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Wilhelm Ahrweiler
Oberscharführer
Date of Birth: 24. März 1910
Birth Place: Garmisch, Deutschland
Also known as "Wild Willi" for his crazy sense of humour, Wilhelm joined the SS-VT on 20 April 1936 and after training was transferred to SS-Sonderkommando Zossen in Berlin. Upon the outbreak of war, Wilhelm saw action in Poland, Holland, France, and Greece with the LSSAH Aufklarung Zug. He was wounded in the head, knee, and foot when his armored car was hit in Russia. Pfaffenberger and Ahrweiler survived... the rest of the crew perished. In 1941 he was transferred to the newly formed LSSAH Aufklarungs Abteilung and served in Kompanie 1. He was in Italy for the disarming of the Italian military and saw action in Normandy, the Ardenne, Hungary, and Vienna. He surrendered to the American Army in Austria with the remainder of his Kompanie in May of 1945.
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Johannes Pfaffenberger
Scharführer
Date of Birth: 6. Juni 1909
Birth Place: Bamberg, Deutschland
Joined Waffen SS in 1938, and first saw action in France. Got into "trouble" while on leave and was posted to a penal battalion before Operation BARBAROSSA. "Volunteered" for the 1st SS Aufklarung. Pfaffenberger was Ahrweiler's driver in Russia - first with motorcycles then armored cars. He was driving an armored car with Ahrweiler when they were hit in Russia - Pfaffenberger got out unscathed. Saw action with this unit until it's surrender in Austria in 1945.
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Hugo Schweiger
Unterscharführer
Date of Birth: 17. Nov 1921
Birth Place: Solingen-Wald, Deutschland
After Schweiger's recruiter promised him a chance to drive a motorcycle, he enlisted in the Waffen-SS in August 1940 to escape the boredom of RAD service. After completing recruit and infantry training with SS Feld Ersatz Abteilung 1, Schweiger's motorcycle instruction was cut short in September 1941 because the invasion of Russia was bogging down after its initial success and casualty-depleted LAH Aufklarungs Abteilung urgently needed replacements. Hurriedly shipped to southern Russia, he received a cruel baptism of fire during the assault on Melitopol. Ironically, Schweiger's abbreviated motorcycle training was never completed because his company was re-equipped with Volkswagen amphibious cars the following spring. Schweiger remained with LAH Aufkl. Abt. 1 until he was reported missing near Vienna during last week of April 1945. His fate is unknown.
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Udo Kraus
Unterscharführer
Date of Birth: 06. Okt 1917
Birth Place: Hammelburg, Deutschland
Udo was born the son of a butcher in Hammelburg in 1917. After his father entered the Wehrmacht in 1941, Udo felt he should uphold his family's military history and soon after joined the 1st SS. Saw heavy fighting in Russia at Merefa and Kursk. Participated in several anti-partisan operations in Italy in the fall of 1943. Also fought at Normandy and in the Ardennes offensive. Captured by Russian forces in Hungary in 1945, Udo escaped captivity and eventually made the long journey home, walking most of the way.
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Wolfgang "Wolfie" Kessler
Unterscharführer
Date of Birth: 17. Okt 1915
Birth Place: Munchen Bayern, Deutschland
Wolfgang joined the Waffen SS in 1940. His military career was held up due to academic pursuits and he finally joined shortly after the fall of France in May, first seeing action in Greece with the 3 Kp LAH as a Panzergrenadier. After an injury, Wolfie was reformed with the 11 Kp serving with Peiper's Blowtorch Division in time for Operation Barbarossa. Severe losses at the hands of the Russians in their retaking of Kharkov saw Wolfie and a handful of survivors from his squad being attached to Aufkl. Abt. 1 in 1943 which would remain his home for the remainder of the war. Wolfie was in Italy for the disarming of the Italian military after which he was transferred to the defense of Normandy where he saw very heavy fighting, eventually again being wounded in a Jabo strafing run. He continued to fight along side the men of Aufkl. Abt. 1, seeing action in the Ardenne, Hungary, and Vienna until he surrendered to the Americans in Austria with Ahrweiller's Kompanie in May 1945.
