Dear fesjr,
Here is a translation of the account of the incident and the events
connected with it; I omitted parts of the text that had no direct
connection with the death of the soldier. The numbers in rectangular
brackets refer to notes I wrote; you will find them under the account.
The account was written by head teacher (ret.) Karl Albert Otto
Waetzmann. In the years 1948-1951, the town of Vohenstrauß
commissioned him to do research, interview contemporary witnesses and
collect information to write a documentation of the events in
Vohenstrauß during the year 1945. The memories were still fresh then,
and the collected information was reliable.
The full edited German original text of this documentation, "Die Stadt
Vohenstrauß im Jahre 1945 - eine authentische Dokumentation", is
available on the website of the local historical society "Heimat NOW":
http://www.heimat-now.de/g_voh_waetz.htm
Regards,
Scriptor
-- -- --
(...)
Artillery Fire as Retaliatory Measure
We shall have a look at the further events of that day [1]. According
to the latest news, it seemed that the entire county of Vohenstrauß
would soon come under encirclement. Only the way eastwards - to
Waidhaus - is still open. Altenstadt [2] is already under fire. Fires
break out. And now, on Monday 23 April, Vohenstrauß comes under heavy
fire at about 9:30 PM. American artillery systematically shells the
town with phosphor grenades.
(...)
The bombardment lasted for about 15 minutes, and then the shelling
ended. It was the retaliatory measure for an American sergeant [3]
shot on Monday around 4:30 PM at the Seltmann factory.
What had happened?
An American armored scout car came on Monday afternoon, 4:30 PM, from
Altenstadt, driving on the road to Vohenstrauß. At the little forest
of the Seltmann factory it stopped. An American sergeant got off to
look about. He was killed with a shot in the head by an Arbeitsdienst
man [4] who had hidden there. This happened on Monday 23 April 1945,
around half past four in the afternoon. The man died soon; the
Americans left him behind on the road, turned about and quickly drove
back to Waldau, where the American battery was positioned on Rehbühl
ridge.
The tavern of master butcher H. Söller stands close to the site of the
incident. After the shoot had been fired, Herr Söllner left his house
to find out what was going on. The young Arbeitsdienst man approached
him. He admitted that he had done it according to his superior's
order. When Herr Söllner remonstrated with him on the upcoming
retaliatory measures, the young man absolutely unconcerned said that
he had only carried out his duty. Then he returned to his post at the
road. Meanwhile, Herr Söllner's daughter had put a white flag out of a
window. The Arbeitsdienst man now fired two shots at that window. Herr
Söllner withdraw the flag. However, when he watched out for the
shooter, he had disappeared and did never return.
As soon as 5:00 PM, the retaliatory measure began and Altenstadt
experienced the first shelling which caused much damage.
Herr K. Dobmeiser (b. 21 August 1900 - d. 23 April 1945, buried on
Altendorf cemetery) died from the shelling.
In the late evening and during the night, American raiding patrols
again advanced to the Seltmann factory. As Herr Söllner reports, three
American soldiers came into his house at 11:30 PM, with their rifles
ready to shoot. Herr Söllner barred their way. A German-speaking
American shouted at him:
"Have shots been fired from this house?" (No)
"Is this house occupied?" (No)
"Are there weapons in this house?" (No)
"Where are the other residents?" (Cellar)
"How old are you?" (68 years)
Then they searched the entire house and Herr Söllner showed them the
window that had been a target. They calmed down a bit and demanded for
a bed sheet to cover their dead comrade. Then they left the house and
left the comrad lying on the road.
There were still some SS men in Altenstadt on Monday 23 April. But
they disappeared when at about 4:00 PM American tanks came from Waldau
and occupied Altenstadt. The village displayed white flags. At about
4:30 PM the American sergeant was shot during the tank approach
towards Vohenstrauß, as mentioned above. Hereupon, after the armored
scout car had returned to the battery in Waldau, the village came
under heavy shelling. (...) Now the SS units, who had hidden, returned
to the village and forced the inhabitants to withdraw the white flags.
During Monday night, the SS men left the village at last. They
disappeared in the nearby forests. The village breathed a sigh of
relief.
