Family Memory (6-7 April 1941)

There’s a line in a James Coburn movie, “Cross of Iron“, towards the end where he basically tells a cowardly officer as the enemy nears, “You’re going to come with me.  I’ll show you where the Iron Crosses grow.”  Movies and fiction in many cases make heroes out as if they innately behave that way, that people are born with a ‘courage-gene’, but it doesn’t work like that.  If you read or see interviews with Medal of Honor winners, etc, most will say they are flattered–but they were only doing their duty or only protecting their friends, not something extraordinary.  Few soldiers aggressively pursue awards for bravery or heroism–those who do are usually the ones who wind up dead.

On April 6, 1941, Germany invaded Greece, coming to the rescue of its incompetent Italian ally.  Italy was so incompetent it had been pushed back by the Greeks who now were receiving British materiel and men; those Brits could soon threated German oil supplies in Ploesti, Rumania, via air attack.  Thus, the necessity of Operation Marita.  

One of the German units assigned to Operation Marita was the 5th Mountain Division.  Within that division were smaller units composed of men designated as pionere, a combination of well-trained combat troops and assault engineers.  Within one of those units was a corporal by the name of Herbert Haas.  Haas was a veteran of Poland and France, a trained ski-trooper to boot (which makes sense–it’s a mountain unit, right?).  On that first day, the division went nowhere, faced with the strong Greek fortifications of the Metaxas Line.  The 5th’s regiments and their component pionere companies suffered many casualties–attacking prepared defenses is never easy for infantry.

Early on the 7th, the Division finally reached the Struma River.  Cpl. Haas was why.  With a final bunker blocking the pass, his platoon’s commanding officer ordered a man forward to grenade the bunker from a blind spot beneath the bunker’s opening where the machine-gun could not shoot.  The man didn’t make it there.  The lieutenant ordered a second man.  He died as well.  The lieutenant then said he’d do it himself.  He didn’t make it either.  Now it was the company commander who ordered someone forward–that was Haas.

Haas moved carefully, choosing caution rather than a headlong rush.  He advanced a few meters at a time, his cover picked out in advance, always waiting until the Greek machine-gun was pre-occupied with the main German force before moving.  He reached the blind spot.  Without further hesitation, he pulled his two potato-mashers (German grenades look the part) and quickly tossed the two into the bunker.  He then raced for the back of the bunker in case anyone came out.

They did–completely unhurt, but with hands up.  Rather than fire, Haas accepted their surrender.  What the Germans hadn’t realized was the Greeks had a ‘safe room’ within the bunker to protect soldiers in case of explosions or grenades coming inside the MG area.  His grenades destroyed the machine-gun, but had not hurt any of the soldiers within.  The remaining men of the pionere company rushed forward and the 5th Mountain was quickly crossing the river, heading for Thessaloniki. 

For his actions that day, Haas received the Iron Cross.  If he had been an officer, it would have been ‘1st class’.  Instead, being an enlisted man, it was a ‘2nd Class’ citation.

Six weeks later, Haas’ pionere unit was sent to Crete, landing at Malame Airfield on May 21, 1941.  They remained there through the end of the month and into the start of June as Britain evacuated its personnel. On one of those days, Haas went out with another soldier hunting, seeking fresh meat to supplement army rations.  Near a beach, Haas took a shot at a bird.  When he did so, from the woodline near the beach, twenty British soldiers appeared, hands over head, all surrendering to Sergeant (Unterfeldwebel, I think is the Wehrmacht rank) Haas.   The problem for Haas?  His commanding officer didn’t think an enlisted man could ever do anything to earn two Iron Crosses though.  It may not have helped that my grandfather was pretty open in his disdain for the company commander.

Once Crete was secured, the pionere received some R+R at home before being assigned elsewhere.  For Haas, that meant duty with the XVIII Corps inside Russia where he remained into the winter of 1941-42.

I’m thankful Haas survived.  He was my grandfather.  If you watch a movie, you think nothing of someone taking out a bunker like that–but a relative?  If he fails, you never exist.  Hunting on a beach with one other the person–when there are 20+ enemies nearby?  …they could easily have subdued the two Germans rather than surrender, in which case, I would not be here either.  He lived, other 19 and 20 year olds did not, so while I love this story, am in awe of my grandfather’s insane bravery, I am saddened for those lost–German, Russian, French, Japanese, Chinese, Indian, Australian, every nation in every war.  And so it goes.