SS-Brigadeführer und Generalmajor der Waffen-SS Fritz Witt (Kommandeur 12. SS-Panzer-Division "Hitlerjugend") received a miniature of Sd.Kfz.232 as a gift from the division staffs on his 36th birthday, which was celebrated in Tillierès-sur-Avre, France, on 27 May 1944. The smiling tall officer behind him is SS-Sturmbannführer Heinrich "Hein" Springer (Ritterkreuzträger und Divisionsadjudant der 12. SS-Panzer-Division "Hitlerjugend"), while at far left behind Springer is most likely SS-Obersturmführer Heinz Ritzert (Chef 15.Kompanie / III.Bataillon / SS-Panzergrenadier-Regiment 25). Less than a month after this photo was taken - specifically on 14 June 1944 - Divisionskommandeur Witt was killed when his command post in Venoix, Caen, was hit by artillery shells fired from a Royal Navy warship. This picture was taken by SS-Kriegsberichter Wilfried Woscidlo.
On 27 May 1944, SS-Brigadeführer und Generalmajor der Waffen-SS Fritz Witt (27 May 1908 – 14 June 1944), commander of the 12th SS Panzer Division “Hitlerjugend,” celebrated his 36th birthday. Just ten days before the Allied D-Day landings and only eighteen days before his own death, the event took place in the quiet Norman countryside at Tillierès-sur-Avre (in the Eure department, south of Rouen, then part of the broader Normandy preparation zone). It offered a rare moment of camaraderie and celebration among the division’s battle-hardened officers.
Fritz Witt was a veteran of the Leibstandarte SS Adolf Hitler (LSSAH) and one of the original members of the SS-Stabswache Berlin. He had distinguished himself on the Eastern Front, earning the Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes mit Eichenlaub for leadership in Greece and Ukraine. In summer 1943, he was selected to form and command the new 12th SS Panzer Division “Hitlerjugend” — a unit built around experienced LSSAH veterans and enthusiastic but mostly teenage recruits born in 1926. Based initially in Beverloo, Belgium, the division moved to France in spring 1944 for intensive training. Witt emphasized realistic combat drills and live-fire exercises, forging strong morale and trust between the young soldiers and their seasoned leaders.
By April 1944, Witt had been promoted to SS-Brigadeführer und Generalmajor der Waffen-SS. On 2 June 1944 — just days after his birthday — he declared the division combat-ready. The 12th SS was positioned to counter any Allied invasion, with its headquarters and key units quartered around Tillierès-sur-Avre, including a chateau that served as Witt’s personal quarters.
The Birthday Celebration
The party was organized by Witt’s staff officers as a gesture of respect and affection for their commander. It combined formal military tradition with the informal bonds typical of the Waffen-SS elite units. SS-Kriegsberichter (war correspondent) Wilfried Woscidlo from the Propaganda Company photographed the event, preserving color images that later became iconic records of the division’s pre-battle life.
The highlight was a ceremonial gift from the division’s reconnaissance battalion (SS-Panzer-Aufklärungs-Abteilung 12), commanded by SS-Sturmbannführer Gerhard “Gerd” Bremer: a detailed scale model of an eight-wheeled armored scout car (Sd.Kfz. 232). Witt received it with evident pleasure, a symbolic tribute from the unit that would soon scout ahead in the coming battles. Standing beside him in several photos was his adjutant, SS-Sturmbannführer Heinrich “Hein” Springer.
After the presentation, the officers gathered for a formal group photograph in front of the chateau or nearby grounds. The image captures a mix of pride, camaraderie, and the gravity of their situation — many wearing the black Panzer uniforms or field-gray service dress, some with Ritterkreuz and other decorations earned in earlier campaigns.
Officers present in the group photo (as identified in Axis History Forum):
Fritz Witt was a veteran of the Leibstandarte SS Adolf Hitler (LSSAH) and one of the original members of the SS-Stabswache Berlin. He had distinguished himself on the Eastern Front, earning the Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes mit Eichenlaub for leadership in Greece and Ukraine. In summer 1943, he was selected to form and command the new 12th SS Panzer Division “Hitlerjugend” — a unit built around experienced LSSAH veterans and enthusiastic but mostly teenage recruits born in 1926. Based initially in Beverloo, Belgium, the division moved to France in spring 1944 for intensive training. Witt emphasized realistic combat drills and live-fire exercises, forging strong morale and trust between the young soldiers and their seasoned leaders.
