Wormhoudt Massacre

[salientpoints]

Thanks for posting the photos Ali,

I shall make a point in visiting when we hopefully get to the dunes later this year.

Ryan

[Nige GSX1400 UK]

I was lucky enough earlier this year to visit Wormhoudt where my Great Uncle is buried. He was in the Worcestershire Yeomanry and is laid to rest in the small village cemetary on the edge of the north of the village.

He was my gran's youngest and favourite brother and she told me a lot about him and I promised as a boy that one day I would visit his grave and pay my respects. This I did.

I am going again next March. This time with a small amount of soil from the site of his home in Kidderminster.

The issue of blame is one I wondered if anyone else had an opinion on? Sepp Dietrich was apparently trying to get back to his hq at the time of the massacre and was not in control of his troops, therefore who was and especially who was the German officer who gave the order to execute the men?

[CROONAERT]

Originally posted by Nige GSX1400 UK@Dec 22 2004, 03:24 AM
The issue of blame is one I wondered if anyone else had an opinion on?

With no shadow of a doubt.....Wilhelm Mohnke.

Dave.

[Nige GSX1400 UK]

Thanx.

Any idea where he's buried, Herr Wilhelm Mohnke?

Was it him or Pieper who moved to France after release from prison and was murdered in a fire there in the 70s? I have a feeling it was Pieper as I think he was involved with the Oradour massacre.

Personally I hope everyone involved from the SS at Wormhout was captured on the Eastern Front by women SMERSH operatives and suffered in the extreme.

As for justice after the War the Cold War ensured there was little as we and the Soviets allowed Nazis to live if they collaborated. Should have hung em all.

[Kiwiwriter]

Originally posted by Nige GSX1400 UK@Dec 28 2004, 07:02 PM
Thanx.

Any idea where he's buried, Herr Wilhelm Mohnke?

Was it him or Pieper who moved to France after release from prison and was murdered in a fire there in the 70s? I have a feeling it was Pieper as I think he was involved with the Oradour massacre.

Personally I hope everyone involved from the SS at Wormhout was captured on the Eastern Front by women SMERSH operatives and suffered in the extreme.

As for justice after the War the Cold War ensured there was little as we and the Soviets allowed Nazis to live if they collaborated. Should have hung em all.

Quoted post

Peiper was the guy who moved to France and was killed by resistance veterans in 1976. He did the Malmedy Massacre. Mohnke wound up commanding the defenses of the Zitadelle in Berlin -- the Reichstag, Reichchancellery, and so on, in the final days of the battle. He reported to Hitler when he could only hold for a day, so Der Fuhrer knew it was time to break out the his-and-hers Lugers for Die Goetterdaemerrung. Mohnke was captured by the Soviets and interrogated, but didn't use the pistol clip in his jockstrap to write his own finis, and survived captivity. He spilled a chunk of his guts to Joseph O'Donnell in "The Bunker" in 1976, which is a good book, and there's more about him in Joachimsthaler's "Last Days in the Bunker." The back of that book has short biographies of the key participants, and a shot of Mohnke. I'm pretty sure he's dead now. Nearly everybody who was in the bunker is gone now. He was a general in the LSSAH, which was the elite guard, based in Berlin, mostly assigned to guard Der Fuhrer. But they fought all over the European map, and left a trail of destruction in their wake, both military and civilian.

[Harry Ree]

SS Brigadefurhrer Wilhelm Mohnke who commanded the Furehrerbunker within his role as the commandant of the Chancellery was a diehard Nazi who was loyal to Hitler to the end.He was, however very fortunate to escape British gallows by being captured by the Russians.

It transpired that he was captured after leaving the Furehrerbunker on 1 May 1945.The Russians denied all knowledge of his whereabouts although he was traced to a POW camp at Strausberg.This was at a time when Stalin was anxious to have full knowledge of the secrets of the Furehrerbunker.It was always Stalin's belief that Hitler had escaped from the Furehrerbunker and was alive. Consequently anyone captured and of Hitler's circle were incarcerated in Soviet prisons and continually interrogated. They were forgotten until Stalin died in March 1953 and were finally released into West Germany in October 1955.

