Jonny Bay, ein Militärarchäologe, erzählt uns eine Geschichte.

Bestimmte in Deutschland gefundene Gegenstände geben einen seltenen Einblick in den Geist und das Leben eines jungen deutschen Fallschirmjägers namens Fritz Sehr. Dass diese Geschichte so lange überlebt hat, ist nichts weniger als ein Wunder.

Ich konnte die schockierende und irgendwie tragische Wahrheit über seine Gedanken bis hin zu seinem letzten Brief an seine Familie herausfinden. Nur wenige Wochen später fiel er im Kampf.

Sein Soldbuch und die dazugehörige Identifikationsmarke wurden ihm kurz nach seinem Tod auf dem Schlachtfeld abgenommen. Diese Gegenstände bestätigten seiner Mutter später, was mit ihm geschehen war, lange nachdem die Waffen verstummt waren.

Als ich bei meinen Recherchen immer tiefer in den Papierkram eintauchte, wurde mir eine noch tragischere Geschichte klar. Seine Eltern und sieben Geschwister waren Flüchtlinge in Ostpreußen, die vor dem Vormarsch der Sowjets flohen.

Durch meine gründlichen Recherchen habe ich die ganze Geschichte von Fritz Sehr und seiner Familie ans Licht gebracht.

Der Anfang vom Ende – 1945

Fritz Sehr erhielt am 7. Januar 1945 in Königgrätz (heute Hradec in der Tschechischen Republik ) sein Soldbuch . Anschließend wurde er zur Hauptsanitätsstation der Fallschirmjäger geschickt . Nach bestandener Untersuchung wurde er direkt zu seiner neuen Ausbildungseinheit geschickt.

Wie so viele junge Rekruten zu diesem späten Zeitpunkt des Krieges hatte er nur eine geringe Chance, lebend davonzukommen. Viele Einheiten ließen diese unerfahrenen Soldaten Bereiche wie Brücken oder Übergänge verteidigen, meist mit wenig oder gar keiner Hoffnung, nennenswerten Widerstand zu leisten.

Ohne ausreichende Waffen, Munition oder Panzer- und Artillerieunterstützung hatten sie zudem kaum eine Chance, den Vormarsch einer weit überlegenen Streitmacht aufzuhalten.

Sehr hatte 1945 Zeit, ein paar Briefe an seine Familie zu schreiben. Noch heute kann der Leser den Elan dieses jungen Soldaten spüren . Seine Beschreibung des Soldatenlebens ist abenteuerlich. Viele junge deutsche Männer hatten als Mitglieder der Hitlerjugend jahrelange ideologische Indoktrination durchgemacht, und Sehr bildete da keine Ausnahme.

Schockierend klar ist auch, dass Sehr selbst in der Endphase des Krieges noch glaubte, er könne gewonnen werden. Er zitiert Propaganda ebenso wie seine eigene Meinung. Er glaubt fest an den unvermeidlichen Sieg der Deutschen.

Am 14. Dezember 1944 absolvierte Sehr seinen Pflichtdienst beim Reichsarbeitsdienst (RAD). Er schrieb an seine Schwester Marianne, eine Krankenschwester beim Deutschen Roten Kreuz in Berlin-Lichterfelde. In seinem Brief schrieb er:

„Unsere Vorgesetzten sind gut, mit unserem Gruppenleiter komme ich auch klar. Auch das Essen ist gut und reichlich, was brauche ich mehr? Ich bin nicht mit großen Erwartungen hierhergekommen. Was ich hier genieße, ist, dass die Zeit wie im Flug vergeht. Vier Wochen, fast fünf bin ich schon hier. Ich habe nicht viele Freunde gefunden, mit einem aus Posen bin ich befreundet, wir verstehen uns gut. Unsere Betten stehen nebeneinander, jeden Abend reden wir, und sonntags reden wir, wenn wir im Bett liegen, wollen wir nicht einmal rausgehen. Abends zünden wir eine Kerze an, gerade genug, um zu sehen … Ich sitze hier in der tollen Stadt Bisendorf, ungefähr 15-20 Häuser. Ich überlege verzweifelt, wie ich Weihnachtsgeschenke machen kann.“

Als Sehr im Januar 1945 seinen RAD-Dienst beendete, kam er in die besetzte Tschechoslowakei. Er schrieb erneut an seine Schwester Marianne.