By April 1944, Witt had been promoted to SS-Brigadeführer und Generalmajor der Waffen-SS. On 2 June 1944 — just days after his birthday — he declared the division combat-ready. The 12th SS was positioned to counter any Allied invasion, with its headquarters and key units quartered around Tillierès-sur-Avre, including a chateau that served as Witt’s personal quarters.
The Birthday Celebration
The party was organized by Witt’s staff officers as a gesture of respect and affection for their commander. It combined formal military tradition with the informal bonds typical of the Waffen-SS elite units. SS-Kriegsberichter (war correspondent) Wilfried Woscidlo from the Propaganda Company photographed the event, preserving color images that later became iconic records of the division’s pre-battle life.
The highlight was a ceremonial gift from the division’s reconnaissance battalion (SS-Panzer-Aufklärungs-Abteilung 12), commanded by SS-Sturmbannführer Gerhard “Gerd” Bremer: a detailed scale model of an eight-wheeled armored scout car (Sd.Kfz. 232). Witt received it with evident pleasure, a symbolic tribute from the unit that would soon scout ahead in the coming battles. Standing beside him in several photos was his adjutant, SS-Sturmbannführer Heinrich “Hein” Springer.
After the presentation, the officers gathered for a formal group photograph in front of the chateau or nearby grounds. The image captures a mix of pride, camaraderie, and the gravity of their situation — many wearing the black Panzer uniforms or field-gray service dress, some with Ritterkreuz and other decorations earned in earlier campaigns.
Officers present in the group photo (as identified in Axis History Forum):
Front row (left to right):
- Unknown
- Unknown
- SS-Sturmbannführer Horst Schürer (Ordonanz-Offizier)
- SS-Sturmbannführer Heinrich “Hein” Springer (Divisionsadjutant)
- SS-Standartenführer Kurt “Panzermeyer” Meyer (Commander, SS-Panzergrenadier-Regiment 25)
- SS-Brigadeführer Fritz Witt (Divisional Commander)
- SS-Obersturmbannführer Wilhelm Mohnke (Commander, SS-Panzergrenadier-Regiment 26)
- SS-Obersturmbannführer Fritz Schroeder (Commander, SS-Panzer-Artillerie-Regiment 12)
- SS-Hauptsturmführer Siegfried Rothemund (IIa, General Staff Officer)
Second row:
- SS-Hauptsturmführer Gerd von Reitzenstein
- SS-Sturmbannführer Artur Manthey
- SS-Sturmbannführer Erich Pandel
- SS-Obersturmbannführer Max Wünsche (Commander, SS-Panzer-Regiment 12)
- SS-Hauptsturmführer Hubert Meyer (Ia, Operations Officer)
- SS-Sturmbannführer Fritz Buchsein
- SS-Hauptsturmführer Albert “Papa” Schuch
Third row:
- SS-Sturmbannführer Hermann Weiser
- SS-Sturmbannführer Bernhard Krause
- SS-Sturmbannführer Gerhard Bremer (Reconnaissance Battalion)
- SS-Sturmbannführer Siegfried Müller
- SS-Sturmbannführer Bernhard Siebken
- SS-Sturmbannführer Jakob Hanreich
- SS-Obersturmführer Heinz Ritzert
Fourth row:
- SS-Hauptsturmführer Georg Urabl
- SS-Sturmbannführer Dr. Wilhelm Kos
- SS-Sturmbannführer Hans Waldmüller
- SS-Sturmbannführer Rolf Kolitz
Many of these men were LSSAH veterans who had transferred to the “child division” to mentor the young soldiers. Kurt Meyer, Max Wünsche, and Wilhelm Mohnke — all future notable figures — stood prominently beside Witt.
The birthday gathering was one of the last peaceful moments for the division. On 6 June 1944, the Allies landed in Normandy. The 12th SS “Hitlerjugend” was rushed into action north of Caen, fighting with ferocious determination against British and Canadian forces at locations like Carpiquet Aerodrome. Witt personally directed operations from forward command posts.
On 14 June 1944, a Royal Navy naval barrage (including fire from HMS Rodney) struck the divisional command post at Venoix near Caen. A large shell fragment hit Witt in the head, killing him instantly at age 36. He was initially buried near the chateau at Tillierès-sur-Avre — the same place where he had celebrated his birthday less than three weeks earlier — before being reinterred at the German war cemetery in Champigny-Saint-André. Kurt Meyer succeeded him as divisional commander.
The young soldiers of the Hitlerjugend openly grieved their commander, whom they respected as a fatherly yet demanding leader. Witt’s death symbolized the heavy price paid by the division in the brutal Normandy campaign.
