Date of birth:

May 5th, 1927 (Kirchbrak-Holzminden/Braunschweig, Germany)

Date of death:

January 11th, 2012

Nationality:

German (1933-1945, Third Reich)

Wilhelm Jänicke passed the "Mittelschule" 1943. He started his military training on 1st October 1944 at the Berlin-Kladow/Hottengrund-baracks in the Stabsregiment "Hermann Göring". Beceause of an illness he was allowed to spend Christmas at his home in Kirchbrak.
After this he was struck with appendectomy and hospitalized in the "Landschulheim" Holzminden (Dr. Liecker).
Jänicke continued the military education in Berlin until 7th February 1945 and was ordered to Tangermünde where the military education was continued.
At the end of February 1945 he was send to Groningen and later to Stroe in the Netherlands. Finally he was incorporated in the 21.Fallschirmjäger-Regiment, 7.Fallschirmjäger-Division. As a boy of 17 he was "Bataillionsmelder" with Hauptmann Hamacher (his Kompaniechef was Leutnant Schrader).
Jänicke was involved havy atacks of the "Montgomery"-Army (including Polish Division). Many of his camerads died in the battle fot the Edewechter Damm. Finally the rest of surviving Soldiers arrived 4th May 1945 in Cuxhaven.
Jänicke was lucky to get on the last boat to Brunsbüttelkoog. When the boat arrived the British Army was in the port and Jänicke in freedom. He just turned to 18 years when the end of the war was declared.
The end of the war in Europe. 17th July 1945 he was allowed to go home to his parents in Kirchbrak.
After the war he made a good career in industry.

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• - Harms H., Vom "Heil" zum "Unheil", Das Ammerland 1945/46 - Chaos und Neuanfang, 2005, Westerstede
  - Weber S., "Das Erdkampfabzeichen der Luftwaffe", Die Kampfabzeichen der Deutschen Wehrmacht 1939-45, Verlag Weber; Auflage: 2., verb. Aufl. (3. Juni 2008), ISBN 978-3000213724