Yesterday I read any Threads concerning the Volkssturm in this Forum and so I decided to post a few details concerning this late war formation in connection to the 363rd VGD in and their battles in the remagen bridgehead, but before I would told something else:
We often hear, that the Volkssturm did not participate in many battles on the western front, but as example, from the battles at the bridgehead of Remagen and along the sieg river line, there are 21 missing volkssturm members. Most are missing in the battle for Siegen (5 men) and 4 men during the battle for Siegburg. 7 men where missing while the battles occured in the bridgehead, their last information came from Oberpleis, Uckerath, Hennef etc.
A year ago I had a pretty nice interview with Leutnant Hans Schneider, who wasa close combat tank killer in the Russian front.
He had been awarded with the iron cross in both classes, wound badge in silver, close combat badge in bronze and received three times the special badge for overpowering enemy tanks. On his last action he was badly wounded and after recovering he was an instructor for infantry close combat weapons in the infantry school in Dresden.
“I never thought that I had to go back to a fighting unit” he said in 2009, “but in February I received new orders!” Schneider had to report to the 363rd VGD on the western front. His new Job from now on was to coordinate the education and the commitment of the Volkssturm units in the divisional area. Schneider was directly subordinated to the divisional staff: “I should breed Tank busters”!
I had made a very detailed interview with Hans Schneider before he passed away concerning his Job as the Volkssturm coordinator. A few of those details I would share here with you here:
When the 363rd VGD went into the Remagen bridgehead, many of the men where origin members of the Volkssturm unit from Leverkusen – Solingen, where the division had refitted and refreshed their units. After they went into the Bridgehead, they fought against the 1st and 78th infantry division in the area south west from the hanfbach. Among them where many very young boys, just aged 15 and 16 year’s old children like also very old men born in 1895. Also a 13 years old son of a cologne medical doctor should had be as a voluntary among them. He should have knocked out a tank with his panzerfaust in early April. Among those young boys where pretty much voluntary against the will of their parents.
Accountable for this was the mayor of Leverkusen, the district committee (Kreisleiter) and the division leader Generalmajor Weber. While the army unit did anything to fill the regiments, doctor Joppich (a unit doctor) from cologne tried his best to save lives of those boys and old men.
Also from cologne came the Bannführer Wallrabe and Freimüller. They where battalion leaders of the Volkssturm and had their part in entirely pointless actions of the Volkssturm battles in the Remagen Bridgehead.
A officer, Oberleutnant Köhler from the Wehrmeldeamt Solingen, provides a list of wounded soldiers and men available for Volkssturm service. Most of them where not either employable, among them where a greater count of several disabled persons. Repeated Oberleutnant Köhler gave faked orders (UK-men where drafted) to draft men into army service.
While in the Remagen Bridgehead Generalmajor Weber ordered: Anyone who gets disloyal and would renegade the unit, should be immediately court-martialed and shot. In March 1945 he tried anything to force the Volkssturm to fight. He committed any company commander under penalty of court martial, to shot on members of the Volkssturm, if they would withdraw from the front.
While in Leverkusen the 363. VGD drafted around 1000 men into service, among them where about 200 men in the artillery and supply units. The most men wear civilian clothes with half shoes. Only a few received Dog tags and the most received only a provisional identification card from there company commanders. They received any weapon from a hunting rifle to a captured weapon, but the most had carbines from the First World War. But there main weapon where Panzerfaust and Handgrenades. The only military instruction these men received was on how to build a foxhole and the use of sharp ammunition, to go in cover, bring up the Panzerfaust. They had tried in shortest time to form up a battle fit unit from the very youngest and the oldest. The Volkssturm was devaluing called the V3 – in reference to the German wonder weapons.
Schneider about Generalmajor Weber: „Weber was before a kind of father to the units, but during the last months he had lost any connection to reality. So he gave orders whom not where worthy to a German officer. Weber was connected to his soldiers oath, but was to true to party principles.”
Also I had talked with a then 16 years old boy from Burscheid: He said that any weapon they received where pretty new 98k. But most weapons where so new, that they even not where burnished. They received those weapons in Seelscheid (nort of the Sieg river) and short after they went into the front line, most of those guns where be rusting! He also told about there assignment: "We where pioniers! We carry teller and personel mines whom we had no Igniters for, burried them and wait for those needed igniters!"
