the Waffen-SS on 28 March 1940. Franke enrolled in the third wartime class
at the SS officer candidate's schools at Bad Tölz and was elected an officer
candidate. By 5 July 1940, Franke joined the 14./SS-Pz.Jäger-Kp. in the second
regiment "Der Führer" of the 2nd SS Panzer Division "Das Reich." In February
1941, Franke's reviewing officer noted gaps in his tactical knowledge but
considered him honest, clean cut, disciplined, a man who loved organization
and considered him perfectly suited as an instructor with an excellent command
voice. Franke participated in the campaign in southeast France and, on 21
June 1941, headed eastward against Soviet Russia during Operation "Barbarossa."
Before arriving at Bitsch, Franke earned the Iron Cross 1st and 2nd Class,
the Infantry Assault Clasp, the War Merit Cross 2nd Class and the Wound Badge
in Black.8
Photo: The II.Abteilung, Pz.Reg.10, 6.Kompanie, from left to right: SS-Hauptscharführer
Fritz Stief (Spieß) SS-Untersturmführer Rudi Schwemmlein SS-Hauptsturmführer
Leo Franke SS-Untersturmführer Hans Quandel SS-Hauptsturmführer Stratman (possibly).
Courtesy of Bernhard Westerhoff.
Alexander Grenda,
a member of the enlisted ranks, was born on 6 February 1921 in Surpal, northeast
Poland. As the son of a baker, Grenda attended middle school, and a music
and commerce school.
For a Volksdeutscher or ethnic German, life in Poland remained progressive
until 1926 when Josef Pilsudski consolidated power. When Edward Rydz-Smigly
assumed power as the successor to Pilsudski in 1935, life for ethnic Germans
living in Poland changed dramatically for the worse. Germans were relieved
of their positions throughout various industries and the free press was abolished.
However, Alexander Grenda had a secure future as a baker and confectioner.
Many Volksdeutsche that lived outside the borders of the German Reich admired
Adolf Hitler and greeted his prospects with open arms; Germany held the key
to a prosperous future. Almost immediately following the admittance of Volksdeutsche
as citizens into the Greater German Reich, draft notices were distributed.
Grenda attended the RAD in Liegnitz-Neustadt and volunteered for the Waffen-SS.
He attended basic training in Debica-Polen where he learned to fire the 7.92
x 57mm bolt-action M1898 Mauser rifle and the 9 x 25mm Maschinenpistole (MP)
38. He received instruction in close combat drills using shape charges, mines
and bayonet training. He also learned how to drive a truck and went on to
Bitsch-Westmark for tank drivers training. From Krupp to Maybach motors, the
men became proficient in the disassembly and reassembly of the entire motors.
After completing his examinations, Grenda received orders to the Panzerjägers
at Angouléme near Bordeaux in France.9
Werner Pietzka,
a recruit at the age of seventeen, arrived at the barracks of the 6./SS-Pz.Rgt.10
where he met the decorated and smiling SS-Hauptsturmführer (SS Captain) Edmund
Erhard. On the most anticipated day of all, when the men took the oath and
were sworn in, Pietzka was so excited over the affair that he became sick
to his stomach. In and among the formation and ready to take the oath, Pietzka
broke rank and approached the regimental commander.
"Panzerschütze (tank gunner) Pietzka requests permission to step out!"
Upon his return
to the formation, the festivities resumed and the men declared their oath
with a consecrated flag and became genuine soldiers.10
In 1943, Niko
Getsch was a twenty year old SS-Unterscharführer (SS Senior Corporal/Lance
Sergeant) in the 1./SS-Pz.Jgr.Abt.10. Getsch arrived in Germany in May 1940,
among thousands of other young Volksdeutsche, from the Kingdom of Rumania.
For many, arriving in Germany meant new opportunities for education and work.
