DOCSLIB.ORG

Major Josef Gangl

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
Major Josef Gangl Major josef gangl Continue Battle of ItterPart Castle of the Western Front of World War IILoss Iter (Itter Castle) in 1979DateMay 5, 1945 (1945-05-05)Lockatter Castle, Austria47-28-13.82N 12'8'22.33E / 47.4705056-N 12.1395361'E / 47.4705056; 12.1395361Coordinates: 47'28'13.82N 12'8'22.33E / 47.4705056'N 12.1395361'E / 47.4705056; 12.1395361Five victory of the AlliesBelligerentS of the United States French captive German soldiers Austrian resistance to Nazi Germany1 Waffen-SSCommunders and leaders John Lee Harry Bass Joseph Gangl † Kurt Schroeder Georg Bohman Division involved the 12th Armored Division of the 142nd Infantry Regiment Affen-SSStr 36 4 tanks 150-200 3 anti-aircraft guns Howways and the loss of 5 killed and wounded 1 tank destroyed an unknown killed and wounded 100 captured in Austria Battle for the Castle Itter was fought in the Austrian village of Etter Of North Tyrol on May 5, 1945, in the last days of the European Theater of World War II. Troops of the 23rd Tank Battalion of the 12th Armored Division of the 21st U.S. Corps, led by Capt. John S. Jack Lee Jr., a number of Wehrmacht soldiers led by Major Joseph Sepp Gangl, SS-Hauptsturmf'hrer Kurt-Siegfried Schroeder, and recently freed French POWs defended Itter Castle from attacking forces from the 17th SS Panzergrenadier Division before being released from the American 142nd Infantry Regiment 36th Division This is the only known time during the war in which the Americans and Germans fought side by side. Popular stories about the battle called it the strangest battle of World War II. Itter Castle is a small castle located on a hill near the village of Etter in Austria. After the Anschluss of 1938, the German government officially leased the castle in late 1940 from its owner Franz Gruner. The castle was seized from Gruener by SS Lieutenant General Oswald Paul on the orders of Heinrich Himmler on February 7, 1943. The conversion of the castle to prison was completed by 25 April 1943, and the facility was placed under the control of the Dachau concentration camp. The prison was created to hold high-ranking French prisoners valuable to the Reich. Among the famous prisoners were tennis player Gene Borotra, former Prime Ministers Edouard Daladier and Paul Reynaud, former Commander-in-Chief Maxime Weigand and Maurice Jeg, the elder sister of Charles de Gaulle Marie-Agnes Cailjo, the right-wing leader and member of the French resistance Francois de La Rocca and the trade union leader Leon Juho. In addition to THE VIPs, the castle housed several Eastern European prisoners separated from Dachau, who were used for the detention and other black works. [17] The main entrance to the castle (1979) french tennis star Jean Borotra in 1932 on May 3, 1945, Tsvonimir Suckovic, a imprisoned Yugoslav communist member of the resistance from Croatia, who worked as a handyman in prison, left the castle under the pretext of carrying out an assignment for the prison commander Sebastian Wimmer. He carried a letter in English asking for the help of the Allies, which he was supposed to give to the first American he encountered. The town of Vergle ran in the mountains 8 kilometers away, but was still occupied by German troops. Instead, Shukkovic clicked on the Inn Valley in the direction of Innsbruck, 64 km (40 miles) from the coast. Late in the evening, he reached the outskirts of the city and encountered the advanced unit of the 409th Infantry Regiment of the U.S. 103rd Infantry Division VI of the U.S. Corps and informed them of the prisoners of the castle. They were unable to authorize the rescue on their own, but promised a response from their headquarters by the morning of May 4. At dawn, a heavily armored rescue was mounted, but was stopped by heavy shelling just past Jenbach about halfway to Itter, and then reminded superiors to encroach on the territory of the 36th U.S. Division in the east. Only two support jeeps continued. After he did not return on May 2, and the death in prison of former Dahau commander Eduard Weiter under suspicious circumstances, Wimmer feared for his life and left his post. SS-Totenkopfverbende guards left the castle shortly thereafter, and the prisoners took control of the castle and armed themselves with left-hand guns. Not knowing the result of the efforts, prison officials accepted the offer of Czech chef Andreas Krobot on a bicycle to Wergl in the middle of the day on May 4 in the hope of getting help there. Armed with a similar note, he was able to contact the Austrian resistance in the city, which had recently been abandoned by the Wehrmacht but was again occupied by Waffen-SS roaming