Major Wilhelm George Adam Bach
The Pastor of the Hell fire
(Halfaya Pass)
|
Born on 05 -11 – 1892. 8-8-1914 joints the Army as private. 16–12–1914 join to the reserve Regiment 109. 01-06–1915 upto 7–8–1915 studied at the officers school. 07-08–1915 injured in west front. Captured by British Forces. 07–11-1919 return to Germany , to be a Pastor. 04-06–1936 upto 02–07-1936 training with second company of infantry Regiment . His rank now second Lieutenant. 01-04-1937upto 28-04–1937 reserve training of the second company of infantry regiment 110. First Lieutenant. 01-02-1940 Commander of the 6th company of the Regiment 104.(2nd Infantry Division ). 12-04– 1941 Commander of the 7th .Regiment 104. 07–10– 1941 Commander of the Regiment 104. 17–01-1942 prisoner of war at ( Halfaya pass ) Egypt Africa.( sending him to Canada). 22–12-1942 died in the hospital . Toronto- Canada. 04-12-1942 buried in Toronto-Canada . ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- "The defences at Halfaya , German and Italian, were under the Command of the most remarkable characters in the Afrika Korps, this was Hauptmann [ Captain ]Bach, an officer from the reserve who in peacetime had been the pastor of Evangelical Church of Mannheim. Gentle , considerate, the antithesis of the officer-Corps tradition, he is known and admired throughout the DAK, for his gift of Command was exceptional. Rommel thought the world of him .The only officer allowed a walking stick, because of his limp and his years, he could hardly fail to be noticed as removed his habitual cigar to issue a quietly conversational but decisive order. Bach , who would shortly win renown at Halfaya , is also a reminder that the desert allowed personality to flower from time to time even among the type-cast "wehrmacht" soldiers in the Afrika korps, as so often did among their enemy". "…. The last stand of the panzergruppe, at Halfaya, continued until the 17th ,when Major Bach at last gave in along with another of those Italians whose spirit recommended them to their allies General de Giorgis. Of the 29.900, missing, from the panzergruppe during Crusader no less than 13,800 were troops captured in these frontier surrenders". Source:
|