The last days of the German Third Reich were full of odd
things.
Young boys and old men were given arms to defend their home,
biplanes were armed with Panzerfäuste, to destroy enemy tanks behind Soviet
lines.
Another interesting story, which is unknown to many, is that
soldiers/sailors of the Kriegsmarine took part in the final Battle of Berlin in
April/May of 1945.
Here is that story:
It started all with a phone-call. In the KTB of the OKM,
with the date of 24th April of 1945 at 24:00 hrs, it is recorded as:
Kpt z.S. ASSMANN informed the OKM via phone about a
Führerbefehl. HITLER had given the order to VAdm VOß to transport some
batallions of the Kriegsmarine, fully equipped with all kind of infantry
weapons, to Berlin. He wished the sailors to join the defence of Berlin. As the
air-lift would start the next night(25th/26th of April), the units had to march
immediately to the distant air-fields.
Firstly the so-called alarm batallion from Stralsund had to
march to seaplane base at Pütnitz near of Ribnitz, for the air transport of 175
men with the 3./I./TG 1, which was equipped with a float plane version of Ju
52‘s, (sailors were part of the 1.SStR) and to Tutow, for the air transport of
288 men with Ju 352‘s of the Squadron „Mauß“ (sailors were part of the 1.SStR).
One further alarm batallion from Rostok, with 476 men, had
to march to the local air-field (this navy unit is unknown).
The following night (26th/27th of April), it was planned to
transport a regiment from Fehrman, with some 1000 men, to Berlin from the airport
of Rerik (sailors were part of the 1.FuMLAbt).
It seems, as GrAdm DÖNITZ wished to cooperate. He mobilized
the 1.SStR in Stralsund and the 1.FuMLAbt on Fehrmarn. This were also the
„bravest“ of his men, he would send to Berlin for the personal protection of
the „beloved“ Führer. The highest elite of a supreme-commander, was the
impression of HITLER in his bunker under the Reichskanzlei.
Sailors of the 1.SStR in Berlin
1.SStR (1. Schiffstamm-Regiment), which was the 1st naval
instruction regiment, CO was Kpt z.S. Herbert ZOLLENKOPF, consisted of:
1.SStA (1. Schiffstamm-Abteilung), the 1st naval instruction
batallion, CO was KKpt Wolfgang DITTMERS, stationed on Dänholm
2.SStA (2. Schiffstamm-Abteilung), the 2nd naval instruction
batallion, CO was KKpt Franz MAYERHOEFFE, stationed in Flensburg-Mürwick
3.SStA (3. Schiffstamm-Abteilung), the 3rd naval instruction
batallion, CO was FKpt Richard STEFFEN, stationed on the Schwedenschanze.
At this time, this batallion was already mobilized as
MarSchB 903(903rd naval infantry batallion). It was almost completely unamrmed,
except some carbines for the ranks, and very few submachine-guns for some
officers. We will have a look at this batallion later on.
4.SStA (4th Schiffstamm-Abteilung), the 4th naval
instruction batallion, CO was KKpt Herbert BANZHAF, stationed from February of
1945 in Flensburg-Mürwick.
SSS „Gorch Fock“, CO was Kptl Wilhelm KAHLE.
The 1.SStR was augmented in manpower, as it wasn‘t only the
Crew I/45 drafted, but also the Crew IV/45 was called to equip. It seems the
Kriegsmarine started this conscription, as it wanted to foil their sailors sent
to the slaughter, by the campaign „Heldenklau“ [Heldenklau (= Operation
Heldenklau) was catchy black humor Landser slang to describe the efforts by the
High Command to replace the enormous and steadily increasing losses suffered by
the Heer, especially on the Eastern front, during the last year of the war by
combing the personnel of the Etappe (also derisively called Etappenhengste, or
Home Front Studs, by the frontline soldiers) for men capable of carrying and
firing a rifle or Panzerfaust. Literally translated, the word means something
like 'grabbing the heroes' (Held = hero, klauen = slang word for stehlen,
meaning to steal)].