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Jurgen Haack
Unterscharführer
Date of Birth: 24. Jan 1915
Birth Place: Stuttgart, Deutschland
Born the son of a wealthy aristocrat, Haack joined the NSDAP on 1 Sept. 1934 against his Father’s wishes. Haack was accepted into the Schutzstaffel on 15 Oct. 1937. His first assignment was with Kurt Meyer’s LSSAH Panzerabwehr Kompanie. Haack participated in the annex of Austria and Czechoslovakia. Haack saw action in Poland and Holland. Haack was wounded in the early days of the invasion of France when his 37mm PAK gun was hit by a Renault tank. In late 1940 he transferred to the regiment’s Kradschutzen Kompanie. Haack stayed with the unit through its reorganization into Aufklarungs Abteilung and participated in the Balkan campaign and the invasion of Russia. Haack gained a reputation as a talented Panzerjager in Russia, however, this did not save him from being demoted in rank due to his love of the bottle and women. Haack evaded capture and was last sighted in Paraguay.
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Michael Würtz
Unterscharführer
Date of Birth: 15. Okt 1914
Birth Place: Worms, Deutschland
Joined the SS in 1941 just in time for "BARBAROSSA". Served as a runner for Jochen Peiper during his 1st year in Russia. Fought at Karkov, Kursk and was in Italy for disarmement of Italian Military. Lost his family in Allied air raid in 1944. Was with the 1st Aufklarung in Normandy through "WACHT AM RHEIN" and "SPRING AWAKENING". Surrendered to Amis in Austria in 1945.
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Detlef Lebeau
Unterscharführer
Date of Birth: 1. Okt 1921
Birth Place: Saint-Dizier, Frankreich
Born to a French father and a German mother, Detlef was taunted as a youth by his schoolmates as being “Le boche”. Later, as an adult, he would prove his loyalty to France upon joining the French Army in 1938. He fought in the 1940 campaign, was captured, and sent to a POW camp in Germany. In 1941 Detlef was recruited into the “Legion des Volontaires Francais contre le Bolchevisme” or LVF and served on the Eastern front. In 1942 after being wounded in the neck by a piece of shrapnel and nearly dying from loss of blood, he was sent to Paris to recuperate in a military hospital. A week before he was due to be released he snuck out of the hospital and walked into the central Paris Waffen SS recruiting office and enlisted. Due to his half German lineage and combat experience he was accepted and assigned to the 1st SS Aufklarung who were were refitting near Paris at the time. Detlef served with the Aufklarung for the remainder of the war and surrendered to the Americans along with the rest of his unit in 1945. The US Army handed him over to the French and he was convicted of treason and sentenced to 20 years hard labor. Once again he found himself in a POW camp and once again he was recruited to fight communism. In 1948 he was shipped off to Indochina with the French Foreign Legion. Detlef was killed during a firefight with the Viet Minh in 1951 when he was trampled and gored by a startled water buffalo.
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Marcus Hertz
Rottenführer
Date of Birth: 8. Sept 1919
Birth Place: Rostock, Deutschland
Born a fisherman's son, Marcus joined the Waffen SS in late 1941 after his cousin was killed fighting in Russia. He was assigned to Ahrweiler's gruppe from the start and remained there through the fighting in Russia where he was wounded in anti-partisan actions. He continued with the gruppe through Russia, Normandie, Belgium, and was captured in Hungary. After his release, he fled to the west before the Iron Curtain trapped the rest of his people inside Communist controlled East Germany.
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Christian Krüger
Rottenführer
Date of Birth: 26. Feb 1917
Birth Place: Bad Allorman, Deutschland
Christian Krüger was born 26 Feb 1907 in the town of Bad Allorman outside of Panderborn, Germany. His father, a professor of political science, encouraged him to enlist in the Waffen SS after the war began. Joined 9th SS Hohenstaufen on July 18th 1943. After SS recruit training he reported to company HQ. Krüger grew tired of administration work and begged to be transferred to the Infantry. Transferred to 1st Battalion 2nd Kompanie 20th Panzer Grenadier regiment soon after. In Late March 1944, the unit was sent to Russia to releive the 1st Panzerarmee from encirclement. Krüger was involved in heavy fighting at Caen and Arnhem and was sent home on leave afterwards. Upon returning to the front, he was informed of his transfer to the 1st SS Aufklarung. Fought in the Ardenne, Operation Frühlingserwachen, and Vienna. Krüger surrendered along with his unit to American forces in May 1945.
