11. SS-Pz.Gren.Erz. u Ausb.batallion

[Ritter]

I am looking for any infomation about this unit.
It was stationed in Graz Austria and was ordered into battle in the end of March and first week of April.
This unit was led by OStubf. Schweitzer (Ritterkreuz) and existed mainly of Dutch volunteers and one company of Austian grenadiers.

Most of these men were bearly trained and still recrutes.
About 50 of them were killed or liquidated by Russian troops in the area of the Pinkatal, near Buchsachen after being made POW's.
A monument still stands at that specific spot where this happened.

Any infomation welcome.

Greetings and regards,

Ritter

[Ritter]

The year these events happend was 1945.



Ritter

[patrickh]

Hi Ritter,

I bought recently a SS-soldbuch from this exact unit.Do you know from which division this unit is from?The soldbuch is from an Dutch SS-man in the beginning of 1945.I thought it was from the SS-division Nederland or Wiking?

Thx Patrick

[Cees Kleijn]

Patrick,

This unit was the replacement battalion of the 11. SS-Freiw.-Panzergrenadier-Division "Nordland". So far as I know, it was located in Graz before transfered to the Lüneburger Heide. I know a Dutch veteran who was transfered to this unit after his time in the 'Germaansche Landsdienst'. He received his basic training on the Lüneburger Heide but never went into action. They were captured by British troops in the end, April 1945. It should be great if you can provide me the details from that Soldbuch and when possible, some additional scans. Looking forward to your reaction!

Ritter,

I already followed your request on the Dutch forum when you posted it some time ago. Very interesting! Contact me privatly if you want, I will perhaps have some information for you.

With all the best,

Cees

[patrickh]

Hi Cees,

Many thx,i will send you an e-mail!!

[Michi]

SS-Panzer-Grenadier-Ersatz- & Ausbildungs-Bataillon 11

*activated on Friday 30/03/1945
Formed Kampfgruppe Schweitzer
--> SS-PzGrenErs- & AusbBtl 11 (some 800 men)
--> VSBtl 31/191 (some 300 men)
--> Escadron of 3. KavDiv (some 120 men)
no a/a guns; no a/t guns; no artillery; some 8,1 cm & 12 cm mortars


# counterattack on RECHNITZ

area of fighting: RECHNITZ - SCHACHENDORF - UNTERSCHÜTZEN - HIRSCHENSTEIN - GLASHÜTTE - SCHÖNAU - RAURIEGEL - SCHLAINING - ALT SCHLAINING - SANKT MARTIN - DRUMLING - JOSEFSBERG - OBERWART.

SS-PzGrenErs- & AusbBtl 11:
-->CO: SS-Stubaf Willi Schweitzer heavy wounded on neck
----> SS-Ustuf Hans Roller took over command

1./SS-PzGrenAusb- & ErsBtl 11:
-->CO: SS-Ostuf d.R. Hans Alf

2./SS-PzGrenAusb- & ErsBtl 11:
-->CO: SS-Ustuf or Ostuf Willi Wagner

3./SS-PzGrenAusb- & ErsBtl 11:
-->CO: SS-Ustuf Erich Depke

4./SS-PzGrenAusb- & ErsBtl 11:
-->CO: SS-Ostuf Stephan Lellinger

5./SS-PzGrenAusb- & ErsBtl 11:
-->CO: SS-Ustuf Stefan Lenzmoser

6./SS-PzGrenAusb- & ErsBtl 11:
-->CO: SS-Ostuf Peter Pongraz


Of the 800 men 600 were KIA or WIA during the next 10 days.
The SS-PzGrenErs- & AusbBtl 11 gathered at the Castle GRAFENDORF.
Some 150 men were there, additional 100 men arrived there during the next days.
The SS-PzGrenErs- & AusbBtl 11 was replenished and newly formed in the area of HARTBERG, and attached to Arko 3 (CO: Oberst Semmer)
The SS.PzGrenErs- & AusbBtl 11 had a strength of 400 men again.

Why SS-Ustuf Hans Roller took over the command of the SS-PzGrenErs- & AusbBtl 11, I don't know.
Although at least SS-Ostuf Peter Pongraz and two other officers were at GRAFENDORF and HARTBERG.



