Warsaw madness (LONG)

[czarny]

My Warsaw madness. The other side of the Warsaw Uprising.

by Włodzimierz Nowak and Angelika Kuźniak.
23-08-2004



In Warsaw I took 19 fights on knives and bayonets. In cellars. In Warsaw,
cellars were a second city. When you fight in a cellar, it's quiet, you don't
see anything. I was faster. I killed that Pole. My most terrible experiences
came from Warsaw.


Summer 1944. Mathi Schenk and Peter, his friend from the army, are eating bean
soup at some inn. Both wearing the Wehrmacht uniforms. They somehow managed to
leave the barracks and go the town. They talk about that fool Fels, and about
some guys who yesterday escaped from the army. Mathi can't escape because
Gestapo threated that they'll send his father on the Eastern front if he does
so. He's the youngest soldier in the 46th Assault Brigade, they call him Bubi.
Recently he had his 18th birthday. They're stationing near Bonn. They were
incorporated by a trick. First, the Germans searched for volunteers to the SS,
then to the new Assault Brigade. None came. So they announced that they need
truck drivers. Boys were eager. Everyone wanted to drive. Mathi was lucky that
he managed to get there. Germans gave them new uniforms, goggles and
transported them near Bonn. They were welcomed by lieutenant Fels:
- You impudent swines, you look like some clowns, take that goggles off!

Since then there wasn't a single word about trucks.

The inn owner turns up the volume on a radio. They're talking about the Fuhrer,
there was a assassination, he's probably dead. People ceased talking. Soldiers
are riding motorcycles on the street. They hear orders. Suddenly, everyone runs
out. They left the food, none paid. The inn owner hides behind the counter.
Mathi and his friend escape trough the back door.
Huge mess in the barracks, the sirens are howling.
- Is Hitler dead? - some soldier asks.

- Shut your muzzles! Even if we're totally alone, we'll be loyal to our Fuhrer!
Who hesitates, will be shot! - Fels shouts. He orders to place guards around
the barracks. Soldiers are laughing - they don't even have their weapons!

After few days they get their rifles and grenades. Readiness. The orchestra was
playing. They marched to the train station. They were sure that they're going
to France. They were happy with that, because in France it's easier to escape.
They had food for two days and lots of red wine in 20-liter barrels. Wagons
don't have roofs, there is a hay on the floor. Comfortable. They drink, they
sing. They play cards. People on the fields are waving. On the station they
sent Bubi on the back of the train to get the next 20 liters of wine. The train
was long, when it started to move Bubi couldn't get to his wagon. He sat all
night on the stair between wagons. That's why he was the only one sober when at
dawn they reached a village. He recognized that it was Poland - he saw flat
terrain and houses with thatched roofs. They started drinking again. It was
hot - 1st of August. They laid on the hay and listened to the clatter of the
train wheels. Suddenly he saw that wood from the planks is slivering. Yelling,
blood.
- Someone's shooting at us!
The train started to get back. Wounded people were dying, drunk people were
waking up.
- Damn, they carried us on the Russian front!
Even the company's commander was staggering, he was incapable to fight. Some
children asked for a bread. Soldier was running trough the filed, with his face
covered in blood.
- There's an uprising in Warsaw! - he shouted.

In "Horsefly Village"

Summer 2004. 1200km- from Warsaw to Brullingen, small Belgian village near the
border with Germany (on the one side of the street there's a Belgian pub, on
the opposite - German one). Beautiful region with windmill power plants.
Mathias Schenk lives in a small house with his wife and the youngest son. The
house has thatched roof. Their grandparents called this place "Horsefly
village" because of horseflies swarm living in the old oak.

There's an Saint Mary of Czestochowa painting over the fireplace. Gift from the
Polish framers, who saved the Mathia’s life in 1945. We went to "Horsefly
village" to listen to his relation from the Warsaw Uprising. Relation coming
from the opposite side. 78-year old Belgian Mathias Schenk, in 1944 18 year old
Sturmpionier (assault engineer) is talking. His train was the last one which
reached the uprising Warsaw at the 1st of August.
- It's impossible to say... - old man is frowning. - When the bodies are
burning, they move. You can hear sounds, similar to moans. Back then I thought
that they're still alive. And these flies, worms. How many people were killed
in Warsaw? Some 350,000, yes?

The Captain's orderly

- Since I was a child, I always wanted to be a veterinarian. We had a farm.
When in 1940 German army entered our village, I was 14. (The Eupen-Malmedy
region is today's German-speaking Belgium. As a border area, it came from hands
to hands. In 1919 it was accepted as a part of Belgium. Hitler after conquering
Belgium incorporated this area to Reich). Some of the neighbours started to
greet themselves with "Heil Hitler!". We said traditional "Guten Tag". They
looked at us like we were traitors, because we didn't have swastikas in our
windows. Nazis were asking my father, why I weren't in the Hilterjugend. They
also interrogated my parents because my brothers escaped to the occupied
Belgium. We had visits from Gestapo, they interrogated me too. The third
brother was hiding in our neighbourhood. They caught him. He returned from the
Russian Front heavily wounded.

My talented cousin Daniel was my best friend. He secretly made a radio for us.
It could receive only BBC. But our fathers caught us while we was listening.
They bitten us and destroyed the set.

Daniel was drafted to Wehrmacht. He became a radio specialist, later he died at
Crimea.

I knew the way trough the border since I was a child. He helped the German Jews
in escaping to Belgium, we smuggled food. Last time I crossed the border on
Easter 1944, in German uniform. Germans caught me, but I was lucky - the guard
was Mr Furt, a shoemaker from Losheim. Before the war he made shoes for us. Now
he let me to escape.

I received my summons for the obligatory work for the Reich at November 1943.
My first Christmas outside home. 20 of us jumped trough the fence and went ot
the Mass. As a punishment we had do clean latrines and run trough the pile of
@#% singing Christmas carols. Half year later they drafted me to the army, my
specialty was engineer. Some of the boys escaped. I couldn't, because they were
threatening me that they'll send my father to the Russian front. I hated the
water exercises during my engineer course. I also didn't learn do swim, because
our captain took me as his orderly.

I tried to figure out how I could get back home for few days. When our
company's commander asked who has enough hens to furnish 100 eggs for the
Easter breakfast, I lied and went on a 4-day vacation. I took the eggs from our
neighbours. At the village they caught a Russian prisoner, who escaped from POW
camp. They forced him to run naked on the street, beating him with batons. At
this time there was an instruction how to treat a 'sub-humans'. My mother gave
him a pair of shoes and some butter. Our neighbours reported this and next time
we didn't received coupons for butter and shoes. When I was going back to the
army, my mother gave me a black rosary.

Where have you been, pigs?

We were entering Warsaw, walking the cobblestones. Poles were shooting at us,
but we haven't seen them. White flags on some buildings. I jumped in through a
broken window. On the stairs I saw a dead man and a woman, both shot once in
foreheads.

We were storming house by house, everywhere we saw dead civilians, women and
children. Everyone had a hole in the forehead. We made our way to SS barracks.
Another company, that drove the lorries, took the wrong turn and got straight
to Polish positions. Few of the trucks were on flames, soldiers were running
for their lives. Many have been running straight through the line of fire.
Sergeant felt few steps from me.

