Career, trial and trial of SS-Sturmbannführer Gustav Knittel...

[Ruimteaapje]

Austria, June 1941: Knittel with his young German Shepherd Rex (photo courtesy of Trevor R. Soltys). In the background the Benedictine Abbey above the town of Melk on the border of the Danube River. The town is situated on the main road from Munich to Vienna and the photo was probably taken when Knittel returned from home leave and drove from Neu-Ulm to Brünn via Munich and Vienna. The car is probably a 1938 Buick Type 48.

SS-Obersturmführer Hans-Martin Leidreiter had fond memories of ‘Rexi’ but also recalled: “poor Rexi – a very dark night somewhere in Russia he was erroneously shot by a guard! Knittel was very upset and affected.” (Letter from Hans-Martin Leidreiter to the author, dated the 1st of July 2005).

[Ruimteaapje]

Just found this note from Helmuth Merscher between my papers:

“Hallo Timo! How are you, I hope well as is still the case with me and Alfons.* We will meet again in La Gleize on the 16th of Dec. Jupp [Steinbüchel] will be there too, Alfons is not allowed to join us, he must go to Zweibrücken with his wife for Chrismas celebrations. I will therefore come alone. On the 15th Dec he could have come with me. [SS-Obersturmführer Hans-Martin] Leidreiter called me, he had received the biography through [Hans] Fischach en said you have researched very well. He wants to know how you found out all this, especially about Hermann Weiser. He was just a young whippersnapper at the time, barely 20 years old and was a Sturmmann, but later became R.O.B. He can hardly wait and asked me to call you. Please answer him soon.

Kind regards and see you on the 16th of Dec.
Your friend Helmuth

Alfons Sproß was also an SS-Pz.AA1 veteran (Puma driver) and lived only a few blocks away from Merscher. After Merscher became a widower he had a hard lime taking care of himself. Frau Sproß used to cook for him and Alfons would bring it over in a pan wrapped in towels to keep the food warm. During our last meeting with Helmuth at his house in Güdingen, we had Knödeln with bacon for lunch which Alfons brought over and Helmuth served us a mix drink of beer and cola because “that’s what young folks like” he figured. An all round nice guy who is greatly missed.




From left to right Jupp Steinbüchel, Helmuth Merscher and Alfons Sproß during one of our meetings...



Helmuth Merscher was drafted into the Waffen-SS in autumn 1944:

“We travelled by train from the [SS-Ausbildungs-und-Ersatz-Abteilung] ‘Totenkopf’ over Berlin to the training grounds and from there to the 3. Kompanie of the AA1 in Marienberghausen. There were very few vehicles, just some armoured halftracks that had been brought back from Normandy but they were soon handed over to the maintenance battalion. We were then transferred to Eichhorst where we were trained. But we were not allowed to drive due to fuel shortages. In Eichhorst, Wawrzinek reorganised everything. The 3. Kompanie was equipped with Schwimmwagens and we youngsters had to take driving lessons, mostly theoretical because there was no fuel.”

The boys had six weeks of basic training at the most. Many of them only had two hours of driving practice. Helmuth lost both his legs in the Ardennes due to frost bite and was still hospitalised when Germany surrendered. However, two artificial legs did not stop him from driving his car.

Helmuth Merscher as a teenager in RAD uniform, months before he was drafted into the Waffen-SS...

[starikurac]

I read the book during my summer holiday for a first time and now recently for a second time.
It fills a gap, for one time it isn't a book about Peiper
And it is good written and I discovered things I didn't know although I'm a BotB buff for 25 years now.
Good job, Timo

[Ruimteaapje]

Thanks Nico, glad you enjoyed reading the book!


BTW, to avoid misunderstandings: I received several PM's about the veterans meeting mentioned in Merscher's note which I posted earlier. Do note that it dates back to 2004. Helmuth (2015), Alfons (2010), Jupp (2014), Leidreiter (2007), they have all since passed away and there is no veterans meeting in La Gleize next month.

[Ruimteaapje]

Excerpt from one of my recorded telephone conversations with the late Heinz Eisner, who served as an SS-Unterscharführer in the signals platoon of the Aufklärungsabteilung LSSAH. This story is also included in my book about Gustav Knittel, in chapter 2.8 "Operation ‘Citadel’"

https://www.facebook.com/gustavknitt...30867540377624

[Ruimteaapje]

Early January 1945: SS-Obersturmführer Hans-Martin Leidreiter - acting commander of the SS-Panzer-Aufklärungs-Abteilung 1 "LSSAH" - presents the Iron Cross 2nd class to SS-Rottenführer Paul Krafzig from 2. Kompanie, who survived the American attack on the western edge of Stavelot (photo courtesy of Helmut Merscher).