MfG Michi

[neuswarts]

I am looking for any infomation about this unit.
It was stationed in Graz Austria and was ordered into battle in the end of March and first week of April.
This unit was led by OStubf. Schweitzer (Ritterkreuz) and existed mainly of Dutch volunteers and one company of Austian grenadiers.

Most of these men were bearly trained and still recrutes.
About 50 of them were killed or liquidated by Russian troops in the area of the Pinkatal, near Buchsachen after being made POW's.
A monument still stands at that specific spot where this happened.

Any infomation welcome.

Greetings and regards,



Ritter

Hello Ritter,
I came across your posting and follow-ups but I must first of all mention that, alas, I have no information for you. Rather, I discovered some similarities between some of your details and a few I discovered about my father: Graz, captured by the British in April, May 1945, Lüneburger Heide...
A while ago I obtained from the wAST in Berlin the only info I have regarding my father ( Flemish ). His " Letzter Truppenteil" : SS-Pionier-Ausbildung-und-Ersatz-Bataillon 1, and his "Letzter Dienstgrad": SS-Panzergrenadier. I have Jan Vincx's books " Vlaanderen in Uniform "but nowhere is there any mention of this unit. My late mother also mentioned that he ended up in the Langemarck division and that he was captured by the Anglo-American troops at Mecklenburg around April, 1945. This may seem like a roundabout way of searching for additional info but, if you don't mind, should you come across any mention of this bataillon during the process of your own research, would you be kind enough to inform me? Needless to say that I would be pleased to do likewise, should I find out anything which may be of interest to you.
Thank you for your attention and beste groeten uit Canada!
Joseph

[patrickh]

Hi Michi,many many thx for your great info!Do you know how many Dutchmen where in that unit?

Greetzzz Patrick

[Ritter]

Neuswarts and Michi,

Thanks for the info.
The reason why Roller took over command was the fact that Schweitzer got badly wounded (neck). Schweitzer obtained the Knights Cross.

Still looking for more info about the Dutch volunteers in this unit.
I also wrote a letter to the Ostereiches Schwarzes Kreuz and they wrote me that on the graveyard of Mattersburg 64 SS-men were burried, but none off them had a name that "sounded" Dutch.
This could mean that the 50 executed SS-men were members of the 6th or 1st Kompanie which existed out of Germans and Austrians.

I also came across two SS-officers who were in this unit and were KIA in the same area.

SS-Ostuf. Erwin John geb. 05-05-1909 Thale, presumed to be KIA between 01 and 03 april 1945 in the area of Reichnitz
He was Kp-chef in one of the Kompanies of this unit.
Burried at Mattersburg.

SS-Ustuf Anton Kraus, MIA april 1945 in the same area

Thanks for all the extra info.

Ritter

[HaEn]

Hi Ritter,

I bought recently a SS-soldbuch from this exact unit.Do you know from which division this unit is from?The soldbuch is from an Dutch SS-man in the beginning of 1945.I thought it was from the SS-division Nederland or Wiking?

Thx Patrick

So that's where my soldbuch may have ended up too; (it was "lost" from my file at "justice'). Did you try to find the owner ? he may even reward you for the return of his property. HN.

[patrickh]

Hi Haen,

No,i did not really tried to find the owner of this pass ,i'm afraid he wants it back :) i only looked on the internet with google,but no respons.I have read a lot from you in a dutch forum,very interesting!

Greetzzzz Patrick

[Regiment Norge]

In the files of Vopersal archive in Bundesarchiv there is a statment from Kgr.Kdr Stubaf. Willi Schweitzer thats confirms the amount of 7 companies within this battlegroup. I presume that the last officer Ostuf. Erwin John (KIA 3.4.45) was the Kp.fhr of this company.

Where are the source of information that says Ostuf. Hans Ahlf in charge of 1. company in the formation. He was in cahrge of the Genesende-kompanie after he was sent to AuE.Btl 11 Graz from Kp.fhr 10./SS-Pz.Gr.Rgt 23 "Norge" after 27.10.44.

Regiment Norge

[Regiment Norge]

Hi folks!

