Willy Johannmeyer (27 July 1915 – 14 April 1970) was a German officer during
World War II
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...
who served from 1939 to 1945. He was also a recipient of the
Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves
The Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross (german: Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes), or simply the Knight's Cross (), and its variants, were the highest awards in the military and paramilitary forces of Nazi Germany during World War II.
The Knight' ...
, and at the time of the dissolution of
Nazi Germany
Nazi Germany (lit. "National Socialist State"), ' (lit. "Nazi State") for short; also ' (lit. "National Socialist Germany") (officially known as the German Reich from 1933 until 1943, and the Greater German Reich from 1943 to 1945) was ...
, the last
adjutant to Adolf Hitler of the
army
An army (from Old French ''armee'', itself derived from the Latin verb ''armāre'', meaning "to arm", and related to the Latin noun ''arma'', meaning "arms" or "weapons"), ground force or land force is a fighting force that fights primarily on ...
(''Heeresadjutant'').
Career
Johannmeyer was born in
Iserlohn
Iserlohn (; Westphalian: ''Iserlaun'') is a city in the Märkischer Kreis district, in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It is the largest city by population and area within the district and the Sauerland region.
Geography
Iserlohn is locat ...
,
Westphalia
Westphalia (; german: Westfalen ; nds, Westfalen ) is a region of northwestern Germany and one of the three historic parts of the state of North Rhine-Westphalia. It has an area of and 7.9 million inhabitants.
The territory of the regio ...
, on 27 July 1915. After
Adolf Hitler's rise to power in 1933, he joined the ''
Schutzstaffel
The ''Schutzstaffel'' (SS; also stylized as ''ᛋᛋ'' with Armanen runes; ; "Protection Squadron") was a major paramilitary organization under Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party in Nazi Germany, and later throughout German-occupied Europe duri ...
'' (SS), No. 262992. In 1936, he was assigned to the 64th Infantry Regiment as
Cadet (''Fahnenjunker'') and within 2 years, he rose to the rank of ''
Leutnant
() is the lowest Junior officer rank in the armed forces the German-speaking of Germany (Bundeswehr), Austrian Armed Forces, and military of Switzerland.
History
The German noun (with the meaning "" (in English "deputy") from Middle High Ge ...
''.
World War II
On the
Eastern Front, the 503rd Infantry Regiment was involved in the defensive battle of
Nevel (south of
Pskov Oblast, near
Belorussia
Belarus,, , ; alternatively and formerly known as Byelorussia (from Russian ). officially the Republic of Belarus,; rus, Республика Беларусь, Respublika Belarus. is a landlocked country in Eastern Europe. It is bordered by ...
). In this sector, Johannmeyer distinguished himself with notable action during the fighting in March 1943, and was awarded the 329th
[Carius, pp. 56–57] Oak Leaves (''Eichenlaub'') to the Knight's Cross on 18 November 1943.
On 25 November, his battalion attacked Soviet positions near the town of Sergeytsevo (northwest of Nevel) with the aid of the
502nd Heavy Tank Battalion in a forest.
Otto Carius
Otto Carius (27 May 1922 – 24 January 2015) was a German tank commander in the Wehrmacht during World War II. He fought on the Eastern Front in 1943 and 1944 and on the Western Front in 1945. Carius is considered a "panzer ace", some sources ...
, a
Tiger I
The Tiger I () was a German heavy tank of World War II that operated beginning in 1942 in Africa and in the Soviet Union, usually in independent heavy tank battalions. It gave the German Army its first armoured fighting vehicle that mounted ...
tank commander of the battalion, recalled in his memoirs that Johannmeyer was struck by
sniper fire in the
lungs
The lungs are the primary organs of the respiratory system in humans and most other animals, including some snails and a small number of fish. In mammals and most other vertebrates, two lungs are located near the backbone on either side ...
from a Soviet marksman hidden in tree foliage. Initially, Johannmeyer was thought to have a limited chance of survival, but he managed to survive. Carius wrote 'he was relieved to hear from Johannmeyer while he was in hospital in 1944'. Johannmeyer was absent from his official Oak Leaves award ceremony as his condition was still considered critical.
Shortly thereafter, on 1 December, Johamnmeyer was promoted to the rank of
major.
