I became guilty of looting for the third time five months later when I was stationed on the outskirts of Breslau in Silesia. During a recent encounter with the Russians I had lost, among other things, my spoon and so had nothing with which to drink my soup. At the time, my unit was accommodated in the basement of an abandoned building. Rooting around I managed to find a spoon that was a close match to my own. As an extra precaution I mutilated it a little to give it the appearance of having “been in the wars” and then kept it. The sum total of my looting during nine months on the front was thus some pickled tomatoes, five small apples and a used soup spoon; three “crimes” of which I am not ashamed.
I do not even think that I was more saintly than any of the others. Although I was never aware of anybody bending the rules, I imagine there must have been times when they acted as I did. About once a week, during assembly, our commanding officer read out a list of men who had been convicted of looting or other misdemeanours. Details were given of each man’s name, rank, unit, item stolen and punishment given. The typical sentence for looting small items was one or two days detention. However, the actual punishment was usually deferred until there was a lull in hostilities. The average number of names read out was about three, that is three out of twelve thousand men and in all cases the items were of little monetary value. Some articles I remember were a handkerchief, a penknife, gloves (in winter) and a cigarette-lighter. I do not recall rings, jewellery, or even a watch among the items listed.
I am not suggesting that nobody ever took anything of value, but I well remember how tightly control was exercised. Any significant looting by German armed forces, of which I am aware, was usually officially sanctioned and carried out on specific instructions from a higher authority.
By comparison, I remember seeing destroyed Russian vehicles on German soil which, were piled high with domestic items of every description right down to the veritable chamber pot. Even tanks were crammed with curtains, bedding, lamp-shades and suits. I remember thinking somewhat bitterly, “it serves them jolly well right, if they had not been hampered with all this loot they might have avoided getting knocked out.”
The Russians were not the only Allied troops guilty of looting in Germany. I remember when I was employed by the British Control Commission in post-war Germany that the main topic of conversation was how much everybody had been able to get his hands on. One officer boasted openly that he was sending home an average of twenty-five pounds worth of goods every week, possibly worth fifty times that amount in to-day’s money. I was not aware that this officer or any of the other men were put on trial, let alone punished.
Germany has come in for much justified criticism regarding acts of barbarity carried out by the GESTAPO and some SS units against civilians, apart from the unspeakable concentration camps. I also accept that there were instances when units of the regular army carried out illegal acts under official orders. Likewise, it has been proved that there were cases of heavy reprisals being carried out, especially concerning guerrilla activities.
However, I must say in all honesty that I never experienced any lack of discipline in any German unit or any individual soldier during all my time on the Russian Front. No prisoners were shot, there were no reprisals and I never heard of anybody who had been raped. The aforementioned cases of looting, or pilfering, were the only breaches of discipline that I ever encountered. I certainly remember distinctly how different was the tone of instructions given to army units compared to the invariably belligerent and inflammatory Nazi propaganda, which was internationally so well known.
It is interesting to consider an extract from an edict issued by Field-Marshal von Mannstein to German forces invading Russia. “Do not look down on Russians, either individually or as a race. Do not give the Russians the impression that Germans are a superior race. Respect Russian women and girls as you would respect German women and girls and avoid any coarse or indecent behaviour. Do not take it upon yourselves to requisition any food or articles, this is strictly forbidden. Russians must not be beaten. Maintain discipline without pompous behaviour, be strict but just. Russians are used to obeying orders. Give them only instructions they can understand and praise them when they work well. Do not discuss religion with Russians, they must be allowed to maintain religious freedom. Treat Russians decently and do not shout at them, they can be reprimanded if they have done something wrong. Remember that many Russians have a small knowledge of German, shouting does not aid communication.”
My own memories of pep talks given to us were fully in line with such an ethos. All this was in marked contrast to the Russian army in which soldiers were subjected to widespread and officially-sanctioned propaganda and incited by their commanders and political protagonists to carry out acts of brutality.
Recorded incitements by the Soviet star propagandist, Ilja Ehrenburg, were broadcast over loudspeakers in Russian trenches, exhorting the soldiers to, “Kill, you soldiers of the Red Army, kill any Fascists you find. Kill them and all their brood, none are innocent among them. When you get to Germany, all German women belong to you. Fall upon this proud rabble and rape them till they perish.” Russian officers also carried such tracts with them and read them out to their troops.
The happy intervention by Russian tanks, which had saved my skin, also brought my mates rushing out of the farmhouse. Within moments we were aboard the gun-carrier, quickly following the road just taken by the motor-cyclists. I could not tell whether anybody had overheard the exchange between the policeman and me, but I thought that nobody was near enough to do so. Actually, I had not considered what opinion my mates would have had of my taking the apples.
So, once again, fate had smiled on me, albeit not in a matter of life and death. I had been on the front for only eight weeks and the war was far from over. How long could I keep on being lucky; surely the odds must already be shortening?
9
ANOTHER LUCKY ESCAPE
On 19 September 1944 my division was suddenly withdrawn from the Glowaczew area and sent north to join in the defence of the east bank of the river Vistula between Warsaw and Modlin. Together with our old comrades-in-arms, the 19th Panzer Division and three top-class SS panzer divisions, we presented a formidable line of motorised armour in a section of the Front-lines which was in danger of collapse. Once again we had to resort to “firebrigade-action.” The strategy was to send us to a critical spot, but never for longer than was necessary to stop a Russian advance or to push back Russian forces. Less strong units then took over from us so that we could move on to the next hot-spot. Since a division consists of only a relatively small number of men, in the overall context of the Front, it was usually necessary to use the combined strength of two to three top-class divisions to make a significant impact on overwhelming forces. Being catastrophically short of armies on the East Front, this was the only practical way to counteract the advance of the Russians. Apart from the 19th Panzer Division we were later to go frequently into action with the elite Divisions Brandenburg and the Panzer Corps Grossdeutschland. With such a strong combination of troops we usually came off best, but once we left an area the Russians again often advanced.
It is not generally known that of the thirty-nine SS divisions in the German army, only eight were purely German divisions. Eight were a mixture of German and ethnic Germans, while no less than seventeen were foreign divisions. The well-known and very successful SS Division Wiking had the highest number of volunteers from different European countries. They came from Denmark, Norway and the Netherlands and there were also Flemings, Finns, Swedes and some Swiss.