KM officers etc prisioners Trieste May 1945

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I know I am in the wrong place but I was going through some pictures today of the capture of Trieste May 1945 by New Zealand soldiers.

Not often that you find pictures of KM officers and personal from that time but here are two I found.

I have a feeling that Norm F's father was an officer in the KM at Trieste but I am not sure if he was there in May 1945. After he has had a looked at these perhaps he could kindly moved this to the correct section.

Top image narration;
"The 22nd Battalion was stopped at a number of points on the road into Trieste, clearing roadblocks and dealing with Germans only some of whom wished to surrender. Eventually LTCOL Haddon Donald was approached by a group of Germans which included an officer and radio operator. They accompanied Haddon into Trieste, navigating and advising local German units of their arrival."

Bottom image narration;
"Overlooking Trieste and its harbour is the ancient castle of San Giusto, lying next to the cathedral of San Guisto. The castle housed a German garrison and as they occupied a commanding position over the city, Haddon Donald decided they needed to be removed as soon as possible. He sent C Company, led by Major Lloyd Cross, up to the castle where they met the CO, an Admiral. He was willing to surrender but the Yugoslav partisans had other ideas, threatening to shoot any person, German or Allied, who left the building. As Major Cross only had a depleted company, and no tanks or armour, he decided to stay in the castle until relieved. The Admiral pointed out that the Kiwis only had a small force whereas the Yugoslavs had a heavily armoured force. Disretion prevailed, and although the Germans piled most of their arms into a room, sentries were posted around the castle that night of Kiwis alternating with Germans - a most bizarre end to the war. But as Major Cross pointed out to the Admiral, his troops had not eaten since breakfast and they had not brought rations with them. The Admiral sat them down to eat with his men. The menu was stew - made from horsemeat. Major Cross dined with the German officers, and they had stew - from horsemeat, washed down, not with Italian wine or good brandy, but Scotch whisky, the last remnants from the fall of Tobruk."


Many thanks,

Chris

[Norm F]

Hi Chris,

Thanks for posting. Certainly fascinating to me since my Dad was indeed in the area, no doubt tantalizingly close by to those photos. At this time he was a Kaptiänleutnant (MN)d.R. and was 1. MNO Trieste, in charge of naval communications under the Seekommandant Istrien and handling all communications to and from the Kommandierender Admiral Adria (I think). In 1943 when the Seekommandant was in the Castello Duino, his main radio station was based in nearby Sistiana in the villa of the Princess of Thurn & Taxis.

Later, he moved to a place on Via del Ricreatorio in Villa Opicina on the high ground north of Trieste. Right behind it was a requisitioned elementary school which housed the men and the communications equipment.

I don't know the exact details of the surrender or how accurate is my father's account when many years later he incorporated it into a short story based upon true events:

"Tito's partisans approached from the east, and Allied tanks rolled northwards up the Italian boot. [He] had tuned in on the Allied radio traffic, and reported to my superior the activities of New Zealand motor vehicles.

"We will neither negotiate with the Communists nor surrender to them," said the Big Chief at the last officers' meeting. There were caves in the hills of Opicina around Trieste and the Navy went underground. Radio and wire contact was kept alive, and the three day battle with the eastern invaders began. It was [fictional name], with a handful of men, who defended the entrance to the caves. All of them were sailors and inexperienced in land war, but they were doggedly courageous. Nobody wanted to fall in the hands of the partisans, who had a record of bestial atrocities.

The dead and the wounded who could be carried from the rocky field were bedded in the caves.

On the evening of the third day, the tanks finally appeared from Venice, and Big Chief with delegate of senior officers, walked over to them and surrendered.

The constant barrage of small artillery and machine guns had stopped, and in the eerie silence, thousands of seamen tossed their weapons in a heap, with mixed feelings of relief, emptiness, exhaustion and puzzlement. Five years of their lives had been wasted, and there could not be much in the future for the loser. The last mail had reached them over two months ago. Germany lay in ruins.

When all the weapons had been surrendered and there was not one enemy in sight - the New Zealand tanks had rumbled down the hill - an armoured car with a red flag swept in. A Russian commissar jumped out, accompanied by a Tito officer and followed by a group of armed partisans. He declared that the sailors were now Yugoslavian prisoners of war.

