Oberst Pohlman, Festung Kommandant

[dante]

An interesting pass to Hartwig Pohlman Oberst a.D, his father was Generalltn of Engineers  Friedrich Wilhelm Pohlman and he himself served in the Great War winning both 2nd (13 July 1917) and 1st class (10 June 1918) Iron cross with Grenadier Regiment 5

Question; Has anyone got the history of the Regiment to find out how the EKs were won?

Serving throughout the interwar period and promoted Lt Colonel in 1939 and Colonel  on the 1st  December 1941.

Winning the EK 1& 2 Spanges in 1939, West wall in 1940, a Bulgarian order in 1941, Silver wound badge and silver infantry assault in 1943, he was appointed Kommandant of Festung Gironde

On the 25th of May  1944 (according to his records) an incident concerning an Oberleutnant Walter Dressel of the 2. Leiche Flak-Abteilung 999 (v) at the Hotel de Franc in Fontenay in which Dressel was shot by Pohlman??

"In May 1944. Pohlmann and a Major of Generalstaff returned from a visit at Feldmarschall v. Rundstedt and were met by a riotous Oberleutnant in their Hotel and tried to calm him down. But it seems that the Oberleutnant didn't want to follow any orders and Pohlman and the Major tried to arrest him. Later the Oberleutnant loaded his pistol and in the end he was dead. Pohlmann was accused for shooting him".

I have confirmed the death of Dressel as the 25 may 1944

Pohlman was found guilty and removed from post....pending going to court

Pohlman after the incident wrote; "that he is deeply disappointed because of getting no War decorations since 1939 although being in active service as well as being offended in his honour as officer".

Additionally he is angry about being put in for the German Cross in Gold two times without it being awarded as well as not being promoted although many younger officers were already Generals. 

 

Furthermore it seems that he was imprisoned in Giessen and the Wehrmacht prison in Torgau. Later at the Reichs War Court of Justice he was absolved.

 

He then went onto the Fuhrers reserve until the end of the war? Later he then went into the Bundeswehr as a Colonel and wrote a number of books

 

Welcome any other information on Pohlman, thanks, Paul 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Jock Auld]

Nice pass, enjoyed the picture of the 'sneaky fag', perhaps before some sort of visit?

[dante]

Thanks Jock, it was taken in Oslo 

[hucks216]

Interesting pass and background story. It is interesting to see just how big a part 'awards' seemed to play in the prestige of some soldiers.

If his personnel files are at NARA they will be in A3356 Roll 659 which covers the names POHL - POKRANDT. If his file is there then it could shed light on his service from WW-1 to the end of WW-2 (each roll costs $135 to copy and ship to the UK, so it might be cheaper to contact a researcher such as Digital History Archive who might be able to just copy his file rather than getting the whole roll).

Edited June 19, 2015 by hucks216

[dante]

Thanks Kev, I have his docs which detail his trial and post war comments but nothing on his WW1 service, I also have some of his post war archive, it appears all of his stuff was destroyed in an air raid in 1944.... Also a Google search under "Pohlmann" has a number of interesting comments with regards WW1, question is ......

is it my Pohlman or a Pohlmann  

 

[Eric JB]

Hi,

I would go by Pohlman, as I am sure that the man would know how to write his own name !, see his signature - Pohlman.
Sorry to see that the group is no longer complete........
Till 12.11.1944 he was still Festung Kommandant and not only the death of an officer did get him removed from his position, but Pohlman refused to blow up the harbor installations because he was of the opinion that the port was still needed for bringing in and the evacuation of troops and for the supply of the Festung.
Pohlman was removed from his position and flown out of the Festung.

Best regards

Eric-Jan

 

[dante]

Hi Eric, by "not complete" what do you mean?

[Eric JB]

Hi Paul,

From what I do remember as having his little grouping in my hands fresh from Germany in the early 90ties.

His French captivity ID with what seems to be the pass-photo of his Soldbuch, a very nice portrait photo.

Telegram to Pohlmann, "house bombed down, cellar still standing"

Paperwork about his wife and children, for food supplies.

Best regards

Eric-Jan

[dante]

Further to my research, he left an oral history with the Imperial War Museum http://www.iwm.org.uk/collections/item/object/80004177

[hucks216]

The research keeps getting better. With that IWM record you'll be able to trace his WW-1 service and experiences.

Edited January 8, 2017 by hucks216

[dante]

Nice picture that hopefully will come my way

The IWM has an oral history as follows; EEL 1 Recollections of service as officer with 36th Prussian Div in Ypres area, Belgium, 8/1917-9/1917: situation; conditions of service; battalion relief system; counter-attack following attack of 51st Div 20/9/1917; reaction to kilted soldiers; comparison of attitude of British and French wounded POWs. Recollections of German offensive in St Quentin sector,Somme area, France, 21/3/1918-28/3/1918: arrival of divisions from Eastern Front; prior training and state of morale, 1/1918; move into line in St Quentin area, 2/1918; capture of British POW from 36th Div whilst patrolling in No Man's Land; final preparations and state of morale, 20/3/1918; preliminary bombardment; attack in severe fog across No Man's Land and story of capturing British artillery battery from rear; ground attack from British aircraft; British POWs; breakthrough and question of cavalry exploitation; Recollections of operations, 4/1918-8/1918: move and subsequent offensive in Chemin des Dames sector, 4/1918-5/1918; question of state of civilian morale in Germany; failure of attack across River Marne effects of arrival of US troops, 7/1918; state of morale and effects of losses during retreat, 7/1918-8/1918; capture, 27/8/1918. Recollections of German offensive in St Quentin sector, 21/3/1918: final preparations and state of morale, 20/3/1918; attack in severe fog across No Man's Land and story of capturing British artillery battery from rear. Recollections of operations, 4/1918-8/1918: move and subsequent offensive in Chemin des Dames sector, 4/1918-5/1918; question of state of civilian morale in Germany; failure of attack across River Marne effects of arrival of US troops, 7/1918; state of morale and effects of losses during retreat, 7/1918-8/1918.

Edited May 12, 2017 by dante