Capture of Max Wünsche

[Bob Cornford]

I expect this has been asked before. Exactly where was Wünsche captured? I saw a very old thread about Kurt Meyer & Max Wünsche which give great detail about Meyers' capture, but nothing about where Wünsche was found.
Bob

[Sheldrake]

I expect this has been asked before. Exactly where was Wünsche captured? I saw a very old thread about Kurt Meyer & Max Wünsche which give great detail about Meyers' capture, but nothing about where Wünsche was found.
Bob

A ditch near St Lambert-Sur-Dives according to the accounts by him and his companion Freitag quoted in the Mayer's divisional history

[Bob Cornford]

Thanks for your reply. I've just recently walked much of the area. I just wanted to try and nail it down a bit more thoroughly.

[steve248]

According to Wünsche's first interrogation report dated 6 Sept 1944, after being brought to England:
he was captured on 24 Aug 1944 near Falaise.

[seaburn]

Hi Bob. I think the exact location is unknown as Wünsche was wandering for some days before capture. Certainly as posted it was between Falaise and Argentan, with Lambert sur Dives being mentioned in the full account of his capture as per Sheldrake in Hubert Meyers divisional history. In his Canadian interrogation of 1945, the location is stated as 'Chambois'. I had read somewhere the rumour that he buried his decorations in the field, but as he was wearing them in his interrogations, I don't think that was accurate. His meeting with Montgomery was covered in Meyer's book though and is true by all accounts.

[NealRussell128]

seaburn-Could you please provide a page reference for the account of Wünsche meeting Monty in meyers book?
I enjoy reading your detailed and insightful posts.

[seaburn]

seaburn-Could you please provide a page reference for the account of Wünsche meeting Monty in meyers book?
I enjoy reading your detailed and insightful posts.

Hi NR128, thank you for your appreciation of the posts. The account of the meeting between Wünsche and Monty can be found on page 115 of Volume 2 'The 12th SS: The history of the Hitler Youth Panzer division' (English Version/Stackpole Books)

Here is an excerpt from the publication 'Trois Jours en enfer' (George Bernage) which I had reason to translate and post already on the thread 'Was Max Wünsche and not Gerd Bremer in command at the Chateau Audrieu on June 8th 1944'.

http://forum.axishistory.com/viewtopic.php?f=6&t=214617. Bernages source was Hubert Meyer's book as above.

Max Wünsche: “During my first moments of captivity, I thought we would line up against a wall but I was locked in a metal cage lying in a flooded meadow. After the first shock, I have to wait patiently. After the first interrogation, I spend all day and the following night lying or crouching in the water because II hadn’t the strength to remain standing. The next day, I was taken in the company of a Captain and two Sergeants and we drove for 40 kilometers. I asked them whether I will be led to an aid station or a hospital. The Captain answered me in good German ‘No, you are brought to a senior staff or a great leader’. Astonished, I saw a large number of vehicles and tents and I learned that we had arrived. After waiting a short time, I went down. I perceive a man who then got out of a command vehicle, he is simply called ‘Monty'. This is General Montgomery with his black beret on his head. A short presentation of the Captain and I am so completely surprised by the translation of Monty's words. ‘We will treat German prisoners according to the Geneva Convention, but the SS. they will be treated for what they are, political vermin of the political shit’. When I went to answer, I was forbidden to open the mouth with the words. ‘You dare not say anything. Move out !’ Even the Captain who was with me was astonished but did not dare say anything. I was then taken with the same escort to the coast”.

It appears that Wünsche had been wounded but not too seriously, however, there is some mystery as to why he was subsequently kept in hospital for the following 7 months. He related this in an interrogation dated March 45. After his release from hospital he met up again with Kurt Meyer in a POW camp, they were both interrogated at length about the events in Normandy. While Meyer spun truth with fabrications, Wünsche's tactic seems to have been to plead ignorance on many of the events. He denied ever hearing about the village of Jefremowka, even though he was photographed in the village and his divisional records place him there with Meyer on the day of the massacre of all inhabitants. He was not pushed on this by the British in his interrogations as there was never an allegation made to them linking him to this massacre, all allegations named Kurt Meyer. However, Erich Rumpf named him as being present that day in a testimony he gave to the Americans during the Malmedy investigation, although Rumpf also confirmed that it was Kurt Meyer who commanded it.