forces. He was taken to Major Joseph Gangle, the commander of the remnants of the Wehrmacht, who defied the order to retreat and was instead abandoned by the local resistance as its head. Gangl sought to maintain the position of his unit in the city to protect the locals from the repression of the SS. Nazi loyalists shot at any window, displaying a white or Austrian flag, and executed the men as possible deserters. Gangl's hopes were that the Americans would quickly reach Wurgle so that he could surrender to them. Around the same time, the reconnaissance unit of four Sherman tanks of the 23rd Tank Battalion of the 12th Armored Division of the 21st U.S. Corps under The Command of Captain Lee reached Austria, 13 km (8 miles) north. There, in the town square, he was idle waiting for the 12th to be released by the 36th Infantry Division. Asked to help Gangl, Lee did not hesitate to volunteer to lead a rescue mission and immediately get permission from his headquarters. After personal reconnaissance of the castle with Gangl in Kubelwagen Major, Lee left two of his tanks behind, but requisitioned five more and supported the infantry from the recently arrived 142nd Infantry Regiment of the 36th. Along the way, Lee was forced to send reinforcements back when the bridge proved too weak for the entire column to cross once, let alone twice. Leaving one of his tanks to guard him, he went back accompanied by only 14 American soldiers, Gangl, and the driver, and a truck carrying ten former German gunners. At 6 km (4 miles) from the castle, they defeated a batch of SS troops who were trying to set up a checkpoint. Meanwhile, French prisoners appealed to SS officer Kurt-Siegfried Schroeder, with whom they became friends in Etter during his recovery from his wounds, asking them to take responsibility for their protection. Upon Lee's arrival at the castle, the prisoners warmly welcomed the rescuers, but were disappointed by its small size. Lee placed the men under his command on the defensive positions around the castle and placed his tank, Betten Jenny, at the main entrance. Lee ordered the French prisoners to hide, but they remained outside and fought alongside the American and Wehrmacht soldiers. Throughout the night, the defenders were tortured by reconnaissance forces, sent to assess their strength and probe the fortress to weak spots. On the morning of May 5, the forces of 100-150 28 Waffen-SS launched their attack. Before the main assault began, Gangl was able to call Aloya Mayra, the Austrian resistance leader in Wurgle, and request reinforcements. Only two more German soldiers under his command and a member of the Austrian teenage resistance, Hans Waltle, could be rescued, and they quickly drove to the castle. The Sherman tank provided fire support for the machine gun until it was destroyed by German fire from an 88 mm cannon; it was occupied at the time only by a radioman seeking to repair a faulty tank radio, which escaped without injury. Meanwhile, by early afternoon, word had finally reached the 142nd out of desperation of the plight of the defenders, and aid forces were dispatched. Realizing that he had failed to give the 142nd full information about the enemy and his location before the connection was severed, Lee accepted the Bootra tennis star's offer to blow down the castle wall and run the SS SS Silov point glove and ambush to deliver it. He succeeded, asked for American military uniforms, and then joined the force as he made a rush to get to prison before his defenders fired their last Ammunition. Emergency services arrived around 4 p.m. and the SS was quickly crushed. It is reported that about 100 SS prisoners were taken. French prisoners were evacuated to France that evening and made their way to Paris on May 10. Consequences and historical significance for his service protecting the castle, Lee received the Cross for Distinguished Merit. Gangl died during the battle from a sniper rifle bullet while trying to move former French Prime Minister Paul Reynaud out of harm's way, 3537 and was honored as an Austrian national hero, and a street in W'rgl was named after him. He was the only defender who died during the battle, although four others were wounded. Popular stories about the battle christened it the strangest battle of the Second World War. The battle took place five days after Adolf Hitler committed suicide, and just two days before the signing of Germany's unconditional surrender. Inquiries: Andrew Roberts, Strange Battle of World War II: When Americans and Germans fought together, The Daily Beast, May 13, 2013 - Nutter, Thomas (April 23, 2013). The Last Battle: When American and German soldiers joined forces in the waning hours of World War II in Europe.
