Günther Tlotzek
Günther Tlotzek (b. 9 February 1923 in Sokolken, Kreis Lyck, East Prussia) was a German officer in the Wehrmacht in the Second World War and, among other things, Heimatvertriebener from his homeland, collector, operator of a private museum, active contemporary witness (since 2004) and author in the post-war period. Along with Friedrich Wilhelm Ernst Grade (b. 29 March 1916 in Büdelsdorf; Leitender Ingenieur of the Unterseeboot "U 96" as well as " U 183"), Tlotzek was as of April 2023 the last living Oberleutnant of the Wehrmacht. Grade sadly died in October 2023.
Life
Günther Tlotzek grew up with his mother Gertrud, née Nossenheim, together with his two brothers Heinz and Hans and his half-sister Waltraud "Mausi" (1935-1990). His father Hans, a Veteran of WWI who worked in the customs service (Zolldienst), died of diabetes in 1928 at the age of 35. His mother had met a man who impregnated her, but who would only marry her if she gave the three boys to an orphanage. So bid him farewell on the spot. Günther lived with his family in Rastenburg for many years, where he belonged to the Jungvolk from 1933 and then to the Hitler Youth.
WWII
After graduating from Gymnasium with Abitur at Easter 1942, he was assigned to the Wehrmacht on 15 April 1942, joining the 23rd Infantry Regiment in Rastenburg, 1st Battalion, 4th Company, 2nd Platoon. There he completed his three-month recruit training and, as an officer candidate (Fahnenjunker), was proud to wear two silver crossbars on his shoulder plate. After that, he was employed as an assistant instructor for a short time until he came to the Fahnenjunkerschule. All weapons were taught here, up to infantry artillery. He was commanded to the Eastern Front immediately after the training.
He experienced camaraderie, cohesion and heroism, but also terrible things in the fight against the Red Army, especially when the young Fahnenjunker Tlotzek was the only one to survive the atrocities of the Bolsheviks in a raid of 80 men. He wrote in his book
- "I remember that a raiding party of 80 men was to storm a place just behind the Russian front line. We were surprised that at first we got through the Russian lines without any problems - hardly a shot was fired. The Russians, however, surrounded us and fired on us from all sides, giving us little cover - they could literally shoot us down like rabbits. Eventually all my machine gunners were wounded or dead. I threw myself behind the machine gun and kept firing until the ammo ran out. Suddenly I realized that I was the last one to shoot and felt bullets from a heavy Russian machine gun hissing at me. I lowered my machine gun and lowered my head into a small hollow that was right in front of my eyes. I was lucky because instead of hitting my head, the bullet entered the front of my shoulder. When no more shots were fired from our side, the Russians stormed us down. I raised my pistol and emptied my magazine except for one cartridge. Previously, we had already set down flares to announce our state of emergency. Relief was already on the way, but this had not escaped the notice of the Russians either. They hurried to withdraw from the battlefield as quickly as possible. But before that they staged another massacre: They smashed the heads of all my wounded or already dead comrades with their rifle butts, stripped off their boots and clothing and stabbed everyone in the body again and again with the bayonet. That left an image in my head, accompanied by intense emotions, that I will never forget. I lay head and shoulders behind a small bush. In my right hand I held the loaded pistol in front of my stomach so that I could shoot myself if I sensed imminent danger. A Russian stepped on my outstretched hand, and I thought, now it's time. Luckily he didn't take any further notice of me. Our backup force arrived and the Russians retreated. I spotted the first German soldiers, but at first I stayed completely motionless, because the Russians often wore German uniforms too. Only when I recognized one of my comrades did I slowly get up. Everyone stared at me because they couldn't believe there was any survivor there. My wounds were treated and I was taken to the hospital. What initially remained of my experiences at the time was a severe trauma. For six weeks I could understand everything, including nodding and shaking my head, but I was unable to speak due to severe trauma. A psychiatrist came to me daily to treat my shock.
