Everybody, who has seen the movie "The longest Day" (and who hasn't?), remembers the scene, when Major Werner Plusakt is standing in a bunker and spotting the biggest armada in world history with his binoculars.
Now, I read in a book (WN62 by Hein Severloh), that the surviving german veterans of Omaha Beach claim, that Pluskat was not on his post, perhaps even not on the beach that day. They couldn't find him, when they expected some orders from him.
Does any specialist in this forum has knowledge about where exactly Major Pluskat was on D-Day? Any documents, interviews?
Question on Major Werner Pluskat
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Lt.-Colonel
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According to C.Ryan's The Longest Day Pluskat was awaken by the heavy air attack at about 00:30 hrs on DDay, and he phoned to his superior Lt.Col. Ocker to find out what was going on. Ocker told him that it was just the usual bombardment.
A bit later Ocker returned the call, informing Pluskat of airdrops and ordering him to give the alarm to his unit. Pluskat went to his batteries four miles away on the beach (his HQ was in Eterham) in company of Art.Cpt. Wilkening and Art.Lt. Theen. After he came to the observation bunker above the Omaha beach, Pluskat saw that everything is in order, but he decided to stay there for a while.
Pluskat hanged in the bunker until the dawn, and just before he decided to go back, he took one more look through his binoculars. What he saw then was the invasion fleet. He phoned Major Block in 352 ID HQ and informed him about what he just saw. Then the barragge from the ships started and Pluskat couldn't move away. When it stopped he phoned Ocker and informed him of situation. Ocker ordered him to return to Eterham and to conduct the battle from his HQ.
However, that wasn't easy because his VW was hit after just one mile, and Pluskat merely survived. It took him 90 minutes to pass 1,5 miles and he was still 2,5 miles away from his HQ, where he arrived only at 1 pm!
So, he wasn't at his post when the invasion opened up, but in the first line, and he spent half of D-Day trying to get back to the HQ, as ordered by his superior.
Cheers
A bit later Ocker returned the call, informing Pluskat of airdrops and ordering him to give the alarm to his unit. Pluskat went to his batteries four miles away on the beach (his HQ was in Eterham) in company of Art.Cpt. Wilkening and Art.Lt. Theen. After he came to the observation bunker above the Omaha beach, Pluskat saw that everything is in order, but he decided to stay there for a while.
Pluskat hanged in the bunker until the dawn, and just before he decided to go back, he took one more look through his binoculars. What he saw then was the invasion fleet. He phoned Major Block in 352 ID HQ and informed him about what he just saw. Then the barragge from the ships started and Pluskat couldn't move away. When it stopped he phoned Ocker and informed him of situation. Ocker ordered him to return to Eterham and to conduct the battle from his HQ.
However, that wasn't easy because his VW was hit after just one mile, and Pluskat merely survived. It took him 90 minutes to pass 1,5 miles and he was still 2,5 miles away from his HQ, where he arrived only at 1 pm!
So, he wasn't at his post when the invasion opened up, but in the first line, and he spent half of D-Day trying to get back to the HQ, as ordered by his superior.
Cheers
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Miha Grcar
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