Article about: SS plate from the ruins of Berlin This has a different twist to it. It was not brought back by a GI at the end of World War Two. It was brought back by a Soldier 44 years after the Battle fo
This has a different twist to it. It was not brought back by a GI at the end of World War Two. It was brought back by a Soldier 44 years after the Battle for Berlin in April/May 1945.
But first a little history to add to the context of this post:
After the Battle for Berlin and the US Army was allowed entry into the US Zone by the Soviet Army, the first US Forces set up tents and bivouacked in the area in the US occupation zone known as the Grunewald. This was a forested area in the Southwest suburb of Berlin known as Stegliz/Zehlendorf area. This sector would later become the US zone of occupation from July 1945 to September 1994.
Some of the buildings that were occupied by the US Army were McNair Barracks, named after General Leslie McNair who was killed in a friendly fire incident in Normandy in July 1944. McNair Barracks, built in the 1930s, originally housed Telefunken headquarters and a factory, until 1941 a joint venture of Siemens & Halske (S & H) and Allgemeine Elektricitäts-Gesellschaft. During the Third Reich, the installation was mainly used for development and production of military equipment, and the radar-guided flak system was perfected there. In 1945 the Telefunken plant was converted into barracks for occupation soldiers and was known as McNair Barracks. This housed the infantry units of the Berlin Brigade.
The Support units of the US Army’s Berlin Brigade were housed at Andrews Barracks.
Andrews Barracks was originally constructed in 1873-74 as the Imperial "Hauptkadettenanstalt" - the main military academy of the German Empire. In 1933, the academy was taken over by the "SS Leibstandarte Adolf Hitler” Hitler’s bodyguard. During the war, the facilities suffered heavy damage. The compound was taken over by United States forces in July 1945.
During the battle for Berlin, elements of the German 18th Panzer Grenadier Division were deployed in the forested area of the Grunewald and they faced the Soviet 3rd Guards Tank Army.
After the war large amounts of rubble from the center of Berlin as well as the other districts of Berlin was moved to the outskirts of the city and dumped in the Grunewald. Dirt was thrown over the rubble and after a several years the earthen mounds with buried rubble looked like natural landscape.
In the US Zone of Occupation, a rifle range was built in the Grunewald forest. The berms or backdrops for the ranges where the bullets would impact were made of these earthen rubble mounds. This range was known as Keerans Range. Named after 82nd Airborne Division Deputy Commander Charles L. Keerans who was listed as Missing in Action after another friendly fire incident where his C-47 aircraft was shot down during the Sicily operation.
I was stationed in Berlin in the late 80’s to 90s with the 6th Battalion 502nd Infantry Regiment. We would frequently occupy Keerans range for weapons qualification as well as Expert Infantryman’s Badge training and testing. It was during the EIB testing when I was part of the test cadre when I discovered the relic. It was during a break in training, and I decided to take a walk behind the berms to see what was on the other side. While walking to the other side of the berms I noticed a lot of old .30 caliber ammunition cans, expended .30 caliber brass, machine gun links, rusted metal cans, and other debris. It had been out there for a long time. As I neared one of the berms I started seeing old glass bottles and other pieces of glass and things shining off the sunlight. I stopped and looked down and at my feet was a piece of white glass. I knelt down and dug a little and I saw the runic SS. I uncovered a little more and unearthed the plate fragment that is pictured.
There is absolutely no way to know where this dinner plate came from, Andrews Barracks, SS Headquarters, The Fuhrer bunker, the possibilities are endless. What is also very ironic is the date in which I discovered this piece. July 20, 1989, 45 years after the July 20, 1944, plot to kill Adolf Hitler.
This is my best Spoils of War bring back item that has provenance that is unquestionable. Unfortunately, this was the only time I had the chance to go and explore but for the first time out relic hunting in the city of Berlin, I think I did alright.
I genuinely enjoyed the story Smitty, thank you for sharing it with us. The plate relic is awesome too! I can only imagine the adrenaline rush one gets after unearthing such a historic piece.
It was eerily quiet standing in the woods hearing the wind go through the trees and I thought of what the sounds and sights of battle would have been in May 1945 in that area...
It is one of my most cherished artifacts that I have
Indeed a lucky find. When my unit was in the field at another location in Berlin, we were digging an anti-tank fighting position and we unearthed a German gas mask canister as well as a live panzerfaust round. We quickly evacuated the area and called the local German Polizei and bomb disposal units to remove the round. After about 4 hours we were allowed to resume training in the area. This area was known as "Doughboy City" a mock village/city where we would practice CIC (Combat in the City) tactics in the event the Soviets and East Germans attacked.
Again some very eerie thoughts of defending the city and it brought to light some of the images of the street and house to house fighting that took place in Berlin again against the Soviets 45 years earlier...
We were only a delaying force, but we were going to put up some very strong resistance..
Fast forward to Iraq and those CIC skills took on a great appreciation, especially in Fallujah and other urban areas...
Enjoyed the story Smitty, there's nothing like unearthing such relics for the first time and wondering how it got there and who was the last person to see it during WW2.
SS Plate, Battle of Berlin...44 years later
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