My field of interest is “the battle for Berlin” in all its aspects. In particular, the involvement of the Volkssturm in this Battle has always fascinated me.
Over the years, it became clear that in deep and exact information relating to the Berlin Volkssturm is very rare: diaries, Soldbücher, some surviving documents … provide, at its best, limited info. The book written by Hans KISSEL, former chief of staff of the Volkssturm, provides correct and very high level information related to the organization of the Volkssturm. Comprehensive lists of units, commanders, dates etc … are not enclosed, and IMHO do not exist.
The German Red Cross Vermisstenbildlisten do list a lot of VS-men but the exact unit they went missing in, is rarely mentioned or even, if given, is not correct.
This lack of exact data is very understandable in the light of those final days; a lot of paperwork went lost or was destroyed.
While researching recently in 300 surviving (digitized) documents of the Verteidigungsbereich Berlin – Abschnitt Kommandeur A (also known as Kampfgruppe Bärenfänger) I found 5 extensive documents written by a staff member of NSDAP-Kreis Berlin Pankow-Weißensee wherein the changes in the VS-Battalions, drafted in that Kreis, are communicated. Abschnitt A was an addressee because some VS-units of Pankow-Weißensee were subordinated to the Kampfgruppe Bärenfänger.
These documents, written between February 2nd and April 12th 1945 (thus covering the whole preparation phase for the final battle), provide a relatively clear and complete picture of the existing Pankow-Weißensee VS-units, when and how those were (re)organized, who were the commanders etc …
The Kreis “Pankow-Weißensee” is the smallest (in numbers of Ortschaften) of the 10 Berlin NSDAP-Kreise. Nevertheless, this Kreis drafted 17 Combat Kompanies next to 13 other VS-units, the latter in general used as labour force units for construction of “fortifications”.
- Scan Ortsgruppen.jpg (44.46 KiB) Viewed 3700 times
Men were drafted in Company “X”, a sub-unit of Battalion “Y”. Then the Coy was renamed “Z” and perhaps transferred to Battalion “H”. Some days later a new Coy-commander was appointed, and knowing that the Companies were named after their commander, one understands easily the mix-up after the war.
The most extreme example I found:
- February 2nd , Kompanie DRAACKE (3/811/2) active in Abschnitt A (Bärenfänger)
- February 12th, The Kompanie DRAACKE (3/811/2) with part of 3/803/6 is renamed 3/803/2.
- March 12th DRAACKE hands over command to BIESKE and takes over Coy 3/809/3
The name “Kompanie DRAACKE” was used for 3 different Companies with the same commander (in 2 different Battalions)!
The 5 Kampf Bataillone of NSDAP-Kreis Pankow-Weißensee were:
- 3/803 ZENKE
- 3/807 TIETBÖHL
- 3/809 VON FISCHEL
- 3/811 HERTEL
- 3/813 HUMMEL
The most interesting data in the VS-documents are the changes that affected the Kampf Bataillone.
Below follow the data for each Kampf Bataillon. I kept the text in the original language.
