Allgemein 19

Im Zuge der Recherche zu meinem Erlebnisbericht „Von der Bekennenden Kirche zum Hilfskreuzermatrosen auf den Weltmeeren“ habe ich mich intensiver mit den Feindfahrten dieser „Handelsstörer“ beschäftigt. Ein spannendes Kapitel Seefahrtsgeschichte, welches nach meiner Auffassung in der Geschichtsbetrachtung der Kriegsmarine keine ausreichende Würdigung erhält. Die geräumigen Schiffsrümpfe, der eigentlich zum Transport von Waren und Güter ausgelegten […]

In vielen europäischen Ländern hat der Luftkrieg seine Spuren hinterlassen. Oft erinnern Gedenksteine an teils entlegenen Orten an Flugzeugbesatzungen. Selten aber blieben solch eindrucksvolle Zeugnisse des Luftkampfes erhalten, wie nahe der Ortschaft Siġġiewi auf Malta. Dank eines Buchkaufs ließ sich freundschaftlicher Kontakt zu einem maltesischen Sammler knüpfen, der uns eine exklusive Führung auf der Insel […]

Pottenstein mit seiner zerklüfteten Juralandschaft ist als Ausflugsziel weit über die Grenzen der Fränkischen Schweiz hinweg bekannt. Eine Sommerrodelbahn und andere Freizeitaktivtäten ziehen jährlich tausende Besucher in das kleine fränkische Städtchen. Nur wenigen Touristen dürfte bekannt sein, dass sich in unmittelbarer Nähe der heutigen Attraktionen ein Ausbildungszentrum der Waffen-SS befunden hat. Unter der Leitung von […]

In many long hours of interviews in the summer of 2021, I was able to document the military career of former radio operator Hans Schneider. Our conversations revolved in particular around his combat missions over the Mediterranean. Mr. Schneider had a good memory and could recall even the smallest details of individual events. He knew how to tell amusing anecdotes, but dazzled [...]

It will soon be three years since the publication of the book "Von den Meereskämpfern". In it, the combat swimmer Walter Lewandowski gave a comprehensive account of his training as a lone fighter and his daring missions on the Eastern and Western fronts. His book enthused the experts and at lectures he told interested young people about his life. On January 30, 2021, I surprisingly received the [...]

Only a few original testimonies remind us of what happened in the area of the settlement at the eastern outskirts of Hersbruck more than 75 years ago. In the search for suitable sites for underground armaments production facilities, the "Houbirg" located near Happurg came into the focus of the Reich War Ministry in the third year of the war. Geological investigations revealed that a sandstone layer (called Dogger) [...]

On July 16, 1945, a few weeks after the end of World War II in Europe, an American B-17 bomber crashed in rough mountain terrain during a resupply flight near Vils, Austria. There were no survivors, and all seven crew members died in the crash. The U.S. occupation forces did not show much interest in recovering the bomber's debris [...].

In the spirit of international understanding, a memorable meeting between a group of U.S. veterans and former Waffen-SS officer Dr. Gerhard Femppel was arranged last Wednesday near Frankfurt am Main. Thanks are due to U.S. policeman , ex-Marine and book author Andrew Biggio, who by means of collected donations organizes trips with U.S. veterans to former war theaters in Europe and this meeting [...]

In my search for living witnesses, I met Dr. August Werner, among others, in the summer of 2020. In 1941 he had volunteered for the Luftwaffe, was first called up for basic training in Austria and later detached to a supply unit in Africa. After several attempts, his application to become an airline pilot was accepted, and he earned his pilot's license [...]