Load more

Recommended publications
  • Belsen, Dachau, 1945: Newspapers and the First Draft of History
    Belsen, Dachau, 1945: Newspapers and the First Draft of History by Sarah Coates BA (Hons.) Submitted in fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy Deakin University March 2016 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I would like to acknowledge the opportunities Deakin University has provided me over the past eight years; not least the opportunity to undertake my Ph.D. Travel grants were especially integral to my research and assistance through a scholarship was also greatly appreciated. The Deakin University administrative staff and specifically the Higher Degree by Research staff provided essential support during my candidacy. I also wish to acknowledge the Library staff, especially Marion Churkovich and Lorraine Driscoll and the interlibrary loans department, and sincerely thank Dr Murray Noonan for copy-editing this thesis. The collections accessed as part of an International Justice Research fellowship undertaken in 2014 at the Thomas J Dodd Centre made a positive contribution to my archival research. I would like to thank Lisa Laplante, interim director of the Dodd Research Center, for overseeing my stay at the University of Connecticut and Graham Stinnett, Curator of Human Rights Collections, for help in accessing the Dodd Papers. I also would like to acknowledge the staff at the Bergen-Belsen Gedenkstätte and Dachau Concentration Camp Memorial who assisted me during research visits. My heartfelt gratitude is offered to those who helped me in various ways during overseas travel. Rick Gretsch welcomed me on my first day in New York and put a first-time traveller at ease. Patty Foley’s hospitality and warmth made my stay in Connecticut so very memorable.
    [Show full text]
  • An Organizational Analysis of the Nazi Concentration Camps
    Chaos, Coercion, and Organized Resistance; An Organizational Analysis of the Nazi Concentration Camps DISSERTATION Presented in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree Doctor of Philosophy in the Graduate School of The Ohio State University By Thomas Vernon Maher Graduate Program in Sociology The Ohio State University 2013 Dissertation Committee: Dr. J. Craig Jenkins, Co-Advisor Dr. Vincent Roscigno, Co-Advisor Dr. Andrew W. Martin Copyright by Thomas V. Maher 2013 Abstract Research on organizations and bureaucracy has focused extensively on issues of efficiency and economic production, but has had surprisingly little to say about power and chaos (see Perrow 1985; Clegg, Courpasson, and Phillips 2006), particularly in regard to decoupling, bureaucracy, or organized resistance. This dissertation adds to our understanding of power and resistance in coercive organizations by conducting an analysis of the Nazi concentration camp system and nineteen concentration camps within it. The concentration camps were highly repressive organizations, but, the fact that they behaved in familiar bureaucratic ways (Bauman 1989; Hilberg 2001) raises several questions; what were the bureaucratic rules and regulations of the camps, and why did they descend into chaos? How did power and coercion vary across camps? Finally, how did varying organizational, cultural and demographic factors link together to enable or deter resistance in the camps? In order address these questions, I draw on data collected from several sources including the Nuremberg trials, published and unpublished prisoner diaries, memoirs, and testimonies, as well as secondary material on the structure of the camp system, individual camp histories, and the resistance organizations within them. My primary sources of data are 249 Holocaust testimonies collected from three archives and content coded based on eight broad categories [arrival, labor, structure, guards, rules, abuse, culture, and resistance].