In September 1945,Hugh Trevor Roper,the historian then serving in British military intelligence was instructed to make a full investigation of the mystery of Hitler's end.He concluded that Mohnke amongst others had all "stated their determination to commit suicide,which they well have done,although a Russian communique reported the capture of Rattenhuber" (one of the others )

On his release in 1955, Mohnke settled in West Germany and in the early 1990s was proved to be living in retirement at Barsbuttel,near Hamburg.The MP, Jeff Rooker brought the case to Parliament on behalf of the Warwickshire Regiment survivors living in the Birmingham area.Alas his efforts to bring Mohnke to justice for his crime came to nought.Mohnke was filmed taking a stroll in the vicinity of his house during the investigation.He proved to be "untouchable" and died at Barsbuttel on 6 August 2001.

Mohnke was also said to be involved with Kurt Meyer in the murder of Canadian POWs in Normandy.There is no doubt had the Russians turned him over to the British he would have been brought to full account for the Wormhout massacre.

[Kiwiwriter]

Thanks for the information on Mohnke. The interesting thing about him and the other "Mountain People" was that Stalin, in his infinite paranoia, held them separate and captive for years. He even had them re-enact the last hours in the Fuhrerbunker, on site, in 1946. They were constantly interrogated. SMERSH and the NKVD presented Stalin with piles of evidence that Hitler had blown himself away in the bunker, but the Vozhd insisted that Hitler had made the great escape. The more evidence the secret police brought in, the more paranoid Stalin got about the whole question. I almost feel sorry for those Nazi captives, who were telling the truth and never believed.

I actually know what that's like. There's a thread on The History Channel forum, about how I have been accused for the past year of being some moron over there who spends his life harassing others. I told these folks over and over again that I was not him, and they didn't believe me. On Christmas Day, I finally got them to believe me. It only took a year.

Off-topic, I know, but the synchronicity of Mohnke's captivity and this incident would make Jung proud.

Mohnke should have stood war crimes trial. Too many big shots commit all kinds of atrocities and sadism, and get away with it.

[Nige GSX1400 UK]

The best book I have found on the massacre is by Guy Rommelaere and titled 'The Forgotten Massacre'.
The ISBN number is 2-9517915-1-x in English, and en Francais est 2-9517915-0-x.
It can be purchased from the Tourist Offices near Esquelbec or I think either the Warkwickshire or Worcestershire Regimental Associations should be able to help.
I actually met Mr Rommelaere when I was over there in 2005 and at the time he was the Deputy Mayor of Esquelbec and a very nice and helpful person.
If anyone can possibly help me locate a piece of land from May 1940 called Baeldens Land I would appreicate it. I have tied it down to a triangle between Ledringhem,Rubrouck and Esquelbec to the south of the Massacre Site. My reason for this is thats where my Great Uncle fell and I have promised my family to find it.
Cheers
Nige

[Nige GSX1400 UK]

Re the above, with the help of information supplied by the Worcestershire Regiment's archives I think I have tracked the location to the opposite side of the road to the Royal Warwickshire H.Q. south of Esquelbec. From what I can figure the British troops in that area were holding up the LSAH and other units and a JU87 Stuka attack was called in which killed many, including the C.O. and Deputy C.O. of A Company Royal Warkwickshire Regiment.

Incidentally the actions of British troops in that area IMO undoubtedly helped those at Dunkirk to escape by holding up the Germans for 24 hours.
Cheers
Nige

[Mark Hone]

I was interested to read about the 'Forgotten Massacre' and would like to obtain a copy. I visited the site with my school group in 2000, before the barn was reconstructed and the site was actually in serious danger of redevelopment. It was incredibly atmospheric, even though we were there in torrential rain. I use the eyewitness accounts, together with the BBC dramatized version, as a GCSE History source appraisal exercise.