On this day in 1945, WWII, the Original funeral card for 5 SS Execution Victims.

On this day in 1945, WWII, the Original funeral card for 5 SS Execution Victims.

 making this post in memory of these five German citizens who were executed on April 28th 1945 by the SS for wanting to surrender their town of Altötting peacefully to the Approaching US Troops. 

1.Adalbert Vogl : dean of the abbey and Priest of the holy chapel.

2.Martin Seidel : German Roman Catholic administrative superintendent

3. Josef Bruckmayer : German Roman Catholic mill owner

4. Hans Riehl : German Roman Catholic warehouse manager

5. Adam Wehnert : German Roman Catholic bookseller

At the end of April 1945, the collapse of Nazi rule was imminent. As far as known, the Altöttingen District Administrator Josef Kehrer was aware of the efforts of his friend Captain Rupprecht Gerngross and his freedom campaign in Bavaria , which he only hinted at to the participants in the conversation.  

On April 28, 1945, at 5 a.m., Captain Gerngross occupied the Freimann and Erding transmitters and broadcasted the Bavarian Freedom Campaign(FAB) have taken over government; to liberate the Bavarian homeland, everyone should unite.

 District Administrator Kehrer should have expected the news and went to the District Office at 6 a.m., where he gathered a circle of trustworthy citizens around him until around 8 a.m. 

The aim was to hand over the pilgrimage and military hospital Altötting to the approaching US troops without a fight and undamaged .

District Administrator Kehrer had six National Socialist functionaries who appeared dangerous to him arrested, including the government inspector Karl Schuster, leader of an SA storm, the local group leader Karl Stubenhofer, the organization leader of the NSDAP Franz Obermaier (participant in the Hitler putsch of 1923) and the 2nd mayor of Neuötting Heinrich Hilleprandt , Blood medal bearers and " old fighters ". Mayor Karl Lex committed suicide when he was arrested.

The news of the arrest of the party functionaries also reached officers in a military hospital in Neuötting who were under the leadership of Colonel and SA Standartenführer Karl Kaehneformed an officer patrol and moved first to the town hall, then to the district office.

 Allegedly, Government Councilor Kehrer shot himself in the head when the officer patrol showed up in his office in the district administration; he died two days later on April 30, 1945. 

At around 11 o'clock at about the same time, Gauleiter Paul Giesler had the news spread over the radio that Bavaria's freedom campaign had been crushed. 

In the absence of adequate armament, the group around District Administrator Kehrer had nothing to oppose the armed military. The officers' patrol freed the six Nazi officials captured shortly after 11 a.m. 

Under the leadership of the organizational leader Obermaier and with the help of the also released SA storm leader Schuster and the local group leader Stubenhofer, a list was drawn up containing all the people who had entered the district office that morning - at least insofar as they were observed by the party officials from the detention cell . 

District leader Fritz Schwaegerl still ordered von Mühldorfthe arrest of nine citizens of Altötting who were on the list: the mill owner Josef Bruckmayer, the administrative inspector Martin Seidel, the warehouse manager Hans Riehl, the administrator of the Holy Chapel, monastery dean Monsignore Adalbert Vogl, the bookseller Adam Wehnert, the former mayor Gabriel Mayer, des Writer Heinrich Haug , the government councilor Scheupl and the publisher's owner Hans Geiselberger.

 After district manager Schwaegerl had arrived in Altötting, he added lawyer Gmach and master builder Irpertinger to the list. Only the first five on the list could be arrested by 2 p.m., the others were not found at home.

 It is not known whether they had been warned and were able to evade arrest using their local knowledge or whether they happened to do business outside of their home.

In addition to the district leader, a group of about 60 SS men from the Trummler combat group had arrived. 

The district leader organized a kind of court martial that sentenced the five prisoners to death. 

Martin Seidel, Josef Bruckmayer, Adam Wehnert, Adalbert Vogl and Hans Riehl were shot by the SS at around 3:30 p.m. in the courtyard of the then district office. 

Kreisleiter and SS then moved away again, apparently without looking for the Altoettingers who were still on the proscription list. 

One section of the death card reads : 

To commemorate the nefarious assassination of the Dean of the Abbey and

Administrator of the Holy Chapel Monsignor Adalbert Vogl with 4 venerable

citizens of the city, who were shot by the SS on 28 April 1945 near Kapell Square.

Who does not know this venerable sanctuary of the dear Mother of God Mary in

the heart of the Bayerland?

The thousands of pious pilgrims who spent the past two decades praying for this

place of grace will never forget an aged priest, the administrator Monsignor Adalb.

 Vogl, who went before the pilgrims, prayed with them, spoke to them of

Mary's power and goodness, blessed them with the image of grace.

On April 28, 1945, the zealous keeper of the shrine with four citizens of the city

walks across The Chapel Square for the last time, past the little church of grace,

which the administrator looked after with special love and care for so long, where

he was the tireless prayer.

What a consolation for his fellow sufferers that this priest is among them!

How wistful the old pilgrim prayer may have sounded from her soul:

O Mary help! O Mary help me!

Stand at us in the last dispute,

O Mother of Mercy!

Brethren, we must die. Have courage and confidence! We go to Jesus. 

May God be a gracious judge to us! I speak to you of your sins and bless you!