Around noon on 25th April of 1945, there was the issuing of
orders for the Operation „Berlin“ or „Reichskanzlei“. There they stood, not
veterans with fighting experience of some years, BUT young, untrained soldiers
of the 1927 - 1929 age group.
After the distribution of food, munitions and weapons
(mostly captured guns), hand-grenades, Panzerfäuste and some Panzerschrecks,
they had to wait for transport. Many of them were from the special navy
training course for HF-technology „Tegetthoff“.
CO of this alarm-batallion was the recently decorated Kptlt
Franz KUHLMANN.
Also all other officers of this batallion were a mixture of
the complete 1.SStR.
On the evening some busses and lorries transported part of
them to Pütnitz. It remains unknown if they were transported to Berlin by the
floatplane versions of the Ju-52 aircraft.
The rest of the unit arrived at the Tutow air-field at 22:00
hrs. Due the attacks of the Russian „Nähmaschinen“ ['Sewing machines' is also
Landser slang to describe the slow-flying Soviet observation plane (max. speed
93 MPH), the Polikarpov Po-2 bi-plane, whose motor sounded like a sewing
machine from the distance (you must have heard and seen it on the Narva front,
Rudi); it was regarded as a real nuisance, aka pain in the butt, because it
would sometimes also drop small fragmentation bombs that caused death or injury
to the Landsers on the ground. To get even, they would fire their rifles at
them, often bringing one down in the process] it looked like the transport
flights would have to be postponed. Once again there was a phone call from
Berlin, GFM KEITEL pointed out the importance of this airlift. So, Mjr MAUß, CO
of the „Großraumtransportstaffel“ (~large capacity transport squadron) , made
all clearance for the commencement of the airlift. With great difficulty 5 or 6
Ju 352‘s were cleared to take-off. There had been a of loss of 5 planes (4 Ju
352‘s and 1 Ar 232) the night before(24th/25th of April) on a supply operation
for the encircled 9th Army.
Between 01:35 hrs and 02:35 hrs on 26th of April all left
Tutow. The aim was to land at the Berlin airport Gatow, as the Tempelhof
airport wasn‘t available as of 23rd of April, due heavy Russian attacks, and it
fell to them the following night.
It seems, each Ju 352 carried 40 soldiers, which is their
maximum troop capacity. At least one Ju 352 had in addition 4 to of
Panzerfäuste and Panzerschrecks. 40 soldiers and 4 to munitions means, that the
aircraft was close to the maximum load of this type of plane
OFw Herbert SCHULZ (G6 + .X) was the first to take-off from
Tutow, as he received the landing permission in Gatow. His plane came under
heavy attack from all types of weapons. With only one engine it was not possible
to fly a full laden Ju 352. OFw SCHULZ tried to make an emergency landing, but
crash-landed. Somehow, the entire crew managed to escape the explosion of 4 of
the Panzerfäuste. On 29th of April they returned to their squadron, which was
stationed in Großenbrode at this time. Nothing is known about the fate of the
40 soldiers from this Ju 352.
StFw Kurt BECKER (G6 + RX) wasn‘t successful in landing at
the Gatow airport, because of heavy anti-aircraft fire, he decided to return to
Tutow, where he landed a 03:00 hrs. These soldiers, including the acting CO of
the 1st coy, Kptlt BRANDT, were relieved of the fighting in Berlin.
A further Ju 352 (G6 + .X) couldn‘t land in Gatow, due to
heavy machine gun fire from the gound. The plane was hit in the landing gear
and in the cockpit, however no crew or troops were wounded. To avoid an
emergency landing on the small airport of Tutow -which could have led to a
stoppage of all air-lifts in Tutow- he made an emergency landing near Barth.
The plane was destroyed, but again no one was injured.
OFw Paul KÖHLER (G6 + EX) left Tutow at 02:35 hrs, but
needed almost two hours to land in Berlin-Gatow at 04:25 hrs. Maybe he had
tried to land in Berlin-Staaken, according to an officer of the navy. After 20
minutes on ground he took off for Tutow, where he landed a 05:40.