Next day we were ordered to capture some road. We went through small gardens.
Our commander Lieutenant Fels was hurrying us forward. We had to blow up the
doors of the building which from the fiercest fire was shot. We threw hand
grenades in. Poles surrounded us. Short knife fight and we run out into the
bushes. Four of the guys from our boxcar died. Fels once again was driving us
to attack, but Poles were well covered. We could not withdraw because they were
shooting at us from the back. All night we were sitting in the small gardens
like scared animals. I was thirsty. I found some tomatoes. We were constantly
shot at. Next evening the infantry came to the rescue, but we made no progress.
Then the SS unit arrived. They looked strange, they had no ranks and smelled
with vodka. They attacked at instant crying Hooorrraaay and were dying by
dozens. Their commander dressed in black leather coat was raging in back,
rallying his men to attack. Then came a tank. We rushed with SS troopers behind
it. Few meters to buildings the tank was hit. It exploded and the soldier’s hat
was thrown high up. We run back once more. He second tank was hesitating. We
were covering the front as the SS men were running out the civilians out of
their homes, SS men were positioning them around the tank, forcing some to sit
on the armour. For the first time in my life I saw such a thing. They were
rushing a Polish woman in the long coat. She was holding a little girl in her
arms. People crowded on a tank were helping her to come up. Someone took the
girl. When he was handing her back to mother, tank suddenly moved forward. the
child fell down under the tracks and got crushed. Woman was screaming in
terror. One of the SS men made a wry face and shot the woman in the head. They
drove over. Those who tried to escape were killed by SS men.

The attack was successful. Poles were retreating. We chased behind them. Behind
us civilians were going out of the cellars with their arms up. They were
screaming ”nicht partisan” (we are not partisans). They were screaming. I
haven't seen what is happening there because we were exchanging fire with
Poles, but I heard as this SS commander in long black coat was shouting to his
men to kill everyone including women and children.

Three of us have jumped into a house. We were at the ground floor, Poles
attacked from basement and upper floors. All night we were burning some
furniture to see something. Time after time we were fighting bayonet to
bayonet. At dawn I saw that only two of us are alive. Fellow soldier had his
throat slit. In every room there were bodies. The sniper was shooting at us
from the next house. We’ve hit him, he fell down but caught the construction
with his leg. He was hanging there upside down. He lived for the long time
before he died. When we were returning, the bodies of Poles were scattered all
over the streets. There was no other way than to walk on the dead people. In
the heat they were rotting rapidly. Sun was covered with dust and smoke. Plenty
of flies and worms. We were covered with sticky blood. We were welcomed by fool
fanatic Lt Fels. Where have you been, you cheeky pigs? He was cheering SS for
good job. I could eat nothing. We were all vomiting.

We called him "butcher"

In the barracks Bubi was told that this big SS man in black coat is Oscar
Dirlewanger, and his people were the criminals released from prisons. He
learned more about his ”comrades in arms” after the war. In 1940, at Himmler’s
consent, Dirlewanger ordered the poachers out of prisons, because they
possessed the shooting abilities and could set up the traps. Dirlewanger
himself, the political sciences PhD and NSDAP member since 1923, has also been
in prison before - for children molesting.

They were trained in Oranienburg Concentration Camp. They made themselves known
for their numerous crimes and atrocities in Lublin area and in Belarus. The
losses were being reinforced with new criminals with death sentences on their
heads or the SS men from punishment units. In summer 1944 they were upgraded to
brigade. At 5th of August 1944, Himmler pushed them to Warsaw.

SS- Sturmbrigade "Dirlewanger" was attacking from Wolska and Towarowa streets.
It was ”pacifying” Old Town, Powisle, Upper Czerniakow and Downtown. In mid
August Dirlewanger got the promotion for Oberfuhrer and at the end of September
he got the Knight’s Cross (of Iron Cross).

Then in the basements of Warsaw we called him ”a butcher”. Quietly, because in
his units the road up to the rope was short. He had a habit of hanging people
at Thursdays. Poles or his own people, for nothing. Very often he used to kick
out the chairs from under his victims.

In restaurant, Schenk sits in the corner, always with his back to the
wall. "Stupid habit" he smiles it's an Uprising "souvenir" too.

After few days of fighting we were detached to Dirlewanger, 3 Sturmpioniere at
each SS platoon. Our job was to make the way for the SS men, blow up all
obstacles and doors. Behind us were going Dirlewanger’s horde. They were
looking like bums. Dirty and shredded uniforms. Not all of them had weapons,
they were taking it from dead. Every morning they used to get the vodka. We
Sturmpioniere also were given vodka that we were drinking for empty stomach,
before attack, one does not eat. If you get shot in empty stomach, You may
survive, if they will shot you in full stomach you die in pain.

Dirlewanger walked on the rear, sometimes rode in a tank, always under a good
cover. He rushed his men forward. Some soldiers straggled, he shot them in the
back.

Nurse with a tiny white flag

-Usually to open doors of flats and houses normal large crow-bar was enough. To
open stronger ones we were setting explosives or cluster made of three
grenades. Heavy two winged doors of Bishop’s Palace, blew out in two
directions. Everything was purple. In the dining room, food was was lying on
the table. Still warm. We didn’t try it, because we were afraid it was
poisoned.

It's important to know, where to set explosives. From the side, in the middle.
All depends where you want doors to fly after explosion. Everything must be
done as silent as possible, because Poles were standing behind doors listening
and shooting when they heard something. So we sometimes scratched opposing end
of doors to mislead the Poles.

I was setting explosives under big doors, somewhere in the Old Town. We heard
from the inside "Nicht schießen! Nicht schießen!"(Don't shoot). The doors
opened and a nurse appeared with tiny white flag. We went inside with fixed
bayonets. Huge hall with beds and matreses on the floor. Wounded everywhere.
Among the Poles there ware also wounded Germans lying there. They begged to not
kill the Poles. Polish officer, a doctor and 15 polish Red Cross nurses
surrendered Lazaret (Military Hospital) to us. But just after us came
Dirlewangerers. I hid one sister behind the doors I managed to key-lock. I
heard after the war she survived. SS-men shoot to death all wounded. They were
breaking their heads with buttstocks. German wounded were screaming and crying
in despair. After that Dirlewangerers ran for nurses, they were tearing clothes
from them. We were driven out for guard duty. We heard women's screams. At
evening on Adolf Hitler's place, roar was so loud as on boxer's fights. So I
and my friend decided to climb the wall to see what was happening there.
Soldiers of all units: Wehrmacht, SS, Kaminski's cossacks, boys from
HitlerJugend, whistles,exhortations. Dirlewanger stood with men and laguhed.
Nurses from Lazaret where rushed trough place, naked with hands on heads. Blood
ran down over their legs. After them doctor was brought with loop on his neck.
He had red rag maybe from blood covering his face and spike crown on top of the
head. All were lead to the gibbet, with few bodies hanging already. As they
were hanging one of the sisters Dirlewanger kicked bricks she was standing on.
I couldn't watch that anymore. We ran to our quarters, but before we reached
them we saw Kamiński cossacks rushing with civilians. We called those cossacks
Hiwis - from Hilfswillige (volounteers, willng to help). Next to them one
polish pregnant woman felt. One of the Hiwis turned back and whipped her, she
tried to escape on knees, but they killed her running over her with horses.

Poles sang lively song

- We were sleeping in basements. In quarters we drunk a lot of vodka, we talked
a lot too. "Maybe tomorrow I will be wounded and return home" - we were saying.

