Memel 1939

Discussions on High Command, strategy and the Armed Forces (Wehrmacht) in general.
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Peter H
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Memel 1939

#1

Post by Peter H » 06 Aug 2003, 00:36

Has anyone got details on the Wehrmacht forces involved in the occupation of Memel in March 1939?

Some sources speak of a Navy force only but the below photo does show some Heer involved as well.
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qdave
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#3

Post by qdave » 09 Aug 2003, 00:41

sory, i dont have any pics. but these ones looks realy interesting.

will try checking something for you.

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Marcus
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Re: Memel 1939

#4

Post by Marcus » 09 Aug 2003, 10:18

Moulded wrote:Has anyone got details on the Wehrmacht forces involved in the occupation of Memel in March 1939?
Unfortunately not, but this is something I too would like to learn more about.

/Marcus

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Peter H
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#5

Post by Peter H » 09 Aug 2003, 11:47

Hitler at Memel.

The Kriegsmarine were given the laurels for this operations,partly to provide the navy with some credit after the successes of the Heer in Austria and Czechoslovakia.
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Jacky Kingsley
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HITLER IN MEMEL

#6

Post by Jacky Kingsley » 10 Aug 2003, 14:26

HI

Thank you for the photographs. In the picture of Hitler talking into microphones who are the three other people with him?

Thank you

Jacky

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USAF1986
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#7

Post by USAF1986 » 10 Aug 2003, 17:54

The man in black on right is Dr. (first name?) Neumann, the leader of the Memel Germans.

Regards,
Shawn

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Leibstandarte_reenactor
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#8

Post by Leibstandarte_reenactor » 10 Aug 2003, 19:35

Were the troops german naval infantry?

Samuel Mitcham
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Memel

#9

Post by Samuel Mitcham » 14 Aug 2003, 04:35

The army forces which took part in the occupation of Memel were from the I Military District (Wehrkreis I). This means that it probadly included elements of the East Prussian 1st Infantry Division, but possibly part of the 11th. In any case, the district commander, General of Artillery Georg von Kuechler, personally accompanied Hitler, along with Gauleiter Erich Kock and Heinrich Himmler, as well as others.

Dr. Sandy Mitcham

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USAF1986
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#10

Post by USAF1986 » 14 Aug 2003, 05:17

Here’s a partial list of the ships of the German naval task force that occupied Memel. The task force consisted of the following warships supported by other light naval forces:

Armored Ships (“Pocket Battleships”):
Deutschland (with Hitler and Vizeadmiral Hermann Densch, the Commander of the Reconnaissance Forces, aboard)
Admiral Scheer (with Vizeadmiral Wilhelm Marschall, the Commander of Armored Ships, aboard)
Admiral Graf Spee (Flagship of the German naval force…perhaps under Admiral Hermann Boehm, the Fleet Chief???)

Light Cruisers:
Leipzig (Generaladmiral Dr. phil. h. c. Erich Raeder, the Commander-in-Chief of the Kriegsmarine, flew his aboard the cruiser from 22-26 March 1939 during the operation)
Köln
Nürnberg

In Destroyer! German Destroyers in World War II (The Naval Institute Press, Annapolis, Maryland, 1983), M.J. Whitley lists the following destroyers as taking part in the operation:

Destroyers:
Leberecht Maas (Z 1)
Georg Thiele (Z 2)
Max Schulz (Z 3)
Richard Beitzen (Z 4)
Friedrich Ihn (Z 14)
Friedrich Eckholdt (Z 16)
Hermann Künne (Z 19)

However, in German Light Cruisers of World War II: Emden, Königsberg, Karlsruhe, Köln, Leipzig, Nürnberg (Geoffrey Brooks, translator. Greenhill Books, London/Naval Institute Press, Maryland, 2002), Gerhard Koop & Klaus-Peter Schmolke state eight destroyers and nine torpedo boats took part in the operation.

I most heartily welcome any and or corrections/additions!

Regards,
Shawn

Additional Source: Koop, Gerhard & Schmolke, Klaus-Peter. Pocket Battleships of the Deutschland Class. Geoffrey Brooks, translator. Greenhill Books, London/Naval Institute Press, Maryland, 2000.

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#11

Post by Jacky Kingsley » 14 Aug 2003, 19:03

Hi UsaF1986

In Shirer's 'The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich' he states that Raeder was aboard the Grossdeutschland with Hitler.

Jacky

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Peter H
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#12

Post by Peter H » 16 Aug 2003, 13:33

That memel_3 photo I posted shows soldiers from the 'Wachregiment/Berlin' in attendance(renamed Grossdeutschland on June 14 1939).Obviously a small detachment accompanied Hitler.

Hitler was suppose to have been in ill-tempered by his sea voyage;seasickness got the better on him.

Erwin Rommel,awarded as well the Commemorative Medal for the Return of the Memel District,was in charge of the Fuhrer's mobile headquarters at Memel.

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Peter H
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#13

Post by Peter H » 16 Aug 2003, 14:28

USAF1986 wrote:The man in black on right is Dr. (first name?) Neumann, the leader of the Memel Germans.

Regards,
Shawn
Ernst Neumann(1885-1946),a veterinarian by trade.Neumann headed the MemelDeutscher Association and had been jailed by the Lithuanians 1934-38.

The general behind Hitler looks like Kuechler.

A Spanish website says that the German 1st Corps from East Prussia assisted in the occupation.I would read this as being Wehrkreis I.

Entering Memel:
Image
http://www.holocaustchronicle.org/Holoc ... 0008000016

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qdave
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#14

Post by qdave » 18 Aug 2003, 04:00

wow guys. very interesting! i am from lithuania myself, and it is very interesting to see some things about it during third reich. :)

Dadis
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Re: Memel 1939

#15

Post by Dadis » 04 Jan 2012, 18:01

Hi folk,

does anybody know which Luftwaffe units participated in Klaipėda (Memel) annexation in 23.03.39?
For example we can see 10 biplanes in this photo (see the attachment below).
What type are these planes? He-60? But I can't see floats in the photo - they are quite long and therefore could be easily detectable IMHO.
Thanks.
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