Stemmermann death
Stemmermann death
I thought this might be of interest General Stemmermann,s body being carried to a coffin
Phil Nix
Phil Nix
Re: Stemmermann death
Thanks Phil for sharing this pic of the battle of Cherkassy Pocket.
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Re: Stemmermann death
Interesting photo Phil i've only seen the Russian one of his body lying in the snow before , thanks for posting,
cheers
paul
cheers
paul
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Re: Stemmermann death
Hi Phil
Thanks for posting the picture. May I ask which book is this photo from?
Doug Nash's Hell's Gate account stated that the Russians buried Stemmerman's body, the only German in the entire Korsun operation to be buried by the enemy. But the picture above shows Germans (perhaps POWs) carrying his body? Doug's book also had the picture which Griffin mentioned in the post above
Thanks
Panzermahn
Thanks for posting the picture. May I ask which book is this photo from?
Doug Nash's Hell's Gate account stated that the Russians buried Stemmerman's body, the only German in the entire Korsun operation to be buried by the enemy. But the picture above shows Germans (perhaps POWs) carrying his body? Doug's book also had the picture which Griffin mentioned in the post above
Thanks
Panzermahn
Re: Stemmermann death
Hi,
Another one shot...
Best wishes
Ruslan
Another one shot...
source: "Defeat near Cherkassy. Korsun - Shevchenkovsky offensive operation 24.01 - 17.02, 1944 by Ilya Moshanskiy.Commander of 11th(Wehrmacht) Army Corps artillery general Wilhelm Stemmerman was far less lucky. He headed the entraped grouping and was killed in the breakthrough. After recognition his corpse is being carried by German soldiers. Ukraine, February 1944.
Best wishes
Ruslan
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Re: Stemmermann death
Hi Ruslan
Many thanks for the info! It seems that these photos were taken when the breakout still in progress. Stemmermann was with the rearguard and they were breaking out during the third wave
Panzermahn
Many thanks for the info! It seems that these photos were taken when the breakout still in progress. Stemmermann was with the rearguard and they were breaking out during the third wave
Panzermahn
Re: Stemmermann death
It is from "Chronicle of War" issued by the Imperial War MuseumPanzermahn wrote:Hi Phil
Thanks for posting the picture. May I ask which book is this photo from?
Doug Nash's Hell's Gate account stated that the Russians buried Stemmerman's body, the only German in the entire Korsun operation to be buried by the enemy. But the picture above shows Germans (perhaps POWs) carrying his body? Doug's book also had the picture which Griffin mentioned in the post above
Thanks
Panzermahn
Phil NIX
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Re: Stemmermann death
All soldiers on the pictures are unarmed and the body of the general appears to be stiff and frozen. I think this is showing POWs actually.
Sidenote: most arent wearing coats, not too surprising for the winter of 1941/42 perhaps, but a bit unusual for Cherkassy three years later, dont you think? Probably another hint that these poor guys are POWs.
Sidenote: most arent wearing coats, not too surprising for the winter of 1941/42 perhaps, but a bit unusual for Cherkassy three years later, dont you think? Probably another hint that these poor guys are POWs.
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Re: Stemmermann death
Hi Phil Nix
Thanks for the info
Hi Frankfurter
Yes, I agreed with you. They are unarmed and mostly are POWs so these pictures may not be taken during the breakout
Panzermahn
Thanks for the info
Hi Frankfurter
Yes, I agreed with you. They are unarmed and mostly are POWs so these pictures may not be taken during the breakout
Panzermahn
Re: Stemmermann death
Here the picture of Stermmermann saw in some books
From: reibert.info/forum/
From: reibert.info/forum/
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Re: Stemmermann death
I just read in a 1957 book about postwar Germany, "A Watcher on the Rhine" by a British writer, Brian Connell, that SS-Brigadeführer Herbert-Otto Gille of SS-Panzer-Division Wiking shot Gen. der Artillerie Wilhelm Stemmermann, KG of XI. Armeekorps because he wanted to surrender to the Russians in the Korsun pocket. I had never come across this, always reading that he was killed by Russian fire during the breakout while commanding the rear guard. If it is true I can see why it has been covered up. Does anyone know anything about this?
Connell was a naval officer involved in intelligence and commanded a Royal Marine unit that followed up the British troops after the Rhine crossing searching for certain things. He then served as a foreign correspondent in postwar Germany while it rebuilt. He undoubtedly had interesting contacts.
Best,
Bill in Cleveland
Connell was a naval officer involved in intelligence and commanded a Royal Marine unit that followed up the British troops after the Rhine crossing searching for certain things. He then served as a foreign correspondent in postwar Germany while it rebuilt. He undoubtedly had interesting contacts.
Best,
Bill in Cleveland
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Re: Stemmermann death
Article in DER SPIEGEL
Jan-Hendrik"Drei Tage später fanden wir bei Dschurschanzy die Leiche des Generals Stemmermann. Wenig später wurde im deutschen Rundfunk in allen Einzelheiten mitgeteilt, Hitler persönlich habe ihm einen hohen Orden verliehen. Aber General Stemmermann war tot. Ich sah seine Leiche vor mir liegen. Unsere Leute hatten sie in einem Stall auf einen roh gezimmerten Holztisch gelegt. Hier lag er mit all seinen Orden und Ehrenzeichen.