Battledates of the SS-Kampfgruppe Scweitzer:

31.3.45: Bereitstellung im Raum Markt-Neuhodis und erfolgloser Angriff
auf Rechnitz. (Kgr.Schweitzer und Kav.Ers.Schwadron 3. KD).

31.3.45: Zuführung und Unterstellung von 1. Btl. ung. SS-Frw.Rgt. Ney
Volksst. Btl. 31/191.

1.4.45: Erneuter Angriff auf Rechnitz, wiedereinnahme von Rechnitz und
Durchstoss bis zur A-Linie der Reichsshutzstellung.

2.4.45-: Kämpfe ostw. Rechnitz und Verteidigung von Rechnitz.
3.4.45

4.4.45:- Einschliessung in Rechnitz und Verteidigung von Rechnitz.
5.4.45

6.4.45:- Ausbruch aus Rechnitz und Zurückkämpfen über Weiden bei
9.4.45: Rechnitz, Oberschützen unter Mitführung aller Verwundeten
(600 Mann.)

10.4.45: Sammlung, Auffrischung und Neugliederung im Raum Hartberg.


Regards

[Ritter]

Hello Regiment Norge,

I am curiuos about the contents of the statemant Stubf. Willi Schweitzer made in Voporsal in the Bundesarchive.
Do you maybe have more info or could you be more specific about the statement?

As far as Ahlf is concerned, I know he served in Norge 1 battl. as
1.Kp-chef in september 1943 and 12.kp till 20-6-1944 III battalion which were combat unit and not medical-units.

But I also have info that states that in the battle in which Kampfgruppe Schweitzer took part there were some small Santitäter-units.
So there could be a link to Hans Ahlf also.

Ritter

[Regiment Norge]

Hi Ritter!

I have not personally seen the the entire Sammlung Vopersal in Bundesarchiv Koblenz. I got informations about it through a friend. Vopersal did in the 1960/70s as in charge of the Kriegsgeschichte in Der Freiwillige collect a lot of information. When he passed away his entire file was given to the BAK and it is now available through requests.

I only got some small papers about what Vopersal found in general about the SS-Kgr. Schweitzer. It was in this statement (Schweitzer was a main source of information to Vopersal) that it stod that it contained 7 companies.

About the death of Ostuf. Erwin JOHN (Ehrenblattspange after Rechnitz 04.45 Post Mortem) I found in some private paper after a norw. volunteer in this company.

That Ustuf. AHLF was in charge of the 1./Norge in september 1943 was new to me. There is no entry in the SS-PA on Ahlf that he was in the 1./23, but there is a Beurteilung from 4./23 as he was the l.iG.-Zug.fhr. The Kp.-Chef of the 1./23 was Hstuf. Lindvig, he lay in hospital in september 1943 after a motorcyckle acident, but the Kp.fhr i.V was the Zug.fhr of the schwere-Zug, this time and it was Ustuf. Wolfgang RENDEMANN.

I got a letter from Ahlf about his time in the I./23. He was sent to the Staff as an Btl.-Adjutant, possible after Ostuf. Fechner took command over the 3./23 on 17.1.44.

When the I./23 was disolved, Ahlf got the 12./23 after Hstuf. Gürz became Btl.fhr III./23 (Stubaf. Lohmann wounded 2.2.44 at Komarowka).
I beleive that Ahlf was in charge of the 12./23 until september 1944, then he was transferred to 10./23.

I do not know about any Sanitäter-units attached to the SS-Kgr. Schweitzer. There is no entry about such units in my papers abd I really do not know. Sadly there are about five norwegian volunteers who are reported as MIA, mainly in the 2. Cp (Wagner).

In the SS-PA to both Schweitzer/John there exists no Begrundungsvorschläge zur Verleihung des RK/EB, who could told us more about the battlegroup and its battles between Rechnitz/Sachendorf.

I also got infos from a Volksdeutsche who was in the 1. Cp. He wrote to me and said that Ustuf. Roller was in charge of this cp. Maybee Ahlf got this cp, after Roller took command of the Kgr. after Schweitzer was wounded????

I am looking forward to se hear of any new information about this Kgr. and its action. There is supposed to exists a Bericht from a deutch volunteer, but I do not have this myself.

Regards