    [Show full text]
  • The Last Battle: When U.S
    21 March 2014 2012014444––––024024 Stephen Harding, The Last Battle: When U.S. and German Soldiers JoinJoineded Forces in the WaWannnninging Hours of World War II in Europe . Boston: Da Capo, 2013. Pp. 223. ISBN 978978----0000----306306306---- 8220882208----7.7.7.7. Review by Donald Lateiner, Ohio Wesleyan University (dglatein(dglatein@owu.@[email protected]).edu). Schloss Itter, a medieval fortress, stands high on a rocky promontory separated by a ravine and a narrow bridge from its village in the Austrian Tyrol, east of Innsbruck. Local powers fortified it before the thir- teenth century, long before it became a tony, fifty-room tourist hotel and then a prison, where, in early May 1945, German forces still held fourteen once prominent French politicians, former generals, and their con- sorts (arriving from 1943 to 1945). The deluxe prison (by Nazi standards) was one of 197 satellite facilities nominally under the regional concentration-command at Dachau (13). After Hitler’s death on 30 April, the big-name, once front-page French politicians could have become valuable bargaining chips for surviving Nazi bigwigs and smaller fry or been slaughtered like so many other innocents in the last hours of the crumbling Thousand-Year Reich. American forces advancing through the nearby Inn Valley were unaware of their existence, until a clever Croat prisoner/electrician/handyman, “Zvonko” Čučković, 1 successfully passed through the German lines, no-man’s land, and the forward column of US troops to inform the 103rd Infantry Division of the plight of the distinguished prisoners. One small unit of Americans rushed toward, reached, and secured the Schloss.
    [Show full text]
  • Tank Killers the Lanceros Castle Itter
    Military Despatches Vol 31 January 2020 Tank Killers The most powerful anti-tank weapons It’s a traditional thing Some strange US Military traditions The Lanceros Colombia’s Special Forces Castle Itter One of the strangest battles of World War II For the military enthusiast CONTENTS January 2020 Page 10 Click on any video below to view Colombia’s How much do you know about movie theme Special Forces songs? Take our quiz and find out. Hipe’s Wouter de The old South African Goede interviews former Defence Force used 28’s gang boss David a mixture of English, Williams. Afrikaans, slang and techno-speak that few outside the military could hope to under- stand. Some of the terms Features 24 were humorous, some The Mongol Warriors were clever, while others 6 The Mongol military tactics were downright crude. Strange US military traditions and organization enabled the Throughout history the military Mongol Empire to conquer has been renown for tradition. nearly all of continental Asia, Part of Hipe’s “On the Some of these traditions are of- 18 the Middle East and parts of eastern Europe couch” series, this is an ten seen by outsiders as strange The Highest Honour interview with one of or even bizarre. And the US While most military forces 28 military has some strange tradi- author Herman Charles award medals and decorations, A matter of survival tions of its own. it is the ones awarded for brav- Bosman’s most famous Preparing your kill for eating. characters, Oom Schalk 14 ery that are held in the high- Lourens.
    [Show full text]
  • Aus Dem Institut Für Ethik Und Geschichte Der Medizin
    Aus dem Institut für Ethik und Geschichte der Medizin Täter, Netzwerker, Forscher: Die Medizinverbrechen von Dr. med. Sigmund Rascher und sein personelles Umfeld Inaugural-Dissertation zur Erlangung des Doktorgrades der Medizin der Medizinischen Fakultät der Eberhard Karls Universität zu Tübingen vorgelegt von Janze, Matthias Michael 2020 Dekan: Professor Dr. B. Pichler 1. Berichterstatter: Privatdozent Dr. H. Tümmers 2. Berichterstatter: Professor Dr. F. Dross Tag der Disputation: 26.07.2018 Inhaltsverzeichnis Tabellenverzeichnis .......................................................................................................... 5 Abkürzungsverzeichnis .................................................................................................... 6 Einleitung ......................................................................................................................... 8 A. Quellengrundlage und Quellenkritik ..................................................................... 10 B. Forschungsstand ..................................................................................................... 15 1. Raschers Werdegang und seine Experimente ..................................................... 15 2. Täterforschung .................................................................................................... 22 3. Netzwerkanalyse ................................................................................................. 26 C. Gliederung und Ziel dieser Studie ........................................................................
