Heinrich Severloh
Encyclopedia
Heinrich Severloh was a soldier in the German 352nd Infantry Division
, which was stationed in Normandy
in 1944. He has been referred to as the “Beast of Omaha Beach” by the media of English speaking countries. He rose to notoriety as a gunner in a machine gun emplacement known as WN 62 “Widerstandsnest 62”. In his autobiography he claimed that in that position he inflicted 1500-2000 casualties while American soldiers were landing on Omaha Beach
as part of Operation Overlord
.
) in the Lüneburg Heath
of north Germany, close to the small city of Celle
.
into the Wehrmacht
on July 23, 1942, at the age of 19. He was assigned to the 19th Light Artillery Replacement Division in Hanover
-Bothfeld. On August 9, he was transferred to France and joined the 3rd Battery of the 321st Artillery Regiment, where he was trained as a dispatch rider. In December 1942, he was sent to the Eastern Front
, where he was assigned to the rear of his division as a sleigh driver. In punishment for dissenting remarks, Severloh was forced to perform physical exertions which left him with permanent health problems. The immediate consequence was a six month convalescence in a military hospital, which lasted until June 1943. Upon discharge from the hospital, he was given several weeks leave (partly because of the need for manpower during the harvest). In October 1943, Severloh was sent to junior officer training in Braunschweig
, but after his unit, which had suffered heavy casualties, was transferred back to France
, he was obliged to break off his training to rejoin it. In December, Severloh did rejoin his unit, which in the meantime had been reclassified as the 352nd Infantry Division and was stationed in Normandy. Severloh’s service in the Wehrmacht ended on June 7, 1944, when he was taken prisoner
by the American forces.
According to Severloh, there were only two or three active emplacements with machine guns in his section of the beach at the time of the landing. He and the 19-year-old Franz Gockel positioned next to him were armed with machine guns. Severloh claimed that there were just 30 soldiers defending the beach . However, in WN62 alone, there were 19 men. Holderfield states that the beach defences at Omaha consisted of 8 concrete bunkers containing 75mm or greater artillery, 35 pillboxes with machine guns or artillery, 18 anti-tank guns, six mortar pits, 35 rocket launcher sites and 85 machine gun nests. Such large numbers suggest that Severloh's estimate of thirty men defending the beach is unreliable.
The American GIs had poor tactical positions during the storming of the beach. Between the edge of the water and the dunes, there was a very wide, treacherous strip of sand to cross, which was completely flat and without cover. The advance bombing of the German defensive positions had produced no concrete results. Severloh’s lines of fire almost entirely covered the sections of beach known as Easy Red and Fox Green.
Severloh was assigned to a Lieutenant Friedrich Frerking as his orderly. While Frerking coordinated the artillery fire of his battery from a bunker, Severloh manned an MG42
. He fired on the waves of approaching American GIs with the machine gun and two Karabiner 98k
rifles, while comrades kept up a continuous flow of ammunition to him. By 3 p.m., Severloh had fired approximately 12,000 rounds with the machine gun and 400 rounds with the two rifles. He alleges in his autobiography that this resulted in an estimated 2000-2500 American deaths and injuries, however this is likely a gross overestimation, since total American casualties on Omaha Beach were approximately 3000.
GIs finally found a thinly manned gap between resistance nests 62 and 64 (directly below the site of the U.S. War Cemetery) and were thus able to attack Widerstandsnest 62 from behind. Lieutenant Frerking’s artillery observation bunker and Widerstandsnest 62 still exist and can be visited at the beach below Colleville. The foxhole can only be vaguely discerned.
and was stationed in Karlsruhe
, Germany
. It was there that they met for the second time. Severloh asked him how he had come to be a chaplain. Silva's answer was: “In the moment when I had to get out of that landing boat and run up into the fire of your machine gun, I cried out to God to help me to get out of this hell alive. I pledged to become a chaplain and as such to help other soldiers.” After living through the war, he was ordained a priest. The erstwhile enemies became good friends and at the 2005 reunion of Allied Forces in Normandy, Severloh and Silva met once more. According to eyewitnesses, the two seemed to be “the best of friends”. Between the time they first met after the war, until Severloh's death, the two wrote to each other often. Silva is now living in Cleveland, Ohio
as a priest and has visited Severloh's gravesite more than once.
Severloh was released from captivity in 1947. He had first been sent as a prisoner of war to Boston, USA, where he was held until May 1946. That December, he arrived in Bedfordshire
in England
, where he helped with the construction of roads. Severloh regained his freedom as the result of a request made by his father to the British military authorities, as Severloh was needed to work in the fields of his parents’ farm.
German 352nd Infantry Division
The 352nd Infantry Division was a formation of the German Wehrmacht during World War II. A western front unit, the 352nd became notable for its tenacious defense of Omaha Beach on D-Day, 6 June 1944.-Formation and strengths:...
