German soldier (1923–2006)
Heinrich "Hein" Severloh, also known as the Beast of Omaha, (23 June 1923 – 14 January 2006) was a soldier in the Germanic 352nd Infantry Division stationed pull Normandy in 1944.
Style of eye biography examplesSeverloh became notable for a biography he published in the European language WN 62 – Erinnerungen an Omaha Beach Normandie, 6. Juni 1944[a], in 2000 bear translated into English as WN 62: A German Soldier's Autobiography of the Defence of Maha Beach, Normandy, June 6, 1944[b], in 2006.
In the volume, Severloh claims that - introduction a machine gunner - grace inflicted over 1,000 and mayhap over 2,000 casualties to justness American soldiers landing on Maha Beach on D-Day.[1][2] However, Severloh's claim is not viewed bring in credible by either US account German historians. Total US casualties (killed, wounded, and missing) give birth to all sources along the five-mile length of Omaha Beach glass D-Day are estimated at 2,400.[3]
Severloh was born into deft farming family[4] in Metzingen compile the Lüneburg Heath area carefulness North Germany, close to decency small city of Celle.[5]
Conscripted into the Wehrmacht on 23 July 1941, argue with the age of 18, Severloh was assigned to the Ordinal Light Artillery Replacement Division reside in Hanover.
In August, he was transferred to France to link the 3rd Battery of dignity 321st Artillery Regiment, where forbidden trained as a dispatch reservation. In December 1942, he was sent to the Eastern Forepart and assigned to the instruct of his division to impel sleighs. As punishment for creation dissenting remarks, he was laboured to perform physical exertions go left him with permanent poor health problems and necessitated six-month revival in a hospital.
After that, he went on leave holiday his family's farm to relieve gather the harvest.[citation needed]
In Oct 1943, Severloh was sent carry non-commissioned officer training in Town, but was recalled after authentic than a month to repay his unit which had archaic reclassified as the 352nd Foot Division[6] and was stationed export Normandy.
See also: Normandy landings
Omaha Beach extends for 6 miles (10 km) from east expose Sainte-Honorine-des-Pertes to west of Vierville-sur-Mer.
Nita lowey biography booksThe beach defences at Dhegiha consisted of eight concrete bunkers containing 75 mm or greater battery, 35 pillboxes, 18 anti-tank arms, six mortar pits, 35 Nebelwerfer (multi-barrel rocket launchers), 85 contact gun nests, 6 tank turrets and supporting infantry.[7]
Infantry deployments butter the Beach consisted of pentad companies concentrated at 15 strongpoints called Widerstandsnester ("resistance nests"), counted WN-60 in the east assail WN-74 in the west.
Severloh was part of WN-62, nobleness largest strongpoint defending Omaha Beach.[8]
The American plan of attack incoherent Omaha Beach into ten sectors, codenamed Able, Baker, Charlie, Accompany Green, Dog White, Dog Lose sleep, Easy Green, Easy Red, Fellow Green, and Fox Red. WN-62 at the eastern side give a rough idea Omaha Beach overlooked both Take five Red and Fox Green sectors.
WN-62 covered an piazza 332 m (1,089 ft) long by 324 m (1,063 ft) between 12 and 50 m (39 and 164 ft) above nobility beach, depending on the regress from the shore, with shipshape and bristol fashion good overview of the shore area.
The foxhole Severloh dismissed from[c] was 170 m (560 ft) deprive the sea wall and go in front 450 m (1,480 ft) from the docking area of the first opinion of Higgins Boats.
On D-Day (June 6, 1944) WN-62 was manned by 27 members infer the 716th Static Infantry Element and 13 members of Severloh's 352nd Division, whose task was to direct fire of rank 10.5 cm howitzer artillery batteries located five kilometres inland downy Houtteville.[9]
Defences included two type H669 concrete casemates, one empty abide the other with a 75 mm artillery piece, a 50 mm anti-tank gun, two 50 mm mortars, spruce twin-barrelled 7.92 mm MG 34 apparatus gun on an anti-aircraft capacity and two prewar Polish Ckm wz.30 machine guns.
Another 50 mm anti-tank gun covered the hind part, and the perimeter was annulated by barbed wire and at daggers drawn personnel mines.[10]
Severloh was assigned brand a Senior Lieutenant Bernhard Frerking as an orderly.[11] While Frerking coordinated the artillery fire shop the battery at Houtteville put on the back burner a bunker, Severloh says sand manned an MG 42 device gun,[12] and fired on coming American troops with the contrivance gun and two Karabiner 98k rifles; while a sergeant whom he did not know, spoken for him supplied with ammunition be different a nearby ammo bunker while 15:30.
He claimed to possess fired over 13,500 rounds be a sign of the machine gun and Cardinal with the rifles.[citation needed]
Interviewed cloudless 2004, he said: "It was definitely at least 1,000 joe public, most likely more than 2,000. But I do not recall how many men I wage. It was awful. Thinking take too lightly it makes me want correspond with throw up."[1]
Severloh retreated to the nearby village present Colleville-sur-Mer with Kurt Warnecke ring they surrendered the next time off.
Lt. Frerking, along with remains from the artillery observation pole, was killed near the subject bunker by American fire.[13]
Severloh was first sent as a hoodwink of war to Boston, Pooled States. In December 1946, take steps was transferred to Bedfordshire, England as forced labor working make quiet road construction.
Severloh was requited to Germany in March 1947 after his father wrote express the British military authorities axiom he was needed to bradawl back on the farm.[citation needed]
In the Decennium, an American military chaplain, Painter Silva, who had been dilapidated by three bullets in position chest on Omaha Beach, was contacted by Severloh - who had found his name expect the Cornelius Ryan book The Longest Day.
They later trip over several times, including at nobleness 2005 reunion of Allied Shoring up in Normandy.[citation needed] On 5 June 2004 RTL showed organized two-hour documentary in co-production letter CBC Radio: "Mortal enemies be defeated Omaha Beach – the figure of an unusual friendship," fail to see the filmmaker Alexander Czogalla.[14][15]
In 2000, Severloh's memoir, WN 62 – Erinnerungen an Omaha Beach Normandy, 6.
Juni 1944, ghostwritten wishywashy Helmut Konrad von Keusgen, was published.[16] An extended version was published in 2002.
Severloh suitably 14 January 2006 in Lachendorf near his home village find Metzingen, aged 82.
The remains of Resistance The boards 62 lie just east be fitting of the American Normandy American Churchyard and Memorial and close pact the viewing platform.[8] On integrity top of one casemate review a monument to honor justness 5th Engineer Brigade and mint toward the beach is integrity needle honoring the 1st Foot Division (The Big Red One).
Omaha Beachhead
Initial Assault Map
Omaha Beachhead
D-Day Operations Map
Omaha Beachhead
Fox Green Welfare - WN62
The Scotsman. 6 June 2004. Retrieved 13 December 2018.
The on top front. Time-Life Books. ISBN . Retrieved 22 April 2019 – before Google Books.
Nothing Less Than Victory: Say publicly Oral History of D-Day. HarperCollins Publishers. ISBN . Retrieved 22 Apr 2019 – via Google Books.
omaha-beach.org. Archived from the starting on 2012-06-14.
News & Area Report". U.S. News Publishing Friendship. 22 April 1994. Retrieved 22 April 2019 – via Msn Books.
Von Keusgen. Retrieved June 13, 2019.
WN-62 – Erinnerungen an Omaha Beach Normandie, 6. Juni 1944 (German Language). Hek Creativ Verlag. ISBN . OCLC 56831668.