Since I have shown a few other ID's to executed German soldiers here in the past, I thought I'd share here the story of Leutnant Emil Hammerschmidt, whose Wehrpass I was very happy to find a few weeks ago.
This Düsseldorf born student had all to make it as a German soldier. He voluntarily joined the Wehrmacht after completing his RAD service late October 1937. He was allowed to become an officer, but first participated in the Poland campaign while still an Unteroffizier / R.O.A.... earning him an early EKII with Pionier-Bataillon 39 of the 3. Panzer-Division. Promoted to Leutnant by March 1940, he was moved to another Kompanie while the 3.Pz.Div. were preparing for the offensive on the Western Front.
The things happening in his head at that point... we can only guess. We only know the result: about two weeks before the start of the invasion, the 21-year-old exemplary officer decided to make a run for it and crossed the Dutch border. The last entry in the Wehrpass reads: "Seit 25.4.1940 fahnenflüchtig".
He may have expected a warmer welcome by the Dutch: by 8th of May 1940, Hammerschmidt was locked away in an internee camp in Hoek van Holland, together with other German desertors and Jewish refugees. Two days later, the first Fallschirmjäger would land in that area and following the fast Dutch surrender, the group of prisoners were simply turned over to German hands on 15th of May 1940.
By then, Hammerschmidt must have known what to expect. He was the sole German officer to desert to Holland and was seen as a disgrace for the German army. On 18th of May, he was condemned to death by a court-martial of the 227.ID together with 3 soldiers. His three fellow victims were exectued on the 20th, but Hammerschmidt sent a request for pardon to the Führer. He even got a new court-martial on 12th of June, but Hitler had already dismissed his request on the 26th of May. On 30th of June 1940, he was taken to the "Vineta" dunes in Hoek van Holland, and shot at 8.35 pm. He was buried in a nameless grave in the dunes, then moved to the civilian cemetery of Hoek van Holland later in the war, and now finally rests in the German war grave cemetary of Ysselsteyn.
This Düsseldorf born student had all to make it as a German soldier. He voluntarily joined the Wehrmacht after completing his RAD service late October 1937. He was allowed to become an officer, but first participated in the Poland campaign while still an Unteroffizier / R.O.A.... earning him an early EKII with Pionier-Bataillon 39 of the 3. Panzer-Division. Promoted to Leutnant by March 1940, he was moved to another Kompanie while the 3.Pz.Div. were preparing for the offensive on the Western Front.
The things happening in his head at that point... we can only guess. We only know the result: about two weeks before the start of the invasion, the 21-year-old exemplary officer decided to make a run for it and crossed the Dutch border. The last entry in the Wehrpass reads: "Seit 25.4.1940 fahnenflüchtig".
He may have expected a warmer welcome by the Dutch: by 8th of May 1940, Hammerschmidt was locked away in an internee camp in Hoek van Holland, together with other German desertors and Jewish refugees. Two days later, the first Fallschirmjäger would land in that area and following the fast Dutch surrender, the group of prisoners were simply turned over to German hands on 15th of May 1940.
By then, Hammerschmidt must have known what to expect. He was the sole German officer to desert to Holland and was seen as a disgrace for the German army. On 18th of May, he was condemned to death by a court-martial of the 227.ID together with 3 soldiers. His three fellow victims were exectued on the 20th, but Hammerschmidt sent a request for pardon to the Führer. He even got a new court-martial on 12th of June, but Hitler had already dismissed his request on the 26th of May. On 30th of June 1940, he was taken to the "Vineta" dunes in Hoek van Holland, and shot at 8.35 pm. He was buried in a nameless grave in the dunes, then moved to the civilian cemetery of Hoek van Holland later in the war, and now finally rests in the German war grave cemetary of Ysselsteyn.
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