    [Show full text]
  • Packet 10 (Finals).Pdf
    ScotBowl 2019 By Dan Arribas, Matt Booth, Vitalijs Brejevs, Robbie Campbell Hewson, Cam Herbert, Joseph Krol, Ewan MacAulay, James Warburton, Freya Whiteford Finals: The tactical neg 1. Which scientist usually names a type of flow in which results like the minimum dissipation theorem hold, corresponding to extremely low Reynolds numbers? In that kind of flow, this Cambridge scientist’s namesake linear law for the drag force on a sphere can be found, and this flow can be modelled by neglecting the inertial terms in a nonlinear ODE describing fluid flow that he co-names with Claude-Louis Navier. ANSWER: Sir George Gabriel Stokes <JK> ​ ​ 2. What country is the birthplace of the composer who wrote a set of variations on Sergio Ortega’s The ​ People United Will Never Be Defeated; the ultramodernist behind String Quartet 1931, and the composer ​ ​ ​ of Night Fantasies who completed his piano trio Epigrams at the age of 103? Other musicians born here ​ ​ ​ ​ wrote an anti-opera based on Samuel Beckett’s Neither, and a series of Sonatas and Interludes for ​ ​ ​ ​ prepared piano. ANSWER: United States of America (accept either underlined section) <DA> ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ 3. Which Roman statesman became Consul in 195 BCE, alongside Valerius Flaccus? He would later go on to serve as Censor in 184. He commanded part of the flanking attack that defeated the Seleucids at Thermopylae in 191, and he wrote a treatise on good farming practice that included a section on Roman folk medicine. His great-grandson, of the same name, was an outspoken critic of Caesar who committed suicide after the Battle of Utica rather than accepting Caesar’s clemency.
    [Show full text]
  • Dachau Concentration Camp
    Coordinates: 48°16ʹ13ʺN 11°28ʹ05ʺE Dachau concentration camp From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Dachau concentration camp (German: Konzentrationslager (KZ) Dachau, IPA: [ˈdaxaʊ]) was the first Nazi concentration camp opened in Germany, located on the grounds of an abandoned munitions factory near the medieval town of Dachau, about 16 km (9.9 mi) northwest of Munich in the state of Bavaria, which is located in southern Germany. Opened 22 March 1933,[1], it was the first regular concentration camp established by the coalition government of the National Socialist Party (Nazi Party) and the American troops guard the main entrance to German Nationalist People's Party (dissolved on Dachau just after liberation 6 July 1933). Heinrich Himmler, Chief of Police of Munich, officially described the camp as "the first concentration camp for political prisoners."[1] Contents 1 General overview 2 Main camp 2.1 Purpose 2.2 Organization 2.3 Demographics 3 Satellite camps and sub-camps 4 Liberation 4.1 Main camp 4.2 Satellite camps 4.3 Killing of camp guards 4.4 Post-liberation Easter at Dachau 5 After liberation 6 In popular culture 7 The memorial site 8 List of personnel 8.1 Commanders 8.2 Other staff 8.3 SS and civilian doctors 9 List of notable prisoners 9.1 Jewish political prisoners 9.2 Resistance fighters 9.3 Clergy 9.4 Politicians 9.4.1 Communists 9.5 Writers 9.6 Royalty 9.7 Others 10 Gallery 11 See also 12 References 13 Bibliography 14 External links General overview Dachau served as a prototype and model for the other Nazi concentration camps that followed.
    [Show full text]
  • 'Confidence Heels'
    Vol. 117 Issue #19 Thursday, September 19, 2019 $1.00 For more, log on to: www.mycameronnews.com Cameron, Missouri Ground broken for $600,000 animal control facility By Jimmy Potts construction project was Editor years in the making. [email protected] “In 1997 I came to Cameron and wanted a Cameron city officials, puppy and it started a donors and volunteers break 20-something year journey to ground $600,000 animal this point,” said Sue Manion, control facility – Linda an area real-estate manager/ Griffin’s Precious Pets. developer and longtime With the current facility animal advocate. “… I can’t quickly degrading, and a take credit for everything. I $250,000 donation from just have a mouth and a lot former Missouri Speaker of of people behind me. I never the House Bob Griffin, the city quit talking. Thank you Bob officials, donors and longtime Griffin, you are amazing. Bob supporters broke ground on Griffin called me and told me the $600,000 facility with some saying the upcoming See PETS on page 3 Construction of a $600,000 animal shelter begins after volunteers, donors and officials broke ground. Cameron rescinds tax ‘ConfidenceCameron clothing designer debutsHeels’ new line during fashion show breaks for housing project By Jimmy Potts [rescinding the rebates] By Jimmy Potts is something the National Editor Editor [email protected] [email protected] Guard Foundation preferred,” Cameron City The Cameron City Women of all backgrounds Manager Steve Rasmussen Council approved demonstrated the mentally said. “There are political rescinding tax rebates for restorative effects of clothing issues going on with it in a proposed $6 million and accessories for the Jefferson City and legal veterans housing project Confidence Heels Fashion issues involved in it, but that opposed by the Cameron Show.
