From:
http://www.wehrmacht-awards.com/forums/ ... p?t=127603
Obltn. Horst Trebes was involved in a tragic accident. After the operation on Crete he was awarded the RK and celebrated it in Halberstadt with some FJs. The night party had a tragic ending: Oberjäger Karl Polzin (member of the Trupp 4 at Eben Emael, and one of the famous Fjs depicted in the photos taken after the attack) was shot and killed "by accident" by Trebes. Polzin was sleeping in the bathroom and Trebes insisted on awakening him shooting his pistol... It´s easy to imagine the scene and the "situation under total control after a night party" before shooting him...
His mother-in-law saved him from death penalty. She had worked as a nurse during WWI and met Hermann Göring in the Lazarett where she was. After recovering from his wounds, Göring promised he would help her in the future, in case of need. She asked him the favour and Göring interceded on Trebes´behalf.
Anyway, Horst Trebes lost his Offz. graduation, as well as every order and badge. Jäger Trebes was engaged again in Africa, where he lost his right arm in action. He was KIA in Normandy at St. Denys-Le-Gast, near Carentan, on July 29, 1944. He was at that time Hauptmann and commander of III./FJR6.
Years ago at a Treffen I spoke with a veteran who was present that night. He said Polzin had gotten drunk and passed out in a toilet stall with the door closed. Trebes, who was also drunk, could not rouse Polzin by banging on the stall door or shouting. He drew his pistol and fired into the floor, but the bullet richoched off the concrete floor, and, in a one-in-a-million chance, struck Polzin inside the stall and killed him. Trebes was ruined, but more than anything his RK saved him. A German officer, and a paratrooper hero, could not be dragged through a court martial for such a thing without disgracing the entire Luftwaffe. Trebes was also emotionally shattered by the incident, and became reckless, even suicidal, in the face of the enemy, eventually being killed in action in Normany, as noted. The veteran shook his head at the end of this story and added, "it was for the best," reflecting an opinion about Trebes' death as the end to the tragic affair that I think is widely shared among surviving veterans.
The victim,Karl Polzin,on left after Eban Emael
Photo from:
http://www.wehrmacht-awards.com/forums/ ... hp?t=71727
Courtesy of haepers22
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This poor man had already went though a lot. A loss of his arm however doen't prevented him from returning to combat! I think Trebes became more serious and sober before his own death in action.
(Sigh!)
