What happened in February '45 in Keppeln??

[Michi]

What happened in February 1945 at the "Totenhügel" of Keppeln, south-east of Kleve??

According my source a FJgRgt and a SichB stopped or delayed a complete allied offensive.
The CO of the FJgRgt was a Major GRAßMEL, the number of the SichB is given as 1009.
The allied offensive could be either Operation Veritable or Operation Grenade.
According the source the Germans lost 266 soldiers, the British lost some 320 tanks and armoured vehicles.

This seems to be very unlikely.

So, what happened there??


MfG Michi

[David Gregory]

Hi,

It was part of Operation Veritable. Graßmehl et al didn't stop the offensive, they only slowed it down.

The term Totenhügel is a bit misleading, it is really only a rise in a rather flat part of the landscape. I can't confirm the figures (my books are home), but the Allied armour losses were very high. I visit the area often (about an hour by car from home) and last year a local showed me a picture of some shattered tanks waiting for the scrapman between Kappeln and Üdem in early 1946.

There are some good books in German (out of print) and some in English, too. I can recommend the official Canadian history. There are also two other books worth looking at in English. One is by Peter Elstob called "The Battle for the Reichswald" and was published as a paperback in the 70s. The other is by Whittaker (spelling?) which has a rather strong bias towards the unit he commanded there. This book also has a few mistakes. For example, he refers to a Leutnant Uhlig as a contributor, but the only Fallschirmjäger Uhlig I know is Alex Uhlig. He never made it to Leutnant and had been captured in Normandy the previous July.

I am researching the background of Leutnant Karl-Hermann Wasow who was killed in action while serving with Fallsch.Art.Rgt. 7, 7. Fallsch.Jg.Div. in Keppeln on 19 February 1945, and also the other FJ units serving in the area.

Let me know if you are interested in the German titles.

All the best,

David

[Michi]

Thanks David for your "input"!!

As my source is a very old one from the German side of view, it seemed the British XXX. Army Corps was halted by a single German regiment for almost 2 or 3 days.


MfG Michi

[David Gregory]

Hi Michi,

Apart from the well-known FJ books, the German sources I have with information on the fighting in the Lower Rhine area are the following:

W. Haupt: Das Ende im Westen, 1945
Heinz Günther Guderian: Das letzte Kriegsjahr im Westen, 1997
Helmuth Euler: Entscheidung am Rhein und Ruhr 1945, 1995
Wolfgang Trees: Schlachtfeld Rheinland, 1976
Kamann: Der Weg der 2. Fallschirmjägerdivision, 1998
Michels & Sliepenbeek: Niederrheinisches Land im Krieg, 1964
Heinz Bosch: Der Zweite Weltkrieg zwischen Rhein und Maas, 1970
Hans-Martin Stimpel: Die deutsche Fallschirmtruppe 1942-1945, Einsätze auf Kriegsschauplätzen im Osten und Westen, 2001

I'll try to work out some figures on the Allied armour losses from these and my other books for you, but it will take me a few days at least. Grassmel was the commander of FJR 20. 116. PD was heavily involved in the fighting, too.

If your source is not included in this list, I would be most interested in learning more about it.

Gruss aus dem Ruhrpott,

David

[Michi]

My source:

Karl Kollatz: Ein Mann, Ein Panzer; 1960 or 1961

also, I have to look into the book:
Hitlers Letzte Bastionen - 1945 or Die Letzten Bastionen - 1945
(anything with Letzte Bastionen).


MfG Michi

[Sebastian Pye]

"One is by Peter Elstob called "The Battle for the Reichswald" and was published as a paperback in the 70s."

I have this book, let me know if you want something from it

[Michi]

Hello Sebastian,

sorry for my late question, but are there any losses given???
(for the Allied & the Germans)


MfG Michi