Allegiance Nazi Germany Died 1970, Kelkheim, Germany Name Willy Johannmeyer | Years of service 1933-1945 | |
Born 27 July 1915
Iserlohn, Westphalia ( 1915-07-27 ) Rank Oberstleutnant im Generalstab Commands held 2nd Company, 14th Company, 2nd Battalion of the 503rd Infantry Regiment Battles/wars World War II
Invasion of France
Operation Barbarossa
Leningrad Front Awards Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross Battles and wars World War II, Battle of France, Operation Barbarossa, Siege of Leningrad | ||
Service number SS Member No. 262992 Service/branch Wehrmacht, Schutzstaffel | ||
Willy Johannmeyer (27 July 1915 – 14 April 1970) was a German officer during World War II. He was also a recipient of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves, and, by the time of the dissolution of the Third Reich, the last adjutant to Adolf Hitler of the army (Heeresadjutant).
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Career
Johannmeyer was born in Iserlohn, Westphalia, on 27 July 1915 After Adolf Hitler's rise to power in 1933, he joined the SS, becoming member No. 262992. In 1936, he assigned to the 64th Infantry Regiment as Cadet (Fahnenjunker) and two years later, he rose to the rank of Leutnant.
World War II
The 503rd Infantry Regiment was involved in the defensive battle of Nevel (south of Pskov Oblast, near Belorussia). In this sector, Johannmeyer distinguished himself with a particular action during the fighting in March 1943, and was thereby awarded the 329th Oak Leaves (Eichenlaub) on the Knight's Cross on 18 November 1943.
On November 25, his battalion attacked Soviet positions near the town of Sergeytsevo (northwest of Nevel) with the aid of the 502nd Heavy Tank Battalion in a forest. Otto Carius, a Tiger I tank commander of the battalion and one of the greatest tank aces of World War II, recalled on his memoirs that Johannmeyer was struck by sniper fire in the lungs from a Soviet marksman hidden in the foliage of a tree. Although it was initially thought that Johannmeyer's chances of survival were very slim, he managed to survive. Carius wrote that he was relieved to hear from Johannmeyer while he was in hospital in 1944. Nevertheless, Johannmeyer was absent from his official Oak Leaves awarding ceremony, as his condition was still utterly critical at that time. In a few days' time, on 1 December he was promoted to major.
On 1 March 1944, Johannmeyer was called to a training course for senior officer adjutants and three months later he was transferred to the OKH (Oberkommando des Heeres, Army High Command). From August 1944 onwards he served in the Army Personnel department (Heerespersonalamt), with the rank of Oberstleutnant i.G. (im Generalstab).
Hitler's Adjutant
In 1945, Johannmeyer was transferred to the Führerhauptquartier in Berlin, located at the time in the Reich Chancellery, as Army Adjutant (Heeresadjutant), replacing Heinrich Borgmann. Johannmeyer was present at the conferences held twice a day (3.00 pm and at midnight) in the Chancellery's greenhouse, and later to those in the Führerbunker.
By Hitler's order, Johannmeyer flew to Eastern Prussia to "clarify" the situation formed as the Soviets advanced to the Baltic States. As he always considered reports by army generals unrealistic, and refusing to accept that the Eastern Front was collapsing, he relied on his adjutants to receive "positive news". But, Johannmeyer, upon his return, reported that the army was in alarmingly bad state, especially after the formation of the Courland pocket and the pocket around Königsberg. Hitler refused to allow any means of withdrawal. When Johannmeyer referred to the civilian deaths due to the massive evacuation of eastern territories, Hitler replied in anger:
Johannmeyer was among the occupants of the Führerbunker, Hitler's underground headquarters in encircled Berlin. Johannmeyer was present at Hitler's last birthday ceremony on 20 April 1945. During the night of 28–29 April, Hitler ordered that three copies of his political testament be hand-delivered to Field Marshal Ferdinand Schörner in Czechoslovakia, Karl Dönitz in Schleswig-Holstein, and Paul Giesler in Tegernsee by Willy Johannmeyer, Bormann's adjutant SS-Standartenführer Wilhelm Zander and Chief Press Secretary (Stellvertretender Pressechef) Heinz Lorenz, respectively. The three officers said their farewell to Hitler and were handed a white dossier with the testament by Martin Bormann at approximately 4.00 am on 29 April. Armed with automatic weapons, wearing helmets and uniforms to break through Soviet lines, the officers left Berlin later that day.
Oberstleutnant Graßmann took off with a Fieseler Storch liaison aircraft at around midnight, 1–2 May 1945 with the obligation to fetch Johannmeyer from Pfaueninsel, Wannsee and bring him to Field Marshal Schörner's headquarters, who was unaware of his appointment to Commander-in-Chief of the Army. However, Graßmann was unable to land in Berlin; he turned his Storch back and made an emergency landing in the Erzgebirge.
Post-war life
Johannmeyer was arrested by American troops in 1945. After his release, he was engaged in industrial business, mainly in Agricultural Economics and attained the respective Diploma (Dipl. agr.). He worked for the DEMAG subsidiary FMA Pokorny in Frankfurt am Main, Hessen, and became a member of the company's Board of directors. His main field of involvement reportedly was compressed air engineering, where he was praised for being "a dynamic and creative personality". Johannmeyer died on 14 April 1970.