WN 62, Omaha beach viewd from the German side

[Jean-Loup]

I bought the book WN 62, by Hein Severloh this summer. He was firing an MG 42 at Omaha beach on the morning of June 6th. The book talkes about his whole wartime, then june 6th, then his time as a POW, and finally it talks about several US soldiers that he fired on on june 6th 1944, that he met again years latter.
It is a very interesting book, and it is always interesting to read something from the German perspective.
I highly recommend it.

WN 62, or Wiederstand Nest 62 is the bunkers that are visible right beside the US cemetery in Normandy. If you wnat to know what happened there, in a minute by minute accound, on june 6th, then the book "WN 62" is what you need.

JL

[LDR]

Sounds interesting, is it in English?

Do you have alink to it?

Thanks

lewis

[Jean-Loup]

I read my copy in French. I did a quick google search and am very suprised to see that there doesnt seem to be an english version . Very very surprising!
Anyways, here is a wikipedia link about the author: http://209.85.129.104/search?q=cache...lnk&cd=1&gl=hr

If I am not mistaken, and there really is no english version, then somebody should defenetly get things moving to get it translated. It is an exelent book.

JL

[Daniele C]

Jean loup it s understandable that they did the book in german because the soldier is german and in french because he was in normandy.i think and hope that next lasnguage will be in english soon

[Jean-Loup]

Axis history forum http://forum.axishistory.com/viewtopic.php?t=62104 confirms it doesnt exist in English. I have difficulty believeing that such a good book about such a famous event hasnt been translated !!! If anybody wants to earn a lot of money: translate this book, it will be a success.

[LDR]

What a shame! Yes please translate for all us lazy one language speakers!

[PerMilitaria]

Is there anyone who lives today from WN62 ?
Franz Gockel died 2006 I think...

[Daniele C]

Yeah!translate it in Italian!

[Jean-Loup]

Without a joke, I wouldnt even mind translating it, it would probably take a couple of weeks. But first, there would be copyright problems, and second, it isnt proper to translate from something that has already been translated (I read it in french, not the original german).

JL

[stgeorge64]

I am a big believer that books such as this, written from first hand accounts of such a famous day in military history, should be published in several languages for all to enjoy. The ranks of WWII soldiers are becoming fewer by the day and it is a sad fact that in the main, there stories pass away with them.

I recently visited Omaha beach and I for one would definatly like to read this account.

Regards Richard.

[Andy Harris]

X2. I would love to read it. Hopefully, there will be an English edition in the future.

[JPhilip]

I wrote a post concerning this book eleven months or a year ago. I was then asked by an american member if an english version of the book was available.
After trying to find out, it appeared that the book was published by a small french publishing house and no other version than the french one was about to be made.
It is interesting to realize that most american collectors are unfamiliar with the name of Heinrich Severloh, the german soldier that might have caused at least 50% of all american losses on Omaha Beach on the 6th of june 1944.
Alone in his position with his machine-gun, he managed to fire 12000 rounds with this weapon, and 9000 with two or three K98ks. Bolts of the K98ks were so hot that he had to use his boots heels to reload the rifles. Simply astonishing...
Taken prisoner the day after (7th june), his main fear was to be identified as the machine-gun shooter who didn't abandon his position, fired for at least for eight hours on the landing american troops, causing between 1200 and 1800 casualties on his own.

[Jürg]

Is there anyone who lives today from WN62 ?
Franz Gockel died 2006 I think...

Well Gockel dies in November 2005 and Severloh in January 2006. The only known survivor who is still alive is Ludwig Kwiatkowski. He became a good football player for Schalke 04 after the war. I was fortune enough to speak to Severloh back in 2003.

[Jean-Loup]

Well guys, if some of the people on this forum are in the publishing industry, it is time to do something and get this book printed in english. It will defenetly be a bit success, 100% sure.

JL

[Johnny R]

Gockel

Well Gockel dies in November 2005 and Severloh in January 2006. The only known survivor who is still alive is Ludwig Kwiatkowski. He became a good football player for Schalke 04 after the war. I was fortune enough to speak to Severloh back in 2003.

I know Gockel quite well. I will be interested in reading Severlohs book (I read German). Somethings I have heard Severloh said do not match what I was told by Gockel unless they were at WN62 as a later position.

Somewhere I still have modern maps Gockel gave me showing and drew on where he was and moved. Initially he was facing the beach and was not as far back as the Cemetery unless they pulled back and that was a second or third position. He never told me this. His children are still alive they were living near Unna NRW last I knew. He owned a large roof tile factory and I imagine they are running this now. His son would know all the stories.