Did you ever see action in the East?

Wilhelm: No young man, I was wounded quite badly in the Balkans, and then placed in reserve where I oversaw the replacement unit of the LAH. I did this chore until 1943 when the new Hitlerjugend division was created. I was given a command role and helped build these boys into soldiers.

I understand you were in Normandy during the beginning of the invasion, what was it like? Is it true only small forces of German soldiers were available to oppose the landings?

Wilhelm: Yes I was in Normandy when the invasion started; it was a very hard battle for us. We trained our boys well, and they had very high morale. The division was one of the few with Panzers to be anywhere close to the coast. Because of the indecisiveness of the generals in charge we missed an opportunity. I have said I wonder what side they were on, as they aided the Allies in every way they could then blamed the Führer for mistakes. Yes, I think it is true to say that the landings were opposed by only a handful of frontline soldiers. We saw the glaring holes in the defenses, which made it possible for the Allies to mostly walk off the boats and take large areas without much resistance.

Only certain areas that had artillery with infantry support put up stiff resistance, and these were few and far between. Imagine what we could have done if the Panzers and men were right there to hit the enemy as they landed. Our massed guns could have picked off the boats and made the ships pull back. Alas it was not meant to be, fate played a cruel trick on us. Our forces were spread all over France, and took days to get into action. The 12th right away was forced on the defensive since the Allies gained a foothold immediately after landing. Any counter thrusts were met with ship fire and air attacks. Our boys went on the defensive to smash any attempts to move further inland.

The Allies gave a very good account of themselves with their vastly superior forces. We had problems getting the very basic supplies brought up. Our boys had to move at night to hand out supplies as daytime belonged to the Jabos [German slang for an Allied fighter-bomber-ed]. Those dammed guys would shoot anything on the roads, even ambulances and civilians. I was at a command post when I saw British pilots attack French refugees who were coming back to Caen, against our wishes, to see the damage. The Allies bombed many Norman towns so they could deny us cover. I saw the many corpses that were left after these actions, which our boys had to help bury.

I understand you won the Knight’s Cross for actions in Normandy?

Wilhelm: Yes that is true, it was more precisely for holding open retreat areas in the pocket. Our forces were able to hold the Allied armada for 2 months in the Bocage [a rural area of western France-ed.], but they had overwhelming might. They kept getting stronger while we became weaker. By August they had built up enough forces to breach our lines in two main areas. Then they threatened us with encirclement so we pulled back to save the armies. The HJ Division had the duty to hold open an area to allow for the bulk to get out. Against hard attacks from both land and air we held open a corridor that saved many comrades. I was very proud of my boys and the strong sense of duty they possessed. For leading this, and saving valuable equipment, I was awarded the Knight's Cross.

General Mohnke, if I could be permitted, I would like to ask you about a sensitive subject, that is the Allied war crimes claims against the SS. I know the LSSAH is accused of shooting British prisoners in France, Canadians in Normandy, and Americans at Malmedy. Could I ask for your thoughts regarding these claims?

Wilhelm: Yes, young man, these are very serious claims made against us that just will not die. I want you to know it has been made very clear to many of us that we are not to try to deny these versions as told by the victors of the war. For these reasons I do not discuss the topic unless it is with a trustful friend. You must appreciate what I am willing to share with you because I must be careful. I was hounded by Allied press and officers after the war. Your media, who was not used to German customs and ways, thought us to be ill-mannered and vulgar because we were incensed at their lack of objectivity. They called us Nazi bullies because we told them they were liars and servants of dishonest interests.

We were never allowed to fully rebut any of these claims regarding the shooting of prisoners. They used forced confessions from our men to try to implicate anyone they wished to frame. A soldier under my command came to me to apologize, saying the Americans made him promises if he would say bad things about my command. These boys had been through hell and only wanted to get home to see their loved ones. The Allies made that promise if they would agree to turn on their comrades. Many did this, and it caused the deaths of innocent men. I can not be angry, as it is human nature to protect yourself and the ones you love. I have read some of the statements from those who say they survived such encounters and for me they do not make sense. These stories all have the same goal, which is to make the SS out to be an evil force, bent on racial extermination. They use the war crimes stories as a basis to attack people who see race or wish for racial separation. It’s always the same people who have pushed these stories.

The stories the survivors tell just don't make sense, they tell of herding prisoners into barns, throwing grenades, etc, it suggests deliberate cold-bloodedness which these young men did not possess. There were standing orders that taking prisoners is important for intelligence, and it was the correct thing to do when the fighting was finished. I saw with my own eyes the vast columns of prisoners the LAH was bringing in. There would have been absolutely no reason to kill a defeated enemy. It is for this reason I surmise the survivors are lying, making up stories about murder to get back at us. There were many small actions, and I know personally the British would hide in homes and fire on us, and then were wiped out with grenades. Was this a massacre because they were fighting from a basement?

I will tell you my men went to great lengths to take them prisoner, at times being careless with their lives. We never viewed them as our enemies, just misguided brothers whom we had to fight. To accuse us of deliberately killing them is an insult to the good qualities SS men possessed. The same goes with the Canadians; there was no reason to not take prisoners. There is one exception I must mention to you. The Canadians were on my watch with HJ, and I will state again there were no orders ever given to not take prisoners. There were, however, orders that were captured that revealed a Canadian unit was not taking SS prisoners. I remember that, and the amount of arguing it brought about, which Meyer put a stop to. In spite of the Canadian order, which was thought erroneous or dubious, our orders were clear that prisoners will be taken. I have heard it claimed that a few boys had shot down prisoners before this order was sent out. This is something that I never received a yes or no answer to due to the heavy fighting. However I still can not come to believe these enemy stories.

As for Malmedy, it was no massacre at all; I have spoken to many comrades who were there. The Americans were a bunch of undisciplined cowboys who tried to pick up the fight after seeing the confusion of the guards. Some grabbed guns and started to run, then were fired on, causing others to open fire on the whole group. A tragic mistake caused by the undisciplined Americans who invited return fire which hit standing soldiers. Again, there were no orders to shoot prisoners, only to treat them well and care for their wounds as best we could.