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Anton Schmidt
Rottenführer
Date of Birth: 14. Nov 1909
Birth Place: Pankow, Deutschland
The son of a municipal official and vehement anti-communist, Schmidt spent his teenage years fighting in the streets of depression-era Berlin. Joined the LSSAH in February 1940, serving in the regiment's Kradschützenkompanie. He stayed with the unit through reorganization into Aufklärungs Abteilung and participated in the Balkan Campaign and the invasion of Russia. It was in Russia where Schmidt discovered a talent for destroying enemy tanks, amassing a sizeable but unconfirmed kill tally. Schmidt was with his Kompanie on 2 May 1945 when, on learning of the unconditional surrender of Germany, produced a pistol and took his own life.
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Johannes Wolf
Rottenführer
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Thomas Kalter
Sturmmann
Date of Birth: 16. Dez 1920
Birth Place: Fuchsstadt, Deutschland
While a student at Eberhard-Karls-Universität Tübingen, Kalter learned of the death of his older brother Ernst during the Second Battle of Kharkov. Mourning the loss of his brother, Kalter believed the responsibility for defending the Reich had fallen to him. He left school and enlisted with the Waffen-SS. He was promptly integrated into the 1. SS LAH Aufklärung during the spring of 1943; in time to take part in the battle of Kursk. During the disarmament of Italy, Kalter was involved in a number of small skirmishes against partisans. Furthermore, in 1944 he fought without fear in the defense of Normandy and the Ardennes Offensive. Kalter stayed with his unit for the remainder of the war. However, his ultimate fate is unknown.
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Erich Fuchs
Sturmmann
Date of Birth: 25. März 1918
Birth Place: Grunwald, Deutschland
Erich Fuchs was the son of Johann Fuchs, a WWI veteran and owner of the leading Fuchs Metzgerei in Grunwald, Germany. He worked with his father, learning the business, and was a ranking volunteer Fireman in his town. In 1940 the Allies bombed Berlin. The loss of life due to the ensuing fires led Erich and his fellow Fireman Otto Brenner to join the war in early 1942. Erich's father had political ties that enabled them to join the Waffen SS. The pair fought in the battle of Karkhov, Kursk, Normandy, and ultimately in the Ardennes. In 1945, they turned themselves in to the Western Allies in Austria and were released six months later after seemingly endless interrogations and the threat of being handed over to Soviet forces. Erich rejoined his brother firemen and helped rebuild Grunwald.
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Wolfgang Westernhagen
Sturmmann
Date of Birth: 30. Sept 1925
Place of Birth: Vaterstetten, Deutschland
Wolfgang was born in the fall of 1925 to a middleclass blacksmithing family. By the age of 10, he was enlisted into the Hitler Youth program in Munich. Later, he was enlisted into the 12.SS-Panzer-Division Hitlerjugend in 1943 and sent off to face the British and Canadian forces north of Caen & the Falaise Pocket. He earned a reputation for being especially cruel to POW's, earning numerous reprimands. After retreating across the Seine River, he was then transferred to the 1st Aufklarung Abteilung and saw action in the Ardennes offensive. During the Fruhlingserwachen offensive, Wolfgang was killed when he was hit by a mortar shell while taking cover from enemy fire in the outskirts of Vienna, Austria.
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Jurgen Krieg
Sturmmann
Date of Birth: 25. April 1915
Place of Birth: Pirmasens, Deutschland
Jurgen was born the son of a coal miner in the small village of Muenchweiller. He attended the University in Kaiserslautern to pursue a career as a policeman. Shortly after the invasion of Poland, his brother was killed in combat, and soon after he enlisted in the Waffen SS to take up what his brother had started. After infantry and pionier training he took part in Unternehmen Barbarossa. Was attached to the LSSAH 1st Aufklarung soon after and participated in the 1943 Kursk Campaign. Later was sent to Italy to help disarm the surrendering Italian forces and hunt partisans. Afterwards fought in western France after the D-Day invasions. Fought several retreating battles in various rearguard actions until finally surrenduring to the US Army in 1945. Went on to be a Policeman after the war and assisted the US Army with law enforcement duties.
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Richard Steinhauer
Sturmmann
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Hans Maurer
Sturmmann
Date of Birth: 19. Jan 1915
Place of Birth: Fürth, Deutschland
Hans Maurer was born in Fürth, outside Nürnberg in 1915, the son of a brewer. He completed Gymnasium in Nürnberg and an apprenticeship with
his father before joining the SS-Standarte Deutschland in 1940. He completed basic training and infantry specialist school, joining his
regiment, part of the then-SS Division Reich, in time for operations in Yugoslavia. He fought with the Division through Barbarossa, and
was injured and evacuated in Nov 1941. Following a stay in hospital, he was transferred to LSSAH, initially to 2. Kp, II Btl. With the
exception of short recuperation periods, he fought with the Division through all its major actions through to the end of the war,
surrendering with it in Austria in May 1945.
