The actions of Joseph Schultz

[PeterG]

Correct me if I'm wrong but from what I've read, the survivors of Stalingrad were in pretty damned bad shape by the time the became prisoners.

Reading the memoirs of Nikita Krutschov, i am pretty sure he hinted at mass executions of german POWs at stalingrad after the german surrender there. Must be at least 15 years since i read the book, so i might be wrong. In another book, i read that half the german POWs were dead within 2 weeks of surrendering, because of the terrible condition they were in.

[assakka]

Hallo people!
Do anyone knows where this extraordinary Joseph Shculz was born, I mean his home city?
It is very important to me because I am being part of one serbian humanitarian organization that wants to make him a statue in his home town, if that would be possible.

[Indiana Jones]

Hallo people!
Do anyone knows where this extraordinary Joseph Shculz was born, I mean his home city?
It is very important to me because I am being part of one serbian humanitarian organization that wants to make him a statue in his home town, if that would be possible.

I am not sure if Joseph Schultz is worthy of this kind of recognition; aforementioned narrative is mythical. According to an investigation by the BA-MA Freiburg (the German federal military archive in Freiburg i. Breisgau) , Joseph Schultz of the 714. I.D. was killed in a firefight with partisans on the 19th of July, 1941, instead of his alleged execution by his own comrades in Smedervska Palanka on the 20th.
If you want to take a more detailed look at the findings of the expertise I would recommend to directly write a mail to the BA. I think they might be able to fax or mail you a copy. Alternately, it is at least partially reproduced here:
Lichtenstein, Heiner: Himmlers grüne Helfer. Die Schutz-und Ordnungspolizei im "dritten Reich", Cologne 1990.

By the way and as you might have already guessed from the quality and tone of discussion in this thread, this site is hardly the right place if you are searching for any substantial advice on any historiographical matters.

[assakka]

Thank you so much I need all the help I can get!

The investigators have got it wrong somewhere.
There were eye witnesses on the place that day, it is not a myth.

[Indiana Jones]

Thank you so much I need all the help I can get!

The investigators have got it wrong somewhere.
There were eye witnesses on the place that day, it is not a myth.

Now it certainly does get interesting.

Couple of points that may help you:
The 714. I.D. was raised from recruits hailing from "Wehrkreis I." (A "Wehrkreis" was an administrative division which encompassed a certain geographical area in order to ensure that recruits would come from roughly the same area, spoke the same dialects, could easier relate to each other etc.)
In the case of Wehrkreis I this area encompasses the former (Weimar Republic borders) Eastern Prussia and with its headquarters in Königsberg/Kaliningrad. Now, what I would recommend you to do, is to contact the "Wehrmachsauskunftstelle", or abbreviated "WASt", in Berlin, see here:
http://www.dd-wast.de/
...and write a formal research request. Note that they may withhold certain personal informations for non-next of kin, but if you present them this particular case, I do not think there will be much fuss. They will certainly be able to provide you with his hometown and military career, and might as well be able to put you into contact with any surviving relatives.

It must be said in all clarity though, erecting a statue of Mr. Schultz in what today is, depending on the location of his hometown, either Poland or the Russian Federation might become a most seriously complicated issue.

[mch08]

Hello, my first post on this forum. Yesterday I've registered but couldn't post till account is activated so I've sent data to admin and asked him to publish it. It is not important now anyway since my account is activated.

I'd like to point out several things since this topic contains a lot of incorrect informations. I'll also add some additional data.

• Joseph Schultz wasn't stationed at eastern front but in Balkans, Serbia. http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&hl=e...=15&iwloc=addr
• His unit was operating in the area of Donja Jasenica.
• Partisans were captured at the hill Gradiste near village Visevica.
• After capture partisans were taken to Smederevska Palanka and kept in the barracks of 5.th cavalry regiment of former Yugoslav Royal army.
• German high command certainly didn't want to publish the truth about his death since it would have negative effect on moral so it is no surprise that they reported to his mother that he was killed by partisans on 19th and filed it as death in combat. That's why the German federal military archive in Freiburg i. Breisgau found an incorrect document - pure Nazi propaganda.
• His brother Walther was informed by German Bundestag member Ostman von der Leye about what took place and later he recognized Joseph from the photographs.
• His remains were found in 1947 together with the remains of 16 partisans he was killed with during exhumation in order to be buried decently on different location.
• There is already a monument built in his honor, some 35 years ago in the village Lokve near town of Gornji Milanovac and another in Smederevska Palanka (monument dedicated to both partisans and Joseph).
• Joseph was an decorateur, painter... he played the piano too.
• His brother said that Joseph was a member of some secret anti-Hitler organization.
• Prior to his execution he had numerous conflicts with officers in charge as he disobeyed unethical orders.
• It's been said by eyewitnesses that after he refused to shoot and having his commanding officer yelling at his face, he took of his helmet, ripped of his insignia, thrown the rifle and walked to the the partisans. Than he turned and reached for hands of those two partisans on his sides.
• Some of the partisans were still kids, teenagers. Joseph wasn't blindfolded.
• It's been also said that after first salvo was fired he stood standing as none of his comrades aimed at him. Than the firing squad commander ordered another salvo and he was killed too. However this version is unconfirmed.
• In 1981, German ambassador in Yugoslavia Horst Graber visited this monument and paid his respects to Joseph Schultz.
• In 1997, German ambassador in FRY Wilfried Gruber visited another monument in Smederevska Palanka which is dedicated to both partisans and Joseph Schultz.
• This is another photo taken just before whole thing happened.

