Horrific and moving - D Day Omaha Beach MG42 gunner meets GI

**Scout** · 03-26-2012, 06:59 PM

I did a search on Severloh and stumbled over this segment on youtube.
Its about Heinrich Severloh who was a young MG gunner in Normandy during D-Day.
He stuck to his MG and K98 all day long and by his own account, he shot thousands of soldiers. I will not be the judge of how many he hit considering the total KIA on Omaha Beach, suffice it to say that it made an impression on him.
Anyway, the segment tells of his life and that of a GI.
Their lives converge on D-Day, when the American Silva lands at Omaha Beach, where Severloh is a MG gunner.
Not much in the way of pictures but that is not the imperative part either.
Its the tale, the raw emotions and the meet of the two vets.
Not really something to skip through, so microwave the popcorns and settle for the 53 minutes of the segment....., if you are into that sort of thing.
Sorry, its in German.

Heinrich Severloh: Die Todfeinde von Omaha Beach - YouTube

Heinrich Severloh - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

**Datrus** · 03-26-2012, 07:04 PM

Thanks a lot for the link mate. I will put on the popcorn and tea.

**Wagriff** · 03-26-2012, 07:06 PM

Looks like Severloh was wise enough to keep his mouth shut when he was captured, or else, almost certainly, he would have been tossed in a ditch by the GI's after inflicting That kind of casualties on them.

**Datrus** · 03-26-2012, 07:10 PM

Most like likely yes. As i have written before, i was gunner on the MG62 which is almost identical to the MG42. I don't really doubt his "harvest" claim. It's a deadly weapon to be in the receiving end of.

**Scout** · 03-26-2012, 07:11 PM

by Datrus

Thanks a lot for the link mate. I will put on the popcorn and tea.

No problem. I look forward to hearing about your impression of the video.
Food for thought to not only hear about D-Day but also all the background material leading up to the horrific events on Omaha Beach.
It made an impression on me anyway.

**Scout** · 03-26-2012, 07:13 PM

by Wagriff

Looks like Severloh was wise enough to keep his mouth shut when he was captured, or else, almost certainly, he would have been tossed in a ditch by the GI's after inflicting That kind of casualties on them.

No doubt about that.

**Scout** · 03-26-2012, 07:18 PM

by Datrus

Most like likely yes. As i have written before, i was gunner on the MG62 which is almost identical to the MG42. I don't really doubt his "harvest" claim. It's a deadly weapon to be in the receiving end of.

Ive shot thousands of rounds through that too. Super efficient classic MG.
You most likely know, that Danish soldiers to this day value it highly and ironically call it the 'Nazi Saw.'
A nickname for it was also mentioned in the video BTW.
The MG62 is still going strong in Astan and being belt fed works far better than the joke of a LSW someone in a haze bought from Diemaco (now Colt Canada). Note to Danish buyers of weapons for the Army: When all other nations for decades have turned down a specific LSW, it might be food for thought.