Klewan - Broniki july 1941

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tigre
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Klewan - Broniki july 1941

#1

Post by tigre » 03 Dec 2005, 22:47

Hello to all

On 01 jul 1941 on the road Klewan - Broniki roughly 180 german soldiers (7./IR.35 (mot), 6/I.R. 119 (mot) and 5./A.R. 60) were taken as POW and later murdered. Could someone help me with regards to the actions that led to the situation before mentioned?. which soviets units were involved?. I'm interested in the engagement and to find out how nearly one full company was taken as pow in spite of the soviet troops were surprised in the beginning of Barbarossa.

Here the Heer report:Vgl. Fernschreiben vom 8. Juli 1941 an A.O.K. 6 (Armeeoberkommando): "Nach Meldung des III.A.K. (Armeekorps) sind am 30. Juni 150 deutsche Soldaten der 25. I.D.Mot. in russischer Gefangenschaft ermordet worden. Weitere Meldungen liegen in zwei anderen Fällen vor. Berichte werden nachgereicht." Panzergruppe 1,Ic, BA-MA, Tagesmeldungen des A. O. K. 6, 15623/14, S. 155

Best regards. Tigre.

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Re: Klewan - Broniki july 1941

#2

Post by tigre » 21 Mar 2009, 13:56

Hello to all :D; for those interested here goes the story...............................

The Broniki's case – 01 Jul 1941.

The Eastern Front showed its brutality from the beginning and later was growing up more and more. Here goes the case involved an unlucky german company which was slaughtered after being captured…………

The action.

On Jun 29 1941 at 15:00 hours, the 25 ID (Mot) relieved the 13 Pz Div at Rowno (main road hub) securing there against south, east and northeast. The enemy retreating southeastwards to Klewan broke through the road Dubno – Rowno, hence the Division had for the time being a new thread closing in from the west.

On Jun 30 1941, the Army Corps ordered that the security had to be strenghtened to the east so the IR 119 (Mot) was engaged in the direction given. Meanwhile it was ordered also that a reinforced battalion should press to the northwest in order to seize Klewan. The task was given to Hauptmann Dr. Keller’s II./ IR 35.

On Jul 01 1941, at 06:00 hours, the battalion jumped off along the road between Klewan and Broniki in Ukraine, in spite of they met strong resistence and heavy hostile artillery fire the attack went under way. But around 09:00 hours, the battalion’s commander gave the withdrawal’s order towards the high ground located northeast of Broniki in order to set a defensive line there. While the Germans were carried out that movement, the Russian counterattacked from the wooded land located northwest of Orzew with two infantry battalions supported by 15 tanks. The thrust knocked the II./ IR 35’s right flank, which was being protected by the 7./ IR 35.

After this attack, parts of the german battalion (among them the 7. Company) were encircled and when they spent all their ammunition were taken as prisoners. At that time fell as POWs around 180 soldiers, most of them belonging to the II./ IR 35 ( there were soldiers from the 6./ IR 119 and the 5./ AR 60 also). Nevertheless as the sun was rising on Jul 02 1941, the IR 35 (reinforced) counterattacked and took again the whole ground lost previously.

Source: Geschichte der 25. Division - Erwin Boehm.
Fuente: http://perso.wanadoo.fr/hiag/panzerkorps_ddw2.htm

Cheers. RAúl M 8-).
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Situation as 01 Jul 1941.
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Re: Klewan - Broniki july 1941

#3

Post by tigre » 24 Mar 2009, 15:52

Hello to all :D; the story follows........................

The Slaughter.

Hence were found the corpses of 153 german soldiers; in the spot were the Judge Dr. Heinrich and Leutnant Franz Kröning, who helped to identify the bodies. Later another 12 corpses were found 200 meters away (the officers??). It was known later that seven men survived the slaughter, they had saved their lives running away or were left as dead. One of them Schütze Michael Beer told his history:

“Together with other 150 / 200 comrades without injuries or slightly wounded we were in a hollow some 20 meters away from the road. Suddenly the Russian came and started shooting at us. We ran looking for cover in the ditches beside the road. In spite of the intense fire I could reach the left ditch and managed to escape”

Later Michael Beer went back and on Jul 02 helped to identify his comrades. Together with a little group and the engineers he buried the fallen near the Broniki’s church”.