On 1 March 1944, Johannmeyer was called to a training course for senior officer
adjutants, and 3 months later was transferred to the
OKH (Oberkommando des Heeres, Army High Command). From August 1944 onwards, he served in the Army Personnel department (''
Heerespersonalamt __NOTOC__The Army Personnel Office (''Heeres Personal Amt'', ''Heerespersonalamt'' or ''Heeres Personalamt'') was a German military agency formed in 1920 and charged with the personnel matters of all officers and cadets of the army of the Reichswehr ...
''), with the rank of ''Oberstleutnant i.G.'' (im Generalstab).
Hitler's adjutant
In 1945, Johannmeyer was transferred to the ''
Führerhauptquartier'' (FHQ) in
Berlin
Berlin ( , ) is the capital and List of cities in Germany by population, largest city of Germany by both area and population. Its 3.7 million inhabitants make it the European Union's List of cities in the European Union by population within ci ...
, located at the time in the
Reich Chancellery
The Reich Chancellery (german: Reichskanzlei) was the traditional name of the office of the Chancellor of Germany (then called ''Reichskanzler'') in the period of the German Reich from 1878 to 1945. The Chancellery's seat, selected and prepared ...
, as Army Adjutant (''Heeresadjutant''),
replacing
Heinrich Borgmann. Johannmeyer was present at the conferences held twice a day (3:00 pm and at midnight) in the Chancellery's greenhouse, and later at those held in the ''
Führerbunker''.
On Hitler's order, Johannmeyer flew to
East Prussia to "clarify" the situation developing as the Soviets
advanced through the
Baltic States. Hitler always considered reports by army generals unrealistic, and refusing to accept that the Eastern Front was collapsing, relied on his adjutants to relay "positive news". Johannmeyer, upon his return, reported that the army was in an alarmingly desperate state, especially after the formation of the
Courland pocket
The Courland Pocket (Blockade of the Courland army group), (german: Kurland-Kessel)/german: Kurland-Brückenkopf (Courland Bridgehead), lv, Kurzemes katls (Courland Cauldron) or ''Kurzemes cietoksnis'' (Courland Fortress)., group=lower-alpha ...
and the pocket around
Königsberg
Königsberg (, ) was the historic Prussian city that is now Kaliningrad, Russia. Königsberg was founded in 1255 on the site of the ancient Old Prussian settlement ''Twangste'' by the Teutonic Knights during the Northern Crusades, and was name ...
. Hitler refused to allow any means of withdrawal. When Johannmeyer referred to the civilian deaths occurring due to the massive evacuation of the eastern territories, Hitler replied in anger:
Johannmeyer was among the occupants of the ''Führerbunker'', Hitler's underground headquarters in
encircled Berlin. Johannmeyer was present at Hitler's last birthday ceremony on 20 April 1945. During the pre-dawn hours of 29 April, Hitler ordered that three copies of his
political testament be hand-delivered to
Field Marshal Ferdinand Schörner
Ferdinand Schörner (12 June 1892 – 2 July 1973) was a German military commander who held the rank of ''Generalfeldmarschall'' in the ''Wehrmacht'' of Nazi Germany during World War II. He commanded several army groups and was the last Command ...
in
Czechoslovakia
, rue, Чеськословеньско, , yi, טשעכאסלאוואקיי,
, common_name = Czechoslovakia
, life_span = 1918–19391945–1992
, p1 = Austria-Hungary
, image_p1 ...
,
Karl Dönitz in
Schleswig-Holstein
Schleswig-Holstein (; da, Slesvig-Holsten; nds, Sleswig-Holsteen; frr, Slaswik-Holstiinj) is the northernmost of the 16 states of Germany, comprising most of the historical duchy of Holstein and the southern part of the former Duchy of Sc ...
, and the
Brown House, Munich
The Brown House (german: Braunes Haus) was the name given to the Munich mansion located between the Karolinenplatz and Königsplatz, known before as the ''Palais Barlow'', which was purchased in 1930 for the Nazis. They converted the structure i ...
by Johannmeyer,
Martin Bormann's adjutant SS-''
Standartenführer''
Wilhelm Zander
Wilhelm Zander (22 April 1911 – 27 September 1974) was an adjutant to Martin Bormann during World War II. He died in Munich in 1974.
Biography
He was born in Saarbrücken. Although he received only minimal education, Zander built up business in ...
