Our Veteran Advisors

We are honored to have as a resource, in the Kampfgruppe, two veterans of the Waffen-SS, Gerd Falkenhorst and Horst v.Reichardt- (note pen names to maintain these veterans' privacy)

 

SS-Untersturmführer Gerd Falkenhorst

Born: May 1925 Lepzig, Germany.

Gerd joined the Hitler Youth in January of 1937. He joined the Waffen-SS at the age of 17 and received basic training as an Mg42 Machine Gunner at Debica-Poland.

He was then assigned to 4.SS Polizei Div. near Wolgorod, then later to "Sonderkommando Friedental". He saw action in Yugoslavia in 1943 and then again in 1944 while participating in the air assault on Marshall Tito's Headquarters in Drvar.

He was then transfered to 10. SS Pz. Div. Frundsberg and saw action at Tarnpol early in 1944 as well as Normandy later that year. He attended SS-Nachrichten Fuehrerschule in Metz and survived the assault on Arnhem in Sept. of 1944.

As a Communications Officer, he was captured by the British after being wounded for the third time and spent 3 1/2 years in British captivity.
Gerd and his wife entered the US in 1956 to seek a peaceful life.

 

 

SS-Obersturmführer Horst v.Reichardt

Born: March 1926 Stettin,Germany.

Horst von Reichardt joined the Waffen-SS as a 17 year old. After completing his basic trainig he was sent to Panzer Training School at Sennelager where he was trained on P-5's (Panthers).

He was then attached to a Panzer unit on the Ost Front. As the front began to collapse, his unit was folded in with the 12. SS Hitlerjugend where he fought to reach Austria and the American lines.

After surrendering he was sent to Flossenberg prison where he witnessed thousands of his Kameraden die due to illness and starvation at the hands of the Allies. He survived his ordeal and after a year he was released. After working numerous dead end jobs, he and his wife left Germany and began a new life here in the USA