"Spanish" Fallschirmjäger

[Óscar G]

Hi everyone:
Last month I visited the widow of a Fallschirmjäger. Although this charming woman keeps just some papers and photos, she helped me to reconstruct the places and events where her husband was. I really enjoyed this chance to rescue this great man´s history. The research isn´t as complete as I wanted; anyway it´s my special tribute to this unknown soldier who “wrote some pages” of the History. I want to share it with all of you. You will surely add any detail or aspect...
His name was Niklaus Hölscher and was born in 1925. He voluntereed to the Fallschirmtruppe and was confined to Döberitz barracks, belonging to the Erprobungsabteilung/XI. Flg. Korps...

[Óscar G]

... His “great” operation will be the rescue of Mussolini. He is one of the Fjs photographed by the war correspondents in the cable car station, probably after the attack. It seems to be that he was with the team that landed near the hotel, namely 1./FJR7. After the war he was interviewed by a newspaper published in Granada, the city where he was working at that time. According to his testimony, “there was no resistence and the 120 carabinieri guarding the Duce surrended immediately. Another 40 were protecting the cable car” (IDEAL 25/02/1951). “Obviusly” his opinion regarding Otto Skorzeny were quite bad. It´s curious, but his wife told me that the whole german community in Madrid thought that this man was a cheeky person and a liar…<O</O

[Óscar G]

He belonged to the 1./Fallsh. Jg. Lehr Batl. until December 1943. Before going to France he was engaged in the fighting around Nettuno from 27 January 1944 until 10 February 1944. Afterwards, he was attached to the 4. Kp. fighting in France. Hauptfeldwebel Bosshammer commanded his company during the stay in Nevers until Hauptmann Hoffmann became the commander in the beggining of 1944.
He was captured by US forces on 30 August 1944, exactly in the vicinity of Meulan, in the defensive fighting around Paris. As his wife told me, he was sleeping under a tree when the Amis caught him… At that time he was an Oberjäger-Unteroffizier and belonged to the 4<SUP>th</SUP> company of the I./Fallsch Lehr Regiment 21. This regiment was working together with 6FJD and I./Fallsch. Art Rgt 4 against the advance of the 119<SUP>th</SUP> ID. His Erkennungsmarke was 62594/195.
I have no reference about his awards, but it seems to be that he was awarded both EKI and EKII. His widow keep tinnies of them.
He spent three years in a POW camp in Texas. I was told he had never no complaint against the Amis. Their treatment was very good. In fact he put on weight… After his liberation, he moved to France and then to Spain. This country wasn´t his goal, but South Africa. He wanted to move because some members of his family were located there.
He met his wife – the german military advisor´s daughter – in Madrid and married her a few later. Niklaus became a famous, enterprising and successful salesman. He had no problem integrating into the spanish culture, learning the language without any grammar or study. He knew very well the spanish “geography” in the course of his life, living in many places and cities: Granada, Madrid, Tarragona… He died on 3 May 2001

[Óscar G]

His office was decorated with the images above and with these aerial sight of the Gran Sasso...

[Óscar G]

... Finally, the copy of the interview commented above.

Regards. Óscar

[Willi Z.]

Great story Óscar! Thanks for taking the time to post the photos. I love that casual "helmet under arm" photo of him.

Willi

[Mikey]

FJ story

Great story Óscar! Thanks for taking the time to post the photos. I love that casual "helmet under arm" photo of him.

Willi

Very good research Oscar! I read It with much enjoyment and yet found myself at the same time with much sadness.
Mike

[John Hodgin]

Simply wonderful, thanks Oscar! Always liked that Gran Sasso photo, now one of them is identified.

[Óscar G]

Thanks Willi, Mikey and John for your kind comments! I enjoy "twice" a research work that can be shared

It has been great for me to identify one guy in the famous pic of the Gran Sasso. This "process" led me to find another photo taken at the cable car station but captioned in a wrong way. It belongs to the cover of the issue "Kreta" from the serie "Das III Reich Magazines", published by John Jahr Verlag Kg. in Germany. They aren´t at all Fallschirmjäger in Kreta, but the guys appearing with Niklaus Hölscher. Notice that the FJ who is the first from the left in "my" pic is the man in the background of the cover. I can recall one thread commenting this -sadly- "common" error in some -even new- books...