Intriguingly there was evidence uncovered by author Danny Parker that the rumour that Hitler wanted Wünsche released in exchange for an American POW seems to have been accurate. DP posted this evidence on the Face book page of his Peiper Bio 'Hitler's Warrior'

https://www.facebook.com/pages/Hitlers- ... 7267167819

This exchange of prisoners was muted by the Americans to the British who stopped it in its tracks as they suspected Wünsche may have been culpable for war crimes in Normandy. But the British finally came to the conclusion that there was no damning evidence against him for any wrong doings. He was finally released in 1948 and unlike most of his internet bio's - he did not marry his wife Ingeborg on return to Germany, he was in fact already married to her at the Berghof in May 1944 , his first son was born while he was in captivity in the UK.

(all facts stated above have been cited correctly on various previous threads)

[Sheldrake]

Is the meeting between Wünsche and Montgomery is corroborated by British accounts.

[seaburn]

Is the meeting between Wünsche and Montgomery corroborated by British accounts.

Interesting question and one I wouldn't mind finding out too. I've only heard his version. It's hard to know if he was deliberately brought to meet Monty or was on his way to be shipped to England when their paths crossed. I was inclined to just take him at his word as it seems to be a humiliating experience for him but on reflecting on your question, I suppose there could be a suspicion that Wünsche retold this to as an example of how the British were not prepared to afford the WSS the same treatment as the Heer troops in relation to surrendering ? etc...

[Sheldrake]

Is the meeting between Wünsche and Montgomery corroborated by British accounts?

[steve248]

In his three interrogations available at UK National Archives, Wünsche does not mention the Montgomery episode.

[seaburn]

In his three interrogations available at UK National Archives, Wünsche does not mention the Montgomery episode.

Hi 'steve248' true indeed - but none of the ones I have come across covered his capture etc - have you seen one that did ? The ones I have were more focused on Wünsche's views on how the WSS would react to losing the war and his loyalty to NS and Adolf Hitler. There was also a substantial one regarding his knowledge of Hitler's security arrangements and his inner circle. Wünsche seems to have been believed in the main as noted here:

He confirmed that he visited the Berghof twice in 1944 which is born out by photos and other records - but he did rather fib on one point which I found interesting:

Wünsche would obviously have known the true relationship here, but this is not a 'hanging offence' IMO - The other more serious lie I know that he told was in a Canadian interrogation when he stated that he never heard of the village of Jefremowka. Yet divisional records of the LAH place him there on the day of the village's annihilation on February 17th 1943. Little wonder then that he denied all knowledge of it.

Montgomery would have been well aware of the alleged war crimes perpetrated by the 12th HJ involving the men under his command. Wünsche was the Panzer Regimental Commander and the highest ranked Officer from that division to be captured at that time. What was alleged by him to have been said by Monty does not stretch my incredulity and I would err on the side of believing it happened as I'm sure Monty held a very dim view of the allegations that had filtered back to the top from escaping POWs. But it would be great to get the story corroborated, I presume it was not mentioned in Monty's bio ?

'Steve248' you know I am already much indebted to you for your selfless help in the past, but if you do come across any other Wünsche intels/interrogations on your regular forays to the Archives .... you know I would be most grateful to see them !

[steve248]

The Wünsche document above is from UK NA, ref. WO 208/3599, interrogation SIR 905 dated 6 Sept 1944.
A second and much later interrogation at the London District Cage is in WO 208/3662, interrogation LDC 843 dated 7 Nov 1945. I do not have a digital copy of this at the moment.
A third interrogation, reference momentarily lost as Waffen-SS material runs a poor second to my own interests. I will post when I find.
It will not be soon as away shortly.

[seaburn]

Tks Steve - I have those two - the third you refer to is probably WO208/3600. But there could always be others lurking in the masses of files at Kew!