    [Show full text]
  • Dachau Concentration Camp from Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia Coordinates: 48°16′08″N 11°28′07″E
    Create account Log in Article Talk Read Edit View history Dachau concentration camp From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Coordinates: 48°16′08″N 11°28′07″E Dachau concentration camp (German: Konzentrationslager (KZ) Dachau, IPA: [ˈdaxaʊ]) was the Navigation Dachau first of the Nazi concentration camps opened in Germany, intended to hold political prisoners. It is Main page located on the grounds of an abandoned munitions factory near the medieval town of Dachau, Concentration camp Contents about 16 km (9.9 mi) northwest of Munich in the state of Bavaria, in southern Germany.[1] Opened Featured content in 1933 by Heinrich Himmler, its purpose was enlarged to include forced labor, and eventually, the Current events imprisonment of Jews, ordinary German and Austrial criminals, and eventually foreign nationals Random article from countries which Germany occupied or invaded. It was finally liberated in 1945. Donate to Wikipedia In the postwar years it served to hold SS soldiers awaiting trial, after 1948, it held ethnic Germans who had been expelled from eastern Europe and were awaiting resettlement, and also was used for Interaction a time as a United States military base during the occupation. It was finally closed for use in 1960. Several memorials have been installed there, and the site is open for visitors. Help American troops guarding the main entrance to About Wikipedia Contents Dachau just after liberation, 1945 Community portal 1 History Recent changes 2 General overview Contact Wikipedia 3 Main camp 3.1 Purpose Toolbox 3.2 Organization
    [Show full text]
  • Rules Medium.Pdf
    CASTLE ITTER PLAYTEST v0.3 APRIL 2016 CONTENTS A single player, skirmish-level, castle defense game set in WWII. PAGE 2 Introduction PAGE 5 Setup 45 minutes ages: 12+ 1 player PAGE 6 Counters and Cards In Castle Itter, you take control of a makeshift force that is defending a medieval castle, nestled in the Austrian countryside from, a Waffen-SS PAGE 7 assault. The force consists of an American tank crew and infantrymen, Playing the Game Wehr macht infantrymen, a former SS officer, French prisoners, and an PAGE 8 Austrian resistance fighter. Defender Actions Object of the Game PAGE 14 The goal of Castle Itter is to last until reinforcements from the 142nd Defender Attributes Infantry Regiment arrive. In the game, this is represented by playing through a deck of SS cards. PAGE 16 SS Cards CREDITS PAGE 21 Ending the Game, CREATED BY Game play examples in this rulebook are Increasing Difficulty, David Thompson placed in gray tone boxes. References ART & GRAPHIC DESIGN David Thompson Designer notes in this rulebook are placed in light beige tone boxes. PROOFREADING Ted Davies PLAYTESTERS Compiling list… Digital Capricorn Studios CASTLE ITTER PLAYTEST v0.3 APRIL 2016 Introduction Castle Itter is a small castle situated on a hill near Gangl traveled to the nearby town of Kufstein the village of Itter in Austria. After the Anschluss - where he met with a reconnaissance unit of four the German annexation of Austria - the German Sherman tanks of the 23rd Tank Battalion of the government officially leased the castle in late 1940 12th Armored Division of the US XXI Corps, from its owner, Franz Grüner.