On 14 June 1944, a Royal Navy naval barrage (including fire from HMS Rodney) struck the divisional command post at Venoix near Caen. A large shell fragment hit Witt in the head, killing him instantly at age 36. He was initially buried near the chateau at Tillierès-sur-Avre — the same place where he had celebrated his birthday less than three weeks earlier — before being reinterred at the German war cemetery in Champigny-Saint-André. Kurt Meyer succeeded him as divisional commander.
The young soldiers of the Hitlerjugend openly grieved their commander, whom they respected as a fatherly yet demanding leader. Witt’s death symbolized the heavy price paid by the division in the brutal Normandy campaign.
SS-Brigadeführer und Generalmajor der Waffen-SS Fritz Witt (Kommandeur 12. SS-Panzer-Division "Hitlerjugend") was photographed on his 36th (and last) birthday on 27 May 1944, by SS-Kriegsberichter Wilfried Woscidlo in Tillierès-sur-Avre, France. The photo above is one of four original color photos given to Herbert Walther (a former SS war correspondent who served in the Leibstandarte and Hitlerjugend) by the son of the late Fritz Witt, Peter, to be included in his book: "Die 12. SS-Panzerdivision HJ."
SS-Brigadeführer und Generalmajor der Waffen-SS Fritz Witt (Kommandeur 12. SS-Panzer-Division "Hitlerjugend") was photographed on his 36th (and last) birthday on 27 May 1944, by SS-Kriegsberichter Wilfried Woscidlo in Tillierès-sur-Avre, France. The pile of gifts and congratulations from the Hitlerjugend units flowing in to him shows how much Witt was loved by his men. The photo above is one of four original color photos given to Herbert Walther (a former SS war correspondent who served in the Leibstandarte and Hitlerjugend) by the son of the late Fritz Witt, Peter, to be included in his book: "Die 12. SS-Panzerdivision HJ."
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This photo was taken during the 36th birthday celebration of SS-Brigadeführer und Generalmajor der Waffen-SS Fritz Witt (Kommandeur 12. SS-Panzer-Division "Hitlerjugend") which was held in Tillierès-sur-Avre, France, on 27 May 1944. Among the officers of the division present were, from left to right: SS-Standartenführer Kurt Meyer (Kommandeur SS-Panzergrenadier-Regiment 25), SS-Obersturmbannführer Max Wünsche (Kommandeur SS-Panzer-Regiment 12), and SS-Sturmbannführer Bernhard Siebken (Kommandeur II.Bataillon / SS-Panzergrenadier-Regiment 26). Meyer received the Eichenlaub for his Ritterkreuz in the Third Battle of Kharkov (1943), the same battle where Wünsche received his Ritterkreuz. Both later received higher-level medals in Normandy in 1944: Meyer was awarded the Schwerter, while Wünsche received the Eichenlaub. Both were also captured by the Allies on the same Normandy battlefield, just a week apart! Regarding Siebken himself, he escaped the fate that befell Meyer and Wünsche by successfully breaking out of the Allied encirclement in the Argentan-Falaise Pocket. After the battle in Normandy, he was entrusted with the command of the SS-Panzergrenadier-Regiment 2 "Leibstandarte SS Adolf Hitler," and in that capacity, he received the Ritterkreuz medal. Like Meyer, after the war Siebken was charged with war crimes in the Allied Military Tribunal. They were both sentenced to death. The difference is that Meyer managed to escape his sentence (which was reduced after an appeal) and was released from prison a few years later, while Siebken's execution was carried out and he was hanged on January 20, 1949. For decades afterward, controversy continued to arise regarding whether the punishment was "deserved" for Siebken.
From left to right: SS-Standartenführer Dr.med. Hermann Besuden (Korpsarzt I. SS-Panzerkorps), SS-Obersturmbannführer Wilhelm Mohnke (Kommandeur SS-Panzergrenadier-Regiment 26), SS-Obersturmbannführer Max Wünsche (Kommandeur SS-Panzer-Regiment 12), SS-Standartenführer Kurt Meyer (Kommandeur SS-Panzergrenadier-Regiment 25), and SS-Sturmbannführer Gerhard "Gerd" Bremer (Kommandeur SS-Panzer-Aufklärungs-Abteilung 12). Poor German shepherd, he's the only one without a medal, so his tail even grew on his head! lol actually those are two German Shepherds that happened to be caught on camera in a close position. One is Patra (Divisionskommandeur Fritz Witt's dog), while the other is Kurt Meyer's dog. This photo was taken at Witt's 36th birthday celebration in Tillierès-sur-Avre, France, on May 27, 1944.
Source :
https://alifrafikkhan.blogspot.com/2016/08/foto-fritz-witt.html
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