Article about: this is amazing ! Next to the little tree is the "Artillerie-beobachtungs-Stelle" where the soldiers called "Frerking" and "Fack" observed the beach. They sent
Next to the little tree is the "Artillerie-beobachtungs-Stelle" where the soldiers called "Frerking" and "Fack" observed the beach. They sent the exact coordinations of the American forces to the artillery-battery in Houtteville (which is 4,5 kilometers behind the beach) From there they attacked the beach.
A boy who was about 22, called Hein Severloh had to defend the little Bunker of Frerking.
He was positioned seven meters next to the bunker with an MG42. He shot more than 2000 G.I.s that day and became infamous as the "beast of Omaha beach"
After the little bunker got a direct hit in the afternoon, the decided to leave.
So when those last few soldiers left the "Wiederstandsnest", Frerking was shot in the head and Severloh escaped (but was wounded several times).
So it is possible that the items you found there belong to one of these soldiers.
Do you remember exactly where you found the helmet?
Does it have a hole in the back of the head?
best wishes,
0.S.
here two of my pictures of the Artilleriebeobachtingsstelle:
I did not know this,where did you get this info.the items were found about 20 feet to the left to the front of the bunker if you are looking at it .Good pictures but when I found the items the area did not look like that .they are keeping it clean now .The helmet was totaly in pieces it broke in piece in my hands so I do not know about the hole.the helmet was at the same place with the 2 barrels.I knew those barrels had killed alot of are boys but the story now is just sad.20 years later I find this out I never wanted to sell them now I know why.
I did not know this,where did you get this info.the items were found about 20 feet to the left to the front of the bunker if you are looking at it .Good pictures but when I found the items the area did not look like that .they are keeping it clean now .The helmet was totaly in pieces it broke in piece in my hands so I do not know about the hole.the helmet was at the same place with the 2 barrels.I knew those barrels had killed alot of are boys but the story now is just sad.20 years later I find this out I never wanted to sell them now I know why.
This is very interesting indeed , if this is correct they could well be the barrels from Heins MG , probaly never to be proven beond doubt ,but then whos to say they that they are not ,in all probibilty they are , either way where they were found makes them a fantatic piece of history you have there mate, awesome , cheers Raymond
I would still like to get more info about this German soldiers.there is a good chance those barrels was use by them,but if they did not they are very interresting from a well documented area.
Hi Chris,
wonderfull pieces of history i would not part with them either,
there is still bits to find over there if you look hard enough.
im going back over in aug, so looking forward to that. As for the book WN62, i should think it is a very good book but i wish who ever did the graphics for the cover would have used a WW2
helmet and not a later version.
dave.
Hein Severloh was born on June, 23rd in Metzingen (tody its called Eldingen)
Before he was sent to normandy, he had a hard campaign in russia and froze his toes off.
When he was twenty he was sent to Normandy and there, he was the "Bursche" of his Oberleutnant Frerking.
As I said already, they slept in Houtteville the time before D-day.
When they were alerted in the night from june 5th on June 6th , they took a horse and they were riding too WN62, which is near Colleville-sur-mer.
Hein had to defend the "Artilleriebeobachtungsbunker" (=B-Stelle) with his MG42. He sat in a simple hole in the ground and no roof on it or something like that. It was seven meters next to the little bunker.
His position was 30 meters above the beach in about 200 meters distance.
Here some info about his weapon:
length of the barrel: 53 cm (please measure it cricketchris)
weight: 10,6 kilos
1500 shots per minute
7,92 mm bullets
Before the first U.S. soldiers landed there was an air raid on WN62 coming from the huge ships in the channel. But it was not very efficient and none of the 30 german soldiers of WN62 were killed.
After the air raid Severloh and his commander (and friend) Frerking stood on top of the B-Stelle and smoked some fags although Severloh didn’t smoke usually.