, which was stationed in Normandy
Normandy
Normandy is a geographical region corresponding to the former Duchy of Normandy. It is in France.The continental territory covers 30,627 km² and forms the preponderant part of Normandy and roughly 5% of the territory of France. It is divided for administrative purposes into two régions:...
in 1944. He has been referred to as the “Beast of Omaha Beach” by the media of English speaking countries. He rose to notoriety as a gunner in a machine gun emplacement known as WN 62 “Widerstandsnest 62”. In his autobiography he claimed that in that position he inflicted 1500-2000 casualties while American soldiers were landing on Omaha Beach
Omaha Beach
Omaha Beach is the code name for one of the five sectors of the Allied invasion of German-occupied France in the Normandy landings on 6 June 1944, during World War II...
as part of Operation Overlord
Operation Overlord
Operation Overlord was the code name for the Battle of Normandy, the operation that launched the invasion of German-occupied western Europe during World War II by Allied forces. The operation commenced on 6 June 1944 with the Normandy landings...
.
Birth
Severloh was born into a farming family in Metzingen (now EldingenEldingen
Eldingen is a municipality in the district of Celle, in Lower Saxony, Germany....
) in the Lüneburg Heath
Lüneburg Heath
The Lüneburg Heath is a large area of heath, geest and woodland in northeastern part of the state of Lower Saxony in northern Germany. It forms part of the hinterland for the cities of Hamburg, Hanover, and Bremen and is named after the town of Lüneburg. Most of the area is a nature reserve...
of north Germany, close to the small city of Celle
Celle
Celle is a town and capital of the district of Celle, in Lower Saxony, Germany. The town is situated on the banks of the River Aller, a tributary of the Weser and has a population of about 71,000...
.
Service in the Wehrmacht
Severloh was conscriptedConscription
Conscription is the compulsory enlistment of people in some sort of national service, most often military service. Conscription dates back to antiquity and continues in some countries to the present day under various names...
into the Wehrmacht
Wehrmacht
The Wehrmacht – from , to defend and , the might/power) were the unified armed forces of Nazi Germany from 1935 to 1945. It consisted of the Heer , the Kriegsmarine and the Luftwaffe .-Origin and use of the term:...
on July 23, 1942, at the age of 19. He was assigned to the 19th Light Artillery Replacement Division in Hanover
Hanover
Hanover or Hannover, on the river Leine, is the capital of the federal state of Lower Saxony , Germany and was once by personal union the family seat of the Hanoverian Kings of Great Britain, under their title as the dukes of Brunswick-Lüneburg...
-Bothfeld. On August 9, he was transferred to France and joined the 3rd Battery of the 321st Artillery Regiment, where he was trained as a dispatch rider. In December 1942, he was sent to the Eastern Front
Eastern Front (World War II)
The Eastern Front of World War II was a theatre of World War II between the European Axis powers and co-belligerent Finland against the Soviet Union, Poland, and some other Allies which encompassed Northern, Southern and Eastern Europe from 22 June 1941 to 9 May 1945...
, where he was assigned to the rear of his division as a sleigh driver. In punishment for dissenting remarks, Severloh was forced to perform physical exertions which left him with permanent health problems. The immediate consequence was a six month convalescence in a military hospital, which lasted until June 1943. Upon discharge from the hospital, he was given several weeks leave (partly because of the need for manpower during the harvest). In October 1943, Severloh was sent to junior officer training in Braunschweig
Braunschweig
Braunschweig , is a city of 247,400 people, located in the federal-state of Lower Saxony, Germany. It is located north of the Harz mountains at the farthest navigable point of the Oker river, which connects to the North Sea via the rivers Aller and Weser....
, but after his unit, which had suffered heavy casualties, was transferred back to France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
, he was obliged to break off his training to rejoin it. In December, Severloh did rejoin his unit, which in the meantime had been reclassified as the 352nd Infantry Division and was stationed in Normandy. Severloh’s service in the Wehrmacht ended on June 7, 1944, when he was taken prisoner
Prisoner of war
A prisoner of war or enemy prisoner of war is a person, whether civilian or combatant, who is held in custody by an enemy power during or immediately after an armed conflict...
by the American forces.
Widerstandsnest 62 controversy
The site of Severloh’s last active mission was part of a medium-sized emplacement known as “Widerstandsnest 62” (English: resistance nest 62). In the absence of a well-developed defensive line, such “resistance nests” had been established along the Atlantic coast and allocated numbers for identification. There were radio and telephone connections between the various emplacements, and many were also within eyesight of one another. The soldiers manning the emplacements in a firing line could therefore coordinate with one another.According to Severloh, there were only two or three active emplacements with machine guns in his section of the beach at the time of the landing. He and the 19-year-old Franz Gockel positioned next to him were armed with machine guns. Severloh claimed that there were just 30 soldiers defending the beach . However, in WN62 alone, there were 19 men. Holderfield states that the beach defences at Omaha consisted of 8 concrete bunkers containing 75mm or greater artillery, 35 pillboxes with machine guns or artillery, 18 anti-tank guns, six mortar pits, 35 rocket launcher sites and 85 machine gun nests. Such large numbers suggest that Severloh's estimate of thirty men defending the beach is unreliable.