We had nightmares, I screamed in sleep. Then companions woke me up with cold
water saying "Bubi, du hast den Warschaukoller" (Bubi, you have a Warsaw
madness).

We slept in clothes, continous alarms; "Raus! Raus!" shout Fels. More than once
we could hear the Poles sitting on the other side of wall. Once they even sang
lively song. I sometimes cried. When you storm you are not afraid, but in
quarters you shake. We drank a lot.

Commando of Ascension

- We demolished a fence which was obscuring view on a big yard. SS planned to
storm buildings on other side of it. When friend was battering doors with crow-
bar, I saw Pole one my left side. I pulled friends into hole, but both got hit.
One got whole mag, second in the lungs, bullet bounced from dog tag. When he
was breathing, blood was pooring out of his mouth. I put soil in his lung
wound. I was lying with dead and wounded. I pressed against the wall. Friend
groaned, Poles tossed two grenades. I threw back one, second rolled out of my
reach. I was red from blood and flesh. Afternoon four from Wehrmacht came with
stretchers. We managed to break trough, but wounded friend got three shots and
died. I couldn't say a word, I had shakes and was vomiting. Major gave me a day
to rest, so I saw burial of my friends. They took their shoes off, threw to
hole with other killed and sprinkled with calx. Polish civilians had to do
everything.

Friends were falling, they sent us new ones. I had stupid luck, maybe because
Fels forced me to action, he wished me to "die like a dog"(Schenk is laughing).
I don't think he liked me. Our group of Assault Engineers was called then
Himmelfahrtskommando (Comando of Ascension), because we always were first, and
Poles no one knew from where, they were shooting. Whistle of the bullet and you
fly to heaven. We quickly learned from clever Poles, how to conceal. they could
shot from under slightly levelled tile. Many fought in German uniforms and
spoke German wery well. We couldn't wear our metal pots, because Poles were
using them too. We were too afraid we start shooting at our troops.

At the beginning I was a bad shooter. They where punish me for lack of aim. I
couldn't shut my left eye. They were suspecting I'm simulating. They sent me to
doctor and he told me to shot from other hand. I became left eye shooter. It
was quite handy in street fight.

Once in hand combat Pole pulled rifle from my new friend. Fels came in with SS-
men and ordered him to retrieve the gun. Boy shaked all, but Fels drawn his own
gun and ordered him once more to follow the Poles. Boy returned quickly badly
wounded with knife; he was screaming and bleeding.

I left alone once more. My storm group mates were heavily wounded from knife
and bayonet. It was 6 August. From that point dates are fading. Only heaviest
fights I can tell quite ordered, but without dates. I remember, that on 14
August I got postcard from pastor from Manderfield, last message from home. On
15 September I was looking at other bank of Vistula river. I saw a Russian
tank. then next one and third. They came to bank. We all panicked. Russians
should have great view on our positions, they weren't shooting. Tanks
disappeared between houses.

Something warmed

- I was lying in the bed on third store. SS officer ordered us to hold the
house. I Whole apartment was covered with thick layer of sand. Good idea, I
admired owners. I would do the same. They had to work hard. Sand protected flat
from fire. "After the war all they will need to do is remove it" I thought. I
was throwing gasoline bottles through window at the cinem on the other side of
street. Houses attacked with such bottles usually were starting to burn. I
thought we smoked out Poles, but they were still shooting and tossing grenades.
In the dust of the last detonation I started to run downstairs. When I moved by
the window on the staircase, I felt pain like from strike with whip and
something hot. Hands and face in blood. I felt I'm seriously wounded. My
friends too. They took my pants off and started to roll on the floor laughing.
I had small scar on my butt. Bullet hit canteene with coffee.

Gefreiter Bubi in a newspaper

I think Bubi was promoted in that time to the Gefreiter rank. Promotion was
automatic after 15 hand-to-hand fights. Every fight was noted in the soldier's
military book. Even Fels mentioned something about valor of Schenk. Especially
there was article in the front "Das Weichselblatt" (Vistula News) with stated
that Gefreiter Schenk freed German prisoners of war.
- It was clear incident. I just blew out next door. I set the load and
hear: "Nicht schießen!". White flag in window, Doors opened and 30 german
soldiers came out. They were crying from happiness, kissing me everywhere. They
said, that Poles that took them captive, treated them well.

For the Warsaw Bubi got Iron Cross of second class

Wife sleeps long and I try to count them all in my mind

- Sometimes in the movies, are scenes from uprising, but there is nothing from
what I've seen then. I haven't told that to anybody yet with such great
details. You ask about everything. Its your right, but everything awakes again.
We haven't idea back then that those killed will never die, that they always be
with us. Everything happened so quickly. Shouts, shoots. Singular faces. This
all stuck in my memory very strongly.

(Schenk hides his face in hands).

- We breached the doors, I think school ones. Children stood in hall and on
stairs. Many children. All with their small hands up. We looked at them for few
moments untill Dirlewanger came in. He ordered to kill them all. They shot them
all, they were walking over their bodies and breaking their little heads with
buttstocks. Blood streamed down those stairs. There is a memorial plaque in
that place, stating that 350 children were killed there. I think there was much
more of them, maybe 500.

Or that Polish women (Schenk doesn't remember which action it was). Every time,
when we stormed cellars, and women were inside. Dirlewanger soldiers raped
them. Many times a group raped same women, quickly, still having arms in their
hands. Then after one of fights, I was literally shaken. I stood by the wall
and couldn't calm my nerves. Dirlewanger soldiers came in. One of them took
woman. She was pretty. She wasn't screaming. He raped her, pushing strongly her
head against table, bearing bayonet in other hand. First he cut her blouse off.
Then one cut from stomack to throat. Blood flushed. Do you know, how fast blood
is congealing in August..?

There is also those small child in Dirlewnager hands. He took it from woman,
who was standing in crowd on street. He lifted child high then threw into fire
and shot the mother.

Or that little girl, She unexpectedly went out of the cellar. She was slim and
short, something about 12 years old. Torn clothes, hair in chaos. From one side
We, from other Poles. She stood by the wall not knowing where to run. She
raised her hands, and said "Nicht Partizan". I waved with hand that she
shouldn't afraid and should came closer. She was walking with her little hands
up. She was squeezing something in one of the hands. She was very close, then I
heard a shot. Her head bounced. Piece of bread felt out from her hand. In the
evening the platoon leader came by and said proudly: "It was a master shot.
Wasn’t it?"

Sometimes children came by. They couldn't find parents. They wanted bread.
Small Polish boy brought us food as we were on guard duty. I don't think he was
prisoner. I don't know. I had then guard duty in cellar of a textile factory.
Boy didn't know German, but we could communicate with gestures. When I had I
gave him cigarettes. Passing by SS man waved on boy to follow him. The boy went
after him. Then I heard shot, I ran, dead boy was lying on the stairs. SS-man
pointed gun at me. He gave me long look, but eventually left. This is how
matters were in Warsaw.

Our mascot was crippled boy. Also 12 years old. He lost his leg, but he could
jump very fast on the remaining one. He was very proud of that. He always
jumped around soldiers, there and back. We said its for luck. He helped a
little. One day SS-men call him. He jumped to them willingly. They asked him to
jump to trees. I saw from far that they put 2 grenades into his bag. He didn't
noticed. He was jumping and they lagued at him shouting: "Schneller,
schneller!"(Faster, Faster).
Boy blew up.

