Herbert Otto Gille and His Pet Dog

A Facebook post by author Douglas E. Nash on 16 November 2021: Finally learned the correct name of Herbert Otto Gille's little terrier - his name was "Strolch" which loosely translates to "Scamp." A fitting name, I suppose. Source for the I.D. is the officer who used to be Gille's aide-de-camp, SS-Untersturmführer Günther Lange, who relayed the name to me today. One of the many duties Lange had in addition to making sure Gille got his bowl of Wheaties in the morning, his maps, and staff car on standby was caring for this little dog - walking it, feeding it, cleaning up after him, etc. He was helped in this by Gille's batman, SS-Unterscharführer Balk. The photo above was taken sometime during the first two weeks of March 1945, showing little "Strolch" mucking about in the foreground.

This photo was taken by SS-Untersturmführer Günther Lange (O5 aide-de-camp Kommandierender General IV. SS-Panzerkorps) in mid-August 1944 east of Warsaw, and it depicts a conversation between SS-Gruppenführer und Generalleutnant der Waffen-SS Herbert Otto Gille, who had been elevated to the position of commander of the IV SS Panzer Corps, and SS-Obersturmbannführer Fritz Darges (Kommandeur SS-Panzer-Regiment 5 / 5.SS-Panzer-Division "Wiking"). Gille's pet dog "Strolch" can be seen in the foreground. Gille's dog survived the war, but what became of him afterwards is unknown. An enlisted man adopted him while the division was in its first camp shortly after the surrender but after that? No other information available. Lange escamped from the POW camp and of course Gille was taken into custody by duplicitous means and didn't have his dog with him at the time.

Source :
https://www.facebook.com/photo/?fbid=10159784986304357&set=gm.1194338567727568