A number of the boys graduated from high school and looked forward to studying
at one of the many prestigious universities within the German Reich. The steamship
URANUS crossed the Donau to Wien where the boys were greeted by military music
and SS Lieutenant General Gottlob Berger. Their plans for further education
and work were suddenly postponed when they were notified that their military
service was required first. Some were dumbstruck and some immediately questioned
the legitimacy of the requirement. Notwithstanding, the boys found themselves
on a train traveling from Wien to Prag-Rusin, where they were to receive their
uniforms. As one of four, Niko Getsch was assigned to a sizeable room where
they quartered for several delightful days. Instructors were not present and
the boys did as they pleased. Two of the boys were matriculation candidates
and the others, to include Niko, were farmers. Niko knew nothing about military
life and, from one day to the next, his training in the SS Verfügungstruppe
11 began without warning. On the fourth evening of their
stay in the barracks, a "room return" was scheduled. When the Unterführer
vom Dienst or UvD (Duty NCO or drill instructor) arrived for the return of
the room, the boys did not greet him with proper military decorum. He became
very angry and began shouting. His voice grew louder when he noticed trash
in the wastebasket. He proceeded to empty the contents of the basket throughout
the room and intentionally knocked their clothes out of the cupboards. Shouting
at the top of his lungs, while the boys stood thunderstruck at attention,
the UvD stormed out the door and entered the next room yelling and screaming.
Barely seventeen years of age, Niko had never experienced such a theatrical
fit of rage. He did everything he could to refrain from bursting into tears.
Comrade Karras took Niko to the side and comforted him, explaining,
"Hey, don't
worry about him. From the way he was acting, he's just a stall boy!"
Growing up, Niko was reminded repeatedly by his elders never to act like a
stall boy. 12
The barracks
in Prag-Rusin were situated next to an airfield. Niko had never before seen
aircraft so that the constant take-offs and landings were especially exciting.
However, as soon as basic recruit training began, there was no time for watching
aircraft. Niko recalls,
We were first taught how
to stand up straight and in a row, which was referred to as a "rank." Our
boots were to be placed next to one another, together in the back and open
in the front. We were expected to quickly understand the concept of "right
face" and "left face", without having to ask which way was which. When the
Unterscharführer whacked his heels together, for everyone that meant "Attention!"
But not for myself, because I did not feel that it was that important. As
we stood in three rather wobbly and crooked ranks, an aircraft flew low
over our heads. At the very same moment, while I was watching the multiple
propeller aircraft, the senior NCO whacked his heels together. For all the
recruits that meant "Attention", except for me. I was more interested in
the aircraft landing. From that point forward I became our senior NCO's
"favorite." First I was told to lay down, then get up, lay back down, and
so on. After this drill became monotonous, I was then directed to run around
the riding stable ten times.13
Otto Jacob
was German born in 1925 and reported to the Wanzleben county culture house
for a required military medical examination in the spring of 1941. The attendees
were examined from head to toe and a determination made for Otto Jacob: "KV"
or "Kriegsverwendungsfähig" (usable for war). On 19 December 1942, Jacob began
his compulsory service with the RAD. Several days after the new year, the
newest members of the RAD unit, all of whom were born in 1925, were called
to formation. A number of SS soldiers were present to examine the young men.
A loud command abruptly broke the silence,
"Attention! First rank, five steps forward! Second rank, three steps forward!"
Quickly and
efficiently, two SS men looked over every man in each rank and questioned
him about their schooling, medical history, ailments, etc.
"Left, face!
About, face!"
The men were
either told to stand fast or summoned out.
"Left, out!
Attention!"
At the conclusion,
the senior SS officer addressed the group of men standing to the left and
out. Jacob was among them.
"Attention!
As of this moment, you are candidates for the Waffen-SS! The Fatherland requires
your services for the defense of our home!"
Jacob reported
for duty on 13 January 1943 at the SS-barracks München-Freimann.14
Photo: Otto Jacob Jahrgang 1925 20 Feb 1943 in Muenchen-Fremann. Courtesy
of Otto Jacob.