The American GIs had poor tactical positions during the storming of the beach. Between the edge of the water and the dunes, there was a very wide, treacherous strip of sand to cross, which was completely flat and without cover. The advance bombing of the German defensive positions had produced no concrete results. Severloh’s lines of fire almost entirely covered the sections of beach known as Easy Red and Fox Green.
Severloh was assigned to a Lieutenant Friedrich Frerking as his orderly. While Frerking coordinated the artillery fire of his battery from a bunker, Severloh manned an MG42
MG42
The MG 42 is a 7.9mm universal machine gun that was developed in Nazi Germany and entered service with the Wehrmacht in 1942...
. He fired on the waves of approaching American GIs with the machine gun and two Karabiner 98k
Karabiner 98k
The Karabiner 98 Kurz was a bolt action rifle chambered for the 8x57mm IS/7.92×57mm IS cartridge that was adopted as the standard service rifle in 1935 by the German Wehrmacht. It was one of the final developments in the long line of Mauser military rifles...
rifles, while comrades kept up a continuous flow of ammunition to him. By 3 p.m., Severloh had fired approximately 12,000 rounds with the machine gun and 400 rounds with the two rifles. He alleges in his autobiography that this resulted in an estimated 2000-2500 American deaths and injuries, however this is likely a gross overestimation, since total American casualties on Omaha Beach were approximately 3000.
GIs finally found a thinly manned gap between resistance nests 62 and 64 (directly below the site of the U.S. War Cemetery) and were thus able to attack Widerstandsnest 62 from behind. Lieutenant Frerking’s artillery observation bunker and Widerstandsnest 62 still exist and can be visited at the beach below Colleville. The foxhole can only be vaguely discerned.
GI David Silva
GI David Silva, gravely wounded, possibly by Severloh, on Omaha Beach was contacted by Severloh. In the 1960s, Severloh found David Silva’s name in a book about the invasion. Wishing to find this man that he possibly shot at, Severloh wrote him a letter. Several months later, Severloh discovered that Silva was once more active in the U.S. Army as a military chaplainMilitary chaplain
A military chaplain is a chaplain who ministers to soldiers, sailors, airmen, marines and other members of the military. In many countries, chaplains also minister to the family members of military personnel, to civilian noncombatants working for military organizations and to civilians within the...
and was stationed in Karlsruhe
Karlsruhe
The City of Karlsruhe is a city in the southwest of Germany, in the state of Baden-Württemberg, located near the French-German border.Karlsruhe was founded in 1715 as Karlsruhe Palace, when Germany was a series of principalities and city states...
, Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
. It was there that they met for the second time. Severloh asked him how he had come to be a chaplain. Silva's answer was: “In the moment when I had to get out of that landing boat and run up into the fire of your machine gun, I cried out to God to help me to get out of this hell alive. I pledged to become a chaplain and as such to help other soldiers.” After living through the war, he was ordained a priest. The erstwhile enemies became good friends and at the 2005 reunion of Allied Forces in Normandy, Severloh and Silva met once more. According to eyewitnesses, the two seemed to be “the best of friends”. Between the time they first met after the war, until Severloh's death, the two wrote to each other often. Silva is now living in Cleveland, Ohio
Ohio
Ohio is a Midwestern state in the United States. The 34th largest state by area in the U.S.,it is the 7th‑most populous with over 11.5 million residents, containing several major American cities and seven metropolitan areas with populations of 500,000 or more.The state's capital is Columbus...
as a priest and has visited Severloh's gravesite more than once.
Captivity
Severloh was slightly injured in the face at Omaha Beach. He retreated with one Wehrmacht soldier to the nearby village of Colleville. He was taken captive by American soldiers while escorting American prisoners from a dugout to a prisoner collection point.Severloh was released from captivity in 1947. He had first been sent as a prisoner of war to Boston, USA, where he was held until May 1946. That December, he arrived in Bedfordshire
Bedfordshire
Bedfordshire is a ceremonial county of historic origin in England that forms part of the East of England region.It borders Cambridgeshire to the north-east, Northamptonshire to the north, Buckinghamshire to the west and Hertfordshire to the south-east....
in England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
, where he helped with the construction of roads. Severloh regained his freedom as the result of a request made by his father to the British military authorities, as Severloh was needed to work in the fields of his parents’ farm.