I recently recently received a copy of Oberleutnant Alfred Germer's personnel file from NARA. I turned into into a .pdf and posted it to my web page (www.maginotlineatwar.com). It is located at the bottom of the site's front page. The file is large - about 6 MB - hence my posting it on my page and not directly to this forum.
Oberleutnant Germer is famous among the Maginot Line community for having led the engineer assault on Ouvrage La Ferte (known to the Germans as Panzerwerk 505). His assault detachment, from the pioniere battalion of the 71. ID, disabled the ouvrage's armored cupolas and its armored turret.) After unseating the turret with a 40 kg charge, Germer's detachment threw explosive charges into the weapon embrasures of the turret which started a fire inside the ouvrage, causing the turret's ammunition to explode. Smoke and fumes from the fire subsequently killed the entire French crew - 106 soldiers. Germer was awarded the Knight's Cross for his part in the action - the first (but not last) Maginot Line fort to fall to German attack. He was later killed on the Eastren Front in 1944.
As far as I know, several other Knight Crosses were awarded for combat action along the Maginot Line. In time, I hope to get the personnel records of these soldiers too.
All the best,
Marc
www.maginotlineatwar.com)
Oberleutnant Germer is famous among the Maginot Line community for having led the engineer assault on Ouvrage La Ferte (known to the Germans as Panzerwerk 505). His assault detachment, from the pioniere battalion of the 71. ID, disabled the ouvrage's armored cupolas and its armored turret.) After unseating the turret with a 40 kg charge, Germer's detachment threw explosive charges into the weapon embrasures of the turret which started a fire inside the ouvrage, causing the turret's ammunition to explode. Smoke and fumes from the fire subsequently killed the entire French crew - 106 soldiers. Germer was awarded the Knight's Cross for his part in the action - the first (but not last) Maginot Line fort to fall to German attack. He was later killed on the Eastren Front in 1944.
As far as I know, several other Knight Crosses were awarded for combat action along the Maginot Line. In time, I hope to get the personnel records of these soldiers too.
All the best,
Marc
www.maginotlineatwar.com)
, regards Johnno.
Comment