„Wir werden woanders hingeschickt, also schreib nicht zurück! Liebe Marianne, ich sende Dir ganz herzliche Grüße! Ich bin seit zwei Tagen hier. Wir sind noch nicht angezogen, also fühle ich mich noch nicht wie ein Soldat. Die Anreise war gut, ich bin recht früh in Königgrätz angekommen und habe mir den Ort angeschaut. Es gefällt mir sehr gut, obwohl die Mehrheit der Bevölkerung Tschechen sind. Es gibt viele deutsche Beamte, fast alle Geschäfte sind tschechisch, ebenso die Hotelbesitzer. Sogar das Geld hier ist halb deutsch, halb tschechisch. Ich habe hier viel Neues erlebt. Herzliche Grüße, Fritz.“

After his medical, he was sent to his new unit (Fallschrimjäger Ersatz und Ausbildungs Regiment 3) for training on February 16, 1945. The unit was based in the Haselünne area in Germany. On the same day, he swore the oath to Adolf Hitler along with the other new recruits.

Sehr was issued his new dog tag (Erkennungsmarke) in the special coded format for paratroopers. His unique number was: 263 715/65.

Sehr wrote to his family on January 23, 1945. He told them about his journey across Europe by train and his new unit. He was clearly excited about starting his training and worried about his parents’ situation in the East, although he states that he is confident in the leadership to resolve it. (Note: all comments in bold are emphasis that I have added).

“To the ones I love. The small free time [that] I have I want to use to explain to you what has happened since the last time we spoke. Königgratz is long forgotten about, we left there five days ago. Three of those days were spent laying in a train wagon with 30 men moving along the lines. During the day I am fine, but at night when you try and stretch out someone will hit your feet on the way to the door, if you step on someone’s feet you will be sworn and cursed at.

I am laying, thank god, in the corner. I wanted to even though it’s not so soft like the mattress on the wooden floor which is, of course, much more comfortable. It was very warm inside, so one can deal with it. But we are dirty, and you would not have recognized me when we arrived. Ohh, your asking where I am right now? I am in Gardelegen. I will only be staying here for a short time, maybe two days. Here we will change from Flieger to Jäger, of which I now and in the future call myself.

With the Luftwaffe I won’t really have much more to do with, instead from now I am a Fallschrimjäger … Apart from that, with the soldiers I am fine, even when it is with you at home much nicer, I don’t want to leave. I really want to experience something, and from what I am feeling now, I don’t think I will be sitting around bored … How are things now with you guys? Things are not rosy, but steady and not that bad… The leadership will be sure to sort it out. In case you have to leave, go to Dehrn. There you will be well protected from the bombing raids. When I think about it, I felt a bit different. Dad is likely now in the Volkssturm or not? The best would have been I went with him together. Instead of sitting around here, but I suppose I need to be trained too.“

In February 1945, Sehr showed once again that he was worried about his family as he had not heard anything from them. This time, he wrote to his sister Marianne in Berlin.

He affirmed, once again, that he believed they would win the war. This was far from reality. The Red Army had, by that stage, made significant advances and were pushing towards the Oder river, in preparation for the coup de grace on the Third Reich.

“Then you must also leave, although I am not sure how long it will go on like this. Even though it looks bad, I have never doubted victory. I have with this view a safe feeling, I mean I don’t think anything other than that, even when I take the whole seriousness of the situation into account. So, we hope for the best.”

By March 1945, Sehr had lost contact with his parents who were trying to flee the advancing Red Army. At that point, he writes in his letter home about the tough training he is going through. He also says that he is now excited to take part in the fighting.

“Since I have heard that the Russians are on the move, I wish to be convinced otherwise, that they have been brought to a halt … I hope to get a message from you soon, and finally an address for you guys. Something came between that, we have been moved with the train and were well fed. In our new location we will only stay two days, then we will march through the night for 35km. Our packs will be driven but marching with the MG is no small task. For nine hours I have marched, seven of which with that thing on my shoulders. But you get used to it, and it’s only an exercise for the real thing, which we are all waiting for. It is not nice to sit still when you know in Germany there is a major battle.”