The SS-Pionier-Ausbildungs-
u. Ersatzbataillone 1 (Pioneer Training
and Replacement Battalion) organized in early January 1943 at the pioneer
school at Hradischko, Czechoslovakia. The organizational staff included SS
First Lieutenant Erich Adelmeier and SS-Untersturmführer (SS Second Lieutenant)
Kurt Imhoff. The troops came from the RAD, of which many entered only several
weeks prior to their arrival at the pioneer school. The NCO ranks included
men from the Totenkopf Division and graduates from the second NCO course held
at the pioneer school. The graduates were not yet promoted to NCO.15
Around the
middle of January, SS Captain Wendler assumed command of the battalion and
formed the companies. The 1st Company quartered in barracks whereas the 2nd
Company occupied a school. The training for weapons, motor transport, and
other disciplines began. In April, SS Captain Benz, from the SS Polizei Pioneer
Battalion, replaced Wendler. Basic training concluded without significant
problems, however, pioneer training was more challenging. The lack of fully
trained pioneers meant that each platoon received only one trained pioneer.
Indeed, throughout the period between January and March 1943, men shuffled
back and forth from one unit to form another. For example, the 3rd Company
from Pikowitz formed two pioneer platoons for the Kradschützen-Regiment 10
(motorcycle regiment). Later, the regiment converted to an Aufklärungs-Abteilung
(reconnaissance battalion) and the two pioneer platoons were consolidated.
The single pioneer platoon then attached to the 5th Heavy Reconnaissance Company,
and the remaining troops and NCOs transferred to the Pioneer Battalion 10.16
Photo on right:
Weapons inspections of the I.Bn./SS-Pz.Artl.Rgt.10. Courtesy of Otto Jacob.
After three
unsuccessful attempts to join the Waffen-SS, Helmut Vogelmann entered the
RAD on 10 January 1943. Three weeks after joining the RAD, Vogelmann volunteered
for the Waffen-SS and arrived at the SS Pioneer School in Dresden on 28 January.
The pioneer battalion staff resided in Stichowitz, whereas one of the companies
trained in Dawle. Vogelmann particularly enjoyed the training for building
bridges, firing machine guns and the use of flamethrowers. Eventually, Vogelmann
joined the pioneer platoon 16./SS-Pz.Gren.Rgt.21. Similarly, Erich Werkmeister
came from the RAD barracks at Budweis (unit K/1/384) and volunteered for the
Waffen-SS in the summer of 1942. He joined the 29th Panzer Pioneer Training
and Replacement Battalion in late Fall where he completed his pioneer training
for water service and bridge building. On 19 January 1943, Werkmeister received
orders for basic training at the SS Training Regiment in Prag, where he remained
for four weeks. In February, he transferred to Pikowitz and reported to the
8th Replacement Company. The men of the 3rd Replacement Company at Hradischko
were almost all German-born from the birth years 1925 and a few from 1926.
Three companies made up the pioneer school, whereby the first consisted of
four platoons that were mechanized and equipped with armored half-tracks.17
A hardened
member of the cadre and former member of the Leibstandarte, SS Captain Karl
Keck, the company commander of the pioneer platoon, 16./SS-Pz.Gren.Rgt.21,
was born on 20 January 1914 in Zürich, Switzerland. He joined the SS on 28
May 1933 and received assignment to the SS Regiment "Deutschland." After his
reassignment on 1 April 1935 to the regiment "Germania", he attended the SS-Junkerschule
(SS Officer Candidate's School) Braunschweig from 4 April 1935 to 31 January
1936, and subsequently attended a platoon leaders course. As a Lieutenant
in the Schutzpolizei, a constabulary or municipal police, Keck transferred
to a police company from 1 May 1937 to 1 April 1938. Shortly thereafter, he
joined the Leibstandarte SS "Adolf Hitler" and participated in the campaign
in the west against France. Keck received the Iron Cross Second Class for
bravery in battle and then the Iron Cross First Class as a pioneer company
commander in the east. His other decorations included the Infantry Assault
Clasp and the Bulgarian King's medal for bravery. As a company commander,
Keck transferred to the Frundsberg Division on 5 February 1943.18
The commander
of I./Pz.Gren.Rgt.21, SS Captain Heinz Laubscheer, arrived for duty on 15
February 1943, in the French village of Saintes, along with 760 recruits.