Not New Zealand prisoners of war! ...They were now Tito's prisoners."

[Norm F]

I found this excerpt online from an anthology of Maori contemporary fiction; a similar account in many ways.

[Norm F]

"We will neither negotiate with the Communists nor surrender to them," said the Big Chief at the last officers' meeting.

It's clear from available records today, that the "Big Chief" mentioned there was Kommandant Istrien, Kapitän zur See z.V. Otto Loycke whose death is listed as July 27, 1945 in Yugoslavian captivity. I have photographs of the two predecessors in Loycke's position among my Dad's photos (but no photos were saved after December 1944). By my Dad's account, his commanding officer died during the long march from Trieste to the camp in Vrsac, Serbia, but I suppose either en route or on arrival is possible.

Best regards,
---Norm

[Norm F]

Bottom image narration;
"Overlooking Trieste and its harbour is the ancient castle of San Giusto, lying next to the cathedral of San Guisto. The castle housed a German garrison and as they occupied a commanding position over the city, Haddon Donald decided they needed to be removed as soon as possible. He sent C Company, led by Major Lloyd Cross, up to the castle where they met the CO, an Admiral."

Chris' narrative appears to be a different unit from my Dad's. I wonder who exactly was the "Admiral" mentioned above, perhaps Vizeadmiral Werner Löwisch, Oberbefehlshaber of Marineoberkommando Süd (although I haven't been able to verify if he was located in the castle of San Giusto)?

Generalmajor Hermann Linkenbach was Kommandant of Trieste, so I would have thought he'd be in the castillo, but he wasn't Navy.

Best regards,
---Norm

[90th Light]

Wow very interesting Norm,

I had not realised there were so many KM personal in Trieste in May 1945, the big part they played and the sad fate of many.

My focus had always been the SS & Police units encountered followed by the WH units.

However, now you have me wondering because I have a lot of KM items that came from that time.

Starting with this very, very rare KM coastal artillery admirals shoulder board. This is the only known example to still exist in the world today. It came with the other KM badges around it and a lot more.

I have this guys name but will have to go back and look at my notes.

I also have a lot of KM war badges from this time.

The bit you posted that if they surrendered to the Yugos, they lost their lives but if they surrendered to the New Zealanders, they lost their watches is so true. I have seen KM watches from Trieste May 1945. The 2nd NZEF Division was nicknamed "Freyberg and his 40,000 thieves" by the Americans.

Will add some more photos from the capture of Trieste later tonight,

Chris

[90th Light]

More images of the board showing how it is KM coastal artillery and not Police.

It was discussed here;

http://dev.wehrmacht-awards.com/foru...hlight=Admiral

Chris

[90th Light]

Generalmajor Hermann Linkenbach was Kommandant of Trieste, so I would have thought he'd be in the castillo, but he wasn't Navy.

Best regards,
---Norm


This might be photos of him Norm, below is the narration that accompany's them,

Chris


Miramare Castle

"Miramare lies on the coast about 5km south of Trieste. It was the HQ for a German Division, but they quietly surrendered to A Company of the 22nd, prompted in part by a severe pounding of the surrounding air defences by several squadrons of bombers. The large German flag that flew over the castle was removed by A Company, who all signed their names on it. The flag is now on permanent display in the Waiouru Army Museum."

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It is really hard to find pictures of the Germans at Trieste.

Here are a couple more from the surrender at Miramare Castle May 1945,

Chris

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Here is the signed flag from Miramare Castle May 1945.

I also have a signed flag but from a different castle. Seemingly one was picked up at each of the surrender points and signed by the New Zealand soldiers who had served the entire war and lived to see the surrender,

Chris

p.s. Note the German medical officer in the lower image, I have his visor that he gave to a New Zealand nurse as a token of thanks.

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I just posted this overview of how the Germans surrendered in Trieste 1945, on another thread. This is courtesy of 22nd Battalion, 2NZEF association history and I thought it might add a bit more to this thread.

