"Career, crimes and trial of SS-Sturmbannführer Gustav Knittel"
Re: "Career, crimes and trial of SS-Sturmbannführer Gustav Knittel"
Just found this note from Helmuth Merscher from 2005 among my papers:
“Hallo Timo! How are you, I hope well as is still the case with me and Alfons.* We will meet again in La Gleize on the 16th of Dec. Jupp [Steinbüchel] will be there too, Alfons is not allowed to join us, he must go to Zweibrücken with his wife for Chrismas celebrations. I will therefore come alone. On the 15th Dec he could have come with me. [SS-Obersturmführer Hans-Martin] Leidreiter called me, he had received the biography through [Hans] Fischach en said you have researched very well. He wants to know how you found out all this, especially about Hermann Weiser. He was just a young whippersnapper at the time, barely 20 years old and was a Sturmmann, but later became R.O.B. He can hardly wait and asked me to call you. Please answer him soon.
Kind regards and see you on the 16th of Dec.
Your friend Helmuth
Alfons Sproß was also an SS-Pz.AA1 veteran (Puma driver) and lived only a few blocks away from Merscher. After Merscher became a widower he had a hard lime taking care of himself. Frau Sproß used to cook for him and Alfons would bring it over in a pan wrapped in towels to keep the food warm. During our last meeting with Helmuth at his house in Güdingen, we had Knödeln with bacon for lunch which Alfons brought over and Helmuth served us a mix drink of beer and cola because “that’s what young folks like” he figured. An all round nice guy who is greatly missed.
From left to right Jupp Steinbüchel, Helmuth Merscher and Alfons Sproß during one of our meetings...
Helmuth Merscher was drafted into the Waffen-SS in autumn 1944:
“We travelled by train from the [SS-Ausbildungs-und-Ersatz-Abteilung] ‘Totenkopf’ over Berlin to the training grounds and from there to the 3. Kompanie of the AA1 in Marienberghausen. There were very few vehicles, just some armoured halftracks that had been brought back from Normandy but they were soon handed over to the maintenance battalion. We were then transferred to Eichhorst where we were trained. But we were not allowed to drive due to fuel shortages. In Eichhorst, Wawrzinek reorganised everything. The 3. Kompanie was equipped with Schwimmwagens and we youngsters had to take driving lessons, mostly theoretical because there was no fuel.”
The boys had six weeks of basic training at the most. Many of them only had two hours of driving practice. Helmuth lost both his legs in the Ardennes due to frost bite and was still hospitalised when Germany surrendered. However, two artificial legs did not stop him from driving his car.
Helmuth Merscher as a teenager in RAD uniform, months before he was drafted into the Waffen-SS...
“Hallo Timo! How are you, I hope well as is still the case with me and Alfons.* We will meet again in La Gleize on the 16th of Dec. Jupp [Steinbüchel] will be there too, Alfons is not allowed to join us, he must go to Zweibrücken with his wife for Chrismas celebrations. I will therefore come alone. On the 15th Dec he could have come with me. [SS-Obersturmführer Hans-Martin] Leidreiter called me, he had received the biography through [Hans] Fischach en said you have researched very well. He wants to know how you found out all this, especially about Hermann Weiser. He was just a young whippersnapper at the time, barely 20 years old and was a Sturmmann, but later became R.O.B. He can hardly wait and asked me to call you. Please answer him soon.
Kind regards and see you on the 16th of Dec.
Your friend Helmuth
Alfons Sproß was also an SS-Pz.AA1 veteran (Puma driver) and lived only a few blocks away from Merscher. After Merscher became a widower he had a hard lime taking care of himself. Frau Sproß used to cook for him and Alfons would bring it over in a pan wrapped in towels to keep the food warm. During our last meeting with Helmuth at his house in Güdingen, we had Knödeln with bacon for lunch which Alfons brought over and Helmuth served us a mix drink of beer and cola because “that’s what young folks like” he figured. An all round nice guy who is greatly missed.
From left to right Jupp Steinbüchel, Helmuth Merscher and Alfons Sproß during one of our meetings...
Helmuth Merscher was drafted into the Waffen-SS in autumn 1944:
“We travelled by train from the [SS-Ausbildungs-und-Ersatz-Abteilung] ‘Totenkopf’ over Berlin to the training grounds and from there to the 3. Kompanie of the AA1 in Marienberghausen. There were very few vehicles, just some armoured halftracks that had been brought back from Normandy but they were soon handed over to the maintenance battalion. We were then transferred to Eichhorst where we were trained. But we were not allowed to drive due to fuel shortages. In Eichhorst, Wawrzinek reorganised everything. The 3. Kompanie was equipped with Schwimmwagens and we youngsters had to take driving lessons, mostly theoretical because there was no fuel.”
The boys had six weeks of basic training at the most. Many of them only had two hours of driving practice. Helmuth lost both his legs in the Ardennes due to frost bite and was still hospitalised when Germany surrendered. However, two artificial legs did not stop him from driving his car.
Helmuth Merscher as a teenager in RAD uniform, months before he was drafted into the Waffen-SS...