The troops were immediately assigned quarters in a school and cavalry barracks
in Saintes Jean de Angley. The following day, work details were organized
to clean the barracks at Mazeray and a command center established in the village
of Saintes Jean de Angley. The battalion did not have a single vehicle at
its disposal and acquired local French wood-gas-propelled trucks that enabled
for the transport of supplies. SS First Lieutenants Willi Lösken and Max Krauß
arrived on 17 February and were assigned as commanders to each living quarter.
During the organization of the battalion staff and various companies, a non-existent
working rank structure among the enlisted men presented significant problems.
At the time, the selection of acting-NCOs proved inappropriate as the men
lacked the necessary training, especially in the replacement battalion. On
18 February, SS Second Lieutenant Siegfried Stadler reported for duty and
assumed managerial control over the officer corps, general billeting assignments,
and the battalion supply. Sixty-two rifles and bayonets arrived that same
day. The next day, SS Captains Karl Dietrich and Kurt Gropp arrived and reported
for duty. The officers assumed command of the individual companies and a skeletal
framework of the battalion staff (headquarters and service company) included:
1st Company
SS First Lieutenant Lösken
2nd Company SS First Lieutenant Krauß
3rd Company SS Captain Dietrich
4th Company SS Captain Gropp.19
Training began
on 22 February and it became readily apparent that the inexperience of the
men required training from the ground up. The preparation and distribution
of new divisional guidelines and orders required intensive work. SS First
Lieutenant Roland Vogl reported for duty and assumed the responsibilities
as the battalion adjutant. The next day, the officer corps was introduced
to Major der Luftwaffe Hermann Graf, a recipient of Oak Leaves with Swords
and Diamonds to the Knight's Cross. In addition, the regimental commander,
SS Colonel Kohlroser, visited the battalion and ordered the exchange of members
from the I Battalion with the III Battalion, in order to provide stronger
and RAD-experienced men for the armored half-track battalion. As noted, the
number and level of NCO training remained unsatisfactory. Despite the daily
training of the NCOs, the number of occupied NCO billets remained at a mere
26 percent.20
The Replacement
Bureau of the Waffen-SS and the General Office of the Armed Forces reviewed
the progress of recruiting volunteers on 24 February for the still infant
9th and 10th SS Divisions. While the birth-year 1925 could yield as many as
60,000 volunteers, the Chief of OKW set the limit of volunteer replacements
from the birth-year 1925 to 60,000 men. However, the Army Command and Staff
and General Office of the Armed Forces, the Replacement Bureau of the Waffen-SS,
and RAD reviewed violations of soliciting volunteers for the Waffen-SS. Objections
raised by the Chief of the RAD to further recruit from the RAD uncovered the
stark reality that volunteer replacements could no longer be mustered for
the Waffen-SS.21
In a celebratory
atmosphere on 28 February 1943, the regimental commander swore-in the recruits
of the I./SS-Pz.Gren.Rgt.21, who gave their oath of allegiance. The following
day, Debes attended and reviewed the battalion training and inspected the
billeting quarters. He gave a positive evaluation of the battalion and stated
the existence of an organization of good order. Simultaneously, Debes expected
the same level of discipline when the men were not in the field but out in
town among French civilians. In the divisional special order No.4, he specifically
forbade all SS men of the division to discuss with civilians any matter concerning
the unit. He pointed out that within the region of the division, the "enemy
listening service" employed the French public to fraternize with the troops
to extract information. The order emphasized that passing information equated
to treason and therefore punishable by death, and gave notice that all inbound
and outbound correspondence from the junior enlisted ranks was to be reviewed
until a more favorable outlook was represented. Throughout March, the battalion
also established special duty assignments for Jagdkommandos (hunting commandos)
within each company. Jagdkommandos provided early warning of Allied airborne
combat troops, airborne agents, and prevented sabotage. The Jagdkommandos
were comprised of one officer, three NCOs and thirty men. Each company was
responsible for establishing a commando, equipped with three light MG and
rifles. Intensive drivers training began as well within the respective battalions.
