Mühlenkamp, Johannes-Rudolf “Hannes”.

Mühlenkamp, Johannes-Rudolf “Hannes”, born 09-10-1910 in Metz, Alsace-Lorraine , was one of the early members of the NSDAP and the SS, joining on April 1933. Mühlenkamp was given the party number 2.800.042 and the SS service number 86.065. He was first assigned to the 4^th SS Standarte Schleswig Holstein  in Hamburg before being moved to the 2^nd SS Standarten of the SS-Verfügungstruppe in 1934. Then, Mühlenkamp had been selected to become an officer in 1935. He was sent to the SS Juncker School at Braunschweig.  From April to May 1936, Mühlenkamp completed motorcycle training  with the 2^nd Panzer Division  under command of then Oberst Heinz Guderian,   being highly successful in pre World War II motorcycle competitions. On completion of his officer training, Mühlenkamp was assigned to the 2^nd Battalion of the Germania Regiment, 5^th SS Panzer Division Wiking , as a platoon leader on November 1937. Mühlenkamp took over command of the Motor Cycle Company on May 1938

.   At the eve of the war, Mühlenkamp was the Divisional Adjutant of the SS-Verfügungstruppe Division, until December 1940, when he was given the command of the Reich Division Reconnaissance Battalion, Commander SS Obergruppenfùhrer, Paul “Papa” Hausser

. On 13^th of September 1939 15^th Motorcycle Company from SS Regiment “Germania”, while protecting the road Przemysl – Lwow, captured Sadowa Wisznia.Then it attacked by surprise and captured a Polish 500 men strong battalion which was marching along the road towards the east, although most probably it was a group of reservists not a battalion. During the night from 13^th to 14^th of September German forces in Sadowa Wisznia were attacked by forward elements of II. and III from 98 Reserve Infantry Regiment and suffered casualties: 19 killed, mainly from the 3^rd platoon, 3 wounded, all motor vehicles of the 3^rd platoon, 11 captured, mainly from the 3^rd platoon, including the commander of 15^th company – Hauptsturmführer Mühlenkamp. Poles reported capturing 11 POWs; recapturing 500 prisoners from German captivity; destroying 8 cars; booty was 12 motorcycles, 2 cars and 2 truck. Poles didn’t report suffering any casualties.   Mühlenkamp her with SS Gruppenführer Herbert Gille

was seriously wounded in the head by artillery shrapnel near Jelnja, Russia. Hospitalized between October and February 1942, Mühlenkamp missed the first Russian winter of the war. On his release from hospital, Johannes Mühlenkamp was assigned to the 5^th SS Panzer Grenadier Division Wiking, as Panzer Battalion commander, until March 1943. He succeeded Eduard Deisenhofer,  who was missed in action on 31-01-1945, age 35.  When the number of soldiers from the battalion have been increased, the battalion was converted into a regiment. On August 1944, Mühlenkamp was given the command of the 5^th SS Panzer Division Wiking. He commanded this unit until October 1944. Then, Mühlenkamp was promoted Inspector of Waffen SS Panzer troops in the SS-Führungshauptamt. His last command was the 32^nd SS Panzergrenadier Division  from January 1945 to February 1945. 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. Mühlenkamp was succeeded by SS Standartenführer Joachim Richter  

Death and burial ground of Mühlenkamp, Johannes-Rudolf “Hannes”.

     Living in Bredelem after the war, Mühlenkamp, age 75, died on 23-09-1986 and is buried on the Stadtfriedhof of Bredelem.

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