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Andreas Siemers
Oberschütze
Date of Birth: 10. April 1917
Place of Birth: Hannover, Deutschland
Andreas recieved Pionier training at the Waffen-SS facility in Dresden-Hellerau and afterwards took part in the invasion of France. During the opening days of Operation Barbarossa he was attached to LSSAH 1st Aufklarung. After several battles with Soviet forces at the Tartar Ditch, Rostov-on-Don, and Kursk, he participated in the disarmanent of surrendering Italian forces in 1943. After the 1st SS was transferred to Normandy, Andreas saw action at Caen, Falaise, and Aachen. Shortly afterwards he took part in the offensive in the Ardennes. Surrendered along with his unit in Austria in May of 1945.
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Siegfried Diedendorf
Oberschütze
Date of Birth: 13. Nov 1918
Place of Birth: Zell Am See, Austria
Son of a small peasant farmer and school teacher, Siegfried was born in Zell Am See, Austria in 1918. Entered the Waffen SS in the summer of 1941. As the Russian campaign continued into the winter of 1942, Siegfried’s unit was part of several sent to the Ost Front as reinforcements. During his time in Russia, Siegfried fought in several bitter battles at Kursk, Kharvov, and the Korsun Pocket. As the war continued, his unit eventually escaped the approaching Soviets as part of long and painful retreat, crossing the Dnieper River and back through the Ukraine and into Poland. After fighting in the Ardennes and Hungary, Siegfried was captured by Soviet forces near Lake Balaton in March 1945.
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Walter Jäkel
Oberschütze
Date of Birth: 27. Feb 1921
Place of Birth: Leipzig, Deutschland
Walter joined the Waffen SS in early 1941 after dropping out of flight school for medical reasons. He was assigned to the 1.SS LSSAH and saw his first combat in the Crimea during the battle for the Perekop Isthmus. Walter was later wounded during the defensive winter battles near Rostov. While recovering he transfered to the 1. SS Aufklarung. He remained with the unit until going missing near Graz in March 1945.
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Stefan Götz
Schütze
Date of Birth: 12 April, 1912
Place of Birth: Köln, Deutschland
Stefan was born and raised in Köln. Like his father, he was a factory worker building diesel motors for Klöckner-Humbolt-Deutz AG until shortly after the outbreak of war. Stefan joined the Waffen SS and was assigned to 1st SS. He participated in the battles of Kursk, Karkhov, the Ardennes and Vienna. On April 14, 1945, Stefan was killed during fierce combat outside Vienna. His death was not in vain, however, as the fighting in which he participated allowed thousands of refugees to flee westward and escape the atrocities which assuredly awaited them at the hands of the Russians.
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Michael Hartmann
Schütze
Date of Birth: 12 April, 1922
Place of Birth: Saarbrucken, Deutschland
Michael was born into a coal mining family. At the outbreak of war, his brothers left home to fight for the Fatherland. In 1943, Michael enlisted with the Waffen-SS. After completing his training he was assigned to 1st SS Aufklarung Abteilung. He took part in the disarming of the Italian army and saw action in Russia. He was wounded in Normandy and sucumbed to his wounds many days later in August 1944.
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Dirk Welker
Schütze
Date of Birth: 20. März 1916
Place of Birth: Danzig, East Prussia
With the re-unification of Danzig with Germany in 1939, Welker was placed in the reserve medical corps, serving as an orderly in a military hospital on the Eastern Front. In 1940, he was placed with the medical staff at the newly constructed Auschwitz-Birkenau facility. The need increased for medically trained personal in the later part of the war, and Welker was transferred to the Waffen-SS as a Sanitater in late 1943. Records have him with the LSSAH Aufklarungs Abteilung, serving in Kompanie 1 through early 1945 when his status becomes unclear. Officially, he is considered missing and his true fate is unknown.