If anyone had furter details, they would be very wellcome.
If one had questions, also OK
Ralf Anton Schäfer
We often hear, that the Volkssturm did not participate in many battles on the western front, but as example, from the battles at the bridgehead of Remagen and along the sieg river line, there are 21 missing volkssturm members. Most are missing in the battle for Siegen (5 men) and 4 men during the battle for Siegburg. 7 men where missing while the battles occured in the bridgehead, their last information came from Oberpleis, Uckerath, Hennef etc.
A year ago I had a pretty nice interview with Leutnant Hans Schneider, who wasa close combat tank killer in the Russian front.
He had been awarded with the iron cross in both classes, wound badge in silver, close combat badge in bronze and received three times the special badge for overpowering enemy tanks. On his last action he was badly wounded and after recovering he was an instructor for infantry close combat weapons in the infantry school in Dresden.
“I never thought that I had to go back to a fighting unit” he said in 2009, “but in February I received new orders!” Schneider had to report to the 363rd VGD on the western front. His new Job from now on was to coordinate the education and the commitment of the Volkssturm units in the divisional area. Schneider was directly subordinated to the divisional staff: “I should breed Tank busters”!
I had made a very detailed interview with Hans Schneider before he passed away concerning his Job as the Volkssturm coordinator. A few of those details I would share here with you here:
When the 363rd VGD went into the Remagen bridgehead, many of the men where origin members of the Volkssturm unit from Leverkusen – Solingen, where the division had refitted and refreshed their units. After they went into the Bridgehead, they fought against the 1st and 78th infantry division in the area south west from the hanfbach. Among them where many very young boys, just aged 15 and 16 year’s old children like also very old men born in 1895. Also a 13 years old son of a cologne medical doctor should had be as a voluntary among them. He should have knocked out a tank with his panzerfaust in early April. Among those young boys where pretty much voluntary against the will of their parents.
Accountable for this was the mayor of Leverkusen, the district committee (Kreisleiter) and the division leader Generalmajor Weber. While the army unit did anything to fill the regiments, doctor Joppich (a unit doctor) from cologne tried his best to save lives of those boys and old men.
Also from cologne came the Bannführer Wallrabe and Freimüller. They where battalion leaders of the Volkssturm and had their part in entirely pointless actions of the Volkssturm battles in the Remagen Bridgehead.
A officer, Oberleutnant Köhler from the Wehrmeldeamt Solingen, provides a list of wounded soldiers and men available for Volkssturm service. Most of them where not either employable, among them where a greater count of several disabled persons. Repeated Oberleutnant Köhler gave faked orders (UK-men where drafted) to draft men into army service.
While in the Remagen Bridgehead Generalmajor Weber ordered: Anyone who gets disloyal and would renegade the unit, should be immediately court-martialed and shot. In March 1945 he tried anything to force the Volkssturm to fight. He committed any company commander under penalty of court martial, to shot on members of the Volkssturm, if they would withdraw from the front.
While in Leverkusen the 363. VGD drafted around 1000 men into service, among them where about 200 men in the artillery and supply units. The most men wear civilian clothes with half shoes. Only a few received Dog tags and the most received only a provisional identification card from there company commanders. They received any weapon from a hunting rifle to a captured weapon, but the most had carbines from the First World War. But there main weapon where Panzerfaust and Handgrenades. The only military instruction these men received was on how to build a foxhole and the use of sharp ammunition, to go in cover, bring up the Panzerfaust. They had tried in shortest time to form up a battle fit unit from the very youngest and the oldest. The Volkssturm was devaluing called the V3 – in reference to the German wonder weapons.
Schneider about Generalmajor Weber: „Weber was before a kind of father to the units, but during the last months he had lost any connection to reality. So he gave orders whom not where worthy to a German officer. Weber was connected to his soldiers oath, but was to true to party principles.”
Also I had talked with a then 16 years old boy from Burscheid: He said that any weapon they received where pretty new 98k. But most weapons where so new, that they even not where burnished. They received those weapons in Seelscheid (nort of the Sieg river) and short after they went into the front line, most of those guns where be rusting! He also told about there assignment: "We where pioniers! We carry teller and personel mines whom we had no Igniters for, burried them and wait for those needed igniters!"
If anyone had furter details, they would be very wellcome.
If one had questions, also OK
Ralf Anton Schäfer
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