On the other hand, "Wochenschau-archiv" shows a documentary about Gran Sasso entitled: Befreiung von Benito Mussolini und Besuch bei Adolf Hitler. My "dear" Höelscher doesn´t appear, but it can be seen his group posted above...
Best regards. Óscar

[JYN]

A

Hi Oscar,

Sad to hear that Mr. Nicolas Hoelscher passed away.
I have been in contact with him by 1993.
He did his Grundausbildung in Stendal and
his Sprungausbildung in Wittstock.
He was MIA by Marines/Melan (North of Paris) on 30.08.44
but as an Obergefreiter and not as an OberJäger.
Jean-Yves

[KAISER]

Amazing work Oscar. Very nice the photo of Hoelscher with his wife.
I've read some works about the rescue of Mussolini, most of them criticizing Otto Skorzeny because he took all the credit for the operation.
I also read that all the intelligence work was made by him and his men, and that's how they found the exact place where Mussolini was.
My question is: was Skorzeny the bad boy of the history or this is too exaggerate?

Te felicito Oscar por tu investigacion.

Saludos

KAISER

[Óscar G]

Hi Kaiser:

Thanks for your comments. Well, you set out the "Question" about Gran Sasso operation. IMO, it´s not "exaggerate" to say that Skorzeny was the bad boy -so to speak - in all this matter. As I´ve told above, there was no good opinion in Madrid about him... It seems to be that he kept on using his "tricks" after the war, too.
Undoubtedly he played a important and quite significant role in the "finding" operation, but as Student, Mors and Bosshammer admitted, he didn´t play any role in the Gran Sasso (Eiche) operation nor gave any order on the plateau. It´s admitted that Himmler was reported before Hitler. He had the "privilege" of the "info". And Himmler reported to Hitler, submiting the whole operation as a great success of the SS-Kommandos. Hitler sanctioned this version. This way reflected again the open rivalry between Göring and Himmler. That´s why Skorzeny was awarded the RK... and Major Harald Mors, the unique commander of the operation, the DKiG.

Student planned the operation and the way to liberate Mussolini. He ordered the following actions:
- Major Mors with 3./FJR7 had to capture the cable car station in Assergi in order to face an hypothetical attack from the valley.
- Obtl. Freiherr von Berlepsch had to land on the plateau close to the hotel with the 1st company and elements from the 4th company too. They had to liberate Mussolini.
- Hauptmann Gerlach with the "Storch" had to take the Duce to Practica di Mare.
- Skorzeny had to accompany Mussolini to Germany (Student himself thought and decided he might be the right "companion" because he knew the Führerquartier and Wien, where the plane had to make a stop).

Skorzeny was "invited" to the operation (it could be said as a "political advicer"...), but von Berlepsch was the real commander of the team landed by glider; that´s why Skorzeny flew in the second "Kette" of the gliders. A misunderstanding (still uncleared...) during the flight between Lt. Meyer-Wehner and Oblt. Heidenreich, and Hauptmann Langguth, on the other hand, make possible that Skorzeny´s glider piloted by Meyer-Wehner was the first team arriving to the goal ( with a risky landing included...)
After the operaton came the trick. On September 14th Skorzeny spoke on the radio saying that he was the real hero and "Führer" of the liberation. According to his words, the Fallschirmjägers played a static role and " one third of the Fallschirmjäger engaged there, crashed against the rocks". This sentence was like a heavy blow for von Berlepsh, so that he fall ill ( and therefore doesn´t appear in the pics of the award ceremony...)

Kaiser, una palabra le define: "caradura". Hope this helps.
Regards. Óscar

[Óscar G]

@ Jean Yves:

He did his Grundausbildung in Stendal and
his Sprungausbildung in Wittstock.

Many thanks for these new "inputs"! Although I asked this info to his wife, I couldn´t get any name, but Döberitz.

He was MIA by Marines/Melan (North of Paris) on 30.08.44
but as an Obergefreiter and not as an OberJäger

As for this info, I consulted a helpful clue that found amongst Hölscher´s papers. It´s a copy of a list reporting the losses (as you have well precisated) on 30 August 1944. Marines/ Meulan seems to be the place. In this regard I consulted Chazette´s "Fallschirmjäger. Les parachustistes allemands en France" and he mentions "Meulan" on page 102. At first glance I thought that they were the same place, is it right?
On the other hand, this list reports about him as being a "Oberjäger"...

Regards. Óscar

[JYN]

The Xerox copy of the list he sent me is a bit pale. Sorry, but I tought men were listed by ranks... I should have a look on the complete list that I also have in my archive

Jean-Yves

[Si1964]

Oscar,


Great story, thanks for sharing it with us