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Dietrich Kriel
Schütze
Date of Birth: 30. Okt 1927
Place of Birth: Hundheim, Deutschland
Dietrich was in the Hitler Youth program until late 1943, when he was drafted into the 12th SS Hitlerjugend Division. He was involved in the Normandy campaign when his unit was destroyed in the Falaise Gap. He was then transferred to the 1st SS Aufklarung and fought with them from the Battle of the Bulge until April 1945, when he was killed by Russian soldiers while attempting to surrender.
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Michael Plaas
Schütze
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Peter Steinhauer
Schütze
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Ludwig Hemmer
Schütze
Date of Birth: 2. Feb 1904
Birth Place: Neunstadt Wurttemburg
Ludwig was born the son of a police officer. A woodworker by trade, Ludwig decided he wanted to do more for his country and enlisted in the Luftwaffe in 1938. He qualified for the Fallschirmjagers and was attached to the 7th Fleiger division. He then participated in Operation Fall Gelb, the invasion of France, the Netherlands and Belgium, and was involved in the battles for the Veldwezelt and Vroenhoven bridges. He fought at Herakleion on Crete. From Crete he was posted on the East Front in the area South East of Leningrad defending against fierce Russian resistance. In March of 1943 he was incorporated into the 2nd Fallschirmjager Division and dispatched to Avignon France to serve as reserve for the German 10th Army in Italy. Longing for more action and observing the combat savvy of the SS, Ludwig applied for a transfer into the Waffen SS and was accepted. He participated with the LAH in various actions such as the disarmament of Italian troops after their capitulation to the Allies and also in Russia in numerous offensive and holding battles, eventually transferring with the LAH to the Western front. Along with 12th SS HJ, Ludwig participated with the LAH in the attack of the Bridge Head at Gran Hungary, in which the Russian 7th Guards Army was destroyed in the battle. From there Ludwig fought along with the Unit in a series of delaying actions until the final capitulation in April 1945, where his Unit Commander and a number of kameraden surrendered at Kufstein just South East of Munich.
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Erik Faulhaber
Schütze
Date of Birth: 21. Aug 1919
Place of Birth: Dortmund, Deutschland
Erik grew up on a farm working the land with his father, mother, and 3 younger brothers. As the war broke out, Erik felt that it was his duty as a German to fight for his country. He joined the fight and because of his ancestry, was assigned to the 1st SS in 1941. He was trained as a Pionier and sent to the Aufklarung gruppe. Erik first saw action during Operation Barbarossa, where he remained with the unit for several years fighting on the Eastern and Western fronts. While on a night patrol, Erik's pionier gruppe was hit by allied mortar fire. Erik received several wounds to the head and neck and lost his hearing in the right ear. He spent 2 weeks in a field hospital where he recovered and returned to the fight. After his unit surrendered in Austria, he was handed over to the Russians where he was kept in a POW camp. Erik and 3 other members of his unit escaped the Russian POW camp in 1947. Erik returned to Germany only to find his home in ruin and his family gone.
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Gottfried Baer
Schütze
Date of Birth: 14. Sept 1923
Place of Birth: Mittenwald, Deutschland
Born the son of a poor carpenter, part of Gottfried's duties were to help provide food for the family. While hunting deer in the Alps, Gottfried honed his skills as a marskman. Little did he know, it would not be long before he was applying these skills in a very different manner. Gottfried sat out the early part of the war, until the sad news of his best friend's death in the defense of Kharkov in 1943. To honor his fallen friend, Baer soon volunteered for the waffen SS and began his training with a new unit being formed in Belgium. By early September 1943, Baer was finished with his six-week basic training and was to serve in 12th SS Panzer Division Hitlerjugend. He went on to see heavy action while fighting in Normandy and would serve with the 12th until its virtual destruction in the Falaise gap. In a strange change of fate, Gottfried was to be transfered into his best friend's former unit and would finish out the war serving as a Pionier with the 1st SS, eventually surrendering to the western allies in May of 1945.
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Wilhelm Anders
Schütze
Date of Birth: 11. Nov 1918
Place of Birth: Neustadt, Deutschland
Wilhelm's mother and father migrated from Sweden to Germany in the late 1800's. He was born in Neustadt on the Oder river and worked as a surveyor before the war. Originally assigned to the 1039th Panzer Grenadier Division, Wilhelm suffered from the effects of jaundice while fighting in Russia and after recovering, was transferred to the 9th SS Hohenstaufen Division where he fought in Holland. Afterwards, he was assigned to the 1st SS and remained with them until the end of the war, fighting in the Ardennes Offensive, Operation Frühlingserwachen, and Hungary.
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