Another testimony was given by Gefreite Karl Jäger as follows:

“After being captured together with others comrades on Jul 01 1941, they obliged us and we should take off ours boots, socks and trousers. Also we should empty our pockets and all values were taken by the soviets. Those who were not fast enough in obeying were stabbed with the bayonet. Obergefreite Kurz was slightly wounded in his hand so he could not untie his shoelaces quickly hence was stabbed from behind at the neck so that the bayonet came out through the throat. A seriously wounded but yet alive man was trampled and his skull was smashed with the rifle butts. I went rounded up together with another 12 or 15 men north of the road. From behind the russian started the slaughter while we had our hands up yet. When the first shots rang up I ran.”

The Oberschütze (Private First Class) Wilhelm Metzger told the following:

“The russian took us and then deprived us of all our values (rings, watches, uniform’s patches, jackets, boots and shirts). After that the group was slaughtered with hand granades and machinegun pistols’ fire. This I’m telling wasn’t a legend I was there and could escape in the middle of the confusion.”

The Schütze Hermann Heiss could not escape but was left as dead in the spot with his hands tied on his back; he was discover by Germans soldiers and taken to the hospital. Later he recalled the following:

“Together with some others comrades we were laying side by side with our hands tied on the back. I was face up when a Russian soldier stabbed me on the chest so I turned to my side just to take seven hits more on my back. They though I was dead so they left me there lying on the ground. Next morning some landsers saw me and I was taken here (hospital). I could see that the comrade next to me had the skull smashed and the most part of the soldiers in my group had been slaughtered.”

Source: Geschichte der 25. Division - Erwin Boehm.
http://perso.wanadoo.fr/hiag/panzerkorps_ddw2.htm
The Wehrmacht War Crimes Bureau 1939-1945. Alfred de Zayas

Cheers. Raúl M 8-).
Attachments
POW.jpg
A slaughtered German POW with his hands tied on his back.
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POWs.jpg
German POWs slaughtered at Broniki.
POWs.jpg (33.42 KiB) Viewed 2096 times

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Re: Klewan - Broniki july 1941

#4

Post by tigre » 28 Mar 2009, 13:41

Hello to all :D; the story ends...............

The Slaughter as told by Kurt Meyer in his work “Grenadiere” Schild Verlag.

We past through the woods along the road leading to Klewan. The village was taken and we proceeded towards Rowno.

The road there ran straight like as a string heading southeast. From Klewan the road went down gently and after a few kilometers it went up again towards Broniki. Over the horizon some clouds of smoke were rising straight to the sky. I was with the leading platoon and was looking the field around me through my binoculars. I could see a truck over there on the slope and some light shadows close to it.

Now we could see a light gun ready to fire. For the first time we could see an abandoned German weapon on the battlefield, it was very depressing. After passing by the gun we could see a field ambulance, it had its doors wide open with blood’s trace on it. We saw all this in silence. We could not see any German soldier, neither dead nor alive. We went along the slope and the light shadows could be seen clearly now. I put my binoculars down, I scrubbed my eyes and rising the binoculars I looked again.

My God, it could not be possible. The head platoon detrucked and went to those light spots without words. Before us, were lying the naked corpses of at least one German company. We took off our helmets holding them in ours hands as we would be praying. The corpses had the hands tied on his backs with wire strings. Their eyes wide open as if they were looking steady to us. Surely the company’s officers has got a horrible end, they lain some meters away from their comrades. We marched past in silence in front of our dead comrades.

Source: Geschichte der 25. Division - Erwin Boehm.
http://perso.wanadoo.fr/hiag/panzerkorps_ddw2.htm
The Wehrmacht War Crimes Bureau 1939-1945. Alfred de Zayas

It's all folks. Cheers. Raúl M 8-).
Attachments
copy of Klewan.jpg
The march road.
copy of Klewan.jpg (16.76 KiB) Viewed 2022 times
image002.jpg
A view of the slaughter.
image002.jpg (22.47 KiB) Viewed 2020 times

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