Later, in March 1945, Sehr was deployed to a Dutch village. He writes once again to his family, this time relating how he has had one of his first experiences with alcohol. He also says that he now believes in a counterattack that will turn the tables in the war.

“Hopefully, on the eastern front something important happens. Dr. Goebbels talked a few days ago that we should expect a counterattack.”

Sehr’s last letter was on March 23, 1945. His unit was spread out in the civilian houses. It is obvious they have been left to feel the brunt of the Allied advance alone. He was contemplating on shooting already and described this in his letter:

“Today I find myself in an empty house, that the people have left until the Wehrmacht get everything into order again! Apart from bed covers and food, everything in the house is left [so] that I am comfortable here. I don’t mind if that stays that way till the morning, or longer! I can live with this, for the nights there are enough lounge chairs to lay in. I am excited to see how it will go on here … The last eight days just blue skies, which for this area is unbelievable. But there are quite a few more aircraft in the skies, making the place rumble. But so far I cannot bless [my rifle by shooting it] yet, even though I was already close to shooting. You get used to it, being close to shoot, even though you may destroy something and start to think after about it. … It has gotten late here, I need to stop writing, there is no electric, for the civilians here there is nothing… I greet you all from my heart, your Fritz. Hopefully I will get post from you guys. That’s my only wish, as well as that my post reaches you. I nearly forgot, I wish you all a nice Easter.”

The reality of his situation only becomes clear when the letters are read in the correct historical context. Sehr may have joined an elite branch of the German Armed forces, but in 1945, the Fallschrimjäger were not paratroopers in the strictest sense.

They had not performed any large operational deployments for some time. The men of the Fallschrimjäger took a more conventional role in ground operations. Sehr had, by 1945, gone through a small amount of training. Then, not far from his training grounds on the Dutch border, he was thrown into battle.

Operation Plunder – the Advance into Germany

The objective of this operation was to strike into the heart of Germany. The English-led attack across the River Rhine was launched on March 23, 1945.

This was the same day Sehr wrote his last letter home. At that time, he was writing from a Dutch town directly on the border.

On March 24, Goebbels wrote in his diary that this Allied operation was the beginning of a deadly phase of the war.

Fritz Sehr would see action at the tail end of this operation, as the Allied forces started to push towards the river Elbe. In the town of Heek in Germany, according to his Soldbuch, he took part in close combat action.

As a result of my research, I can say that the unit he met face-to-face were members of Montgomery’s Desert Rats, namely men of the 1^st Royal Tank Regiment as well as the soldiers of the 5^th Queen’s Royal Regiment, along with some Canadian soldiers on the tanks.

These troops were on the move the day before, in the town of Stadtlohn, where they fought against members of the Panzer Grenadier Ersatz Regiment 33. From the history of the English unit, I gleaned the fact that Fritz’s group put up a good fight, “despite being an ‘odds and sods’ unit.“

The fight was in Heek on the night of March 31, 1945. This must be the area where Sehr now found himself attached to the ad hoc unit, as his entry for close combat seems to be accredited by the same battalion.

The morning after, the Germans counterattacked at Heek near the castle with 150 men. The English soldiers were forced to leave their breakfasts and fight.

The counterattack was futile as 119 Germans were taken prisoner. A close look at the War Diaries for the Panzer Grenadier Regiment 115 show us that they were in close combat as follows: 31.3.1945 – Heek, Westfalen and 4.4.1945 – Dreierwalde.

Dreierwalde is an 8-hour walk from Heek in a northeast direction at a distance of 40 kilometers (about 25 miles). The town had been bombed on March 21, killing a total of 40 civilians and foreign workers on its airfield. It became the scene of a war crime as Allied airmen were executed there not long after.

The battle of Dreierwalde was a tough one. It involved many units, such as the infamous Grossdeutschland Regiment, and the Germans also fielded anti-tank guns manned by the SS.

The remains of the Kampfgruppe Knaust (a fighting group led by Oberstleutnant Knaust) were fighting in Dreierwalde. The fighting group led personally by Major Hans-Peter Knaust was putting up heavy resistance. Knaust knocked out two tanks when personally leading a counterattack.