- Eventually my shoulder wound healed, I got over the trauma and found my voice again. I came back to my unit, was commended and awarded the Iron Cross (EK 2). I couldn't be happy, however, because I was just lucky enough to be the only one to survive. [...] Next I was sent to the 'War School' for further training, was then promoted to 2nd lieutenant and again sent to the front. In 1945, the retreat was in full swing, our units withdrew as far as Latvian Kurland. There they were surrounded by the Russians and stayed there until the end of the war without having surrendered. The connection to Germany was only via ships that sailed the Baltic Sea. We went through what seemed like a never-ending cycle: we found ourselves in the middle of rearguard fighting, mostly at night, then had to get into position again to stop the Russians. We hardly found time to rest, so that some of us fell asleep while walking. We walked in twos; the first held on to the wagon, the rest grabbed the backpack of the man in front. [...] The German army was exhausted, almost finished. The fallen soldiers were replaced by Kriegsmarine and Luftwaffe soldiers who came from the administration. We lacked well-trained infantrymen with sufficient experience. Meanwhile, our ammunition was gradually running out, it was difficult to get supplies by ship at this point, and we were completely cut off from land. The Russian soldiers had an advantage over us: they were supplied by the Americans via Murmansk. One of the toughest battles was over Estonia's second largest city, Dorpat. First we managed to take almost the whole city through many street fights. The Russians, however, struck back point by point: Suddenly we noticed Russian soldiers to the left and right who had broken through our lines. The previously arranged withdrawal order for the German troops had not reached our company. The runner had probably been shot down. We retreated in stages, from house to house, street by street, fighting our way back to the lines. Suddenly I heard a grenade roar, hitting right in our midst. I was thrown meters through the air. My clothes were in tatters, my belt was cut, and my ammo pouch was full of splinters. I was very lucky this time: apart from a few bruises, I escaped unharmed. One of Estonia's largest rivers, the Embach, flows through the middle of the city, and we have now reached its bridge. First our own comrades cheered us on because they assumed that they already had the Russians on their heels. Eventually, however, they recognized us and quickly waved us over. I had just reached the end of the bridge when I received a shove in the back and flew down the embankment. Even as I was falling, I saw the bridge being blown up by German engineers."
Oberleutnant Günther Tlotzek was taken prisoner of war by the Soviet-Bolsheviks in 1945, at the same time the Czechs (Czech Hell) started murdering, the Russians weren’t squeamish either, anyone who couldn’t go any further was shot or beaten to death, but also the fight for survival in Siberia (in Camp 102) was no less dramatic.
Post-WWII
It was only after more than five years that he was to see his homeland again. Finally, Tlotzek was able to hug his sister again. His beloved mother had died while fleeing East Prussia at the age of only 45 (probably through external influence). His eldest brother Heinz had been stationed at an airfield in Vienna during the war and had married a Viennese woman during the war. He later died at the age of 58. His second eldest brother Hans had been stationed with the Flak in Hamburg and had already married a woman from Hamburg during the war. He died at the age of 90. Günther worked tirelessly to build up a stable professional existence, first as part of the emergency work in civil engineering, then as an assistant to a surveyor. He felt too old to study, and he didn't have the money for it. For a while he worked as an insurance salesman and ran a branch in Neumünster.
- "In August 1952 I got married in the Holstein Swiss, in Preetz, where I also met my wife. As someone who had been expelled from my homeland, I was assigned social housing in Kaldenkirchen, in a new building that was delayed by a few months. That's why we had to live in my previous apartment in Breyell. After we moved, I didn’t have any money to buy furniture because I was still earning a very low salary, couldn’t save anything and needed the money for everyday things.”
Tlotzek owns a international renowned collection of rocking horses, which has grown to over 4,000 specimens (as of 2023). The pieces from 5 mm to 1.5 m from all materials up to silver and gold represent the largest collection in the world. It is set up as a private museum. He is also active on the global web, especially on Facebook, where he patiently answers questions from all over the world for several hours a day. He is very interested in all innovations, especially digital technology. He plays chess, keyboard and harmonica, photography and filming are also among his leisure activities. He sometimes enjoys nature with his electric vehicle (senior vehicle).
Health
- 1973 on his 50th birthday first signs of a heart attack; 30% heart enlargement due to years of high blood pressure.
- totally changed lifestyle, stopped smoking, no alcohol. Lots of sports, swimming and cross-country skiing (marathon).
- After three years of effort, the heart returned to normal size.
- 2011 stroke with imbalance, hearing loss, afterwards rehab.
- 2015 long-term wound on the left foot, threatened with amputation, rehab.
- 2015 (October) Colon cancer surgery, no metastases, cured.
- 2018 Malignant cancer developed from a long-term wound on the left upper arm.
- 1st operation, then a 2nd operation, because not everything was removed in the first operation.
Family
Lieutenant a. D. Günther Tlotzek had been married since August 1952, his wife died due to cancer in 1994. The marriage produced four children, three boys (among them Hartmut) and one girl. He had another partner who also died years ago. "The pain eases with time. The sadness never goes away completely.” As of 2021, he had five grandchildren and six great-grandchildren.
Awards and decorations
WWII
- Iron Cross (1939), 2nd Class
- Infantry Assault Badge (Infanterie-Sturmabzeichen)
- Wound Badge (Verwundetenabzeichen 1939) in Black and Silver
- Close Combat Clasp in Bronze and Silver
Post-war
- Marathon Achievement Badge of the DLV, 1980
- Certificate of honor from the city of Nettetal (Nettetaler) for services to the city and citizens, 1997
- Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany, Cross on Ribbon (Bundesverdienstkreuz am Bande), 2004
- DLRG-Certificate of merit in gold for special merits
Writings
- Günther Tlotzek – Erinnerungen an ein bewegtes Leben, 2019
- also published in English as MEMORIES of an eventful life, 2020