None of the recruits were licensed due to the young ages. Basic training was
concluded on 20 March 1943 that marked the beginning of group level training.
The training levels of the NCOs, especially those that arrived from the Polizei,
continued to remain poor. Before 9 March, the battalion had only a single
light machine gun available for training. By 23 March, the battalion reported
eleven officers, sixty-one NCOs, and 763 men.22
Notes
1.
Helmuth Greiner an Percy E. Schramm, Kriegstagebuch des Oberkommandos der
Wehrmacht (Wehrmachtführungsstab): 1940-1945 (cited hereafter as KTB-OKW)
(München: Bernard & Graefe Verlag, 1982), 2:1158, and 5:20, and 74; and Wilhelm
Tieke, In the Firestorm of the Last Years of the War: II.SS-Panzerkorps with
the 9. and 10.SS-Divisions "Hohenstaufen" and "Frundsberg", translated by
Frederick Steinhardt (Winnipeg: J.J. Fedorowicz Publishing, 1999), 1-3. In
Tieke's book, the numbers of men mustered from the volunteer drive reflect
the projected total by OKW. Gottlob Berger would lead readers to believe that
the RAD could not supply enough men for the SS when, in fact, it was the primary
source. The RAD refers to the auxiliary, quasi-military organization that
constituted one of the steps along the path to military service. Mandatory
service in the RAD began on 26 June 1935, and during the war, the term of
duty in the RAD was cut to three months. Principally, everybody recruited
by the Waffen-SS came by way of the RAD, although there were exceptions of
volunteers who entered directly into the Waffen-SS, avoiding the RAD. In 1935,
German law required every 19-year-old male to serve in the RAD for six months
prior to beginning service in the armed forces. For information concerning
the RAD, see Klaus Ewald of Weil im Schönbach, interviewed by author, 6 April
2004; and Dr. Helmut Meschenmoser, Landesbildstelle Berlin, 2000. Aktion Rü
43 Tausch refers to the exchange of service eligible German or ethnic German
workers for forced laborers from outside Germany.
2. Lothar Debes, service record dossier, National Archives
(cited hereafter as NA), Record Group (cited hereafter RG) 242, Berlin Document
Center (cited hereafter as BDC), Microfilm Publication (cited hereafter as
MP) A3343, Series SSO-074, Frames 1423-1472. For more information regarding
his military career, see Appendix A. For information regarding officer retention
in the Waffen-SS, see General Major Doerffler-Schuband, Officer Procurement
in the Waffen-SS: Reception, Processing, and Training, 1-9, NA/RG549/MPM1035,
Foreign Military Studies (cited hereafter as FMS), D-178.
3. Reichsdeutsche
were natural German-born citizens within the immediate borders of the German
Reich, whereas Volksdeutsche were ethnic German citizens living outside the
Reich. In this case, Volksdeutsche referred to people in occupied foreign
areas, such as Poland, Yugoslavia, Romania, and Russia. The Jungvolk (young
nation) was the junior NSDAP organization of the Hitler Jugend (Hitler Youth).