In the literature about the battle of Berlin, whenever some
reference is written about the German Kriegsmarine-sailors in Berlin, the
numbers mentioned are far too high. According a NCO, his plane was the last one
landing in Gatow. In a wood near the airport his group of sailors joined up
with another 40 sailors.
According Olt z.S. Clemens ZUBORG, an Olt of the reserve and
then adjutant in the staff of the alarm-batallion, mentioned the landing of 2
Ju 352‘s and the arrival of about 70, maybe 80 sailors, in the Reichskanzlei,
which they had to defend.
Kptl Franz KUHLMANN wrote in his memoires about his meeting
with Adolf HITLER: „At this date, I didn‘t know in which bad health HITLER was.
I never thought that the signs of breaking up and the feelings of doom would
led to such a chaos to the hierarchy of orders.“
All officers of the unit survived the Battle of Berlin,
except one, Lt z.S. BÖING who was killed in the garden of the Reichskanzlei by
a mortar grenade.
There are many hints, of the landing of sailors (and other
soldiers) on the so called „Ost-West-Achse“. However no exact confirming source
is available.
Sailors of the 1.FuMLAbt in Berlin
On 25th April 1945 there was a issuing of an order, in which
the CO of the 1.FuMLAbt, FKpt BORMANN(a brother of the Reichsleiter) tried to
enlist volunteers for Berlin. He stressed that they had the duty of the close,
personal protection of the Führer.
During the 26th April 1945 the first soldiers of the FuMLAbt
were transported by MFP(German LTC‘s) from Puttgarden/Isle of Fehmarn to the
near of the airport Rerik. On arriving at Rerik, they found that there were no
aircraft available. They were ordered to sleep in a nearby hangar/shed. However
at 22:00 hrs new orders were given. New groups of sailors were created at
random. One witness said, one reduced coy marched to the airport. At the
airport no „normal“ transport planes were waiting for them, however there were
aircraft of the F.d.F. (personal squadron of the Führer).
At least 3 planes were waiting:
A Fw-200 „Condor“ (CE + IC), the pilot was Hptm Joachim
HÜBNER,
a Ju-290 (9V + BK), the pilot was Lt WAGNER,
a Ju-352 (KT + VJ), piloted by Olt SCHULTZE
Some sources say there could have been one other planes
involved in this operation:
A second Fw-200 „CONDOR“, the pilot was Hptm Kurt HERZOG or
Fw BAUER,
HÜBNER‘s Fw-200 was the first to be loaded and to be clear
to take-off.
In his aircraft were 17 sailors. The 14 leather-chairs
inside the aircraft were covered for protection by strips of canvas. The last 3
sailors sat on boxes of Panzerfäuste. The highest rank among the sailors was a
NCO, OFm(~OBtsM) Julius LANGHALS.
The „Condor“ was in a height of 120 meters, as it was hit by
anti-aircraft fire. One of the right engines was burning, the pilot tried to
make an emergency landing, but crashed into a house in Wilhelmshorst. 12 of 17
survived, two, because Russians transported them into a hospital, another two
were hidden in Wilhelmshorst by civilians, and eight hid themselves in a nearby
wood.
Coming near to Berlin, this surviving soldiers saw red
flares, so another plane was hit by heavy anti-air fire and had to fly away for
an emergency landing.
A sailor of this unknown plane, said -after the war- they
landed in Rerik again after 1 hour, because two engines stopped working, after
these were hit by anti-aircraft fire.
But Lt WAGNER wrote in his after-flight report, he had to
abort his flight with his Ju-290 after 15 minutes due a malfunction of engine
No. 3. He landed back again in Rerik at 23:30 hrs, with 50 sailors on board.
Also two sailors on board of WAGNER‘s Ju-290 mentioned, they
were never hit by anti-aircraft fire, and returned with three engines to Rerik
after a short time.
So another plane with four engines (maybe the Fw-200 of Hptm
HERZOG/Fw BAUER) was involved in this operation.
Olt SCHULTZE started with his Ju-352 at 23:40 hrs from
Rerik. The airport Berlin-Gatow was under heavy Russian artillery fire, as he
tried to land.