In that night, American reconnaissance patrols entered the village
again. The farm owner and former mayor, Herr Sebastian Kick, watched
them from a cellar window. Also, three American soldiers advanced to
butcher H. Söllner's tavern at about 11:30 in the night. Their dead
comrade was still lying there, covered by a bed sheet.
(...)
The Occupation of the Town by American Forces
24 April 1945, a Tuesday, was the day when the town of Vohenstrauß was
occupied by American forces.
(...)
Herr Steininger [5] went on Tuesday 24 April 1945 at about 5:30 in the
morning to Altenburg, to surrender the town. On the way there, but
still in the town, he met Herr August Weidner Jr. (the son of master
clockmaker Wilhelm Weidner, 99 Marktplatz square). When he heard that
Herr Steininger was going to the Americans, he asked if he may
accompany him. So they went to the Seltmann factory on byways, not on
the road. When they saw nobody there, they returned.
Second Retaliatory Shelling with Casualty
On Tuesday at about 8:30 AM, a second shelling by artillery and
machine guns began, suddenly and unexpectedly for the town that
displayed white flags. Altenstadt suffered it, too, with much damage.
However, it lasted only five minutes - but the casualty was the twelve
and a half year old boy H. Engel from Hamburg.
(...)
How did the Surrender of the Town take place?
After the brief shelling on Tuesday morning, Herr Steininger and Herr
Steininger Jr. approached the advancing Americans on the road to
Altenburg, to finally surrender the town.
They met the tanks near the Seltmann factory - where the dead American
was still lying. The first tank stops. The American officer asked
through an interpreter if they were the negotiators. Then, these
questions followed:
"Who sent you?" (The mayor)
"Is Vohenstrauß occupied?" (No)
"Since when is the town unoccupied?" (3:00 AM)
"Are there still armed remains of units in the town?" (I don't think so)
"Who was the German general or commandant?" (I don't know)
"How many troops have been in the town?" (It is not known to me)
"Where did they withdraw?" (Pointing with a hand into the direction: There)
Both men now had to sit on the first tank. The accompanying
interpreter told them that they would die if shots were fired from
inside a house. The idea of possible resistance of the so-called
Werwolf members was indeed unpleasant - thank God, nothing happened.
The tanks entered the town. The inhabitants had been ordered in
advance to go into the cellars and to stay there until the surrender
was complete. Now the rolling tanks fired random rounds at the houses.
Reconnaissance squads followed.
Thus, the Americans took possession of the town.
(...)
But just as one single thoughtless shot causes the most calamitous
effects also in the existence of entire peoples, not only of a town,
it happened in Vohenstrauß, too. It was the shot of 23 April that
caused the shelling of Altenstadt and Vohenstrauß as a retaliatory
measure and that, apart from all the damage, cost the life of six
persons. The victims were:
One American sergeant
One anonymous German navy soldier (note of the editor: The death of
the navy soldier is not explained in detail)
And four German civilians:
In Vohenstrauß: Frau Sellschopp, Frau Schönberger and Fräulein Ebnet
In ALtenstadt: Clockmaker Herr Karl Dobmeier.
One Arbeitsdienst man - one shot - six casualties!
-- -- --
Notes:
[1] Monday, 23 April 1945
[2] Altenstadt, a small village north-west of Vohenstrauß; part of the
town of Vohenstrauß.
[3] The German text uses the rank "Feldwebel", which would be a Staff
Sergeant in English.
[4] Arbeitsdienst is short for Reichsarbeitsdienst (RAD), National
Labour Service. This was an organization created by the Nazi
government. All male, and from 1939 also the female Germans between
the ages of 18 and 25 had to serve in this organization for 6 months.
The RAD was organized much like an army, including military-like
uniforms and combat training. During the war, the RAD served as
support for the German armed forces, mainly in the roles of
construction units and anti-aircraft crews. RAD men were sent into
combat late in the war. I believe that the RAD man who shot the
American soldier became an SS man in oral tradition, maybe because the
grey field uniforms were extremely similar.
[5] A local painter, authorized by the mayor of Vohenstrauß to
negotiate the surrender of the town. |
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