Down the bottom they talked about "Villa Opicina" which Norm F stated was where his father was at that time in post numbers 2 & 3;



"On 2 May 1945 'A' and 'C' Companies of the 22nd Battalion, 2NZEF raced northward along the Adriatic Coast towards Trieste. 'B' Company had been left behind for a few days in Venice. Their mission was two-fold, to enter Trieste and end the war in Italy, and to get there ahead of other elements of the 8th Army, in particular Div Cav, 2NZEF who were taking the high road above the town. Despite some reports in the official history to the contrary, it was 22 Battalion that entered the city first. As they entered, they found that the Yugoslav partisans had already arrived, and dealing with them complicated the issues.

Miramare Castle lies on the coast about 5km south of Trieste. It was the HQ for a German Division (WH troops with KM Coastal Art ?), but they quietly surrendered to A Company of the 22nd, prompted in part by a severe pounding of the surrounding air defenses by several squadrons of bombers. The large German flag that flew over the castle was removed by A Company, who all signed their names on it. The flag is now on permanent display in the Waiouru Army Museum in New Zealand.

The 22nd Battalion was stopped at a number of points on the road into Trieste, clearing roadblocks and dealing with Germans both (KM & WH), only some of whom wished to surrender. Eventually LTCOL Haddon Donald was approached by a group of Germans which included an officer (KM ?) and radio operator. They accompanied Haddon into Trieste, navigating and advising local German units of their arrival.

The 22nd Battalion was accompanied into Trieste by the Lancers and some armour, both under Lt-Col Donald's command. They were welcomed by the Triestini, but the Yugoslav partisans were less keen.

The Tribunale Building, for Colonel Donald and the New Zealanders who first arrived in Trieste, the Tribunale (Law Courts) building was occupied by belligerent SS officers who refused to surrender. To quote the Official History:

"At the Tribunale Donald could not persuade the garrison commander to surrender; he was an SS officer who was still humbugging undecided and was apparently under the influence of alcohol. Donald therefore arranged with the Yugoslav commander that tanks of C Squadron of 19 Regiment and C Squadron of the 20th would surround the building and give it a 20-minute pounding with their guns and Brownings. First the square was cleared of all troops and civilians, and at 7 p.m. 18 tanks at ranges of from 20 to 50 yards blew gaping holes in the walls and through the windows of the Tribunale. The Germans (SS & SS Police) took shelter in the cellars and had few casualties, but the Yugoslavs entered the building and by morning had rounded up some 200 (who were shown no mercy)."

Lt Col Haddon Donald, commander of the 22 Battalion, recalled:

"....I decided to try on my own to persuade them to surrender. With no flag of truce available, I made do with my handkerchief, which was white and reasonably large... I knew enough Italian and German to be able to explain who I was... and we would give them safe conduct back to a British prisoner of war camp.....They stepped back inside and slammed the door."
"I was fast losing patience with the SS types in the Tribunale, but decided to have one more go at offering then safe conduct.... Terry McLean, my adjutant, could speak some German and by this time an Austrian civilian had joined us to act as an interpreter. The three of us, under a better constructed white flag marched once more across the Square to parley with the Germans."
"I gave the order to fire and keep firing until we had blown several entries into the building.... The tank boys were having a wonderful time. Never had they had such an easy target and nobody was shooting back at them."

The shelling of the Tribunale was one of the few incidents of damage inflicted by the New Zealand troops on arrival at Trieste.

Castle San Giusto, overlooking Trieste and its harbor is the ancient castle of San Giusto, lying next to the cathedral of San Guisto. The castle housed a German garrison (KM & KM Coast Art) and as they occupied a commanding position over the city, Haddon Donald decided they needed to be removed as soon as possible. He sent C Company, led by Major Lloyd Cross, up to the castle where they met the CO, an Admiral. He was willing to surrender but the Yugoslav partisans had other ideas, threatening to shoot any person, German or Allied, who left the building. As Major Cross only had a depleted company, and no tanks or armour, he decided to stay in the castle until relieved. The Admiral pointed out that the Kiwis only had a small force whereas the Yugoslavs had a heavily armoured force. Discretion prevailed, and although the Germans piled most of their arms into a room, sentries were posted around the castle that night of Kiwis alternating with Germans - a most bizarre end to the war. But as Major Cross pointed out to the Admiral, his troops had not eaten since breakfast and they had not brought rations with them. The Admiral sat them down to eat with his men. The menu was stew - made from horsemeat. Major Cross dined with the German officers, and they had stew - from horsemeat, washed down, not with Italian wine or good brandy, but Scotch whisky, the last remnants from the fall of Tobruk.