Attacking the positions of the German forces were members of the Royal Scots Greys, the 155^th South Scottish Brigade, and the 44^th Royal Tank Regiment. According to a German historian, the battle for Dreierwalde was so tough on the Allied forces that they were given permission to plunder the town after the battle.

It was here that Fritz Sehr was killed. His body was buried in the town of Dreierwalde among his fellow soldiers.

The Struggle Continues – Refugees in Berlin, 1945

While Fritz Sehr might have been killed in action, the struggle for his family was far from over at this point.

His family consisted of his parents, Jakob and Erna Sehr, and their seven children. They were fleeing the Red Army advance from the town of Oborniki (Greater Poland, Poland).

According to an appeal after the war, Jakob Sehr was taken on April 11, 1945, near the Oder River. This was the location of the 1^st Belorussian Army under Marshall Schukow, which was just about to take Berlin with a planned assault over the Seelow Heights five days later.

The circumstances surrounding Jakob’s disappearance were that he had gone to the Soviet Army and reported for work as a shoemaker. He was taken to Russia and his wife never received any messages from him.

In July 1945, Erna and her seven children had reached the outskirts of the ruined city of Berlin. They were hoping to find her daughter Marianne.

They were living in a cellar in Rüdnitz, Bernau just outside the city. One of the children, Luise, was now suffering from TB. According to the original documents, they were all in a bad state and in need of adequate food. Luise was in danger of dying if they were not given proper quarter and nourishment.

The German Red Cross at Berlin Lichterfelde issued a letter in three languages ordering her to attend: the address was none other than the place of work for Marianne and the two were reunited. It is highly likely she helped to supply the papers to her mother.

By September 1945, the Red Army had told Erna that she could not stay in Berlin as no new people could be taken in the city. She was authorized to go to Deitz/Lahn by train.

Erna would not know of Fritz’s death until she wrote to the Red Cross in 1947. She likely wrote to them in the hope that her son Fritz was taken as a prisoner.

She received a letter back from the department for Prisoners of War in Geneve dated December 23, 1947, which stated:

“We are sorry to inform you that your son was killed in battle on the 3/5^th of April 1945, and is buried in the cemetery at Dreierwalde. The news was given via London, that the Soldbuch No:3101 and the Dog Tag: 263715 E/65 belonging to Fritz Sehr was in the records. This news was confirmed in 1948 by the German Authorities.”

The priest who buried Fritz in April 1945 wrote to Erna in January 1948. He confirms that, yes, Fritz was one of the dead from the heavy battles in the area on April 5, 1945.

He confirms that Erna’s son is buried in their cemetery and that his dog tag number was 263715. The priest goes on to say that he was buried alongside 76 others who were killed in the same battle.

Es ist wahrscheinlich, dass dieser Priester oder einer der Friedhofsmitarbeiter das Soldbuch und die Erkennungsmarke von Fritz’ Leiche abgenommen hat, bevor sie ihn beerdigten. Das Soldbuch wurde zusammen mit der Erkennungsmarke im Mai 1950 seiner Mutter zurückgegeben.

Im Jahr 1970 erhielt die betagte Dame Erna Sehr einen Brief vom Roten Kreuz. Darin wurde ihr mitgeteilt, dass ihr Mann Jakob Sehr vermisst sei und keine Informationen über seinen Verbleib vorlägen.

Jakob kehrte wie viele andere Männer nie aus den Zwangsarbeitslagern im Osten nach Hause zurück. Erna hatte ihren Sohn und ihren Mann im Krieg verloren. Als Flüchtlinge hatten Erna und ihre sieben Kinder das Ende des Dritten Reichs überlebt. Später gelang es ihnen, aus der zerstörten Stadt Berlin herauszukommen.

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Der Tod des 18-jährigen Fritz Sehr fiel mit den letzten verzweifelten Atemzügen Nazideutschlands zusammen und spiegelte die schreckliche Realität des Krieges wider. Sein Schicksal war, wie das vieler anderer junger deutscher Soldaten, durch die bösen Lügen und Propaganda des Dritten Reichs besiegelt.