Hermann Wahl (SS Totenkopf) Dec. 18th, 1920 - May 10th 2016

[Stephan Wahl]

As many of you know, my grandfather volunteered for the SS Verfungstruppe in 1937. He was accepted and went on to do monument duty and military discipline duty (marching and marksmanship competition) in and around Munchen/Dachau until his deployment. In 1939 he traded in his blacks for feldgrau and tarn. As a light mortar operator, he did not see much close combat in either Czechoslovakia or even France. He was on the front lines however during Operation Barbarossa, in late July of '41, he was involved in a Russian artillery barrage while setting up to take the small but strategically important town of Opotchka. Although nearly having his arm blown off, he was lucky. Of the 100 or so men to enter a stand of trees on the western edge of the town was one of only five to walk out and make it back to friendly lines. Only a couple weeks later the area would become known as The Demyansk Pocket where virtually every solder he trained with would die.

With his arm now permanently fixed at a 90 degree angle, he was assigned SS cloth supplies duty out of Berlin. His wounds were too debilitating for "concentration camp" duty. He remained in Berlin until close to the end of the war, when he fled back to Baden-Wurttemberg. After the war he was imprisoned for 6 months for being in the Totenkopf. He lived the rest of his life doing relatively menial but stable work. Truck driver. Oil refinery worker. The kind of work a former SS soldier was allowed to have.

He had only one child, my mother. I have always let him know he was my hero, regardless of how the media and other groups castigated him. He spoke to no one about his service in the SS, only to my father, a U.S. Army captain, and us, his two grandchildren. As I gain access to his war photo album, I will be scanning a number of photos and posting them here. I fear however that the limited volume of them may disappoint many. He was never big for photos, and many of them he traded away. And no, he kept none of his black, or even grey uniform. The last time he wore a uniform was when they cut if off of his body to work on his injuries in '41.

Hoffentlich sehen wier uns nochmahl...mein Alte Kamerad.

[Stephan Wahl]

These are just photos of photos. Scans will be uploaded as his photo album makes it to The States.

[Freiwillige1813]

Much respect to this gentleman and for his service, may he rest in peace!

[birdie]

Rip opa

RIP Old soldier, and Opa

[juoneen]

I wouldn't assume he had any things left after the war that he was wearing during the war? Or did he? It's likely his wound may have saved his life in the long run.

[Jägermarty]

What a long and full life your opa had, great that he felt comfortable to speak about those times with you

[Stephan Wahl]

I wouldn't assume he had any things left after the war that he was wearing during the war? Or did he? It's likely his wound may have saved his life in the long run.

He showed me his campaign medals, present in the wedding photo, and a couple competition awards he received. My mom has a Gold Party Badge in her jewelry box, here in the USA, from somewhere/one. I think my Opa traded other things he had for it. I donno. I'll have to look up the serial number and see who it was originally awarded to. My grandmother, also now passed, has a letter signed by Hitler thanking my great-grandfather for allowing The Party access to his private stash of guns. Interestingly, my grandfather was never a registered NAZI. My grandmother, was. Also note, my grandfather's jet-black hair. Not blonde. I wonder what year Himmler dropped that requirement, seeing as my grandfather volunteered in '37.

No helmets or uniform items, unfortunately. My mom cleaned out their attic when she moved them into assisted living. No treasure trove of goodies, unfortunately.

[PeterStahl]

Grandfather

He showed me his campaign medals, present in the wedding photo, and a couple competition awards he received. My mom has a Gold Party Badge in her jewelry box, here in the USA, from somewhere/one. I think my Opa traded other things he had for it. I donno. I'll have to look up the serial number and see who it was originally awarded to. My grandmother, also now passed, has a letter signed by Hitler thanking my great-grandfather for allowing The Party access to his private stash of guns. Interestingly, my grandfather was never a registered NAZI. My grandmother, was. Also note, my grandfather's jet-black hair. Not blonde. I wonder what year Himmler dropped that requirement, seeing as my grandfather volunteered in '37.

No helmets or uniform items, unfortunately. My mom cleaned out their attic when she moved them into assisted living. No treasure trove of goodies, unfortunately.

Hello,
i think your Grandfather was born on 18.12.1919 at Eislingen-Nord and he served since 01.11.1937 in the 1./ 1. SS-Totenkopfstandarte "Oberbayern". Not in the SS-Verfügungstruppe. This unit guarded the Concentration Camp Dachau. SS-Nr.: 320.241. Promotion to SS-Strm. took place on 01.11.1938.

Best Regards
Potsdam

[chrischa]

I agree.