The official history records the facts:

A company of the 22nd Battalion proceeded to the 750-year-old castle of San Giusto, the ancient citadel of the port, to receive the surrender of nine officers and 260 men. In the central courtyard, the company drew up opposite the paraded garrison, and returned the salute in a ceremony which had all the appurtenances of a military occasion. Bullets from Yugoslav snipers pattered against the old walls. As the prisoners moved out the following day partisans demanded that the Germans be handed over to them. Tactful handling prevented trouble.

After the fall of the Tribunale Building, and the formal surrender of all German forces in Italy to Col Donald, there was still a garrison of German soldiers at the Villa Opicina, overlooking Trieste. The German commander sent a message to Col Donald that he wished to surrender to the New Zealanders, so Haddon sent part of A Company with some tanks and trucks up to the Villa. Once there they found the place surrounded by Jugoslav forces who wished to capture the Germans. During the negotiations, the Jugoslavs lobbed a mortar into the town square wounding one Kiwi and killing Lance Corporal John Russell, 297309, buried Udine Cemetery, Italy. He became the last New Zealand casualty of the war, and the first casualty of the Cold War that developed from the standoff between Juoslav and Allied forces in Trieste.

The men of the 22 Battalion were particulary aggrieved at the loss of L/Cpl Russell. It is a lasting testament to their professionalism that they did not return fire.

And after it was all over....

There was time to relax (but not too much with the Jugoslav partisans still causing trouble). There was a famous Ball, held at Miramare Castle",


Chris

[nzef1940]

Lt Col Haddon Donald (rtd) is still with us at 99 years old.

[90th Light]

This is now being discussed on 2 other threads with interesting information being reported;


http://dev.wehrmacht-awards.com/foru...d.php?t=881589

Thanks for your help Chris, there are so many contradicting stories, but I believe I figured it out with your help. On route the ANZACS took 615 POW at Miramare and many small POW groups, at San Giusto castle they took another 182 POW, they too had a lucky postwar time. At the Tribunale the WSS (including the SS men of Globocnik?))had a last stand refusing to surrender so with the help of the ANZAC tanks the Jugoslav Partisans stormed it, took 200 POW but surely there was no mercy on them. Genmaj Linkenbach (north of Trieste HQ)with 824 men also made it safely to the ANZAC Montcalfone POW cages. At Villa Opcina the ANZACS were surrounded by hostile partisans themselves and handed over their German POWs due to the danger of an inter-allied battle (after a night of guarding eating and talking together). A further 6.000 Germans made it across the sea into ANZAC captivity (Latisania cages) and the rest had the grim fate of being Jugoslav POWs. So all in all there weren´t so many hand-overs as I heard. The Germans didn´t really resist the ANZAC offensive at Trieste in order to become POWs in the West.

http://dev.wehrmacht-awards.com/foru...d.php?t=840111

Hallo Chris

Just the time to gather my books, OoB, etc.
I hope to be able during next week-end.
The situation in the OZAK at the end of the war is also one my main historical interest. As a note I have a waffenrock (I acquired it in Innsbruck more than thirty years ago) of a 2nd lieutenant of GJR 136 (unfortunately it lacks one of the shoulder straps).
Finally, but only for tonight, an historical anecdote (just as an appetizer for more structured information): the commander of the defense of Opicina was Lieutenant Colonel Laurin that at the time of the surrender committed suicide near the obelisk, which I passed hundreds of times. In the same place there is still an old hotel, now decadent, where it is said that even the families of some German officers killed themselves to avoid falling into the hands of the partisans, but I have no proof of this and these are just rumors that I have picked when I lived in Trieste:

http://dev.wehrmacht-awards.com/foru...ghlight=laurin

As you see, unfortunately no response so far.

Best regards and I promise you that I will begin to write my information between Saturday and Sunday

Marcello

My interest in all of this is growing more by the day. It now probably needs it own thread in the appropriate area of WAF. However, I have posted these quotes here so Norm F sees them, in case it adds more to his information,

Chris