European Resistance Archive/European Resistance Archive (ERA)

“We have to run away now.”

It was the end of April, and on the 10th May, or so, they surrendered. There were some doubts:

“They will inform Germany - He deserted.”

I said: “that is all nonsense. They won’t have any time left to do that.”

But I still stayed with Otto Linke – and went into captivity with him.

That was on the 30th April.

I said: “Otto, from the 1st of May we will stay in the mountains, as free men.”

And on the 2nd May we were arrested by Moroccans.

We were passed on to the French

and after that, we came to the English, and later on to the Americans.

The 999 Bataillon

The political prisoners, who were unworthy for the army, were living in Germany.

And the Germans were dying at all possible fronts.

Slowly but surely, they were short on personnel.

So there was the idea to establish these as kamikaze mission you just throw in.

That was why we were militarily equipped like a self-dependent unit,

we were able to absorb counter strikes of the allies.

If we would have moved back, we would have been shot down from behind.

We were downright kamikaze missions.

That is how it was meant for the bigger units, for divisions.