At 01:00 hrs, after two attempts to land in vain, he succed
in his third one. On board were 25 - 40 sailors. They were used to defend the
airport, where they landed just a few minutes ago. One officer, Lt z.S. Horst
THIELE, was last seen in a machine-gun possition.
SCHULTZE had to wait for about 36 minutes in Gatow, as he
got the order to transport 25 wounded soldiers out of Berlin. His plane was the
last, who left Gatow, as all other planes (maybe II./TG 4) didn‘t wait for
wounded soldiers.
Sailors of the MarSchB 903:
The MarSchB 903 was the mobilized III.SStA/1.SStR. CO was
FKpt Richard STEFFEN.
It was organized in 4 - 5 coys with 500 petty officers, and
almost unarmed( except carbines for ranks and NCO‘s and some sub machine-guns
for the officers).
On 24th April 1945 in Nauen, just a few kilometers away of
the Russian forces, FKpt STEFFEN was ordered by an unknown Kpt z.S.(maybe Kpt
z.S. ASSMANN?) to wait for coming trucks, to be transported to Berlin. The
trucks didn‘t come, so the batallion marched to Wustershausen, as Döberitz was
just occupied by the Red Army. On the next day in Wustershausen, they were
stopped by a General and military police. STEFFEN was -this times in very harsh
words- ordered back again to Berlin. He refused to lead his almost unarmed
batallion to Berlin, as well armed Russian forces were on the route back to
Berlin.
So, in Wustershausen 50 or 60 petty officers of the MarSchB
903, which volunteered to fight in Berlin -mostly having been from Berlin- got
properly armed with the help of the military police. With them, a platoon of
recruits of the 3.MarInfDiv, were transported into the direction of Berlin. CO
of this reduced coy with two platoons was an unknown Olt z.S..
On the way to Berlin they came into heavy Russian artillery
fire. They dug in, and held their position for 3 days until the 28th April.
Then they got the order to retreat to Strodehne. The CO of the recruit‘s
platoon, OFhr z.S. Walter NORTHOFF wrote in his memoires:“ The village was full
of a small rest of an Wehrmacht‘s unit. This unit had only sub-altern officers
(Lt‘s and Olt‘s) and NCO‘s, CO was Obstlt v.d. BOTTELMBERG. He was a very
impressive man. He issued our coy the order to hold a bridgehead on the eastside
of the Havel, as a corps and several thousand refugees are retreating in our
back. He promised we would be rescued by pioneer‘s boats. In the next morning
(30th April), we were transported back. After that, our coy became part of the
vortex of general dissolving.“
On 27th April the other 450 sailors of this batallion got
more weapons and closed the road leading from Waren to Güstrow for one day.
After this day this batallion vanished in the general retreat.
Navy Boats in the Berlin area
There were also small boats of the Kriegsmarine on the
River/Lake Havel around Berlin. These were captured boats of the former Polish
Vistula Flotilla.
At least the former Polish patrol vessel KU-30 is mentioned
to have been in action on the River/Lake Havel.
Sources:
„Unternehmen Reichskanzlei“, by Günther OTT in Jet &
Prop 04/95; Verlag Heinz Nickel in Zweibrücken, 1995
„Das bittere Ende der Luftwaffe“, by Ulrich SAFT;
Militärbuchverlag Saft in Walsrode, 1992-94
„Schiffsschicksale Ostsee 1945“, by Wolfgang MÜLLER;
Koehlers Verlagsgesellschaft in Hamburg, 1996
„Gesunken und Verschollen“, by Wolfgang MÜLLER and Reinhard
KRAMER; Koehlers Verlagsgesellschft in Hamburg, 1994-96
„Die letzten Kriegstage; Ostseehäfen 1945“, by Heinz SCHÖN;
Motorbuchverlag in Stuttgart, 1995
„Die deutschen Kriegsschiffe 1815 - 1945“ Band 8/1, by Erich
GRÖNER; Bernard & Graefe Verlag in Bonn, 19..
Michi