I usually wake up very early, my wife sleeps longer. Sometimes in the half-
dream I see dead in front of me. And sometimes I try to count those I killed,
but I can't.

Punishment for blue underwear

- There was shortage of water in the whole Warsaw. There was a bath tube at
dressing point, where fresh water was stored. I jumped once to it. Many others
jumped too. Known paramedic told me about underwear left in abandoned cellar.
It was blue, non regular. I got ride of issued ones and took those blue. Later
I got one week of penitentiary company from seregant. I had to carry mines by
the river's bank.

My second penitentiary watch I got for a priest. We breached with explosives
back door to monastery-very heavy, they lead to cellar. Monastery huge building
near the Old Town, was already very damaged by bombs and grenades. We jumped in
pair inside. There was priest standing in front of us. He had cup and waffel in
his hands. Maybe this was reflex, I don't know, we knelt and took communion,
then third of us entered and did the same. Then SS-men entered, and usual shots
and screams, groans started. Sisters were in habits, Few hours later I seen
that priest in Dirlewangerers' hands. They drank wine from cup, wafer was lying
broken. They were pissing on cross resting on wall. They were torturing priest:
he had blooded face, torn gown. We took that priest from them, it was reflex.
they were surprised, but so drunk, that they didn't knew what is happening.
Next day they also didn't remember what happened. We passed priest to our
battalion. I didn't heard about him anymore. But on the road we meet Fels so I
got a lone guard duty on bridge I think it was Kierbiedz bridge. Bridges on
Vistula river were demolished already, but part of the spans were still
standing. Russians had HMG nest on their side of river as we had HMG on our
side. I had to stand in the middle of the bridge and gather intelligence. I hid
behind steel cranes. Night was peacefull. From time to time HMGs were shooting
at each other, rather for viva because of large distance. At the day Russians
were moving rather careless. On the back small cars were riding with food and
officers with wide emblems observed with binoculars our part of Warsaw.
Soldiers were sun burning.

On other penal watch, hid in bale of material in textile factory I watched
Poles. In case of attack I had to shot flare and run away. There was 40 of
them. Officer in uniform was leading the group. they look terrible. Many
wounded. I saw women with arms, civilians, children. Their weaponry was poor.
At evening I returned with report, we stormed that hideout in the morning.

I don't remember when we decided to kill Fels. To survive, because he
constantly pushed us ahead. In seven or eight we lucky rolled rifles, two were
loaded. First time Fels was in front of us we shot him in the back. He felt and
we retreated. New commander was much more humane.

Pants heavy from gold

- Today I don't know, if we blew out State Securities Printing House, or maybe
Polish Bank. One is sure this was in downtown. We couldn't take that object for
long time. They told us to do sap. We dug in pairs, wearing only underpants. We
changed on head. When I was in head, I smelt strange smell, than friend stopped
to take soil from me. I crawled to him, he lied dead. Sap exit was in cellar. I
heard Poles, they probably took it over. At night I crawled out of hole and
walking through cellars I managed to rejoin with ours. I couldn't recognise
sentry. He ordered me to lie on the ground. I screamed My name and
password: "Heidekrug"(Pot of the growth). He asked why I'm wearing only
underpants. Eventually he believed me.

Next Day they brought a "Goliath". Civilians had to lead it path, because Poles
learned how to detonate a "Goliath" at our lines and many soldiers died.
Goliath made a hole in the fence. We were searching for Poles whole night. In
the morning a tank came and building was taken. Lots of gold coins lied in
cellars. We were stuffing them into pocket so hard that pants were falling from
us. Then gold disappeared. Boys were speculating that Dirlewanger took it
somewhere.

"I knew who will live"

- That was probably my last action in Warsaw. We were storming some building, i
ran through a field. A wounded soldier lied on the ground. I gave him some
water from my canteen, than ran foreword to blow some doors. The SS was moving
behind us. When I ran back , Dirlewanger stopped me. He pointed to the wounded
soldier: "You gave water to this pig?". Only then I noticed, that on a German
uniform the wounded has a dirty white-red armband.

"Shoot him!" - Dirlewanger handed me his pistol.

I stood without a move, sick of all of that. Dirlewanger was so furious, that I
couldn't understand what he is shouting. This Pole looked at me. I will never
forget his eyes. In Warsaw I learned to recognize if a wounded survives next
ten minutes, or couple of hours. When one sees so many people dying, you just
know who will live. One of Dirlewanger SS-man grabbed a gun from me and shot
that Pole.

Dirlewanger shouted he will shoot me on site. But Wehrmaht soldiers arrived so
he threatened me with a court martial. One infantry officer started a violent
discussion with him. I ran away.

- At the end of September three Poles approached me with their hands up. Handed
me a machine gun and two pistols. One of them spoke in perfect German. I stood
on my post. I didn't know what to do. I said they have to wait, and better not
beeing noticed by anyone. I was lucky, I quickly found our new lieutenant. He
took the POW personally and escorted them to the SS.

The last stronghold of the uprising surrendered. Some high ranking officer
came, as a representative of the people, with a white flag. We led him to our
battalion commander. I saw there our Maj. Wullenberg, Dirlewanger and other
commanders. After a couple of hours the Poles arrived, with a mass of people
following them. All the wounded were lied down in a huge warehouse of an acetic
factory. We were ordered to leave. From the outside we heard screams and shots.
I know what happened there.

In the last days of the Uprising I ran across Fels. He was seriously wounded,
but survived our shots. I carefully avoided him. I saw Dirlewanger for the last
time - he walked among ruins accompanied by two beautiful women. The city was
burning, dead bodies everywhere on the streets. His leather coat was weared
out. The women - one blonde, one brunette - very elegant, clean. I didn't know
if these women were Polish - I was too far.

Remains of Warsaw were being blown apart by demolition squads. We were
relocated, but in November we returned to Warsaw once again. Playing soccer.
The ball felt into a cellar. I jumped to bring it back. In the cellar there
were uncountable human bodies, now almost skeletons.

Soviet, German, or Mateusz

In Ochodza, a small village close to Gniezno, people still remember Mateusz,
but not from the time he was hiding in Brzezinski's stable, but as an elegant
man who visited the village in the 80's. He arrived in a van packed with food
and western clothes. The gifts were distributed by a priest among the
parishioners.

We looked into the Libner's farm. Jósef Libner died last year. He at the same
age as Mateusz; they liked to wrestle, they rolled on the farmyard, but
Mateusz, experienced in grappling always won.

Libner's son showed me a date notched on the wall of a wodden lavatory: "1946
M.S." - Our father told us to leave this plank when we;ve overhauled the
lavatory. It is a reminder of Mateusz.

- I notched it with my folding knife, when I was leaving - Schenk is touched,
when he speaks about Ochodza. With Józef we were like blood-brothers. We nicked
out wrists, and touched them together - like the Indians did.

The retreat of Sturmpioner Schenk from Warsaw is a separate story. He ’s
written it down few years ago. Of all the soldiers who came to Warsaw with him,
only three were left alive. During winter 1944 they escaped from Soviet tanks,
and SS squads who hanged the deserters on the trees. Starved and exhausted they
approached Gościeszyn (Godesberg) near Gniezno, where a point has been set up.