"Er war ein kleiner Mann mit grauem Haar. Dem großen Schmiß auf der Wange nach mußte er in seiner Jugend Korpsstudent gewesen sein
"Einen Moment lang fragten wir uns, ob das alles nicht eine Täuschung war. Vielleicht hatte man einen gewöhnlichen Soldaten in eine Generalsuniform gesteckt. Aber wir fanden an der Leiche alle Papiere Stemmermanns. Sie hätten vielleicht alle möglichen Ausweise fälschen können, aber sie hätten wohl kaum die Idee gehabt, einen Jagdschein mit Bild, ausgestellt im Jahr 1939, nachzumachen.
"Wir begruben ihn anständig. Wir können es uns erlauben, einen General anständig zu begraben. Die übrigen legten wir in große Gruben; wenn wir angefangen hätten, Einzelgräber auszuheben - wir tun das nicht einmal für unsere eigenen Leute -, hätten wir bei Korsun eine Armee von Totengräbern benötigt.
"Und dabei war keine Zeit zu verlieren. Der General ist hinsichtlich Leichen sehr eigen - sie mußten im Sommer in zwei Tagen, im Winter in drei Tagen verschwunden sein ... Aber tote Generale sind nicht allzu häufig, deswegen konnten wir ihm ein eigenes Grab geben. Immerhin war er der einzige General, der Mumm bewiesen hatte. Alle übrigen hatten sich im Flugzeug davongemacht."
"Hatte er Selbstmord verübt?" fragte ich.
"Nein, ein Granatsplitter traf ihn in den Rücken."
Last edited by Jan-Hendrik on 07 Dec 2016, 16:11, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: Stemmermann death
Hi Bill -
You mentioned Gille. During the Korsun battle and after, the National Committee Free Germany prepared leaflets accusing Gille of several different offenses, among them executing subordinates for cowardice while he flew out of the pocket with his staff. These accusations were repeated in post-war DDR literature while Gille was still alive and involved with HIAG, the Waffen-SS veterans organization.
I don't know if these accusations were true or not. Gille's involvement with HIAG would at least suggest that his former comrades did not dislike him. There is also the possibility that the NKFD and DDR pronouncements were made for propaganda purposes.
Best regards,
George
You mentioned Gille. During the Korsun battle and after, the National Committee Free Germany prepared leaflets accusing Gille of several different offenses, among them executing subordinates for cowardice while he flew out of the pocket with his staff. These accusations were repeated in post-war DDR literature while Gille was still alive and involved with HIAG, the Waffen-SS veterans organization.
I don't know if these accusations were true or not. Gille's involvement with HIAG would at least suggest that his former comrades did not dislike him. There is also the possibility that the NKFD and DDR pronouncements were made for propaganda purposes.
Best regards,
George
Re: Stemmermann death
The fact that his former Waffen SS comrades didn't dislike him is no character recommendation in my book. To shoot a defeatist was part of the job.
Courts martial first? Not the SS.
Best,
Bill in Cleveland
Courts martial first? Not the SS.
Best,
Bill in Cleveland
Re: Stemmermann death
translation of Jan-Hendrik's Spiegel article courtesy of Google feature (thanks, Jan-Henadrik):
"Three days later, we found the corpse of General Stemmermann at Dschurschanzy, a little later, in German radio, he was told in detail that Hitler personally had given him a high order, but General Stemmermann was dead Had laid them in a stable on a raw wooden table, where he lay with all his orders and honors.
"He was a little gray-haired man, with the great shout on his cheek, he must have been a corps student in his youth
"For a moment we wondered if it was not a deception, perhaps a common soldier had been put in a general uniform, but we found Stemmermann's papers on the corpse, perhaps they could have falsified all sorts of identification cards, but they were well Had hardly had the idea of imitating a hunting license with a picture, issued in 1939.
"We bury him decently, we can allow a general to be decently decent, and the rest we put into large pits, and if we had begun to dig individual tombs-we would not do it even for our own people-we would have one at Korsun Army of grave-diggers.
"And there was no time to lose, and the general was very peculiar to corpses-they had to be gone in the summer in two days, in winter in three days... But dead generals are not too frequent, so we could give him his own grave He was the only general who had proved mumming, and all the others had departed in the plane. "
"Had he committed suicide?" I asked.
"No, a shell splitter hit him in the back."
Wonder if it was really a shell splinter- doubt the speaker was a coroner.
"Three days later, we found the corpse of General Stemmermann at Dschurschanzy, a little later, in German radio, he was told in detail that Hitler personally had given him a high order, but General Stemmermann was dead Had laid them in a stable on a raw wooden table, where he lay with all his orders and honors.
"He was a little gray-haired man, with the great shout on his cheek, he must have been a corps student in his youth
"For a moment we wondered if it was not a deception, perhaps a common soldier had been put in a general uniform, but we found Stemmermann's papers on the corpse, perhaps they could have falsified all sorts of identification cards, but they were well Had hardly had the idea of imitating a hunting license with a picture, issued in 1939.
"We bury him decently, we can allow a general to be decently decent, and the rest we put into large pits, and if we had begun to dig individual tombs-we would not do it even for our own people-we would have one at Korsun Army of grave-diggers.
"And there was no time to lose, and the general was very peculiar to corpses-they had to be gone in the summer in two days, in winter in three days... But dead generals are not too frequent, so we could give him his own grave He was the only general who had proved mumming, and all the others had departed in the plane. "
"Had he committed suicide?" I asked.
"No, a shell splitter hit him in the back."
Wonder if it was really a shell splinter- doubt the speaker was a coroner.