Young boys between the ages of 10-14 learned how to drill, camp, and paramilitary
training was emphasized. Members of the Hitler Jugend usually graduated into
military service between the ages of 17-18. The Sturm Abteilung (Storm Troopers
or brown shirts) refers to the earliest organization of the NSDAP that was
responsible for guarding the beer halls where Hitler spoke in public. An Abteilung
refers to a section, branch, detachment, or battalion. For combat arms units
such as tanks, antitank, artillery, and reconnaissance, it refers to battalion-sized
formations. For more information about the intricacies of German unit designations,
see Nicholas Zetterling, Normandy 1944: German Military Organization, Combat
Power and Organizational Effectiveness (Winnipeg: J.J. Fedorowicz Publishing,
2000), 15. The Allgemeine SS (general SS) refers to the earliest ranks of
the Schutz Staffel that provided personal bodyguards for Hitler. Consulted
was David Littlejohn, The Hitler Youth (Columbia: Agincourt Publishers, 1988),
1-13; and Craig W. H. Luther, Blood and Honor: The History of the 12th SS
Panzer Division "Hitler Youth," 1943-1945 (San Jose: R. James Bender Publishing,
1987), 12-14; and the Gemeinschaftsarbeit des SS-Kriegsberichter-Zuges der
10.SS-Panzer-Div. "Frundsberg", Dran Drauf und Durch! Buczacz-Caen-Nimwegen
(Division Propaganda Branch IV: 1944), 11.
4. Operation
"Gisela" was the planned German counterstroke in northern Spain against an
Allied occupation of the Iberian Peninsula. This measure involved five German
divisions, to include the 9th SS "Hohenstaufen." See Greiner and Schramm,
KTB-OKW, 5:25, and Herbert Fürbringer, 9.SS-Panzer-Division "Hohenstaufen"
1944: Normandie-Tarnopol-Arnheim (Heimdal: Editions Heimdal, 1984), 54.
5. Based
on an analysis of soldier's pay books collected from members of the division
in captivity, see Ewald Klapdor, Die Entscheidung: Invasion 1944 (Siek: privately
printed, 1984), 16.
6. The Feldpostnummer
(field postal number) for the Inst.Abt.10 was 26218/A. Kameradschafts-Vereinigung
und Suchdienst Frundsberg e.V. Hannover (cited hereafter as Suchdienst Frundsberg
e.V. Hannover), Die Hellebarde: Nachrichten der Kameradschaftsvereinigung
Suchdienst Frundsberg, No. 5 (Hannover: Kameradschafts-Vereinigung und Suchdienst
Frundsberg e.V. Hannover, 1980), 4. At this point it should be noted that
reference to Buchenwald refers to the greater SS facility that incorporated
the concentration camp, SS barracks, and other SS training facilities. The
platoon leader's course, a second level officer's training requirement that
followed officer's candidates school, was held at the Buchenwald facility,
home to one of three death's head regiments, the SS Totenkopfstandarte "Thüringen."
See Bernd Wegner, The Waffen-SS, Organization, Ideology and Function, translated
by Ronald Webster (Ferdinand Schoningh, Paderborn: 1982), English translation
copy (Basil Blackwell Ltd: 1990), 91.
7. Bernhard
Westerhoff, Weg einer Panzer-Kompanie 1943-1945: 6.Kompanie SS-Panzer-Regiment
10 "Frundsberg" (Fachingen: privately printed, 1986), 2-3. Reference to the
older and experienced divisions of the Waffen-SS refers to the first five
divisions that included the 1st SS Panzer Division "Leibstandarte Adolf Hitler",
2nd SS Panzer Division "Das Reich", 3rd SS Panzer Division "Totenkopf", 4th
SS Panzer Division "Polizei", and 5th SS Panzer Division "Wiking".
8. Leo Franke,
service record dossier, 14.SS-Pz.Jgr.Kp. "Der Führer", O.U., 17.3.1941, RG242/A3343/SSO-0218/F1015,
10.SS Panzer Division, Rgt.Gef.Std., 25.5.1944, F996-97, and SS-Pz.Ers.Rgt.,
Bitsch/Lager, 26.2.1943, F1002-03.
