Ax, Adolf.

Ax, Adolf, born on 23-06-1906, in Moeskroen, West Flanders, Belgium , the son of a textile workman. He went to a German school in Brussel and then to the Gymnasium of Wiesbaden and followed a civil law study on the university of Freiburg and Vienna. On 29-10-1930, he joined the NSDAP , Nr 378.043  and the SS , Nr 3848. He was appointed on 01-02-1931 as a SS-Man, transferred to the 1^st Sturm of the 2^nd SS Standarte “Das Reich”  under Obergruppenführer Paul “Papa” Hausser

  . He stayed in this command until 24-04-1934 and then after a promotion to SS-Obersturmführer,  on 09-11-1933, he became commander of the 2^th SS Standarte. He went to the Police School in Potsdam-Eiche the Reichs leader school and the SS Department XI leader school. In February 1935 he followed a course for military training of the SS Verfügungstruppe and became a platoon leader with the 6^st Sturm of the 2^nd SS Standarte , the later SS Standarte “Germania”. On 20-10-1939 with the rising of the SS-VT-Division, armoured Division, Ax was appointed as the first Commander of the Panzerabwehr-Abteilung, the later SS Panzerdivision “Das Reich” from December 1940. At the same day he married his fiancé Margot. He raised the SS Division “Wiking” from the 11^th Totenkopf Standarte. As the commander of the III^th Battalion of the SS-Infantry Regiment 11, he was  involved in the invasion against Russia. End October 1941 he was released of his command and transferred to the Regiments “Deutschland” and “Der Führer”. With nose problems he came in a SS hospital in Berlin until 11-03-1942, Josef Goebbels (did you know) was the Gauleiter of Berlin and Ax not completely recovered got the command of the SS-Panzerjäger, Education Department in Hilversum, Holland.

  Ax, left with Demelhuber, stayed in Holland (see About) under the command General of the Waffen-SS “Niederlande” Commander, Carl-Maria Demelhuber, Demelhuber died 18-03-1988 at the old age of 91, . Demelhuber considered Ax as an excellent officer and promoted him to SS Obersturmbannführer on 09-11-1942 and to SS Standartenführer , on 09-11-1943, but had difficulties with his leadership abilities. On 21-12-1944 he was promoted to SS Oberführer . Demelehuber became the commander of the Command Staff of the East coast in Mecklenburg and Ax was his Chief of Staff. As commander of the 32^nd SS-Freiwilligen-Grenadier-Division “30. Januar”, he is relieved by SS-Standartenführer, Joachim Richter, Richter died at the age of 73, on 19-03-1973 in Bad Arolsen and from March 1945 again relieved by SS Standartenführer, Hans Kempin , Kempin died at the age of 79, on 30-11-1992. He commanded the motley group of Latvians formed into ‘Lettische number 1’,  (an SS volunteer division) to 15-02-1945. Ax was transferred to a course of higher Troop leaders, in Bad Wiessee, where he in Mai 1945, near Hochfilzen/Tirol  landed in American captivity and first released on 08-05-1948. 

On 30-01-1945 the 32. SS-Freiwilligen-Grenadier-Division took up defensive positions around Frankfurt (Oder) as part of the 5. SS-Freiwilligen-Gebirgskorps. When the attack of the 1st Belarusian front on the Seelöwen Heights started on 16-04-1945, the “30. Januar ”beaten back after a fierce defense. The retreat turned into a wild flight. The remnants of the division along with the 9th Army under command of Generaal der Infanterie Theodor Busse,

 were surrounded in the Halbe pocket and destroyed. Only a handful of survivors broke through the encirclement and surrendered to the Americans.

Total casualties amongst the Waffen-SS will probably never be known, but one estimate indicates that they suffered 180.000 dead, 400.000 wounded, and 40.000 missing. World War II casualties indicates that the Waffen-SS suffered 314.000 killed and missing, or 34.9 per cent. By comparison, the United States Army suffered 318.274 killed and missing in all theatres of the war. Ax was an exelent Staff Officer, but not not able to lead larger forces then battalions.

Death and burial ground of Ax, Adolf.

Other German Generals buried there are, Generalmajor der Nachrichtentruppe, Kommandeur der 172^th Division, Martin Baltzer, General der Infanterie, Kommandeur stellv. XII, Armee-Korps, Albrecht Steppuhn, Generalmajor der Pioniere, Commander of the Fortress Pointe de Gavre, Fritz Meyer and Generalmajor der Panzertruppe, Stabchef Wehrkreis VII, Bernhard Lossberg.

  

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