[mch08]

Sorry, please delete this. I wanted to edit my previous post and accidentally replied.

[Indiana Jones]

Thank you very much for bringing that to our attention. It appears that this case is a lot more complicated than I thought.

[mch08]

Thank you very much for bringing that to our attention. It appears that this case is a lot more complicated than I thought.

Don't mention it. I surfed for some historical pics and accidentally came across this site/thread. Since I was very familiar with the whole issue I've registered and replied only for the sake of truth about this extraordinary human being.

Some additional info I've found since yesterday:

First of all, the photograph of Joseph Schultz:

• The exact location of the event was village Orahovac if I got it right.

• Move slider forward in this video to 5:05 to see monument built to him in village Lokve. There are also several photos of event at 8:14 and 8:53. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KzqXcW-CgJM

• He had no father and was the oldest of 3 children so he was father figure to his brother and sister.

• It is left uncleared if all the people he was shot with were partisans or hostages. In those days Germans were killing local citizens every time some of their soldiers got killed or wounded by partisans. That is why it is possible that some of them were civilians.

• Strangely, partisan veteran's association in former Yugoslavia (SUBNOR) was against building a monument to Joseph. The lady shown in video Mina Kovacevic is a novelist and she was the one who paid for manufacturing and raising of the monument despite SUBNOR's protest. Opposing SUBNOR in those days was like opposing communist party dictatorship. So despite writing 20 books none of them were published by public publishers since she came on black list and had a whole lot of problems for raising a monument to Joseph. It's also been mentioned that she ended up in jail for raising the monument which was at one point put down by communist regime.

• The biggest photograph I could find http://img301.imageshack.us/img301/23/jozefschultzpu2.jpg

[pacifist]

I suspect there were many soldiers who thought like him but who were not as courageous as he was.

I hope he gets his monument. R.I.P

[BugHunt]

Mch08 thankyou very much for taking the time to pass on the info!


Might i ask about your background and how you have so many facts about this story?


Ordinary name, ordinary face (with a rebellious expression) -




Stonecold fu@king hero.

[BugHunt]

I hope he gets his monument. R.I.P

There is already a monument built in his honor, some 35 years ago in the village Lokve near town of Gornji Milanovac and another in Smederevska Palanka (monument dedicated to both partisans and Joseph).

He already has a monument man - though it would be nice to have his story more well known.

I suspect there were many soldiers who thought like him but who were not as courageous as he was.

If everyone of those soldiers acted then there wouldnt be dictators or repressive regimes....

[mch08]

Might i ask about your background and how you have so many facts about this story?

I was born and raised in former Yugoslavia where the story about Joseph Schultz was part of every 8th grade school history book so everyone knows about the event. When I came across this thread and saw lack of informations and some incorrect ones than I just Googled a bit on South Slavic language sites and found even more details.

Here's another one - a scan from history book found on some communist party former Yugoslavia nostalgia forum.

Text says "German soldier refused to shoot captured fighters of partisan company and members of LC (local committee) CPY (Communist Party of Yugoslavia) in Smederevska Palanka, so he got executed together with them. On the picture below: german soldier approaches to those he is about to be executed with."



There are some sources on the internet mentioning a documentary about him made in 1950 and another in 1973 but I haven't seen any of them and have no idea where to find them.

You know, the main problem regarding this case is that German army didn't make proper record about what took place and after the war certain fractions of communist regime like SUBNOR did not allow this story to come out. Joseph's story has therefore ignored by propaganda of both sides and that is why many sites still say that it is made up.

Until Tito the CPY leader and dictator died in 1980 things were quite heavy and that's why first visit to monument by German ambassador took place in 1981 although monument was raised almost a decade earlier. I'm absolutely certain that German ambassador wouldn't have visited a monument dedicated to made up historical character.

[mch08]

Sorry, another error of mine. Couldn't delete accidentally created reply.

[mch08]

Forgot to translate what's written on monument:

With heart and mind
Life for honor