SS-Pionier-Bataillion 2 in Normandy 44

[stoveb]

Hi there,

Just wondering if anyone can tell me the officers in this unit during Normandy?

SS-Obersturmführer Rudolf HERRMANN, formerly of the 3./SS-Pionier-Btl. 1 "LAH" was tranferred to the unit during the campaign, and I was wondering if anyone might know which post he held in the unit - the armoured Kompanie, 3rd Kompanie?

Thanks for any help with this.

Cheers
Steve

[Sam Wren]

What I am showing so far (have others to look at) are:
circa 10.7.44
CO = Sturmbannfue. Enzeling (by then thought to be comd of a Pz. Bn.)

circa 10.7.44
CO = Hptsturmfue. Brozau or Prozo (?)
CO 3.Komp = Hptsturmfue. Hambusch or Rambusch
CO 4.Komp = O/Sturmfue. Schmelzer

circa 12.7.44
CO = O/Sturmfue. Rambusch
CO 3.Komp = Hptsturmfue. Borso

these are from British intelligence documents and mainly based on POW statements, many of whom were Alsatians who may not have had much of a command of German and may have had limited awareness of what was going on in their units (my Caveat emptor).

[Griffin brigade]

So RKT SS Obersturmführer Heinrich Schmelzer was commanding the 4th Kompanie in Normandy ? He had won the RK as Führer 16./SS-PzGrenRgt "Das Reich".

Eichenlaub whilst Chef 1./SS-PzPiBtl 2 "Das Reich"

[stoveb]

Hi Sam,

Thanks for that, hopefully you might find out some more. By the way, which Kompanie was gepanzert, 3rd or 4th?

Cheers
Steve

[Sam Wren]

1 more found, circa 30.7.44:
CO 1.Kompanie = Osf. Müller
CO 1.Zug = Usf. Bitter
CO 2.Zug = ? (but recently arrived from 16./SS-PGR 4 "Der Führer")

=============================
According to Mark Yerger's "Knights of Steel, Vol 2" (1994), by D-Day the Bataillon stood as follows:
Kommandeur - SS-Hauptsturmführer Siegfried Brosow*
Adjutant - SS-Untersturmführer Fritz Peter
Hauptmann beim Stab - SS-Hauptsturmführer Max Auer (temporary)
Arzt - SS-Obersturmführer Dr. Eberhard Ceipek
Verwaltungsführer - SS-Obersturmführer Ernst-Günther Kampmann
TFK I - SS-Obersturmführer Kilian Frankenberger
TFPi - SS-Untersturmführer Rudolf Baumgarten
Stabskompanie Chef - unknown
Nachrichtenzug - SS-Untersturmführer Alfons Krepela
Brückenkolonne - SS-Haupsturmführer Max Auer
1.Kompanie - SS-Obersturmführer Rolf Müller
2.Kompanie - SS-Obersturmführer Rudolf Hermann
3.Kompanie - SS-Hauptsturmführer Karl-Horst Arnold**
4.Kompanie - SS-Obersturmführer Heinrich Schmelzer***

*became temporary commander in April and took full command when Enseling left for the Panzer Regiment. Because of this Enseling may have been considered for his Panzer Command (I./SS-Pz.Rgt. 2 - in July 1944 per Volume 1) earlier than previously thought (following the Divisional commander changes during the initial weeks after D-Day).

**Moved to the SS-Pionierschule in July 1944 and replaced by SS-Obersturmführer Helmut Rambusch.

***When 4.Kompanie was dissolved (due to casualties) in August 1944 he replaced Rudolf Hermann as commander of 2.Kompanie. Hermann may have taken command of the Stabskompanie but this is as of yet unconfirmed.

Untersturmführer Hans Rüffert - Zugführer in 2.Kompanie
====================================================
In a more recent publication by Yerger (German Cross in Gold Holders of the SS and Police, Vol. I - 2003), he states that Sturmbannführer Rudolf Enseling officially commanded SS-Pz.Pi.Bn. 2 until late June 1944 when he assumed command of I./SS-Pz.Rgt. 2.

Hauptsturmführer Karl-Horst Arnold is also said to have been transferred to SS Engineer School "Hradischko" on 5.5.44, so there must have been a different CO for 4.Kompanie in Normandy - perhaps Rambusch replaced him in May rather than July 44.
===================================================
German Cross in Gold Holders of the SS and Police, Vol. II (2005):

Confirms that Rambusch did succeed Arnold in May, 1944 as CO of 2.Kompanie "formally succeeding Karl-Horst Arnold" (it appears that this is a typo and should be 3.Kompanie because it then says that "Rambusch's command and the 4.Kompanie were used to reinforce the remaining two companies of the Battalion in August 1944. During that time he served as deputy to Heinrich Schmelzer, who then led the 2./Pionier Bataillon." This appears to be saying that the 3. (Rambusch's) & 4.Kompanies were scrapped to bring 1. & 2.Kompanies up to strength.)

About Untersturmführer Hans Rüffert: "Returning to the Bataillon reserve, he succeeded Untersturmführer Erich Dwuzet as II.Zugführer in the 2./Pionier Bataillon in July 1944." Dwuzet was killed at La Halerie on 11.7.44.

[stoveb]

Hi Sam,

Can't thank you enough for this, fills in some blanks for me. The armoured Kp was 1st Kompanie.

Looking at the charts in Wood and Dugdale's "Waffen SS Panzer Units in Normandy 1944", there was no 4th Kompanie listed in June or 1st July chart, so maybe the change took place earlier than August?

