 |
| 12.SS-Panzerdivision Hitlerjugend |
 |
| 12.SS-Panzerdivision Hitlerjugend |
At the late morning on June 9 1944 an combined arms attack was planned together with the panzers of SS-Panzer-Regiment 12 to seize La Villeneuve, as a starting point for a future offensive up north of the 12.SS-Panzerdivision Hitlerjugend. After hours of confused fighting, the 15.Kompanie of SS-Panzergrenadier-Regiment 25 were forced to withdraw. These photos are taken in the village of Rots in the Calvados region just after the failed attack on Norrey-en-Bessin. Photos show exhausted volunteers of SS-Hauptscharführer Wilhelm Boigk's III. Zug before grimly carry on their battle. Willy Boigk himself was killed in action on July 4 1944 and is buried at the Soldatenfriedhöf Reyes-Bazenville. Left image: in the foreground gunner Klaus Schuh armed with an MG-42 general-purpose machine gun. Schuh was killed in action on June 26 1944. In the centre stands SS-Unterscharführer Paul Koslowski. Right image: an unidentified soldier of the SS-Panzergrenadier-Regiment 25 taking a quick nap in full camouflage kit carrying the indestructible Zeiss field glasses. Both photos by SS-Kriegsberichter Wilfried Woscidlo. Scan: Stuttgarter Illustrierte Nr 25 (1944). Commons: Bundesarchiv.
The following was taken from an interview with a 12th SS veteran but has been translated from French to English: Max Wuensche and ostuf Rudolf von Ribbentrop (wounded with a broken arm who had just escaped from the hospital to comeback to his company) had observed the situation, both were nearly in tears... After visiting the woundeds in the bar, Wünsche and von Ribbentrop ,on a side-car byke,visited the survivors of 3rd platoon 15/25, resting in a small street... this is where the picture of MG gunner Klaus Schuh was token, during a reportage of SS war correspondents Zschaekel and W.Woscidlo.
ReplyDelete