SS-Sturmbannführer Hans Waldmüller
13.09.1912 + 08.09.1944
Waldmüller, Hans born on 13 september 1912 in Bamburg. Joined the SS at a early stage on 01.11.1933, with number 131 258. Soon he was promoted to SS-Mann and SS-Sturmmann in 1934. While part of the 4./Standarte "Deutschland". On 1th of April 1936 he was promoted to SS-Junker and would soon become an officer. He finally became SS-Untersturmführer in 1937, on the 20th of April.
As many other comrades he became member of the Party (NSDAP) and was transferred to the Sicherheitsdienst (SD) in May 1937. Also in this year he participated in various sportscamps and was awarded both the Deutsches Reichssportabzeichen in Bronze and SA-Sportabzeichen in Brons. It didn't stop there as he also recieved the Ehrendegen des Reichsführer-SS.
Time doesn't stop and so was he promoted to SS-Obersturmführer in 1938 just before the war began. During World War II he was promoted to SS-Hauptsturmführer and then transferred to the elites, the Leibstandarte-SS Adolf Hitler in the Summer of 1940. Were he would participate in the Battle of France and the invasion of the Balkans. In the Battle of Greece he distinguished himself and was awarded the Eisernes Kreuz II. Klasse. Months after he would be awarded the Eisernes Kreuz I. Klasse during Operation Barbarossa. As he would also participate in the fightings during the Russian winter of 1941/42, the Winterschlacht im Osten was his.
After taking part in more than three infantry assaults he qualified himself for the Infanterie-Sturmabzeichen. Because he also got wounded during one of these assaults he was awarded the Verwundetenabzeichen in Schwarz. But it wouldn't stop there as he got wounded again and would recieve the Verwundetenabzeichen in Silber.
For his courage and leadership, as Führer of I./ SS-Panzer-Grenadier-Regiment 1, he was recommendated for the Deutsches in Kreuz in Gold. Which would be signed by Btl. Kdr. Albert Frey and approved by Rgt. Kdr. Fritz Witt.
When a new Waffen-SS division was to be formed, the 12. SS-Panzer-Division "Hitlerjugend", he was selected to be transferred over from the Leibstandarte-SS Adolf Hitler. Hauptsturmführer Waldmüller recieved the command over the first bataillon from the newly created 25. SS-Panzergrenadier-Regiment "Hitlerjugend" and promoted to SS-Sturmbannführer.
His bataillon looked like this:
I. BATAILLON/ SS-PANZERGRENADIER-REGIMENT 25
Bataillonskommandeur: SS-Sturmbannführer Waldmüller
Adjudant: SS-Untersturmführer Klein
Ordonnanz Offizier: SS-Untersturmführer Exner
Verwaltungsführer: SS-Untersturmführer Striebinger
Tr. Arzt: SS-Obersturmführer Dr. Hermann
TFK: SS-Untersturmführer Päster
1. Kompanie: Oberleutnant Fuchs
2. Kompanie: SS-Obersturmführer Knössel
3. Kompanie: SS-Hauptsturmführer Peinemann
4. Kompanie: SS-Obersturmführer Wilke
Bataillonskommandeur: SS-Sturmbannführer Waldmüller
Adjudant: SS-Untersturmführer Klein
Ordonnanz Offizier: SS-Untersturmführer Exner
Verwaltungsführer: SS-Untersturmführer Striebinger
Tr. Arzt: SS-Obersturmführer Dr. Hermann
TFK: SS-Untersturmführer Päster
1. Kompanie: Oberleutnant Fuchs
2. Kompanie: SS-Obersturmführer Knössel
3. Kompanie: SS-Hauptsturmführer Peinemann
4. Kompanie: SS-Obersturmführer Wilke
An account on the fighting:
"During the fighting of 8 and 9 June, I. Bataillon lost one NCO and four men killed. Four NCOs and sixteen were wounded. Of them, four NCOs and five men remained with the unit.
The following days were remarkable mainly because of the industrious buildings of positions. The numerous fire attacks by enemy artillery forced the Panzer shelters to be constructed like bunkers. They were propped up on the inside with railroad ties from the close-by line Cane-Luc-sur-Mer. Trees had to be cut down to open up fields of fire. Sturmbannführer Waldmüller himself was on his feet day and night, to the point of dropping dead, to supervise and direct the building of the positions. His Bataillon command post, too, was an earth bunker in the open field, just behind the front line. His example, his inexorable insistence saved the lives of many of his men at the time."
The following days were remarkable mainly because of the industrious buildings of positions. The numerous fire attacks by enemy artillery forced the Panzer shelters to be constructed like bunkers. They were propped up on the inside with railroad ties from the close-by line Cane-Luc-sur-Mer. Trees had to be cut down to open up fields of fire. Sturmbannführer Waldmüller himself was on his feet day and night, to the point of dropping dead, to supervise and direct the building of the positions. His Bataillon command post, too, was an earth bunker in the open field, just behind the front line. His example, his inexorable insistence saved the lives of many of his men at the time."
"SS Major Johann Waldmüller, now the chief of the l. Battalion, stood in the midst of his men, the very soul of resistance,' according to Meyer"
But the best men die young. He was gruesomely mutilated after he was ambushed by Belgian partisans. On 8 september, 1944, while driving on his sidecar together with SS-Untersturmführer Markart, he got ambushed near Basse-Bodeux on the road from Werbomont to Stavelot. The belgian partisans had positioned a rope on the road and when the vehicle neared they tightened the rope. The cycle was brought to a halt - either stopped or caught in the cable - and was immediatly put under fire.
Soon later, horse-draw carriages from Sturmmbannführer Waldmüller discovered the horror. The driver of the cycle was found, seriously wounded, on the left side of the road. In the cycle itself sat Untersturmführer Karl Markart dead in the rear seat. He was shot in the head. Sturmbannführer Hans Waldmüller was discovered a little further. Gruesomely murdered, mutilated and dumped. His belly had been slit open, genitals cut off and dumped in a drainage pipe of a small lake.
Both men were buried in Düren and still are.
The 12. SS-Panzer-Division "Hitlerjugend" had lost a extraodinary officer, a Freund und Kamerad. Hans Waldmüller was 31 years old and a promising leader if it didn't end this way.
He had fought bravely for five years, was known to be there for his men, often found in action at the hot spots.
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