Was the German Commandant for Arnhem, General Kussin scalped?

Hello,

I recently heard that the German Commandant for Arnhem, General Kussin was scalped by a British Paratrooper as he lay dead hanging half out of his car. Anyone know if there's any trueth to this?

 

The picture may give that impression but I do think that he had been hit so that half of the head´s skin/hair just got loose of the skull.



http://www.arnhemarchive.org/Biog/Friedrich_Kussin_1.htm

Here´s a pic from the net on the driver:



http://www.arnhemarchive.org/Photos1/Pic_KussinDriver.htm

 

Just replied to this topic on another forum...

No truth in the story at all. Where did you hear it?

In four years of research on Arnhem I have never heard this. The wound he recieved looks consistent with flying glass from the window or windscreen after it was hit by gunfire.

RED... or Piers...

 

Suppose the indians are about then!

 

This came from 'After The Battle, Operation Market Garden, Then and Now' books edited by Karel Margry. It could have happened after the picture was taken as well, who knows.

 

Just to digress slightly...
What kind of car was he driving in? Looks like a Citroen Light 15.

Regards,

Gordon

 

It is a Citroen.

How could he have been scalped when his scalp is still (just) attached...

Sounds like a load of tosh to me...

The guy was in a car that recieved a tremendous amount of fire. Look at the mess. Why couldnt the wound have been caused in that?

Now if it was American Paras...

 

Piers,

you're assusming the picture was taken after that would have happened, which is wrong to think because if he had been scalped it could have just as easily been after that picture was taken than before.

 

Then how can anyone prove it?

 

Apparently the person that wrote the book got it from somewhere. I haven't read the book myself yet, though I'm now going to buy it this week.

 

I dont like the after the battle books from a historical POV. The pics are great but they do contain some errors.

Let me know what the Market-Garden one is like. Also try a copy of It Never Snows in September... Very good read...

 

First off, I'd agree with RB about the ATB books. I rate them very highly indeed for the pictorial content and over the years have had much pleasure visiting the 'Then & Now' locations - which would have been impossible without the efforts of the ATB researchers.

That said, I don't use the books for historical source information.

And I wasn't at all comfortable with the caption reference to 'scalping'. Of course, ugly things happen in war, but references to atrocities at Arnhem are scarce on either side. Mutilation of corpses by British airborne forces seems highly unlikely. The body remained where it fell throughout the battle. One therefore assumes that it was recovered and buried by the Germans at the end of the battle ; wouldn't they have made propaganda use if the corpse had been abused ? Thousands of British soldiers passed Kussin's body ; I have never read any first-hand account referring to mutilation.

Looking closely at the photo, there is a suspicious absence of 'gore' around the head. The hair is still in situ which prompts another thought. It looks fairly luxuriant and rich-coloured for a middle-aged man ; could we be looking at a wig or hair-piece ? Not as ludicrous as you may think ; the gloves and cigarette-holder point to Kussin being concerned with appearances, as one would expect of a a high-ranking Wehrmacht officer.

Anyhow - that is pure speculation, and so, I think, is the 'scalping' theory......

 

Martin,

I heard that Simon Haines knows a Vet who commented that Kussin was wearing a hair piece!

 

There is actual movie footage of British troops passing Kussin's body. I remember seeing it. I just think his hairdo is messed up by the force of his body slamming/falling out of the car. I don't think he lost his hair by the British paras. Besides being totally out of carachter for them, I think he just might recently had an (typical) 40s haircut. (I just read RB's hairpiece theory. I was about to throw that in.)

He also might have received bullit in the face, blowing the back of his head open.

 

I think if he had been scalped the one who did it would take the scalp with him as a sign for victory...

No, seriously, I don´t think that scalping happened , his scalp got parted from the skull by other means.

 

pause...........

if he had even been partially scalped the blood would be everywhere on his face, coat and the road. It appears as a flopped over hair piece to me

 

My Uncle ,Tom Prosho is one of the Paras passing by Kussins body,he told me that the staff car appeared suddenly,and they just opened up on it ,but he never mentioned anything about scalping,i would think this is fiction.