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Albert Kerscher
NAME- Albert Kerscher
NATION- Germany
DATE (S) OF INTERVIEW (S)- October 1984
PLACE OF INTERVIEW (S)- Garmisch, Germany
LANGUAGE (S) CONDUCTED- German, English
SIGNIFICANCE OF SUBJECT- Waffen SS tank and platoon commander -Staff Sergeant 2nd Waffen SS Division ‘Das Reich’. Operated in Russia and Hungary with guerrilla forces. Awarded Knight’s Cross with Oak Leaves.
OTHERS IN ATTENDANCE- Waffen SS Major Rudolf von
Falkenhahn, et al. Impromptu
discussion following reunion.
FORMAT- Q & A standard.
Q- When did you join the Waffen SS?
A- I was in the army training programme when they were asking for volunteers to join the tank corps. I wanted to do this and volunteered. The SS took me in 1940 and I completed training in 1941. I was assigned to ‘Das Reich’ and I stayed with the unit throughout the war.
Q- When did you get to Russia?
A- I went in 1942 and I was assigned to a Mk. IV crew. Later our division was given Tigers in November, but they did not get down to every crew until about March 1943. We had ours in January, and we thought it was wonderful. We would keep that tank for the rest of the year and into 1944, and it would take a lot of punishment before we finally finished with it.
Q- Did you have any occasion to observe the Freiwilligen in combat?
A- Yes, several times, in Russia and in Hungary. During the fighting to defend Budapest the Red Army threw everything at us. I had only four King Tigers with which to defend against what was later determined to be an entire division. These were worse odds than at Kursk.
Q- How did you observe the volunteers? Were they Russian?
A- Ukrainian, mostly. The fighting was intense and the casualties were high. My unit had the King Tiger and we were constantly engaged with superior Soviet armoured forces. We destroyed over sixty enemy tanks, just my four-tank platoon, and were out of ammunition. I remember the Russian allies who supported us, and they fought with great courage. I had served with ‘Das Reich’ all along and could compare the Russians and Ukrainians with our own troops. There was no appreciable difference in their overall fighting quality. When it came to combating partisans the Ukrainians were perhaps the best and most ready to commit their forces, especially when fighting with a German unit that they felt appreciated them. I am glad that we did not have to fight against them.
Q- What was it like fighting in a tank?
A- We would kill most if not all of the enemy, but we would on occasion lose our tank. We could not make up these losses, but the enemy could. Also we were losing trained and experienced crews, another expensive and long term problem. But I tell you, there is nothing like coming out of a fight with a tank kill, perhaps several, and surviving. That is when you truly realise that you are alive, and it is also when you know that luck is always a factor.