We threw away almost all our weapons, belts and helmets. Some of us have wound
they were trying to hide, afraid that their comrades would leeve them behind.
The Ivans were tracing outfoot steps in the snow. Our way to the forest was
cut. We escaped towards the center of a frozen lake. They didn't follow us but
a tank was firing targeting the surface of the lake. One of us started to prey.
His prayers become more and more quiet, than stopped. He died. When clouds
covered the moon we crawled towards the the rim of the lake. The Russians were
smoking cigarettes, we crawled between their posts. We hide in the woods but in
the morning we know that the tank is following our traces again. I felt tired,
exhausted and I lied in a ditch on the edge of the forest. I had a white,
camouflage cover on my uniform similar to what the Russians were using.

Polish peasants found me.
- "Soviet?" - they asked.
- "German?" - I nodded
- "Poor kid, Are you hungry?" - The tallest of them asked in german.
They took me to a house. I was afraid. "The Poles are spiteful and shrewish" -
I have been taught in the army. When a girl entered the kitchen, holding a big
knife I thought the are going to slaughter me. She cut my shoes because they
were unable to take them off. My feet and my arm were broken, and I had many
frost-bites. They gave me some hot milk. This way I found myself in a farm of
Brzewnicki brothers in Ochodza (both already died). The older one, Ignacy I
called "father", and Wincenty - "uncle". They called me Mateusz. They hide me
in a stable together with three horses, "Mucka", "Gniady" and "Murzyn". During
cold nights I slept over a steamer for potatoes.

The Russians who checked our village were told by Brzewnicki that I am his
seriously ill son. The sick people were carefully avoided by the Russians. The
Polish officials were told that I am hiding there for half a year after
deserting from Wehrmacht.

Why did they save me? I never learned why. Because of mercy, probably; I looked
like a beaten kid. They told me later that it was because of the black rosary,
which they found while tearing the uniform off me.

I would be a Pole

One day, "father" said: "Hitler kaputt", "war kaputt", and Mateusz did't have
to hide any more. The village liked him, and he felt happy there. He was
helping them with the farm work.

- They interrogated me in Trzemeszno, a Pole and a Russian. They asked me to
take my clothes off. Then checked if I don't have any SS tatoos. On the yard a
dead boy was lying in a Hitlerjugend uniform. The interrogators were very
suspicious because of the 19 knife fights noted in my military logbook.
My "father" avouched for me, then he took my logbook and has hidden it in a
wall of his house.

I remember, when local parson returned from a concentration camp. The
parishioners walked forward to meet him. "Father" took me with him. The priest
walked, holding a walking-stick tightly, skinny, and pale. We drove to a church
and for the first time in a very long period I heard “Tantum Ergo” celebration,
just like home. The priest walked, singing, through a church and blessed us
all. Including me. I felt happy, but also full of shame, and guilt.

Mateusz left Ochodza in June 1946. Before he left Brzewinski family gave him
200 zl, bread and butter.

- A temporary Belgian embassy has been set up in Warsaw. I sat on stairs of a
building, which a year before I was trying to capture. People have been living
in ruins and cellars. The only tram line joined the two banks of Vistula. I
returned home for three months. Through polish arrests, American POW camp in
Berlin. The Belgian gendarmerie took me to Brussels for an interrogation. The
Belgians didn't want me. I didn't have any ID. Everybody could say he is a
Belgian.

I met my future wife after the war. That time, on the Belgian-German border
everybody was smuggling. She was trying to smuggle a little pig to Belgium and
I smuggled coffee to Germany. We met in the middle of a forest. I returned home
with her little pig.

Now, Mathias Shank has three sons and a daughter. For ten years he attended a
penance pilgrimage to Banneux, where Virgin Mary emerged to a little girl.
During the 80-ies he organized a help for Poland. 32 times he travelled to
Poland with transports of food, clothes and diapers.

- I have been to Warsaw again. I've met the veterans of the uprising. They were
nice for me. One of them spoke about how they opened fire to the last German
military train to Warsaw. When in Ochodza I didn't know who I am - a Belgian, a
German, Mateusz? I didn't even know if Belgium still exists. I thought my
relatives are dead. I not a note from them which I received in march 1945 , I
would stay in Ochodza.
I would be a Pole, just like you.

[Shmeiker]

To make it clearer:

This is a translation of reminiscenses by Mathi Schenk, German soldier (of Belgian origin) fighting in Warsaw Uprising by German side. It was published in one of Polish newspapers near the date of 60th anniversary of Uprising. As far as I understand Mr. Schenk still lives in the Belgian village by the German border.

---

Dzis (sroda 29.09) o godz. 22.05 na TVP 1 program o Powstaniu.

[Reb]

Schmeiker

That was a good post. But after reading it, I almost wished I hadn't..

cheers
Reb

[Kitsune]

It is a great post. And while the cruelties described therein are horrifying, there is also a positive side to it. The German author of this text has become a friend of the Poles, and that is a reason to feel hope.

[Orzel]

nothing else needs adding to this post, forgiveness perhaps, forgetting never!

[Jock]

Czesc Czarny,

Thanks for the post - Its the personal side of war that I prefer, as I feel it paints a far truer picture of war. Figures, Tables and Stats are fine enough, but its always the man on the ground who pays the price.

Lest we forget.

[Sebastian Pye]

lol orzel as if youre ever gonna forgive anything.

[fknorr]

I read this story on another forum...I believe a lot of this is fiction.

There is no doubt Dirlewanger was evil but I believe that a good portion of this story is fabrication.

[Orzel]

whether the specific events outlined in this mans diary happened I cannot vouch for, however there can be no arguement as to the behaviour of the Germans and their allies in the Warsaw Uprising, although the razing of a city is nothing new, it is relatively a unigue occurence in modern times. I would compare the fall of Warsaw to the fall of Troy or perhaps to the Mongol invasions of China in the 12th century. However even the Mongols halted their bloodthirst as they were trying to control China, in the Germans case it was sheer methodical extermination performed witha wanton cruelty.

[menel]

I read this story on another forum...I believe a lot of this is fiction.

There is no doubt Dirlewanger was evil but I believe that a good portion of this story is fabrication.

What part is a fiction?

[Musashi]

Don't care about an opinion of fknorr. He has been banned from Axis History Forum. He even created second account, however the admin there is not stupid, so he has been banned second time. What a greedy and desperated man!
Cheers,
Chris

[Sebastian Pye]

whether the specific events outlined in this mans diary happened I cannot vouch for, however there can be no arguement as to the behaviour of the Germans and their allies in the Warsaw Uprising, although the razing of a city is nothing new, it is relatively a unigue occurence in modern times. I would compare the fall of Warsaw to the fall of Troy or perhaps to the Mongol invasions of China in the 12th century. However even the Mongols halted their bloodthirst as they were trying to control China, in the Germans case it was sheer methodical extermination performed witha wanton cruelty.

it wasnt just germans though

[fknorr]

Don't care about an opinion of fknorr. He has been banned from Axis History Forum. He even created second account, however the admin there is not stupid, so he has been banned second time. What a greedy and desperated man!
Cheers,
Chris

Actually Chris/Mu-ass-ee/asswipe, I have been there 3 times (and banned)...not that I wear it as a badge of honor but if the Axis (so-called) History forum, allows the likes of you, I am glad I no longer have the stomach, nor the inclination to put up with closed minded folks like yourself (it is easy enough to create new user names), that would not know facts if they were busted over your thick heads...allowing passion to cloud any common sense that might attempt to trickle into that pea brains. Mu-ass-ee has a hard-on for this particular thread because (a) he posted it on the other forum, and (b) it it pro-Pole/anti-German.

