Published in
„Siegrunen“ Magazine – Volume 8, Number 3, Whole Number 45,
October -
December 1987
At the beginning of October 1944, SS-AR 27/“Langemarck“
began forming in Komotau, a small village on the fringe of the Erz Mountains
along Autobahn Nr. 7, which led to Chemnitz. The nucleus for the regiment was
the 88 mm Flak Battery from the disbanded 6. SS-Sturmbrigade „Langemarck,“
which had been situated in the nearby town of Strichkow. Hundreds of Flemish
refugees, mostly from para-military organizations, were assigned to the new
regiment, but very few had had any experience handling artillery. Therefore, a
comprehensive training program had to be undertaken. The first regimental
commander was SS-Obersturmbannführer Schavabacher (sp.?), who was succeeded in
December 1944 by SS-Sturmbannführer Holger Arentoft.
The
planned structure for SS-AR 27 was as follows:
Regimental
staff and staff battery
I. Abteilung (Detachment) with staff battery and
three field batteries all equipped with six 7.5 cm anti-tank guns.
II. Abteilung
with staff battery and two field batteries, each equipped with six 10.5 cm
field howitzers.
III. Abteilung
(identical to II. Abt.).
IV. Abteilung
with staff battery and two field batteries, each with six 15 cm field
howitzers.
In
sum total there were supposed to be five staff batteries and nine field
batteries, but given the extreme armament shortages that existed at the time
along with the pressing military situation, this was clearly an impractical
arrangement.
The
initial selection of Abteilung commanders looked like this:
I. Abt.
- SS-Stubaf. Felix Deron
II.
Abt. - SS-Stubaf. Jef De Bruyn
III.
Abt. - SS-Hstuf. Zink
IV.
Abt. - none listed
SS-Ostuf. Clem Meulemans, CO Light Detachment Staff Battery.
SS-Ustuf. Bert de Wit, CO 3rd Battery/Light Detachment.
It
would appear that the formation of IV. Abt. never seriously got off the ground.
In the course of October 1944, numerous Flemish officers, many of whom had arrived
at the regiment from the Vlaamische Waacht (Flemish Guard - sort of a planned
nucleus for a Flemish Army), and SS-Junkerschule „Tölz“ were sent to weapons
training courses held at the SS Artillery Schools I and II in Beneschau near
Prague. Major De Bruyn, the infantry commander of the Flemish Guard Brigade
that had fought the „Allies“ during the withdrawal from Belgium and around
Arnhem, transferred into the Waffen-SS at this time with the rank of
SS-Standartenoberjunker (officer designate). He was soon commissioned a
Sturmbannführer. Due to his experience with the Belgian Army Artillery he was
penciled in to command first the II. Abt. and then the I. Abt. of SS-AR 27. he
eventually ended up as a technical/tactical officer when the regiment was
reformed for combat duty in 1945.
While
other portions of the „Langemarck“ Division were rushed to the Eastern Front on
an emergency basis, SS-AR 27 continued its training around Komotau until 10
February 1945. On this day the regiment left by rail to join the bulk of the „Langemarck“
Division on the Lüneburger Heath in Northern Germany. At this time the troop
strength for SS-AR 27 was roughly 650 men, but this would be augmented in the
days ahead by detached troops who were returning from various specialty
(including signals) schools. Planned further advanced training with 10.5 and 15
cm field howitzers at the SS Troop Training Grounds „Bohemia-Moravia“ now had
to be scrapped, due to the fact that most of the training personnel were being
converted into combat troops.
On
the Lueneberger Heath the detachments and batteries of SS-AR 27 were stationed
in the following villages surrounding Visselhoevede: Witdorf, Ottingen,
Reipholm, Hiddingen and Jeddingen. The signals platoon was quartered in
Hiddingen, while the regimental HQ was in Wittdorf with its staff battery (10.5
cm field howitzers commanded by Ustuf. Jos Meurens, a veteran of the old Legion
Flandern), stationed in Jeddingen. While SS-AR 27 was in this area a British
bomber crashed close to the nearby village of Geddingen. The crew members were
killed on impact and they were given military burials by the Flemish SS men.
SS-Ustuf. Nest Osselaer, Orderly Officer, Light Detachment.
Flemish MIA: Emiel J.M. Carette. Born Antwerp, 6 March 1906; SS Pi. Btl. Dresden; missing 12 January
1945.
SS Legion Flandern on the Volkhov Front.
Towards
the end of March 1945, SS-AR 27 was ordered to proceed by rail to the Oder
Front where it was to join the rest of the combat ready portion of the 27th SS
Division in Kampfgruppe „Langemarck.“ The regiment was still far from fully
formed and was only about half-developed, with seven artillery batteries in
shape to use, as opposed to the 14 intended batteries. Therefore, the regiment
was reorganized into a more realistic format before it proceeded to the front.
The combat structure of SS-AR 27 looked like this:
HQ
and Staff
Commander:
Stubaf. Arentoft
Heavy
Detachment
Commander:
Hstuf. Zink
Medical
Officer: Ostuf. Dr. Moelaert
Supply
Officer: Ustuf. Flor Stuyck
1st
Battery: Ustuf. Haase
2nd
Battery: Ustuf. Cesar Geerts
3rd
Battery: Still in initial stages of formation
Staff
Battery: Ostuf. Clem Meulemans
Armaments: 150
mm field howitzers, three per battery, horse-drawn transport.