By the way, in Yerger's DKiG of the SS book, does Herbert GAUGLITZ get a mention? Is there a photo of him? (just looked up the books, they are by unit, didn't realise that, he has yet to do a LSSAH related volume...maybe one day)

Thanks again
Steve

[Von Kluck]

Hello
Was still Rambusch in command of 3. Kompanie during the battle of the Bulge? If not who commanded it so ?
Thanks
Von Kluck

[PATRICK CHARRON]

Hello,

Some info to complete

Helmut Rambusch took command 3./Pi.Btl.2 on 15.05.1944. Source Personalakte Helmut Rambusch
During the battle of the Bulge, after Rolf Mûller death on 25.12.1944, Heinrich Schmelzer took command of the 1./Pi.Btl.2
Then Helmut Rambusch succeeded him and assumed command of the 2./Pi.Btl 2 Source; German Cross in Gold 2 by Mark Yerger

There is a Stellenbesetzung 12/1944 with only Stab Kp, 1 Kp. and 2 Kp. Source Pionierchronik "Das Reich" by Kurt Imhoff 1992.

Rudolf HERRMANN was transferred on 09.09.1944 to SS./Pi.A.u.E. Btl 1 Source Personalakte Rudolf HERRMANN

Regards
Patrick

[PATRICK CHARRON]

Hello,

As the subject is the SS-Pionier Bataillon 2 and tha is question of Hstuf Rudolf Herrmann 2.SS-Pz.Pi 2, I think I have to speak about the acts committed by this company on 23.06.1944 which was part of the "Das Reich" division Nachkommando.
Indeed this company will leave Valence d'Agen only on June 25, 1944 for the Normandy front.
On June 23, they arrived at Ste Sixte where they executed a group of fairgrounds (gypsies) on the pretext that they had weapons, in fact toys with compressed air or plugs for fairgrounds.
Results: 14 dead including 2 men, 6 women and 6 children (from 19 days to 14 years old)
Then Caudecoste,
Results 1 shot dead and 1 hanged
Finally, Dunes
Results: 11 hanged and 1 man shot dead
The report sent to the LVIII Panzerkorps only mentions deaths in the context of action against terrorists.
For Dunes, the SS had in hand a list of names based on a denunciation made by two women of Italian origin who will be hanged in the village at the end of the war.
The French war crimes commission had noted the names of the officers present, Hermann, Dwuzet and Goymann.

These facts are not cited in Max Hasting's book which for many is "the reference".

Regards
Patrick

[stoveb]

Hi Patrick,

Thanks very much for your background information, I had never heard of these instances before.

Cheers
Steve

[PATRICK CHARRON]

Hello,

Stoveb wrote:
Looking at the charts in Wood and Dugdale's "Waffen SS Panzer Units in Normandy 1944", there was no 4th Kompanie listed in June or 1st July chart, so maybe the change took place earlier than August?

According Hascha Erhardt Lamm Schirmeister in 4.SS-Pz.Pi.Btl 2, this company had no officlal existence ( rebuilding 1944)
"Die 4.Kp war vom Kr der SS-Pz.Pi.Btl. , Stubaf Enseling, "schwarz" aufgestellt worden"
Tranlated: The 4th Kp has been built "black" from the Kr der SS-Pz.Pi.Btl. , Stubaf Enseling,
Source: ^Pionierkronik "Das Reich".

Regards
Patrick

[Ignacio]

Hello to all

The attached excerpt from Divisions Befehl of 23.June 1944 confirms the "black" nature of the company and explains why it is not shown in the charts:

T-354_R128 Div.Bef. 23.06.44 .jpg

Regards from Madrid

Ignacio

[PATRICK CHARRON]

Hello Ignacio

Thank you for exhuming this document which I knew but had not yet found.

Regards
Patrick

[PATRICK CHARRON]

Hello,
Maybe this information will be of interest to someone.
During my research I found a document (Source Tarn et Garonne archives) which gives FPN 28955 for the 2./Pi.Btl. 2 whereas this FPN is that of 6./Kraftwagenkolonne Nachschubdienst
The FPN of 2./Pi.Btl. 2 is 19167 Source Feldpost-Nummern-Verzeichnis and Mark Yerger's books)
I thought maybe there was an identification error from the French authorities but by checking the DRK website, I could see that the 2./Pi.Btl. 2 had two FPNs.

2.Pi.Btl.2 Feldpost Nummer.JPG

Regards
Patrick

[Ignacio]

Hello Patrick

The company had indeed three FP numbers.

From 1939 to early 1944, 19 167 was the Fp number of the 2.Kompanie of SS-Pz.Pio.Btl.DR. The company stayed in Russia with the SS-Panzer-Kampfgruppe DR, where 19 167 finally became the FP number of the Pionier Kompanie formed with the remnants of the different battle group Pioneer units. After the battle group joined the Division in April 1944 that FP number was given to the 4.Pio.Kp.

According to the “Besondere Anordnung für die Feldpostwesen” issued by the Battle Group command on 27.01.44, the cadre of the 2.Pio.Kp. rebuilding with the main body of the Division in Tr.Üb.Pl. Stablack was given the FP number 10 897C. This same order established that the FP number 28 955 (previously with the Kdr. der. Div.Nachsch.Tr.) was no longer in use.

Shortly after, some of the divisional FP numbers changed again and by June 1944 the 2.Pio.Kp. had been given the FP number 28 955 (“Waffen-SS und Ordnungspolizei im Kriegseinsatz 1939-1945 – Ein Überblick anhand der Feldpostübersicht” by Tessin and Kannapin), that it should hold to the end.

Hope this helps

Regards from frozen Madrid

Ignacio