January 00, 1943
Both the accommodation and distribution of the regiment at the locations in Arolsen, Korbach, Warburg and Wildflecken (II and III Divisions) as well as the equipment caused difficulties.
After the destruction of the barrier wall, parts of the regiment were deployed on rescue and recovery work in the Edertal from May 17th to May 25th, 1943.
(Bernd Joachim Zimmer, code name Arthur – The concentration camp external command in the SS leader school Arolsen, Verlag Gesamthochschul-bibliothek Kassel, 1994 p. 45)
In June 1943 the replacement regiment was moved to Munich.
(Bernd Joachim Zimmer, code name Arthur – The concentration camp external command in the SS leader school Arolsen, Verlag Gesamthochschul-bibliothek Kassel, 1994, p. 45, in contrast to the SS-VT “Germania”, the regiment has no deeper memories among the Arols population leave behind)
July 00, 1943
Relocation of the SS Flak Replacement Regiment in June to July 1943 to Munich-Freimarn to the barracks of the SS Regiment “Germany”, which was only completed in 1935 and was in use until June 1st. In 1943 it served as accommodation for the SS Artillery Replacement Regiment that was relocated to Prague.
In terms of size, this barracks was also able to accommodate the extremely strong units of the anti-aircraft training and replacement regiment; meaningful and concentrated training could be carried out here.
Later, however, barracks had to be built here to accommodate the recruits. The strength of the regiment at this time was approximately 6,000 men.
Since the final structure had not yet been determined, the batteries were named after the names of their leaders, for example the battery “Dreike”, “Wunderlich” or “Graupner”.
This was followed by a short-term occupancy with the newly formed SS Panzer Reconnaissance Training Department 2, which, however, withdrew from Arolsen on September 13, 1943 and was relocated to the SS military training area “Seelager”.
(Bernd Joachim Zimmer, code name Arthur – The concentration camp external command in the SS leader school Arolsen, Verlag Gesamthochschul-bibliothek Kassel, 1994, p. 45)
Wilhelm Tieke, after basic training in 1940 with the SS Motorcycle Rifle Replacement Battalion Ellwangen then with the 15th/“Nordland”, came after being wounded on February 4, 1943 via various hospitals, most recently Res.Laz. Brieg until the summer of 1943, after a convalescent vacation at home, to the reserve unit: “… Ellwangen an der Jagst, the starting point of my soldiering, has me back.
But soon I will be transferred to Arolsen with other old front hands to set up a new one, Reconnaissance, Training and Replacement Department 2.
Arolsen is a small garrison town in Waldeckschen. The “Germania” battalion was once located here and then the anti-aircraft replacement and training department, which was expanded into a regiment and relocated to Munich.
The new department, led by Hauptsturmführer Keitel, is still in its early stages. Even the supporting staff is not yet fully available and so there is only a lukewarm service. Tattooing is only on paper for the time being, because UvD and those on guard are provided by us squad leaders and storm men, and as is well known, “one crow doesn’t peck out the eyes of another”. We get up to all sorts of mischief…”
Among other things, this resulted in a curfew of fourteen days for the entire department. But “motorcycle driving schools” are also run, even with night rides.
“…One day the skeleton of the company will be in place. Recruits arrive, but soon it is announced that all tank and reconnaissance replacement departments of the Waffen-SS will be relocated to Latvia, including our department…”
(Wilhelm Tieke, A restless march was our life, Munin-Verlag, Osnabrück, 1977, pp. 199, 204, 209-211)
The above-mentioned Hauptsturmführer “Keitel” was the SS-Hstuf at the time. Friedrich Keidel.
Keidel, Friedrich SS- Stubaf. 9. 9.1895 KIA 8.4421.8.1944 In Kurland as part of the SS-Pz.Brig. “Gross”
On November 14, 1943, a prisoner transport was set off from the Weimar-Buchenwald camp to Arolsen in order to complete the preparatory work for the relocation of the SS leadership school of the economic and administrative service from Dachau.
(Bernd Joachim Zimmer, code name Arthur – The concentration camp external command in the SS leader school Arolsen, Verlag Gesamthochschul-bibliothek Kassel, 1994, p. 51)
In January 1944, after the renovations were completed, the school began operating in Arolsen, which continued until the end of March 1945.
(Bernd Joachim Zimmer, code name Arthur – The concentration camp external command in the SS leader school Arolsen, Verlag Gesamthochschul-bibliothek Kassel, 1994, p. 86)
In addition to the SS leader school, an SS clothing warehouse was relocated to Arolsen at the end of 1943 as a branch of the SS clothing factory in Dachau.
(Bernd Joachim Zimmer, code name Arthur – The concentration camp external command in the SS leader school Arolsen, Verlag Gesamthochschul-bibliothek Kassel, 1994, p. 108)
After a combat group made up of members of the school and course participants was formed on January 30th, 1945 with the keyword “Gneisenau”, which was relocated to the Oder front, the last two combat groups from the school moved out on Monday, March 26th, 1945, assembled from, among others The remaining 200 SS members, slightly ill people and soldiers from a front-line holiday train were deployed against the advancing American troops in the direction of Marburg.
(Bernd Joachim Zimmer, code name Arthur – The concentration camp external command in the SS leader school Arolsen, Verlag Gesamthochschul-bibliothek Kassel, 1994, pp. 289, 290)
On March 29, 1945, the Arolsen prisoner external command, which had existed since the SS leader school was there, was relocated back to Weimar-Buchenwald.
(Bernd Joachim Zimmer, code name Arthur – The concentration camp external command in the SS leader school Arolsen, Verlag Gesamthochschul-bibliothek Kassel, 1994, p. 293ff)
Around midnight on Good Friday, March 30, 1945, the shelling of the city center of Arolsen began with grenades, but there were no casualties among the civilian population and the damage to the post office, pharmacy and some commercial buildings remained minimal.
On March 30, 1945, the city of Arolsen was occupied by American troops.
(Bernd Joachim Zimmer, code name Arthur – The concentration camp external command in the SS leader school Arolsen, Verlag Gesamthochschul-bibliothek Kassel, 1994, p. 302)
… the SS barracks in Arolsen were officially called Germania barracks and were located on the corner of Große Allee and Kasernenstraße (today Birkenweg)
The barracks, built in 1870 for the Wittich (3rd Kurhessisches) Infantry Regiment No. 83, were greatly expanded in the mid-1930s. From 1933 an SA relief organization and an SA sports school were housed there until the SS claimed ownership of the area in 1935 and the city terminated the SA’s lease.
Below is a plan of the barracks from 1937. During its use as an SS leader school from autumn 1943, the occupancy was as follows:
Blocks A, B: command staff, headquarters company
Blocks C,D,F,G: Accommodation for course participants
Block E: Administration of the SS clothing warehouse
S: Stables
R: Riding hall
HS: Woodshed (to SS clothing warehouse)
Quelle: Lagis Hessen
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The end
Auhtor and Images Roland Pfeiffer