At about 6:30am , an LCIL approached the sector easy red. (WN62 was exactly on the border of fox green and easy red)
Slowly the ship stopped and everything was quiet- the germans and the US-forces.
The first G.I.s startded to walk down the stairs and up the beach. Firstly they thought there would be no resistance because of the air-raid.
Severloh sat in his hole and watched the soldiers walking through the water in their direction.
He was told by Frerking not to shoot until their knees were out of the water.
As soon as this was the case, all the four MGs shot them all.
Then all was quiet again, and Severloh noticed a heavy conflict on the LCIL. Then, the remaining G.I.s of the LCIL had to walk up the beach. They were as powerless as their buddies before.
A little while later, Severloh saw the first cluster of LCVPs approaching the beach. Many of these little nutshells were unintentionally arriving in front of WN62 due to the foul weather (which caused extreme chaos in the American lines).
When the ramps of the LCVPs fell down, Severloh shot directly in the boats. He had the only MG42 on the sector and he was good in shooting.
So only very few G.I.s survived the first waves. Between every wave, Frerking and his “Bursche” smoked again standing on top of the B-Stelle.
The American commanders doubted to stop the attack on Omaha because of these heavy losses there. But then they decided to attack the beach again with an air-raid with the risk of killing American survivors.
Then the coast of the Omaha-sector was attacked with heavy shells from the beach up to the top of the positions.
This air-raid had been more efficient as the first one. Now some of the Germans were wounded or the rifles were full of dirt and unable to shoot.
A German radio message from 10:12am says:
“WN62 is only firing with one MG, situation very critical “
It was Severloh who still held his position.
Beginning at noon, an unknown wounded seargant frequently provided Severloh with a lot of ammunition. The barrel of his MG42 sometimes turned too hot (it scorched the grass) he had to change the barrel or shoot with one of his two carbines 98k. Then he shot the soldiers pinpoint in the head. (He had many nightmares after the war because of this)
There was complete chaos on the beach
In the afternoon, there was no normal ammo anymore and he had to use night-ammunition.
So his position could be seen from far away easily. So the ships started to shoot at him specificly. Five times, a shell hit the ground directly in front of his hole which catapulted his MG behind his position and covered him with dirt. A little peace of his MG hit his eye.
This enhanced his furiousness and he continued to kill and kill and kill….
Down the beach, they already called him the “bloody beast up there”
But he himself did not really realize what he was doing all the time because he was full of adrenaline, anger and fright.
In the afternoon on 15:00pm ( ! ) The B-Stelle received a direct hit and they decided to leave.
Severloh and his comrades met in the trench. Severloh had shot about 12500 MG-bullets and about 400 with the carbines.
One after another ran up the hill, crawled through the craters and left WN62. Severloh, who had taken his MG42 with him, met a comrade in the woods behind. He was told that his friend Frerking had been shot in the head while he tried to flee. Severloh was deeply shocked. Nevertheless, the moved further and then, both, Severloh and his buddy were hit by American bullets. Then, he threw his heavy MG somewhere in the bushes and swore never to touch one of these in his life anymore.
In the evening, they were taken prisoner.
In 1947, he was released again. He married in 1949 and he told nobody about his bloody secret of.
Severloh is the soldier who killed the most enemies in WW2. (about 2000 G.I.s)
The barrel you showed us is one of an MG42. Severloh was the only one with such a weapon there….I’m pretty sure it belongs to him. (One of his reserve-barrels which was used, too. One of them, he threw in the bushes with the whole rifle)
Did you find really TWO barrels? Both at the same spot?
Can I see pictures of the other barrel?
I think the ammunition-carriers of yours are from the unknown seargant who provided Severloh with all the ammo he could find.
After the battle, the US-forces bulldoze the whole WN62, so I think there are still many things lying un the soil there.
I hope you liked the story…..If you have questions, please ask !
Best wishes,
0.S.
The picture is the exact view from Severloh's position, exactly 65 years later:
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