ambush at poteau

[FrenchVolunteer]

Hi,

this is 100% Elimar.

His story is available on the "Entre deux fronts" book.

More here (in french) :

http://www.malgre-nous.eu/IMG/pdf/elimar_schneider.pdf

RAD : October 1943-January 1944
January 1944 : incorporation in the Waffen-SS (as german)
February 1944 : SS-training camp in Souge, near Bordeaux
Secretary of the Spiess of 3. Komp. Regiment "Der Führer" ("Das Reich" division)
Member of the PAK Zug of the 3. Komp. , Beaumont-de-Lomagne
After June 6, the unit is called to "deliver" Tulle, a city taken by the Résistance.
Unfortunately an half-hundred of Germans were killed...
99 civilians are hanged by the "Das Reich". Elimar was able to save 2 young guys, around 20 were saved.
The unit passed by Oradour (but didn't take part of the massacre), and arrived near Saint-Lo in Normandy.
Fights in Normandy, then in Falaise, in Belgium...
With the "Das Reich", Elimar was part of an unit who fighted near Baraques-les-Fraîtures. As his SPW was out of order, he was not in the front, and he meet with the "LSSAH" guys in Poteaux after the US Combat Command was destroyed.

See You

Vince

[Gran Sasso]

Hi,

this is 100% Elimar.

With the "Das Reich", Elimar was part of an unit who fighted near Baraques-les-Fraîtures. As his SPW was out of order, he was not in the front, and he meet with the "LSSAH" guys in Poteaux after the US Combat Command was destroyed.

See You

Vince

Great, thanks for the info!

So now we know the name of another soldier of those famous fotos, hopefully we can identify some more.

[Fred S]

Hi,

this is 100% Elimar.

His story is available on the "Entre deux fronts" book.

More here (in french) :

http://www.malgre-nous.eu/IMG/pdf/elimar_schneider.pdf


Secretary of the Spiess of 3. Komp. Regiment "Der Führer" ("Das Reich" division)
Member of the PAK Zug of the 3. Komp. , Beaumont-de-Lomagne
After June 6, the unit is called to "deliver" Tulle, a city taken by the Résistance.
Unfortunately an half-hundred of Germans were killed...
99 civilians are hanged by the "Das Reich". Elimar was able to save 2 young guys, around 20 were saved.
The unit passed by Oradour (but didn't take part of the massacre), and arrived near Saint-Lo in Normandy.
Fights in Normandy, then in Falaise, in Belgium...
With the "Das Reich", Elimar was part of an unit who fighted near Baraques-les-Fraîtures. As his SPW was out of order, he was not in the front, and he meet with the "LSSAH" guys in Poteaux after the US Combat Command was destroyed.

See You

Vince

Vince,
in the french PDF file you can read that he was in the Deutschland Rgt ? While of course it was the Der Fuhrer Rgt in Tulle and Oradour.

I've already heard or read about Mr Schneider but all my books are packed at this time so I can't check anything.
On the other hand he wears a lot of medals on one of the pics, while he was engaged only in Limousin, Normandy and the retreat to Germany: something don't match

[FrenchVolunteer]

Hi,

Fred, you are right he was in "Deutschland" not "Der Führer", i made a mistake (i was thinking a bit too much on another french book that is in the writing about "Jules" and the Third Reich).

Here is the current Google Earth map of the location.
Task Force Mayes is coming from Poteau on the left side, and was stopped by the Kampfgruppe Hansen units in the road to Recht (no visible, on the right).
The few houses in the south of the road are not existing anymore.



Now the full map of the Task Force Mayes vehicles after (partial) destruction.Please check the circles with letters for the location of the various Elimar shots. Courtesy of "Ardennes 1944" by Jean-Paul Pallud (the guy that identified the Poteau fight), Heimdal.



3 shots of Elimar under the M8 Greyhound, taken from "O".





The famous shot of Elimar near the M4 half-track, taken from "H".



3 shots of Elimar marching along the head of the US column, taken from "F".





See You

Vince

[Helbe]

To be more clear I'll write in french to member Fred S. Sorry to all !

