Calling all Experten...

[j keenan]

Mark Yerger as Zimmermann as a SS-Hstuf. 20.4.44 and the Wiking IIa by the end of the war,also was he awarded the EK I ?

[Waffen-SS]

Hello,

The last photo with Mühlenkamp was made in Karlovacz during making up of the second Panzerabteilung. It tooks time until 18.03.44.
Maybe it could be SS-Obersturmführer Förster? He was Adjudant and Ia of second Panzerabteilung.
Maybe the time frame of Regimental adjudants could not help because the last photo is from march 1944.

(source: Oosterlings book about Mühlenkamp)

Greetings Sebastian

[Pena V]

Here is my list of the IIa's of SS-Panzer-Regiment 5:

?? Mar 1943 - ?? ??? 194?*....SS-Ostuf. Birnschein Heinz (09 Nov 1943 SS-Hstuf.)
?? Feb 1944 - ?? ??? 1944.....SS-Hstuf. Flugel Hans
?? Mar 1944 - ?? ??? 1944.....SS-Ostuf. Zimmermann Friedrich
12 May 1944 - ?? ??? 1944.....SS-Hstuf. Reicher Alois
05 Jul 1944 - ?? Jul 1944....SS-Hstuf. Flugel Hans
?? Jul 1944 - 28 Jul 1944...SS-Ostuf. Thermann Wolfgang (28 Jul 1944 KIA)
02 Aug 1944 - 10 Aug 1944...SS-Hstuf. Flugel Hans

* It's possible that Birnschein was the IIa until he took command of the 5./SS-Panzer-Regiment 5 on 24 January 1944.
Zimmermann looks like a strong candidate for 27 April 1944. On the other hand it could be Hahn because my list doesn't include him at all and thus he could be in any "slot".

Regards,

Pena V

[j keenan]

On page 400 of Trang's vol.3 Wiking there is a picture of SS-Ostuf. Manfred Renz which looks like your man I think ? Also he fits the man in the below pictures as he was awarded the EKI

[DougENash]

Gents, thanks much for your input. At the time of Operation Ilse, Renz was still leading the Erkundungs-Zug of II. Abteilung, so it's not him - doesn't look like him anyway, in our opinion. According to an independent historian/collector who has two portraits of the man in questions, it's SS-Ostuf. Josef "Sepp" Martin, who was the O1 between March and May 1944 - only two other officers would have ridden into the fight alongside the regimental C.O. - the regimental Signal or Nachrichten officer (Hanke), the Adjutant (Zimmermann) or the O1 (Martin). Since we know that on 27 April 1944 that Hanke was riding in RO2 with Mühlenkamp, that left it down to two possibles - Zimmermann or Martin. Mühlenkamp may not have wanted his Adjutant on the battlefield with him, instead having him stay in the regimental command post. It's a leadership style thing. And if he wanted his Adjutant back in Kovel, where the Gefechtstand was, then the O1 or the assistant adjutant would accompanied the commander in RO3. So our independent expert says it was Martin - so we'll wait and see once he sends us scans of the two portraits. Thanks again for taking a look at this, the story isn't over yet...

[timothy w]

Gents, thanks much for your input. At the time of Operation Ilse, Renz was still leading the Erkundungs-Zug of II. Abteilung, so it's not him - doesn't look like him anyway, in our opinion. According to an independent historian/collector who has two portraits of the man in questions, it's SS-Ostuf. Josef "Sepp" Martin, who was the O1 between March and May 1944 - only two other officers would have ridden into the fight alongside the regimental C.O. - the regimental Signal or Nachrichten officer (Hanke), the Adjutant (Zimmermann) or the O1 (Martin). Since we know that on 27 April 1944 that Hanke was riding in RO2 with Mühlenkamp, that left it down to two possibles - Zimmermann or Martin. Mühlenkamp may not have wanted his Adjutant on the battlefield with him, instead having him stay in the regimental command post. It's a leadership style thing. And if he wanted his Adjutant back in Kovel, where the Gefechtstand was, then the O1 or the assistant adjutant would accompanied the commander in RO3. So our independent expert says it was Martin - so we'll wait and see once he sends us scans of the two portraits. Thanks again for taking a look at this, the story isn't over yet...