Re: "Career, crimes and trial of SS-Sturmbannführer Gustav Knittel"
Excerpt from one of my recorded telephone conversations with the late Heinz Eisner, who served as an SS-Unterscharführer in the signals platoon of the Aufklärungsabteilung LSSAH. This story is also included in my book about Gustav Knittel, in chapter 2.8 "Operation ‘Citadel’"
https://www.facebook.com/gustavknittel/ ... 7540377624
https://www.facebook.com/gustavknittel/ ... 7540377624
Re: "Career, crimes and trial of SS-Sturmbannführer Gustav Knittel"
Looking forward to getting hold of a copy of this to review, it's been a long time coming. I'm sure it is worth the wait.
Best,
Simon
Best,
Simon
WW2 Battlefield Relics: German Erkennungsmarken Identification.
Re: "Career, crimes and trial of SS-Sturmbannführer Gustav Knittel"
Thanks! The easiest way to order is through boekenbestellen.nl
http://www.boekenbestellen.nl/boek/gust ... 58?lang=en
Recently got this reaction through Facebook...
http://www.boekenbestellen.nl/boek/gust ... 58?lang=en
Recently got this reaction through Facebook...
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Re: "Career, crimes and trial of SS-Sturmbannführer Gustav Knittel"
I just finished the book and I must say it is a first class work of literature . It is easy to see that over 15 years of research went into it. Great information on the different units/company's and men of the Aufklarungsabteilung LSSAH. Very detailed section on the Reconnaissance/fast companies during the Ardennes offensive. It neither glorifies Knittel nor attempts to gloss over his misdeeds. Much like the Parker books on Peiper, Worsts book just lays out all the facts and lets the reader come to his or her own conclusions of Knittel. Thanks Timo for your dedication and hard work to bring this book to fruition.
HW
HW
Re: "Career, crimes and trial of SS-Sturmbannführer Gustav Knittel"
SS-Sturmbannführer Gustav Knittel - commander of the SS-Panzer-Aufklärungs-Abteilung 1 'LSSAH' - was not very popular among the enlisted men of his battalion. Because of the stories that he had been ‘Kriegsmüde’ (war-weary) but mainly because of his reputation of being violent-tempered. Hans Baumann told me that Knittel was 'berühmt-berüchtigt' (notorious) for his ‘lockere Hand’ (literally ‘to have a loose hand’) - a German saying for lashing out at the slightest provocation. Walter Herrmann added that in his opinion Knittel was a ‘Choleriker’ (tyrant). His phrase ‘Maaan, Maaan, soll ich Dir mal eine schallern’ (Man, man, shall I punch you?) was feared, especially when he actually lashed out. Heinz Eisner added a telling example in this telephone conversation from March 2006.
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Re: "Career, crimes and trial of SS-Sturmbannführer Gustav Knittel"
Is it this Hans Fischach?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c7B8bcm2QNs
Do you have more Information About him by Chance Harro?
Re: "Career, crimes and trial of SS-Sturmbannführer Gustav Knittel"
Indeed, that's him. From one of his letters to me:
“I was born in the Bavarian town of Aschaffenburg on the 21st of July 1922 but grew up in Munich. From March 1939 I had attended the ‘Reichsschule der NSDAP’ in Feldafing am Starnberger See. I volunteered for the Waffen-SS on the 16th of May 1940 and was trained in Ellwangen as a Kradschütze. I was a member of the 2. Kompanie from the start – that is from the early days in Fort Alvensleben in Metz as a ‘Fußmelder’ – dispatch runner for company commander Kraas. [...] Early April 1942, Panzermeyer said goodbye to me, [SS-]Unterscharführer Holde Fuß and [SS-]Sturmmann Erich Kurz when we left for the Junkerschule Braunschweig.”
Fischach did not return to the Aufklärungsabteilung. After completing the Junkerschule course he was transferred to the ‘Hohenstaufen’ division. After the war Fischach became a fashion designer, teacher, author and illustrator. He died in Munich on the 25th of February 2008."
More from these letters in my upcoming book about the Aufkl.Abt. LAH
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“I was born in the Bavarian town of Aschaffenburg on the 21st of July 1922 but grew up in Munich. From March 1939 I had attended the ‘Reichsschule der NSDAP’ in Feldafing am Starnberger See. I volunteered for the Waffen-SS on the 16th of May 1940 and was trained in Ellwangen as a Kradschütze. I was a member of the 2. Kompanie from the start – that is from the early days in Fort Alvensleben in Metz as a ‘Fußmelder’ – dispatch runner for company commander Kraas. [...] Early April 1942, Panzermeyer said goodbye to me, [SS-]Unterscharführer Holde Fuß and [SS-]Sturmmann Erich Kurz when we left for the Junkerschule Braunschweig.”
Fischach did not return to the Aufklärungsabteilung. After completing the Junkerschule course he was transferred to the ‘Hohenstaufen’ division. After the war Fischach became a fashion designer, teacher, author and illustrator. He died in Munich on the 25th of February 2008."
More from these letters in my upcoming book about the Aufkl.Abt. LAH
www.facebook.com/groups/LikeTheTipofaFoil
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Re: "Career, crimes and trial of SS-Sturmbannführer Gustav Knittel"
Thx for Information Harro. Very appreciated