Hein Severloh and WN62 at Omaha Beach

[Lasse]

I read about Heinrich Severloh, aka beast of omaha, what i read it said that he had his possition in the bunker WN 62, but after asking a friend about this bunker, he said that it dident exist, but a battery called WN 62 existed at Omaha, so therefore i wounder, did Heinrich Severloh have his possition here? Does anyone have pics of this WN 62? (Wartime and postwar please) And last: Does anyone know how many bullets he must have fired?

[Eisenfaust]

Google search "Heinrich Severloh" gave this link:

http://www.916gr.co.uk/severloh.shtml

"Severloh operated an MG42 and in his own words; ‘Nobody can imagine the slaughter’. Severloh fired 12,000 rounds through his MG42 until it was damaged by shrapnel; he then continued firing with a K98k rifle until he was wounded."

And Google found "WN62":

http://www.atlantikwall-bildergalerie.d ... _beach.htm

Took me 2 minutes to look them up. Try Google search for further information. 8)

[Lasse]

Hello.
Thanks for the info on the fired amount, and i also found pics of that WN 62, but as my friend said it was an battery and not an bunker i got unsure if it was the right one therefore i asked for your help.

[Johan Elisson]

WN62 stands for Wiederstandneste 62 (spelling?) and isn't one bunker, but more of a bunker-complex.

/Johan

[Lasse]

Ah! Okej, tack!
Then i guess its the one at the pics.

[Eisenfaust]

Hello.
Thanks for the info on the fired amount, and i also found pics of that WN 62, but as my friend said it was an battery and not an bunker i got unsure if it was the right one therefore i asked for your help.

I'm referring to a book by Paul Carell: Sie Kommen!

Well, what I could find out, WN62 was located at Colleville, in Fox Green section of the Omaha beach. Next to WN62 was WN61 and WN59 on the east side. The men in WN62 belong to the 1st battery of the 352nd artillery regiment, and WN62 is an observation post for the battery.

The bunkers commander was Oberleutnant Frerking, who commanded the battery located at Houtteville. The battery consisted of four 105 millimeter howitzers.

When fighting for the WN62 was on, Severloh was hit to his face by shrapnel, and also his MG-42s sight was blown of. He switched to a night ammo belt (every 5th round is a tracer), so he could continue. Only he and the radioman survived the naval bombardment and the tank/infantry assault, and they were able to march [sic] to I/726 for medical care.

That's about it. Correct me if I'm wrong.

[Lasse]

Thanks!
That makes sence, as I read that he had gotten moved from the eastern front to France in 1943 with an infantery regiment, but in russia he had been an artellery solider, so that cleared out a lots of things, thanks!

So what you mean is that even after his mg had been hit by a sharpnell he just took it up and begun to shot again? What i read on some page he used his k98 after that his mg was put out of order.

[Eisenfaust]

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So what you mean is that even after his mg had been hit by a sharpnell he just took it up and begun to shot again? What i read on some page he used his k98 after that his mg was put out of order.

Well, I'm afraid I don't have any more sources to confirm this information. Corells book says that Severloh and the MG were hit, and since the MG's sight was damaged, Severloh had to use the last ammo belt, that included tracers which helped aiming. If someone has more information, I would also like to know "the truth".

[Eisenfaust]

I just noticed that there is a Spiegel TV document about Heinrich Severloh and a US soldier meeting after the war (H.S. wounded this man 60 years ago). It is aired next Sunday (13th June) here in Finland on channel YLE TV1. I guess we find out a bit more next Sunday then!

Discription in German:

http://www.spiegel.de/sptv/reportage/0, ... 43,00.html

Discription in Finnish:

http://www.yle.fi/tv1/myle/ohjelmakartt ... 1236896813

[Lasse]

Ok!
Please tell me more when you have seen the program as i dont have the channel myself (Or would understand much of what they said )

[Larso]

There was an article in the paper here on Sunday about this guy. It implied he was interviewed for the article and indicated he had chosen not to attend the ceremonies. In this story he suddenly found himself alone in the bunker - everyone else had fled and that Ferking ('a decent 32 year old veteran') had told him to evacuate as they were about to be overrun. He made it out but found later that Ferking had been shot in the head. It mentioned he was responsible for dozens of casualties (hundreds more likely) but I fail to see how this made him a 'beast'. Surely there are other words that describe a man doing his duty at his assigned post better (the 'reaper' perhaps). Anyway just thought it was strange.

[Lasse]

Beast of omaha was the name the americans gave him while in captivity.

[Larso]

I see. He's still alive and living in Hanover.

[Eisenfaust]

.....It mentioned he was responsible for dozens of casualties (hundreds more likely) but I fail to see how this made him a 'beast'. Surely there are other words that describe a man doing his duty at his assigned post better (the 'reaper' perhaps). Anyway just thought it was strange.

Many sources indicate him killing about 2,500 GI's with about 12,000 rounds in about 7 hours. In average that's roughly 5 rounds/GI, and 6 GI's/minute.

He did his job the best he could, and was very efficient. To me it's quite understandable the Americans called him by that name, since he mowed down a heck of a lot of their buddies. I would imagine he got a different nick name from his own troops, stating he was a hero. But this is just speculation.

I think I should refresh my German in order to buy Hein Severloh's book "WN 62, Erinnerungen an Omaha Beach, Normandie, 6. Juni 1944".

[Daniel L]

Eisenfaust, two men never march.

Best regards/ Daniel