Here is the thread at the other forum (if not allowed moderator, remove)
http://forum.axishistory.com/viewtopic. ... irlewanger

on the first page is my opinion of why this article was flawed (regarding Dirlewanger)...pasted below in Green.

I wonder if everyone is taking this story seriously, as a lot of it seems to be post war additions to embellish the individual's story and or to make it seem that this individual knew a lot more than the average "Joe".

I will take this point by point and upon my return home this evening or if I feel the need I will give actual numbers but my main "resource" (aside from all the highly informative posts here) is "The Cruel Hunters", by MacLean which has been discussed here countless times.

In the first paragraph (and as stated in my first post) there is a certain degree of truth in this but does not seem to give the whole story (real story?)). It is the truth that the unit was formed from poachers and SS camp guards, but a large number of the members of this unit were foreign volunteers (Ukrainian, Lithuanian, etc)...lets try not to forget that little fact, as this seems to be overlooked 99% of the time. If I need to give you the actual numbers of German vs. Foreign troops in this unit you'll have to wait but I am sure they are here somewhere in the forum if people really wanted to find out.

Also in the first paragraph is the mention of his "Child Molestation" charges. It seems as though with Dirlewanger this always has to be brought up as with Himmler being a former chicken farmer. I see no bearing on what the man did in Warsaw by bring this up. I will have to consult my reference at home as to the exact nature of this charge but if I remember correctly he was charged for like "joy riding and serving alcohol" to a minor (teenage girl). I am not exactly sure what MacLean dug up but when I read the book I thought there might have been something fishy going on with his conviction. Do not get me wrong, I am sure something went on here but when someone reads "child molester", you may read more into it than the actual offense with this guy and there is plenty more to be offended by with this guy in addition to this offense. Also let me state that he WAS convicted of this charge, there is no denying that.

The next paragraph also fails to mention foreign troops as well as overlooks the fact that the Russian Partisan's in their sector were equally bloodthirsty. It's the old "What came first thing/chicken or egg", if I remember my reading on Dirlewanger his unit was formed AFTER the invasion to combat the partisans that were harassing the German rear. Is it a case of this unit responding in kind to atrocities committed against them or were they just plain vicious to begin with. This unit was formed from poachers, not axe murderers. Point #2 is that many, many units were sent to Warsaw to deal with the uprising, not necessarily this unit because of its reputation per se.

The next thing that seems odd is "he had a habit of hanging people on Thursday". Is this a known fact or do we have some sort of revelation here? We all know he wasn't a nice guy, do we know he had a penchant for murder on Thursday? Where is this individual’s source?

His labeling them as "looking like bums, shredded uniforms, etc". If I remember correctly units were rushed from all over to handle this uprising and combat troops/troops that have been in the field may not look the prettiest. He also mentioned that they all did not have weapons, picking them up from the dead...If I remember correctly this unit was not the best equiped to begin with. What about the US 101st Airborne at Bastogne? Were they not poorly dressed and ill equiped when rushed into the line? I would argue that if they had not been in camp recooperating and were pulled from the line they'd have looked equally ratty as anyone in that situation would have.

The last paragraph also seemed a bit odd as Dirlewanger was awarded the Wound badge in Gold which means he was wounded 5 or more times. I believe the actual number was 7-9 times. He was a decorated soldier in WWI, served in the Freikorps with distinction, earned the Spanish Cross in Spain and earned the German Cross and Knight's Cross (among other WWII decorations)...he does not sound like a soldier that led from the rear.

There is no doubt in my mind that he was a very bad man. There is also no doubt that this unit has a very bad reputation. It seems as if every time we mention this guys name he gets more evil.

As stated here before, some things here do not seem accurate and more than likely embellished by someone else or pure fantasy. I am sure there is some degree of truth to some of the story but somehow when I read I cannot overlook inconsistencies and do not mind pointing them out, like his account of his last encounter with Dirlewanger.

"In the last days of the Uprising I ran across Fels. He was seriously wounded, but survived our shots. I carefully avoided him. I saw Dirlewanger for the last time - he walked among ruins accompanied by two beautiful women. The city was burning, dead bodies everywhere on the streets. His leather coat was wore out. The women - one blonde, one brunette - very elegant, clean. I didn't know if these women were Polish - I was too far. "

This account seems so "Hollywood" that it is either made up or just crazy enough to be true. We all know Dirlewanger liked the ladies but somehow I find it hard to believe he was out walking around smoldering bodies w/two beautiful women. He states he was "too far away" but seems to have been close enough to tell these women were clean, elegant and beautiful.

Then the thread spiralled out of control, mostly driven by a 1/2 dozen Polish folks who find it hard to believe anything contrary to their own skewed beliefs....which by default, if not in line with their beliefs, have to be wrong.

Mu-ass-ee, don't you have to go snuggle up w/David and Marcus...scram, you are bothering me sonny.

[Shmeiker]

At the beginning I saw going to comment fknorr's post short and simple: crap. But anyhow I think it deserves a few more lines.

- Stating that this diary does not mention the fact that Dirlewanger's men were not all poarchers and undermaining this diary on that basis is childish. This Belgian had full right not to know about it - for the fact that he is not a historian, he was simply fighting in the Uprising, and as it is clear from this article, he despised them, so most likely did not have any closer contacts with them.

- Dirlewanger was charged for sexual harassment of minors. Either you like it or not this depicts his nature and his moral standards which describe him as a human (or rather inhumane) being. However one should not think that Dirlewanger was a brut, bloodthirsty idiot. He was brut, and he was bloodthirsty, but in the same time he was a veterinary surgeon by education, also an experienced officer (starting his officer carrer in WW I !), and also received Ph.D. of political science from University of Frankfurt (this degree was taken back however after charges of this sexual harassment were brought up).

- I see no reason why not to believe that Dirlewanger was commanding from the rear, often mounting the tank and in the same time getting shot number of times. He WAS a front line officer, and being such an officer does not mean that one must storm every bunker by himself leaving his men behind.

- Undermining article by "Holywood last scene" when Schenk saw Dirlewanger has no basis either. This could happen, why not? Would it be more convincing if he would see him breathing hard over dozen of dead bodies? I personally have no problem in beliving in this "too sweet to be true" scene - such things happen as well. In addition what is a real difference in what situation Schenk saw Dirlewanger for the last time? And what difference does it make?

---

And since you try to present reasons and opinions why Dirlewanger and his men were acting in this particular, cruel beyond belief and totally inhumane way let me present some more info about this individual. But this time not my or your OPINIONS but verifiable facts:

> 36. Waffen Grenadier Division der SS (of course it was not Division from the very beginning, first in 1940 it was Wilddiebkommando, after that it was SS-Sonderbataillon) from the start was formed by poachers and other men acustomed with forest. Reason was simple - waging war in the woods called for men who knew how to manage in the forest. Why forest? Because partisans (Polish and Soviet) were residing mostly in the woods. At the beginning around 2000 poachers were collected. However their number decreased quite fast (hunting dears and hunting humans is something different anyway, so those poachers were dropping dead like any others). So, according to Himmler's words spoken on 3rd of August 1994, in Poznan/Pozen, ranks of Dirlewanger's Kommando were refilled with men repulsed from SS schools for breaking the code of conduct. Those were not enough either, so Dirlewanger started drafting criminals from prisons and concentration camps.