    [Show full text]
  • C. Lee Jr. Was the Officer in Charge During the Battle of Castle Itter in Austria
    Lieutenant John “Jack” C. Lee Jr. was the Officer in charge during the battle of Castle Itter in Austria. The engagement has been considered as the strangest battle of World War II as it occurred five days after Adolf Hitler's suicide and two days before the signing of Germany's unconditional surrender. It was the only battle where American and German soldiers fought alongside one another during the Second World War. The Castle of Itter was first mentioned in land records as early as 1240AD. Having been converted into a high security prison by the Germans for potentially valuable prisoners, it was considered escape-proof due to its massive walls and impregnable gatehouse. The facility was under the operational control of the concentration camp Dachau, ninety miles to the northwest. SS-Hauptsturmführer Sebastian Wimmer was the commandant of the prison-castle, and the guards were formed by the usual SS-Totenkopfverbände. Some notable VIP captives included former prime minister Paul Reynaud; Generals Maxime Weygand and Maurice Gamelin; awkwardly the tennis star Jean Borotra; right-wing leader Colonel François de La Rocque and Michel Clemenceau, son of World War I prime minister. While all prisoners were French, they could not possibly have been more diverse. Some were politically bitter enemies. On 4 May 1945, Hauptsturmführer Wimmer and all the guards hastily abandoned their posts. The former prisoners started to prepare themselves in case the SS-men would return by gathering weapons and ammunition, which were unbelievably left behind. Their Czech cook, Andreas Krobot rode a bicycle to the village of Wörgl in the hopes of encountering Allied troops.
    [Show full text]
  • Garnisongeschichten 2018.Pdf
    . Ludwigsburger Garnisongeschichte(n) Ein Mitteilungsblatt der Militärgeschichtlichen Gesellschaft Ludwigsburg e.V. Nr. 16 Ludwigsburg im Sommer 2018 Meine sehr geehrten Damen und Herren, liebe Mitglieder der MGLB, Mitgliederversammlung und Eröffnung der Sonderausstellung „Auflösung und Neubeginn – Die Garnison Ludwigsburg in der Zeit der Weimarer Republik 1918 – 1933“ liegen bereits hinter uns. Bei der Mitgliederversammlung stand vor allem die Wahl des neuen Vorsitzenden auf der Tagesordnung, Oberst a. D. Gerhard Bronisch schied nach 18 Jahren Vorstandsarbeit aus dem Vorstand aus. In seiner Amtszeit wurde 2004 das Garnisonmuseum gegründet, das mittlerweile durch sein Angebot an Ausstellungen und regelmäßigen Vorträgen zu eine festen Größe im kulturellen Leben der Stadt Ludwigsburg geworden ist. Solch ein Wechsel bedeutet natürlich immer eine Zäsur für den Verein, wobei mit der Wahl des bisherigen Stellvertreters als neuen Vorsitzenden der Weg für einen kontinuierlichen Fortgang geebnet wurde. Die neue Sonderausstellung wird gut angenommen, tragischerweise findet vor allem der Film über die Beisetzung König Wilhelms II. besondere Beachtung, tragisch deshalb, weil am 09. Mai 2018, kurz vor der Eröffnung der Sonderausstellung, unser Kurator und Förderer Friedrich Herzog von Württemberg bei einem Unfall ums Leben gekommen ist. Der Beitrag dieser Ausgabe ist einem Soldaten aus Ludwigsburg gewidmet, dessen Schicksal, in den letzten Tagen des II. Weltkriegs, in Österreich, vor allem aber in Frankreich durchaus bekannt ist, in Deutschland und Ludwigburg bis dato kaum gewürdigt wird; Josef Gangl, Major im Artillerieregiment 25. Die aktuelle Fassung unseres Programms für den Rest des Jahres ist ebenso beigefügt wie ein paar Flyer zur aktuellen Sonderausstellung. Wir würden uns auch in diesem Jahr freuen, wenn Sie zusätzlich zum Mitgliedsbeitrag unsere Arbeit mit einem Betrag unterstützen könnten.
    [Show full text]