One
heavy howitzer battery, led by Ustuf. Karel Beeckmann was eventually fully
motorized (possibly 3rd Battery?). It participated in the last defensive
battles on the Oder and helped hold off the Soviets during the withdrawal to
Schleswig-Holstein before surrendering at Eutin with all equipment still
intact.
Light
Detachment
Commander:
First a Dane, then a Hungarian Sturmbannführer.
Tactical/Technical
Officer: Stubaf. Jef de Bruyne, former CO of II.Bn./Flemish Guard. An
ex-Belgian artillery officer, he would lead Wehrmacht and Labor Service
artillery detachments and rocket mortar elements in the last days of the war.
Orderly
Officer: Ustuf. Nest Osselaer
Signals
Platoon: Led by a German Untersturmführer from 12th SS Pz.Div. „Hitler Jugend.“
Staff
Battery: Ustuf. Jos Meurens
1st
Battery: Ustuf. Rudy Berg
2nd
Battery: Ustuf. Schoolmeesters
3rd
Battery: Ustuf. Albert de Wit
Other
Flemish SS Officers attached to SS-AR 27 at this time (positions unknown):
Ustuf.
Bob Velleman
Ustuf.
Marcel Elbers
Ustuf.
Jans
Ustuf.
Karel Beeckman
Flemish SS artillery „spotters“ in training at Knowitz Camp, Bohemia,
1944.
Flemish SS man somewhere on the Eastern Front.
At
the end of March 1945, the make-shift SS-AR 27 left Visselhoevede by rail for
Angermuende, where it disembarked some time later and proceeded to the vicinity
of Schwedt on the Oder. The only weapons transported with the regiment were six
light field howitzers and two heavy field howitzers; other weaponry was
supposed to be provided from depots near the front.
The
Light Detachment/SS-AR 27 took up positions in early April 1945 in a triad of
villages, Bartz, Tantow, Greifenhagen, near Mescherin. The HQ Staff, staff
battery and supply section were all quartered in Tantow. As of 10 April 1945,
the Heavy Detachment/SS-AR 27 was situated around the town of Damitzof. During
this period of time, the Oder River Front was still quiet.
The
storm broke loose on 16 April 1945, when the Soviets began their great spring
offensive: objective Berlin. For a few days only minor inroads had been made
across the Oder, with the most serious penetrations coming on 20 April. Two
days later the entire front collapsed and the Reds began advancing at will. The
artillery pieces of the Flemish SS batteries had the grand total of about 20
shells each to expend and once these were gone, the weapons had to be spiked
(the exception apparently being Battery Beeckman, which kept on functioning).
With their weapons gone the troops from the Light Detachment/SS-AR 27 were
converted into instant infantrymen. The Heavy Detachment, led by Battery
Beeckman, seems to have remained intact.
SS-AR
27, or what was left of it, subsequently retreated to the west through
Sommerfelde, Radikow, Tantow, Starkow, Penkun, Schmoell, Prenzlau and
Neusterlitz. On 24 April 1945, Stubaf. Arentoft relinquished his command to an
unknown German Stubaf., a purely superficial gesture at this juncture!
SS-Artillery Rgt. 27/“Langemarck“ Division surrendered to American troops at
Schwerin on 3 May 1945.
„Langemarck“ light artillery in action.
SS-Artillery Regiment 27/“Langemarck“
Order of Battle and Field Post Numbers, December 1944
Regimental
Staff and Units [05 814]
I. Abt.
with lst-3rd Batteries [07 534]
II.
Abt. with 4th-6th Batteries [06 939]
III.
Abt. with 7th-9th Batteries [06 124]
IV.
Abt. with 10th-12th Batteries [07 944]
Principal
References
- Vlaanderen
in Uniform, Vol. 7 by Jan Vincx.
- Vlamingen Aan
Het Oostfront, Vol. 2. §
Flemish volunteers for the „Langemarck“ Brigade in training.
The Flemish W-SS volunteer, SS-Rottenführer Firmin Van Belle, a tank
driver in SS-Pz.Rgt.2/2nd SS Pz.Div. „Das Reich“ was murdered by the so-called
„resistance“ while on the last day of his home leave at Schoten, Belgium on 3
September 1943. He was a veteran of the hard battles at Kharkov and Kursk but
still could not escape the bullet of a cowardly terrorist!
* * *
One of the volunteers in the first contingent of recruits to join the SS
Legion „Flandern“ was Emil Pallemans. He was born in Antwerp on 28 March 1918.
After distinguishing himself during the early actions of the Legion and being
decorated with the Iron Cross, 2nd Class, the Infantry Assault Badge, and the
Winter 1941/42 medal, he left for his first home leave in the summer of 1942.
Immediately after his return to the Legion on the Leningrad Front he was killed
by a Soviet sniper on 4 August 1942—an all too familiar story!
* * *
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