> Dirlewanger was a criminal recognized also by other German commanders. After atrocities committed in Lubelszczyzna (area in the neighbourhood of the city called Lublin, in Poland) German prosecutor of SS Court G. F. Morgen collected a number of evidences of these atrocities together with documented thefts. Charges were not brought to case due to personal intervention of SS-Oberführer Gottlob Berger, who was commanding SS-Hauptamt (Berger employed Dirlewanger at the very beginning and tried to protect him all along the way). Afterwards SS-Obergruppenführer Friedrich Wilhelm Krüger, residing in Kraków/Cracov and commanding SS and police in his district said that: "if this bandit does not disappear from my region [GG] I will arrest him personally". He "disapeared", and was moved with his men to Belarussia.

> Statement that substantial number of soldiers in 36. Waffen Division was foreign is very questionable. Why? From the beginning it was formed of Germans only (poachers). Later it was reinforced by those repulsed from SS schools (I assume they were Germans too). Later on, criminals from prisons and concentration camps joined in - there is of course possibility that some of them were not Germans. BUT let's have a look what camps these criminals were comming from. In the main/most known struggle of 36. Div. which in my opinion was Warsaw Uprising (but this is subjective opinion, anyone can produce anything else) beginning number of soldiers of Division was 881, reinforcements were 2500, and number of soldiers at the end of Uprising was 648. Out of these 2500 reinforcements 1900 men came from SS-Straflager Matzkau (near Gdańsk/Danzig). I assume in such a camp majority of prisoners were Germans (correct me if I am wrong).

- Losses of Dirlewanger Div. in Warsaw Uprising 1944 question also his commanding abilities. In 2 months he managed to loose 2733 men, scoring record number of 310% loses (2733/881).

- However, Dirlewanger was regarded by other German commanders as very efficient in dealing with partisans/uprisers. Despite horrific losses of his own soldiers, he often managed to defeat the opponents (those losses realted to criminals anyway, so nobody paid too much attenction as long as the job - kiling opposition - was done well). Often as well he commited and allowed to commit atrocities on prisoners and civilian population (like infamous slaughter of school children in Warsaw, accounted for not less then 300, presumabily even 500, dead children collected in one big schoolhouse). Bieslan looks pale compared to this.

---

There is one thing I am not clear about however: How did Dirlewanger die eventually?

I heard number of versions:

1) He fled to North Africa
2) He passed away on September 7th 1945
3) He was shot by mistake by Soviets on May 7th 1945 near Halbe (by mistake, because if Soviets would get him alive knowing who he was, they would know what to do with him after his "actions" in Belarussia, most likely he would not be simply shot dead)
4) He was shot dead by the French on July 7th 1945 at Altshausen
5) He died on July 7th 1945 at Altshausen, but he was not shot; instead he was beaten to death by Polish guards ??? (Polish guards? How? What were they doing there?)

Can anyone produce any convincing facts supporting any of those info concerning Dirlewanger's death?

[fknorr]

I was going to respond negatively to your post but indeed you seem to know at least a few facts to support your position even though you can tell you are a bit biased. Let me dissect your post point by point as you did mine (with a bit more impartiality).

- Stating that this diary does not mention the fact that Dirlewanger's men were not all poarchers and undermaining this diary on that basis is childish. This Belgian had full right not to know about it - for the fact that he is not a historian, he was simply fighting in the Uprising, and as it is clear from this article, he despised them, so most likely did not have any closer contacts with them.

You have to take my whole post as a whole instead of "nit-picking" it. What I stated, and incase your little agenda causes temporary blindness when reading something other than anti-German, anti-SS rhetoric was that the MANY seemingly false statements caused me to cast doubt on this. My statement that this unit was made up w/something other than SS, German Poachers & penal unit members IS significant if you feel the need to state (as I do) that these units in question that everyone seems to call mean and evil were not all German, therefore the entire weight of guilt need not to be placed at the feet of the Germans...that is my point.

For your information, I believe the make up of this unit during 1943-1944 was 30% foreign volunteers! That seems like pertinent information to know, don't you?

It was also my intention to point out that the author’s agenda (with all the discrepancies I point out) is obvious, therefore authenticity is in doubt (in my mind).

- Dirlewanger was charged for sexual harassment of minors. Either you like it or not this depicts his nature and his moral standards which describe him as a human (or rather inhumane) being. However one should not think that Dirlewanger was a brut, bloodthirsty idiot. He was brut, and he was bloodthirsty, but in the same time he was a veterinary surgeon by education, also an experienced officer (starting his officer carrer in WW I !), and also received Ph.D. of political science from University of Frankfurt (this degree was taken back however after charges of this sexual harassment were brought up).

We will agree to disagree on this one. I believe Dirlewanger was charged with improper conduct, and serving alcohol to a minor (girl) and there is not doubt in my mind (although I have no facts in hand to support this) he more than likely was having sex w/her...whether consensually or not still wrong. Where you and I disagree is that you somehow think that this needs to be brought up when discussing the mans fighting ability/bravery. I do not think it does, nor do I believe that in the middle of a fight w/so-called partisans, it effected/influenced him at all.

In regards to this "diary" (I believe postwar fabrication/embellishment), this soldier, not in Dirlewanger’s unit, seems to know about Dirlewanger’s criminal past. I served in the army, lived w/three other individuals in the barracks for over a year for some of them...I could not tell you about any of their pasts then or now and I lived in the same room w/them for varying lengths of time! I find it hard to believe this comment on Dirlewanger’s criminal past was not a post war addition to make a case (stronger case) against the man. I believe his actions in combat (Dirlewanger) make a good enough case against him without the addition of this material and I for one do not believe the author of this diary "knew" during this time.

- I see no reason why not to believe that Dirlewanger was commanding from the rear, often mounting the tank and in the same time getting shot number of times. He WAS a front line officer, and being such an officer does not mean that one must storm every bunker by himself leaving his men behind.

You "see no reason why not to believe that Dirlewanger was commanding from the rear" because you are not impartial looking at the man. You are also not reading his award recommendation documents for say his German Cross or his Knights Cross. Read those documents and get back to me as whether you still think he led from the rear. While you are reading, bone up on a little Waffen-SS lore. Waffen-SS officers were generally at the front as there was a closer camaraderie between officers and enlisted, different from their regular army (Heer) counterparts.

- Undermining article by "Holywood last scene" when Schenk saw Dirlewanger has no basis either. This could happen, why not? Would it be more convincing if he would see him breathing hard over dozen of dead bodies? I personally have no problem in beliving in this "too sweet to be true" scene - such things happen as well. In addition what is a real difference in what situation Schenk saw Dirlewanger for the last time? And what difference does it make?