Gran Sasso a posté deux photographies, celle de gauche est d'époque et montre bien Elimar S. Celle de droite est une photo moderne, ou un mec a simplement rejoué la scène ! L'uniforme est effectivement différent, mais c'est une mise en scène proche de la série originale. ; )


For people who can understand french, here is an interview of Elimar S. dates of 1982 in which he talked about his engagement in the Waffen-SS.

http://www.ina.fr/histoire-et-confli...fen-ss.fr.html

[GOLGOTT]

Hello Vince,

In your link http://www.malgre-nous.eu/IMG/pdf/elimar_schneider.pdf, we can see a picture of elimar in november 1944 with a waffen feldbluse 42 (six holes) with no award and no cyphered boards.
The soldier under the greyhound is wearing a m40 feldbluse (5 buttons) with close combat clasp, IAB, Iron Cross 1st class and may be 2 ribbons. We can see a device on a board but hard to see if it's LAH.
Do you know if Elimar was awarded ?

[Fred S]

To be more clear I'll write in french to member Fred S. Sorry to all !

Gran Sasso a posté deux photographies, celle de gauche est d'époque et montre bien Elimar S. Celle de droite est une photo moderne, ou un mec a simplement rejoué la scène ! L'uniforme est effectivement différent, mais c'est une mise en scène proche de la série originale. ; )

I know the Gran Sasso pics since they were posted here and I know the Poteau ambush pics since more than 20 years, so I could make myself the difference between both pics: the period pic still show a soldier wearing close combat clasp, IAB, Iron Cross 1st class and one ribbon.

Je connais les photos de Gran Sasso depuis qu'elles ont été postées sur ce forum et les photos d'époque depuis plus de 20 ans, donc je peux faire seul la différence entre les 2 photos: la photo d'époque montre toujours un soldat portant une croix de 1ère classe, un bagde d'assaut d'infanterie,.....

Hi,

Fred, you are right he was in "Deutschland" not "Der Führer", i made a mistake (i was thinking a bit too much on another french book that is in the writing about "Jules" and the Third Reich).



See You

Vince

Vince, thanks but the maps still don't explain me the medals so quiclky earned and awarded after Normandy.

[Fred S]

They look alike but I don't think they are the same man: the Poteau Rtf seems to have clear eyes, not Mr Schneider, nose and mouth are not exactly the same as well.
Left to rigth: Mr Schneider in 1944, Poteau Rtf, Mr Schneider around 1980.

[Spanish Freiwillige]

I have always been facianted by the photos of this particular episode and could not resist to make it in 1/6 scale:

I did so much research in order to get the uniforms right!!























and my resault!!!



















Hope you like it!!!

[frits00]

Nice result!!!

[FrenchVolunteer]

Hi,

Loic will try to contact Elimar, and Nicolas Mengus who wrote "Entre deux fronts".

I agree that Elimar may be a "Walter Mitty" on a few historical infos he gave to the public, including the fact that he was present during the Poteau ambush.

We are trying to find historical evidence that he had all the decorations the man pictured in Poteau is wearing.

See You

Vince

[Fred S]

Ok, thanks for the research!

[FrenchVolunteer]

Hi,

we don't have the german book published by Elimar (under the pseudonym of Sadi Sneid), but the fact is that Elimar is always trying to "hide" his war account. in my opinion he is trying to appear like a "poor soldier", like for the Poteau ambush ("i tried to find food on the half-track"). I'm not saying that the guy is a fake and i totally understand that US food and material were most wanted items (remember that Skorzeny had difficulties to have US uniforms and weapons from the troops at the front).
The fact is that maybe Elimar didn't spoke about his military fights and decorations, because the subject of "Entre deux fronts" is the unwilling alsatian soldiers and their life.

See You

Vince

[GOLGOTT]

Thanks Vince for the research. I think it will be difficult to know the truth.
For Spanish freiwillige, nice diorama
Regards.

[florian_geyer72]

Hello,

Very interesting post and debate!

I’m very skeptic about the real identity of the real rottenführer.

-Rottenführer in December 1944 but Elimar is always Schütze in November 1944?!
-He was highly Awarded between November and December 1944 of the 2nd and 1st class Iron Cross, Infantry assault badge + Close combat clasp…Waow !!
- He was 18 years old at the time of Poteau, but the rottenführer on the pictures looks like much older.
- The upper side of the face is different (note the eyebrows) and eyes look green for the rottenführer of Poteau.


Personally Elimar Schneider is not the man of Poteau.

Kind regards.

F.