Thanks to my and our friend Paul for this info. It is my sad duty to inform you that Waffen SS Knights Cross Recipient: Paul-Albert Kausch, had passed away. He died in Ingelheim, Germany on October 27th 2001.

Paul-Albert Kausch, was a lifelong best friend of fellow Ritterkreuztrager Remy Schrijnen of SS Sturmbrigade Langemarck.

When Remy Schrijnen had been wounded 5 times-had been behing Russian lines by himself for 3 days--had killed at a modest estimate of 100 Russian Infantry--and knocked out appx 17 T-34 and JS-1 tanks, by himself. Paul was the man who rescued Remy, who was still at his post, during a Waffen SS counterattack against the Russian positions.

Remy and Paul became fast friends and remained the best of friends till Pauls passing.

I certainly do hope Paul is resting well now, as he is now in a much better place.

[ 06 November 2001: Message edited by: C.Evans ]

__________________
Lost are only those, who abandon themselves) Hans-Ulrich Rudel.

Carl :

First let me say thank you for the info on Remy. I'll send you a private request later today on him if I may. This is indeed lousy news, I have ordered the new English version of the 11th SS and the 23rd SS Nederland and was hoping to have a letter to Paul with a singed sticker and pic hopefully for this book.......rats. See guys, we need to get on the horn and write these gents. Everytime one passes, albeit US, British, Russian, Japenese, German or whomever, there is a window gone from history.

I am most saddened by this and all the guys that have served and now passed from us...

E

Erich-thanks and me too. I have to get busy and start writing to US vets and to Captain Annand V.C.

__________________
Lost are only those, who abandon themselves) Hans-Ulrich Rudel.

RKT Franz Hack is gone also. He passed away sometime ago, and I had this info but totally forgot about it as i just discovered the note I wrote to myselkf reminding me to post it.

Also, Karl-Heinz Giesler is NOT, I repeat, IS NOT A Knights Cross Recipient. This man is a fraud.

__________________
Lost are only those, who abandon themselves) Hans-Ulrich Rudel.

The only Feldgendarmerie in ww2 to become a Knights Cross Recipient, has passed away.

Heinz Heuer passed away in Koblenz on Jan 6th 2002.

Rest in Peace Herr Heuer.

__________________
Lost are only those, who abandon themselves) Hans-Ulrich Rudel.

How disgusting !....another one passes.

Carl, have you had chance to write Korvettenkapitän Fredrich Kemnade of S-boot fame yet ? the guy is 90 or 91 and can't say if he is alive or not......

we better write him soon I think.

E

Carl,

Have just checked the RK site and sadly found out that the following Waffen SS Ritterkreuztragers have passed away.

SS Sturmbannfuhrer Hans Hauser, "Der Fuhrer" Rgt on 21/11/01

SS Obersturmfuhrer Heinrich Bastian, "Deutschland" Rgt ,16/1/02

SS Obersturmfuhrer Otto Schneider, 7/SS Pz Rgt 5 "Wiking" on 6/11/01

SS Obersturmfuhrer Franz Riedel,7/ SS Pz Rgt 10 ,"Frundsberg" on 21/5/01.

Guys if you are wanting to contact veterans,don't think about it, DO IT NOW!!

Paul

__________________
Nikto ne Zabyt . Nichto ne Zabyto.

Let no one forget . Let nothing be forgotten.

Damn.... I had not been aware that Hans Hauser was gone--let alone the rest. Paul many thanks for this update. Damn......

Heres to you guys.

/---------------------\ ||
|Ritterkreuze Bier-|||""|""\______
|________________| ||__|__|__|)
(@)!'!(@)"""""**|(@)(@)****|(@)



[ 07 February 2002: Message edited by: C.Evans ]

[ 07 February 2002: Message edited by: C.Evans ]</p>

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Lost are only those, who abandon themselves) Hans-Ulrich Rudel.

Carl and everybody,

Found out today that Ritterkreuztrager Walter von Wietersheim passed away on 19/1/2002 in Bielefeld.He won the RK on 15/5/44 as a Hauptmann Commanding II Abt/ Panzer Regt,Grossdeutschland Div.

.His family informed me that his Funeral took place on 25/1/2002,another brave man has gone.For those who have the book there is an excellent photo of him wearing his RK in The Osprey men at arms series,Panzer Divisions by Martin Windrow.

Paul

__________________
Nikto ne Zabyt . Nichto ne Zabyto.

Let no one forget . Let nothing be forgotten.

Paul, thanks for this sad update--Wietersheim was another I was about to write to--damn

I also know of the photo which you speak--excellent one of him. This is one of the reasons why I love those Osprey books so much.

__________________
Lost are only those, who abandon themselves) Hans-Ulrich Rudel.

Carl,

More bad news my friend,have just found out that SS Oberscharfuher Willi Fey RKT on 29/4/45 with s.SS Panzer Abt 502 passed away on 29/4/2002 after a long illness.

For those interested in Waffen SS Panzer units Will's book Armour Battles of the Waffen SS 1943-1945 is a must for veterans accounts of the final 2 years of the war.I believe it is now out of print but i was lucky enough to get a copy direct from Will himself.

Another true Panzermann has gone!

