Helmut: Yes youngster, it is nice to meet someone from America who is interested in German history. I am afraid I cannot tell you much about my time in the Waffen-SS, as it was short. Perhaps I will tell you how it began. I come from a military family with some nobility. I started my career in the 17. Reiter Regiment here in Bavaria; this interest with cavalry grew into a fondness with Panzers. Most cavalry men ended up going into the Panzer arm once it was established. I was fascinated with the inner workings of the Panzers and enjoyed seeing them taken apart. Germany went on to develop some of the best Panzers in the world, if we would have been able to make more of them, and in just certain models, the war would have turned out different perhaps. I was part of Panzer Regiment 11, in the workshops first, then in the field as chief of the second company in France. From there I was selected to attend General Staff training and posted to the 9. Panzer Division as a staff officer. How I came to the Waffen-SS was due to the war needs in those last months. Men were placed in positions where there was a need, and since I was a staff officer, I was drafted, you could say. I ended up posted to the Nordland Division and, by the close of the war, was made an SS-Standartenführer and posted to the SS-Panzer Korps.

Did you ever meet Hitler or Himmler?

Helmut: Well, I will tell you, yes. Today it is not wise to brag about such things as the political winds have changed. I was an early supporter of the Führer, and a matter of fact I was a very early member of the party. I held member number 92 430 which gave me the Golden Party Badge. I was forced to give up party membership due to the Reichsheer (Imperial German Army) frowning on it. Due to this, it took away the status. I met both of them early on, seeing them in marches and speeches. It was a hard time in Germany before 1933, but the NSDAP was actively trying to convince the people to vote for the them. I also saw Himmler later in the war, he was certainly an interesting person. I remember reading some SS publications during the war and was quite intrigued by the research of the Ahnenerbe (Ancestral Heritage) society, and archaeologists. I am still fascinated by the discoveries happening all over the world. I have always been interested in ancient history, and the timeline of civilizations. The SS had a very deep interest in this also, Himmler believed himself to be a reincarnation of a great king. I understand your Patton was the same way [Patton believed he had been a soldier many times in previous past lives. He even wrote a poem about it called 'Through a Glass, Darkly']. The SS held a deep reverence for our past and studied many theories of the beginning of man.

What was the French campaign like for you?

Helmut: Ahh yes, we were part of the main thrust to trap the Allies. We had the Panzer II, 35(t) [a Czechoslovak-designed light tank used by Germany], and some Panzer IVs. We came through Luxemburg and mainly faced infantry, which the Panzers brushed aside. We crossed the Meuse and broke into the French underbelly. By the time they knew what hit them, it was too late. This attack was a master stroke of German arms. It took the French a few days to reason, and by this time their lines were unhinged and broken. A shock I will tell you, they had better armor than we did. Our light Panzers were no match for their heavy armor, which if they would have organized better we would have had trouble. The 7. Panzer Division raced ahead, far outpacing the main body and everyone thought it was mad. He was able to fool the French a few times and seized vital areas, this destroyed French morale. I remember coming across the dazed and confused French, who looked as though they had seen ghosts. Our advance was hard, fast, and decisive. It took the daring of Rommel also to deploy the flak guns on French armor, which was better than ours. The 88mm could stop any armor the enemy had, and this demoralized them further. I spoke to the French commander who said he was caught off guard by our flak. He knew our Panzers were weak but did not count on the 88mm.

He told me that one of his Char Bs [the Char B1 was a French heavy tank] had the engine blown out of the back due to a direct hit from the 88mm. The blast blew him into a creek or river, saving his life. Our regiment had a hard go at the French, and it was only with better tactics and communication that we were able to beat them. They had better armor than we did. My regiment was the spearhead that was by Dunkirk, then we received the halt order, which left us confused and angry. This allowed the BEF [British Expeditionary Force] and French to run away to England. If we would have been allowed to take Dunkirk, the war would have ended then. So instead, we stood by and cleaned our Panzers. After this fiasco, we were ordered to move to the Maginot Line to begin attacks, but the Luftwaffe did the job for us. You should have seen the devastation those bombs made on the forts. This was for the most part the end and France surrendered in June after being mostly overrun.