After the "Schnelle Gruppe Knittel" was withdrawn from the Amblève Pocket, Knittel had reorganised his unit in Wanne. The Leibstandarte was then sent to Bastogne, in support of the German attempt to force a break through there. Enroute, the battalion paused at Bech, a hamlet in the Vielsalm-Salmchâteu area. It was there on the afternoon of the 31st of December that they were accidentally caught up in an air raid by 16 ‘Boston’ and 12 ‘Mitchell’ bombers from the 2nd Group, 2nd Tactical Air Force of the British Royal Air Force. The bombs dropped had been intended for nearby Vielsalm. Knittel sustained a serious concussion in this strike which resulted in him being hospitalised in Germany, thus SS-Hauptsturmführer Wawrzinek took over the Aufklärungsabteilung in his place. At the ‘Kameradentreffen’, organised by the companies of the Aufklärungsabteilung after the war, it became a popular anecdote that Knittel had a smile on his face when he left Bech on a stretcher. It is impossible to determine whether or not this story is true, but it reflects that many of his former subordinates held him in extremely low esteem after the war. In 1946 Knittel stated that he was hospitalised in Ulm Hospital, this was also confirmed by his son who added that his mother had visited his father shortly after the turn of the year. From his hospital bed, Knittel’s words prove that he was fully aware of the consequences of his unit’s actions in the Ardennes. He pointedly admitted to his wife that ‘Stavelot wird noch Ärger bereiten’ (Stavelot will cause anger/trouble).

Wawrzinek was wounded on the 2nd of January 1945 and was replaced by Leidreiter.

http://www.boekenbestellen.nl/boek/g...475558?lang=en

[Jochen S.]

I was thrilled to provide Timo the source of Knittel's concussion and subsequent departure from the front during the Bulge, when studying the relevant document:



The book is truly a great and relevant read during this time of the year!!

Mike S.

[Ruimteaapje]

Absolutely, before you dug up those documents the veterans always assumed it had been American bombers.

I was thrilled to provide Timo the source of Knittel's concussion and subsequent departure from the front during the Bulge, when studying the relevant document:



The book is truly a great and relevant read during this time of the year!!

Mike S.

[Ruimteaapje]

A review by Steve Algorri

There is a lot to say in both style and substance about your book. The phasing and tempo of writing is truly noteworthy. The book read as a novel! But this is 'old dry stuff' and you had undertaken to have the protagonist a non flamboyant man long dead that very few really knew. Amidst 'SS superstars' and over published battles. Content wise, where there was simply nothing, despite the STUNNING amount of unpublished original research you've personally conducted, you very skillfully edited in other author's work properly annotated/attributed. The footnotes are spectacular. I judge books by the footnotes. I spend more time in the footnotes than the narrative. That is scholarship right there.

Now for my unanticipated observations.

There is an old saying: 'if properly written......anyman's story is everyman's story'. This is the authorship perspective and duty of novelists vice historians. I found myself very sympathetic to Gustav Knittel. This guy was surprisingly a very sound and solid junior officer, combat officer and battalion commander. That means more than anything from my own (laughable in comparison) perspective as a former Marine officer. He earned the best combat command legitimately as the world then turned to **** and all of the superstars vanished. Along with momentum, supplies, the ability to train his unit and everything else vanishing as well. The burdens on this guy were incredible, endless and thankless. He was caught in a bizarre personal/professional dilemma wherein he was never to be the golden boy Meyer, he was whispered to have gone soft (by mostly a bunch of green replacements) and yet his command would never let him go......because he was too valuable and effective of a commanding officer! As the friggin roof is coming down.

I was really affected by the narrative of his later years. It was very very saddening. And very believable. A sad denouement of which many many men can relate. A denouement, which to me show him a tragic and contemplative man. Your book, to me, begs serious human issues and evoked both empathy and sympathy for Knittel. Yes it can be said he was a 'lug', or that he went 'soft' or that he was a 'criminal', but walk a mile in this man's shoes. He got dealt a tough thankless hand of cards and I think, warts and all, this guy stood tall and got ****ed.