Also SS Obersturmfuhrer Willi Hund passed away on 30/4/2002.

Paul

__________________
Nikto ne Zabyt . Nichto ne Zabyto.

Let no one forget . Let nothing be forgotten.

Thank you my friend for this update. Now all THREE Willy's are gone--Willi Hein and Willy Hund and Willi Fey. I used to be in email correspondance with Willy Hein and I think I still have them saved. It seems as Ernst Barkmann is one of the only Waffen SS Panzer RKTs still living--I know there are more but not in these guys class.

__________________
Lost are only those, who abandon themselves) Hans-Ulrich Rudel.

Carl,

Your right not many Waffen SS Panzer Rkt's are left now,although Karl Nicolussi-Leck and Karl-Heinz Lichte from the Wiking are still going as is Fritz Darges who is 90.Others i can think of are Fritz Langanke,Paul Eggers,Oscar Schafer,Rudolf von Ribbontrop,Richard Rudolf.
I will send you a mail about Willi Hein.

Paul

__________________
Nikto ne Zabyt . Nichto ne Zabyto.

Let no one forget . Let nothing be forgotten.

Hello Paul, anmd thank you again my friend. Also, a friend of mine in Switzerland is now a full member of the OdR, and will be sending me an application to join. I have to get Remy to be my sponsor.

Anyway--he sent me a list of more who have passed away--ill be printing his list here tomorrow as I have to run to work. See you then. This list has names we have here and some we didnt have--a total of 32.

__________________
Lost are only those, who abandon themselves) Hans-Ulrich Rudel.

32, dang ! Well I'll be most interested in whom of the Luftwaffe have passed on to blue skies. There just doesn't seem to be enough time in the day to record information from these gentlemen.......rats !

E

I might get a chance to post additional names tomorror evening.

__________________
Lost are only those, who abandon themselves) Hans-Ulrich Rudel.

Additional RKTs who have passed away.

Hans-Ekkehard Bob 1-28-02.

Reinhold Bohmke 11-12-01.

Albert Brux 12-16-01.

Rudolf Donth 6-19-01.

Eugen Gall 4-01.

Max Haschenberger 1-15-02.

Willy Hein 10-25-00.

Richard Herrmann 2-21-02.

Alfred Jarosch 8-31-01.

Erhard Liss 02-09-02.

Karl Willy Lumpp 03-31-01.

Heinz Macher 12-21-01.

Friedrich Muller-Rochholz 05-05-02.

Josef Niemetz 03-13-01

Gerold Overhoff 06-18-01.

Hans Gotthard Pestke 04-17-01.

George Petersen 07-10-01.

Anton-Detlev von Plato 10-12-01.

Heinz Scharf 07-13-01.

Erich Schneider 01-04-02.

Heinrich Starke 06-13-01.

Hannes Weik 06-06-01.

Heinz Welzel 02-06-00.

Alfred Wolf 12-04-00.

Willi Zimmermann 02-09-02.

This makes so far 53 Knights have passed away--since I have begun this particular thread.

The others listed in this thread are:
Heinrich Dammeier 05-15-01.
Peter Frantz 03-11-01.
Hans Hauser 11-21-01.
Paul-Albert Kausch 10-27-01.
Viktor Petermann 05-19-02.
Bruno Thielbein 05-02-01.
Rudolf Trenkel 04-26-01.
Helmut Bochnig.
Wilhelm Crinius.
Willi Fey.
Martin Lenz.
-- Gladewitz.
Werner Ziegler.
August Zindel.
Friedrich-Wilhelm Breidenbach.
Dr. Hans-Joachim Schultz-Merkel.
Dr. Heinrich-Andreas Schroeteler.
Friedrich-Wilhelm Berkenbusch (1 of 27 to be awarded the Single Aircraft Destruction Strip)))similar to the Single Tank Destruction Strip))
Helmut Ruffler.
Oskar Bremermann.
Karlheinz Zillies.
Walther Peer Fellgieble (Author of the best RKT book ever).
Franz Hack.
Heinz Heuer (The only Feldgendarmerie to be awarded the Knights Cross.
Heinrich Bastien.
Otto Schneider.
Franz Riedel.
Walther von Wietersheim.

Lost but not forgotten.

[ 19 July 2002, 04:25 PM: Message edited by: C.Evans ]

__________________
Lost are only those, who abandon themselves) Hans-Ulrich Rudel.

Carl,

More bad news have just heard SS Oberscharfuhrer Josef "Sepp"Lainer holder of the Knights Cross and Close Combat Clasp in Gold has passed away in Vienna.
Sepp has suffered a number of heart attacks in the last few years but continued to correspond with the help of his wife.His death leaves Otto Kumm and Willi Grieme as the only surving RKT's of the Der Fuhrer Regt.

Paul

__________________
Nikto ne Zabyt . Nichto ne Zabyto.

Let no one forget . Let nothing be forgotten.

Don't know if this was mentioned before but Heinz Ewald passed away earlier this year.

__________________
"Facts are meaningless. You could use facts to prove anything that's even remotely true!" - Homer Simpson

Thank you Stevin--I had not known that

__________________
Lost are only those, who abandon themselves) Hans-Ulrich Rudel.