Wilhelm Mohnke

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Wilhelm Mohnke : biography

15 March 1911 – 6 August 2001

With the Hitlerjugend

On 1 September 1943 16,000 new recruits of the Hitlerjugend (Hitler Youth) born in 1926 took part in the formation of the 12th SS Panzer Division Hitlerjugend, while the senior NCOs and officers were generally veterans of the Eastern Front. SS-Obersturmbannführer Mohnke was given command of the 26th SS Panzergrenadier Regiment, which was the second regiment formed in the 12th SS Panzer Division Hitlerjugend.

Mohnke was implicated in the killing of 35 Canadian prisoners at Fontenay-le-Pesnel, though, he never faced a trial for any conclusion as to any query of involvement. Mohnke told historian Fischer, he did have to take strong painkillers at times, such as morphine due to the severe pain in his shortened right leg (from his combat injuries in April 1941) but whether these things affected his decision making process is not known.Fischer, Thomas. Soldiers of the Leibstandarte, p. 40. What is known is that his physical health affected his deployment. Mohnke was commander of the Leibstandarte’s replacement battalion from March 1942 till May 1943. Then being "free enough from pain", SS-Obersturmbannführer Kurt Meyer "cajoled" him into taking a command with the 12th SS Panzer Division. This led to commanding the 26th SS Pz-Gren Rgt on 15 September 1943.Fischer, Thomas. Soldiers of the Leibstandarte, p. 33.

The structure of the 26th SS Panzergrenadier Regiment was somewhat unconventional. Although as a whole the regiment was labeled as Panzergrenadiers, the III Battalion was the only battalion in the regiment that was actually armored. It did however have an additional company, designated the 15th Reconnaissance Company which was outfitted with armored cars. This company helped make the 26th SS Panzergrenadier Regiment a unique fighting force.

While the 12th SS Panzer Division was fighting to keep the Falaise pocket open, in which the division suffered an estimated 40%-50% casualties, Mohnke withdrew his Kampfgruppe (Battle Group) east of the river Dives. As the situation in Normandy deteriorated for Germany and the front was pushed back to the Seine, Mohnke was one of the few to lead organized resistance on the western bank in order to protect the river crossings there. After hard fighting, Mohnke was awarded the Knight’s Cross on 11 July 1944. He led this Kampfgruppe until 31 August, when he replaced the badly wounded Theodor Wisch as commander of the Leibstandarte (LSSAH).Fischer, Thomas. Soldiers of the Leibstandarte, pp. 33, 38. This promotion is the subject of speculation as to why Mohnke was given command of the LSSAH when then SS-Obersturmbannführer Joachim Peiper had more combat experience. Peiper, the youngest regimental commander in the Waffen-SS, was perhaps considered too junior to command a division.

Berlin

After recovering from his wounds, Mohnke was personally appointed by Hitler as the Kommandant (Battle Commander) for the defense of the centre government district (Zitadelle sector) which included the Reich Chancellery and Führerbunker. Mohnke’s command post was under the Reich Chancellery in the bunkers therein.Lehrer, Steven. The Reich Chancellery and Führerbunker Complex. An Illustrated History of the Seat of the Nazi Regime, p. 121. He formed Kampfgruppe Mohnke (Battle Group Mohnke) and it was divided into two weak regiments. It was made up of the LSSAH Flak Company, replacements from LSSAH Ausbildungs-und Ersatz Battalion from Spreenhagan (under SS-Standartenfuhrer Anhalt), 600 men from the Begleit-Bataillon Reichsführer-SS,Lumsden, Robin. A Collector’s Guide To: The Allgemeine – SS, p. 149. the Führer-Begleit-Kompanie and the core group being the 800 men of the Leibstandarte (LSSAH) SS Guard Battalion (that was assigned to guard the Führer).

Although Hitler had appointed General Helmuth Weidling as defense commandant of Berlin, Mohnke remained free of Weidling’s command to maintain his defense objectives of the Reich Chancellery and the Führerbunker. The combined total (for the city’s defense) of Mohnke’s SS Kampfgruppe, General Weidling’s LVI Panzer Corps (and the other few units) totaled roughly 45,000 soldiers and 40,000 Volkssturm.Beevor, Antony. Berlin: The Downfall 1945, 2002, p. 287. They faced a superior number of Soviet soldiers. There were approximately 1.5 million Soviet troops allocated for the investment and assault on the Berlin Defence Area.