, and deputy press attaché,
Heinz Lorenz
The H. J. Heinz Company is an American food processing company headquartered at One PPG Place in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The company was founded by Henry J. Heinz in 1869. Heinz manufactures thousands of food products in plants on six contin ...
, respectively. The three men said their farewell to Hitler and were each handed a white dossier containing the testament by Bormann at approximately 4:00 am. Armed with automatic weapons, and in uniform, the trio left the bunker around 8.00 am, attempting to break through Soviet lines to deliver the documents to their respective objective.
''
Oberstleutnant
() is a senior field officer rank in several German-speaking and Scandinavian countries, equivalent to Lieutenant colonel. It is currently used by both the ground and air forces of Austria, Germany, Switzerland, Denmark, and Norway. The Swedi ...
'' Graßmann was tasked with ferrying Johannmeyer in a
Fieseler Fi 156 Storch
The Fieseler Fi 156 ''Storch'' (, " stork") was a German liaison aircraft built by Fieseler before and during World War II. Production continued in other countries into the 1950s for the private market. It was notable for its excellent short fi ...
from
Pfaueninsel
Pfaueninsel (, "Peacock Island") is an island in the River Havel situated in Berlin- Wannsee, in the district of Steglitz-Zehlendorf in southwestern Berlin, near the border with Potsdam in Brandenburg. The island is part of the Palaces and Par ...
,
Wannsee
Wannsee () is a locality in the southwestern Berlin borough of Steglitz-Zehlendorf, Germany. It is the westernmost locality of Berlin. In the quarter there are two lakes, the larger ''Großer Wannsee'' (Greater Wannsee, "See" means lake) and the ...
, back to Field Marshal Schörner's headquarters. The plane took off at around midnight on 1–2 May 1945, but was unable to land in Berlin, due to being fired upon by Soviet Army troops.
Post-war life
Johannmeyer made it back to Iserlohn. There Johannmeyer hid his copy of the documents by putting them in a container and burying it in his family's garden. He was arrested by American troops in 1945. After his release, he was engaged in industrial business, mainly in
Agricultural Economics, and attained the diploma - ''Dipl. agr.''
[Obituary notice](_blank)
accessed 23 August 2015. He worked for the
DEMAG subsidiary FMA Pokorny in
Frankfurt am Main
Frankfurt, officially Frankfurt am Main (; Hessian: , "Frank ford on the Main"), is the most populous city in the German state of Hesse. Its 791,000 inhabitants as of 2022 make it the fifth-most populous city in Germany. Located on its na ...
,
Hessen
Hesse (, , ) or Hessia (, ; german: Hessen ), officially the State of Hessen (german: links=no, Land Hessen), is a state in Germany. Its capital city is Wiesbaden, and the largest urban area is Frankfurt. Two other major historic cities are Darms ...
, and became a member of the company's
board of directors.
[Johannmeyer's jubilee announcement](_blank)
zeit.de; accessed 23 August 2015. Johannmeyer died in 1970.
Awards
*
Iron Cross
The Iron Cross (german: link=no, Eisernes Kreuz, , abbreviated EK) was a military decoration in the Kingdom of Prussia, and later in the German Empire (1871–1918) and Nazi Germany (1933–1945). King Frederick William III of Prussia es ...
(1939) 2nd Class (10 June 1940) & 1st Class (29 June 1940)
*
Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves
The Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross (german: Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes), or simply the Knight's Cross (), and its variants, were the highest awards in the military and paramilitary forces of Nazi Germany during World War II.
The Knight' ...
**Knight's Cross on 16 May 1942 as ''
Oberleutnant'' and commander of II./Infanterie-Regiment 503
**329th Oak Leaves 18 November 1943 as ''
Hauptmann
is a German word usually translated as captain when it is used as an officer's rank in the German, Austrian, and Swiss armies. While in contemporary German means 'main', it also has and originally had the meaning of 'head', i.e. ' literally ...
'' and commander of II./Infanterie-Regiment 503
Citations
References
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External links
Obituary notice
{{DEFAULTSORT:Johannmeyer, Willy
1915 births
1970 deaths
People from Iserlohn
Recipients of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves
People from the Province of Westphalia
Adjutants of Adolf Hitler
German Army officers of World War II
Military personnel from North Rhine-Westphalia