Franz Josef Krombholz - Officer training school

[keith A]

Can anyone tell me when he attended officer training school? I have read three different accounts. In his CIA interview in early 1950's he states he attended from January until July 1942, joining 13 Regiment Prinz Eugen Division in August 1942.

Other sources state a more reasonable timeline. He was wounded in April 1942 as an Oberscharfuhrer (this promotion is not shown in many sources) and after a period in hospital attended Reserve officer training school in June/July-September 1942. He then joins Prinz Eugen as a platoon leader in 12 Kompanie, III/14 regiment and is commissioned an Untersturmfuhrer in December 1942.

12 Kompanie is mentiobed as 12 (SPAH) Kompanie....can anyone tell me what this means?

regards

Keith

[Michael Miller]

Per reverse of the Stammkarte in his SS file, he attended the 7. Kriegs-Reserve-Führer-Anwärter-Lehrgang (04.06.1942-05.09.1942) at SS-Junkerschule Bad Tölz.

~ Mike

[Ivan Ž.]

12 Kompanie is mentiobed as 12 (SPAH) Kompanie....can anyone tell me what this means?

Hello, Keith

It is 12. (Streif-)Kompanie = 12th (Raiding) Company.

Note: after Bad Tölz and transferring to "Prinz Eugen", Krombholz also spent some time at the Hochgebirgsschule der Waffen-SS.

Cheers,
Ivan

[keith A]

Many thanks Michael and Ivan. I know very little about Prinz Eugen but have ordered Kumms history. Krombholz allows me to put a face and career to a soldier of this unit. Several sources mention his recounting a marching song but there seems to be confusion as to whether he wrote the words to it or just repeated them in an interview post-war....there's also a question of the translation of the words. Bombast or a very brutal anthem?

regards

Keith

[Ivan Ž.]

Hello again, Keith

The song was just a joke-cover of the old folk song "Prinz Eugen" and it was sung by a couple of officer candidates at the Bad Tölz school on a farewell-ceremony before they departed to the "Prinz Eugen" Division (they were not too happy about the transfer to such an inferior division, so they made fun of it). Krombholz was present and later wrote down the lyrics of the first strophe, which Kumm published in his book. The song was NEVER a song of the "Prinz Eugen" Division, but only a small joke once sung in an officer school by a couple of unhappy guys. According to Krombholz, the parody lyrics were written by certain Wieshofer. The Bad Tölz "Prinz Eugen" parody has little - to no historical significance; it is only interesting as an anecdote and an example of how some SS men from the Reich fealt about serving in an ethnic German SS division.

Cheers,
Ivan

[keith A]

Looking at his details again I assume that he was with SS-Frw.Geb.Jag.Rgt 2 when he joined the division rather than the later titles he gives.

Odd that his citation for the DKiG mentions him as a member of 7./Gebirgsjäger-Regiment 14 rather than as commander of II Bataillon although he may have been acting leader of the battalion and in fact company commander of 7 Kpn?

regards

Keith

[keith A]

Blimey Ivan you are an oracle!!

I have read so many accounts (most very partisan...no pun intended) that never mention this. I always though the lyrics were open to interpretation but your explanation makes a lot of sense. I did think fallen Serbian maids might not mean violence but a typical barrack-room song that overemphasizes the attraction of a uniform

Many, many thanks

regards

Keith

[Ivan Ž.]

I always though the lyrics were open to interpretation but your explanation makes a lot of sense. I did think fallen Serbian maids might not mean violence but a typical barrack-room song that overemphasizes the attraction of a uniform

But of course! And my explanation is simply the improved translation of what Krombholz (the source of the lyrics) himself wrote. Everything different you may read is just some guy's free (usually ignorant, and incorrect) interpretation.

The correct translation of this school-parody would be the following:

Prinz Eugen, the noble bunch,
it must fight the Serbs,
our Mule-Division!
And many Serbian skulls,
and many Serbian girls,
I already see fallen *

* originally "gefallen", which can mean both to fall in a battle and to like

Note: "Prinz Eugen, the noble bunch" refers to the beginning of the original folk song, which was "Prinz Eugen, the noble knight" ("bunch" can also be understood as "bunch of crap", which is additionally funny combined with the word "noble"). The "Mule-Division" is a self-derogatory term (young cadets were not happy about serving with mules, as Krombholz stated). The "Serbian skulls" that will fall are of course the Serbian rebels they will kill, but the "Serbian girls" that will fall are indeed what you yourself thought, the girls falling for German soldiers or the other way around (soldiers for the girls).

Cheers,
Ivan

[Ivan Ž.]

Looking at his details again I assume that he was with SS-Frw.Geb.Jag.Rgt 2 when he joined the division rather than the later titles he gives.

Odd that his citation for the DKiG mentions him as a member of 7./Gebirgsjäger-Regiment 14 rather than as commander of II Bataillon although he may have been acting leader of the battalion and in fact company commander of 7 Kpn?

Krombholz indeed served in the 2nd Regiment (later renumbered as the 14th):
- as commander of the 12th (Raiding) Company, 2nd Battalion
- as commander of the 2nd Battalion
- as regimental adjutant
- as commander of the 3rd Battalion

No info on the 7th Company. As far as I know, he already commanded the 2nd Battalion at the time - although, below the photo in which Krombholz receives the DKiG, Kumm mentions him as commander of the Raiding Company, and that would be the 12th one ["Das Deutsche Kreuz in Gold ... für Obersturmführer Krombholz, Streifkompanie Rgt. 14"].

Cheers,
Ivan

[AliasDavid]

Und gar manchen Serbenschädel und gar manches Serbenmädel sehe ich gefallen schon.

...
The correct translation of this school-parody would be the following:
...
And many Serbian skulls,
and many Serbian girls,
I already see fallen *
...

"Gefallenes Mädchen:" Girl having lost her virginity, without physical violence involved.

UlrichH

[Ivan Ž.]

Und gar manchen Serbenschädel und gar manches Serbenmädel sehe ich gefallen schon.

Simplified: we will defeat the enemy and take (win over) his women. A tale as old as time.

Ivan

[keith A]

Many thanks again, Ivan. It seems odd that he was leading a battalion at 23, after less than a year as an officer but I suppose his combat experience on the Eastern Front in addition to command of a platoon and then 12 company, gave him the authority, although both the citation and the photo state that he is a company commander in April 1944, at the same time as he is apparently leading the battalion...possibly he is acting commander of II battalion?

best regards

Keith