Stephen, I didn't want to post when you first posted this through respect but he is clearly in Totenkopverbande uniform pre war so would have been part of that unit not SS-VT. Please remember they weren't all in the camp proper interacting with inmates.

[Stephan Wahl]

I agree.

Stephen, I didn't want to post when you first posted this through respect but he is clearly in Totenkopverbande uniform pre war so would have been part of that unit not SS-VT. Please remember they weren't all in the camp proper interacting with inmates.

Oh no, no. Not upset or surprised at all. That's one of the reasons I created this memorial. to show that just because you were in the SSTK doesn't mean you were a monster. See my reply to Peter Stahl.

[Stephan Wahl]

Hello,
i think your Grandfather was born on 18.12.1919 at Eislingen-Nord and he served since 01.11.1937 in the 1./ 1. SS-Totenkopfstandarte "Oberbayern". Not in the SS-Verfügungstruppe. This unit guarded the Concentration Camp Dachau. SS-Nr.: 320.241. Promotion to SS-Strm. took place on 01.11.1938.

Best Regards
Potsdam

I return with a few more photos. In the time away I obviously find some additional comments which I welcome. I never knew his Soldier ID. I appreciate your additional research. In retrospect, you’re right. He was born in 1919. My reverse-engineered math to derive his birth year did not take into account that he was born in the last few days of the year. Not being a sturdier of the many different variants of pre-war SS units, I thought one had to volunteer at the SSTV and then continue on. That’s my poor math acumen shinning through. Of course I was aware he was untimately in the SSTK. But soldiers who were in the SSTK Oberbayern would ultimately find themselves in the 3rd SS by war’s end, no?

Anyway. I’ll even allow it being said that the SSTK Oberbayern indeed guarded the Concentration Camp at Dachau (which is only one of many identities that section of the greater SS complex at Dachau would be called). But I can’t let you say that they were there for such sole purpose. The SS complex at Dachau was, as you probably know, vast. The internment camp, prison, concentration camp, dissident detainment camp, death camp that was, and still is, on that cite only occupied a small part of the total grounds. Period aerial photos and a simple visit to the town of Dachau today would/will reveal that. Today though, manywho visit the remains of the location would believe thst’s all that ever existed there. One could easily conclude that every SS soldier that ever spent any time there must’ve been a Dachau concentration camp guard.

Period photos will show vast troop barracks, marching drill grounds, exercise ground, and even a track and field complex. So, there was much more going on in Dachau the SS base than “concentration”, and more for the large number of SS soldiers to do than commit war crimes. Here’s proof. In addition to spending the lion’s share of his time in athletics while at Dachau, my grandfather did monument duty. In the photo taken at the Ehrentemple in Munich, miles away, he’s on the left. In another thread I posted, you’ll find an array of medals he won for marching and marxmanship. Further, as confirmed by both the Anschluss and Czech campaign medals in his wedding photo, both occurring prior to his deployment to France in 1939, you’ll see my grandfather - and many other SSTK - had their hands full with assignments away from if not only the concentration camp, but even the Dachau base itself.

I understand your interested in bringing up that the SSTK Oberbayern indeed did guard the camp there. But I’m also posting in the interest to make yourself, and anyone else here that reads this understand that such was the assignment of a smaller portion of the soldiers who ever moved through the base. Now, what did he know? That’s another question all together with. May I consult you in a private message so we might learn more from each other?... You more than me of course.

[Stephan Wahl]

Continued reply to "Peter Stahl"

Here are more athletics awards he won while pursuing non-"Concentration-Camp" activities in the Dachau base camp. Blunting what was an obvious attempt by this 23 post new-comer to create a monster in the abbreviated comment you left. Oh but, don't worry. My family has had to deal with people like you our whole lives. We're used to it.

[Stephan Wahl]

@ Peter Stahl

And finally, as shown in his promotion photo, yet another athletics pin on his breast pocket...

No, I'm actually glad you posted what you did, in the passive aggressive style you did. It opened the door for me to show that, even though the SSTK Oberbayern were charged with acting as concentration camp guards, there are far, FAR more stories of brave and patriotic soldiers that existed around the madness.

I'll be scanning and uploading more photos of my grandfather in the years after his grave wound in BERLIN, where he met his future wife, my grandmother, while working there.

[Arthur Kullmer]

Thank you for posting what you have done, its very interesting thread about your Grandad's war service, look forward to seeing more on his history during & after WW2.

I imagine it took great courage to go through what he had to experience as an SS soldier & Russian front veteran, lucky to survive.

[smitty]

Herman Wahl

Stephan, thank you for sharing your families story and history. Smitty