Dear Doug, Feel free to contact me in regards to a Zimmermann photo if needed for comparison.
Thanks
Tim Willemsen
[email protected]

[DougENash]

Thanks Tim! I think we can now rule out Zimmermann as being the officer in the photo - so now it's looking increasingly like the officer in question riding in Panther RO3 is Josef "Sepp" Martin - still waiting to hear back from Stephen C., who has 2 portraits of him. Once we get those, that should allow us to close this chapter...
Many, many thanks!
Doug

[DougENash]

Hold the presses - have received contradictory information that this may indeed be Zimmermann - awaiting word from a photo collector. If anyone in the meantime can find a picture of Sepp Martin, please contact me via PM! (or you can post it here, if you want to share it...).
Doug Nash

[Jan-Hendrik]

Here is my list of the IIa's of SS-Panzer-Regiment 5:

?? Mar 1943 - ?? ??? 194?*....SS-Ostuf. Birnschein Heinz (09 Nov 1943 SS-Hstuf.)
?? Feb 1944 - ?? ??? 1944.....SS-Hstuf. Flügel Hans
?? Mar 1944 - ?? ??? 1944.....SS-Ostuf. Zimmermann Friedrich
12 May 1944 - ?? ??? 1944.....SS-Hstuf. Reicher Alois
05 Jul 1944 - ?? Jul 1944....SS-Hstuf. Flügel Hans
?? Jul 1944 - 28 Jul 1944...SS-Ostuf. Thermann Wolfgang (28 Jul 1944 KIA)
02 Aug 1944 - 10 Aug 1944...SS-Hstuf. Flügel Hans

Volksbund gives the following DoD for von Thermann:

Nachname: von Thermann
Vorname:Wolfgang
Dienstgrad:Obersturmführer
Geburtsdatum:22.01.1919
Geburtsort:Berlin
Todes-/Vermisstendatum:25.07.1944
Todes-/Vermisstenort: Czeremcha

Jan-Hendrik

[Jampol]

OK - I'm going to show my hand here, since the response from the forum has not been overwhelming. I suspect that the individual in question is SS-Ostuf. Friedrich "Fritz" Zimmermann, who was appointed as the Adjutant of SS-Pz.Rgt. 5 sometime in March 1944 - I do not know if he was still the Adjutant on April 27, 1944 when the photograph of the officer in Panther RO3 was taken. What I would like is to make a positive identification instead of deducing it using circumstantial evidence. Does anyone have photos of this officer? After serving as the Adjutant, something in May or June 1944 me assumed command of 4. (StuG III)/SS-Pz.Rgt. 5 and led it until he was seriously wounded in action in late July 1944.

Does anybody have more information about Friedrich "Fritz" Zimmermann ? I only found info about his posts after 03.1944 but nothing before.
Not even his DoB or DoD, SS-Nr., Promotions,....
Any help is welcome !
Thanks in advance,
Jampol

[DougENash]

Jampol, here you go.

Zimmermann, Fritz
Final Rank: SS-Hstuf.
Born 21.09.1915
Birthplace: Pockau/Erzgebirge
Died: 11.09.1987
SS-Nr. 257775

SS-Hstuf. Chef,4./Pz.Rgt.5 07.44
SS-Ustuf. le.Pz.Kol./Pz.Abt.5 06.42
SS-Ustuf. Pz.Kp./SS-Kraftf.Ers.Abt. 01.42
SS-Ustuf. SS-FHA 04.41
SS-Mann 1./LSSAH 08.34
Awards: EK-II 05.08.42, EK-I 1943

[Jampol]

Thank you verry much!