Shutze Vormann
Name; Vormann, Klaus
Born; 1917 Kessal, Hessen
Civilian Occupation; Small Holder
I was born in the rural village of Wabern, just south of Kessal, part of Hessen. My father worked a large farm holding with livestock and golden fields of wheat and barley. It was during my youth that I spent a great deal of my time when not at school helping my farther tending his livestock and sowing the land. It was a happy time for us all my mother spent her time running the house hold whilst my father worked long hours harvesting the rich crops we' red spent many a long hour sowing. With the new Reich Chancellor putting Germany back on its feet and filling our lungs with pride, our own lives soon prospered also during those heady days of the mid thirties. By the end of the decade things began to change with the war coming, but even when Germany was forced to act in self defence things back home were really unaffected since all that was happening was far beyond our borders. However this all changed the day my call up papers arrived instructing me that it was time for me to do my duty and join the cause to defend our fatherland from the international Jewry aggressors. With my chin held high and my chest out I baldly walked with my Mother and Father to the railway station and with my warmest farewell I set out for my regional Army training barracks. Since I'd spent many hours back home on the farm working hard till the dark hours, I found basic Infantry training quite easy. Some of my peers from the city had a harder time of it, but we all worked together too please our well respected and decorated Wehrmacht Instructor.
On completion of basic training I was given my first posting, with bated
breathe I opened my papers to find I was to be sent to France along with
a newly formed Grenadier Unit for further training and occupation duties.
During our new posting in France I meet a beautiful young lady whom I'd
soon find myself spending every available moment with.
Before long our training was complete, I'd already heard about our push
into Russia. So it was with a sense of foreboding that our unit received
its orders for transfer to the Eastern front. My heart weighed heavy
at the thought of departing from my newfound love. But I was determined
that I would return just as soon as we had beaten the Bolshevist enemy,
after all our leaders promised it would only be a matter of weeks! Our
journey into the Motherland seemed to take forever; my god was this Country
so big! Finally our Grenadier unit was assigned to the newly refitted
and revitalised Großdeutschland Division, and with further training
I was awarded the 'GD' cuff title and became newest proud member of the
prestigious German Division.
Now I faced for the first time in my life the shock and horror of the
eastern front. Fighting was heavy and at times savage, some of my comrades
were killed in action others, the lucky ones, were wounded. I did my
duty too, but even I too was wounded when a Rusky got a lucky shot on
me. It was after my convalescence that I was transferred to the recon
squadron of the Großdeutschland Division and here I am now still
fighting for my freedom, still waiting for my time when I can return
to my love.