9. Alexander
Grenda of Wolfsburg, interviewed by author, March 2004. Jozef Pilsudski was
the dictator of Poland from 1926 to 1935. Rydz-Smigly, who served under Pilsudski
in the Polish Legions, assumed power as dictator until September 1939, when
he fled to Romania after both Germany and Russia invaded Poland. See Federal
Research Division, Library of Congress. Edited by Glenn E. Curtis. Poland:
a country study, 3rd ed. (Washington, D.C.: GPO, 1994), 28-33.
10. Westerhoff,
Weg einer Panzer-Kompanie, 1-2.
11. The
SS-Verfügungstruppe or SS-VT (service or disposal troops) organized into two
standarten or regiments, next to the Leibstandarte (life standard) and served
to protect Hitler at his disposal. Both the Leibstandarte and the SS-VT formed
the foundation for the latter Waffen-SS. Rick D. Joshua, "Tarnished Warriors:
The Waffen-SS And Popular Misconception" (thesis, Brunel University, 1994),
9.
12. Suchdienst
Frundsberg (hereafter cited as Suchdienst Frundsberg e.V. Köln), Die Hellebarde:
Nachrichten der Kameradschaftsvereinigunng Suchdienst Frundsberg, Nr. 19,
(Köln: Suchdienst Frundsberg e.V., 1997), 32-33. In 1943, the training and
replacement facility for the SS Anti-Tank Training and Replacement Battalion
1 was located in Rastenburg, Germany. See Klapdor, Die Entscheidung, 16. Klapdor
was an SS Second Lieutenant in the reconnaissance battalion.
13. Suchdienst Frundsberg e.V. Köln, Die Hellebarde, Nr.
19 (1997): 33.
14. Based on correspondence between the author and Otto Jacob,
August 2001.
15. Based
on a report by Erich Lessner, an NCO in the 1st Company, SS-Pi.Btl.10, contained
in the Pionier Kameradschaft "Dresden," 10.SS-Panzer-Div. "Frundsberg": Chronik
der Pioniereinheiten der 10.SS-PzDiv "Frundsberg", (from hereafter cited as
"Chronik der Pioniereinheiten,") (Archive Westerhoff, 1990), 4.
16. Ibid.,
4-5.
17. Ibid., 5-6. The locations for the training and lodging
of pioneers included Pikowitz, Hradischko and Dawle.
18. Karl
Keck, service record dossier, NA/RG242/A3343/SSO-0159A.
21. Greiner
and Schramm, KTB-OKW, 5:159-160. In comparison, the organization of the 12th
SS Panzer Division "Hitler Jugend", considered as part of the German program
for "total war" after the loss of 91,000 men at Stalingrad, ran a less difficult
course by recruiting from the birth year 1926, i.e. directly from the 30,000-strong
Hitler Youth. Less than one year after Hitler directed its organization in
June 1943, the 12th SS Panzer Division "Hitler Jugend" mustered 20,540 men.
See: Hubert Meyer, Kriegsgeschichte der 12.SS-Panzerdivision "Hitlerjugend,"
vol. 1, 4th edition, (Coburg: Europa Nation Verlag GmbH, 1999), 11-17.
22. KTB,
I./SS-Pz.Gren.Rgt.21, NA/RG242/T354/R150/F3792088; and SS Panzer Grenadier
Division "Karl der Grosse", Div.St.Qu., 3.3.43, Betr.: Schweigepflicht-Verschlußsachen,
NA/RG242/T354/R150/F3792063-64. For more information regarding Jagdkommandos,
or "Hunting Commandos," refer to the secret battalion order, I./SS-Pz.Gren.Rgt.1,
"Karl der Grosse", Ia./Tgb.Nr. 14/43, 10.5.1943, NA/RG242/T354/R150/F3792129.