The difference it makes my jaded friend is I believe it is a postwar embellishment/fabrication. I also said if you quote me correctly, that it was either entirely true or entirely false. I find it hard to believe for a couple reasons, (a) is that Dirlewanger is alleged to be walking through the still smoking ruins of the city, which to anyone who knows anything about urban combat, is that the area may not be secure. To me, anyone with Dirlewanger’s combat experience would not risk fighting hard, capturing the town only to insanely walk around in the open inviting a sniper round to the head. The second point that seemed fishy is that Warsaw was all but destroyed, where did these beautiful, elegantly dressed (clean) women materialize from AND since this guy was so far away, how was he able to gather all the details in his story? Either you are close and could see or you are not and (I believe in this case) make stuff up to make your story sound better.
---

-
And since you try to present reasons and opinions why Dirlewanger and his men were acting in this particular, cruel beyond belief and totally inhumane way let me present some more info about this individual. But this time not my or your OPINIONS but verifiable facts:

-
> 36. Waffen Grenadier Division der SS (of course it was not Division from the very beginning, first in 1940 it was Wilddiebkommando, after that it was SS-Sonderbataillon) from the start was formed by poachers and other men acustomed with forest. Reason was simple - waging war in the woods called for men who knew how to manage in the forest. Why forest? Because partisans (Polish and Soviet) were residing mostly in the woods. At the beginning around 2000 poachers were collected. However their number decreased quite fast (hunting dears and hunting humans is something different anyway, so those poachers were dropping dead like any others). So, according to Himmler's words spoken on 3rd of August 1994, in Poznan/Pozen, ranks of Dirlewanger's Kommando were refilled with men repulsed from SS schools for breaking the code of conduct. Those were not enough either, so Dirlewanger started drafting criminals from prisons and concentration camps.

I may be wrong (I do not think so but will admit it if you actually prove me wrong) your so-called "verifiable facts" are a bit off on the initial size of this unit. I believe the initial size was closer to 200 as opposed to 2000.

Again, you seem to forget (as most people who want to lay the sole guilt for the holocaust at the feet of the Germans) that as casualties mounted, foreign volunteers. 30% volunteers non-German. You are also leaving out the fact that as casualties mounted, when this unit was brought up to division size, it's make-up was also 30% non-SS/non Foreign volunteers...i.e. 30% Heer, Kreigsmarine, Luftwaffe personnel that were ordered in to fill the ranks.

-
> Dirlewanger was a criminal recognized also by other German commanders. After atrocities committed in Lubelszczyzna (area in the neighbourhood of the city called Lublin, in Poland) German prosecutor of SS Court G. F. Morgen collected a number of evidences of these atrocities together with documented thefts. Charges were not brought to case due to personal intervention of SS-Oberführer Gottlob Berger, who was commanding SS-Hauptamt (Berger employed Dirlewanger at the very beginning and tried to protect him all along the way). Afterwards SS-Obergruppenführer Friedrich Wilhelm Krüger, residing in Kraków/Cracov and commanding SS and police in his district said that: "if this bandit does not disappear from my region [GG] I will arrest him personally". He "disapeared", and was moved with his men to Belarussia.

I will not dispute this

-
> Statement that substantial number of soldiers in 36. Waffen Division was foreign is very questionable. Why? From the beginning it was formed of Germans only (poachers). Later it was reinforced by those repulsed from SS schools (I assume they were Germans too). Later on, criminals from prisons and concentration camps joined in - there is of course possibility that some of them were not Germans. BUT let's have a look what camps these criminals were comming from. In the main/most known struggle of 36. Div. which in my opinion was Warsaw Uprising (but this is subjective opinion, anyone can produce anything else) beginning number of soldiers of Division was 881, reinforcements were 2500, and number of soldiers at the end of Uprising was 648. Out of these 2500 reinforcements 1900 men came from SS-Straflager Matzkau (near Gdańsk/Danzig). I assume in such a camp majority of prisoners were Germans (correct me if I am wrong).

You are wrong, read "The Cruel Hunters" by McClean, he gives you the make-up of the unit, size and over the course of what years.

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- Losses of Dirlewanger Div. in Warsaw Uprising 1944 question also his commanding abilities. In 2 months he managed to loose 2733 men, scoring record number of 310% loses (2733/881).

You cannot always compare combat losses to "being a good commander". If he was a bad commander, he would not have retained his command, he would not have received the Knight's Cross or the German Cross. If we are going to compare losses to leadership, are you going to call Eisenhower a bad leader as well for losing 3000 Americans on a single day (6/6/44) or the Commander in the Pacific Theater who lost more than that in a single day on (I believe (Iwo Jima)?

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- However, Dirlewanger was regarded by other German commanders as very efficient in dealing with partisans/uprisers. Despite horrific losses of his own soldiers, he often managed to defeat the opponents (those losses realted to criminals anyway, so nobody paid too much attenction as long as the job - kiling opposition - was done well). Often as well he commited and allowed to commit atrocities on prisoners and civilian population (like infamous slaughter of school children in Warsaw, accounted for not less then 300, presumabily even 500, dead children collected in one big schoolhouse). Bieslan looks pale compared to this.

Again, you fail to mention (and I have never denied and/or excused his atrocities) what precipitated most of the anti-partisan campaigns by Dirlewanger...atrocities by the partisans. Again, read McClean's book and on several occasions he mentions what spawned particular actions by the Germans. As stated, I have never denied that he was an evil man, but his unit WAS FORMED to combat the viciousness of the partisans in the German rear. If there were no "bad" partisans", there would be no "bad" Dirlewanger.

Also everyone seems to quote how many civilians were killed by Dirlewanger in Warsaw, who indeed put these civilians in harms way? It was not Dirlewanger who started the fight, it was the "home Army" and the underground. Are they not even partially to blame for bringing death and destruction upon themselves? They had to know how the Germans treated uprisings by this point, correct? These people mistakenly believed that the Allies (the Russians in particular) would support them...ooops. This situation is like hitting yourself in the head with a hammer and blaming the hammer for the pain.

Does it suck that it happened, yes?
Was it wrong, also yes?

But would all those people have died, including all those children you mentioned, if they had not risen up? I know I am not being "politically correct" here but indeed, if the so-called home army would have sat back and let the Russians drive on through, there would have been no (or fewer) Warsaw atrocities.

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There is one thing I am not clear about however: How did Dirlewanger die eventually?

I heard number of versions:
1) He fled to North Africa
2) He passed away on September 7th 1945
3) He was shot by mistake by Soviets on May 7th 1945 near Halbe (by mistake, because if Soviets would get him alive knowing who he was, they would know what to do with him after his "actions" in Belarussia, most likely he would not be simply shot dead)
4) He was shot dead by the French on July 7th 1945 at Altshausen
5) He died on July 7th 1945 at Altshausen, but he was not shot; instead he was beaten to death by Polish guards ??? (Polish guards? How? What were they doing there?)

Can anyone produce any convincing facts supporting any of those info concerning Dirlewanger's death?

What are "convincing facts"? Convincing to you, i.e. something that you believe to be true despite evidence to the contrary if it makes certain people/nationalities look bad?

First of all you can rule out him escaping for there are no "Nazi Hunters" out to find him.

Secondly, I believe in McClean's book there is sufficient proof of his death, where, when and by whom.

Lastly, The Poles had at least one (armored) division, and I believe others in France after D-Day, there is no reason to believe that they were not there and with some of the actions of Dirlewanger in Poland, it is safe to assume that if indeed they were there or close proximity, they could have done what they are accused of.

You see my friend if you leave your Anti-German bias at the door, there are PLENTY of things wrong with this so-called diary to question. I never said it was a TOTAL fabrication, but at least part of it's content leads me to question its authenticity.