European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - June 6, 1994, Darmstadt, Hesse A German officer remembers the Nightmare of killing americans at Omaha wont go away after 50 years by de Reavis staff writer for German officer Werner Pluskat the morning of june 6,1944, made a hell seem like child a play.�?�. Some nights even 50 years later Pluskat has the dream the Nightmare of killing americans on Omaha Beach until he and his men ran out of ammunition. It was Pluskat a major in the German 352nd inf div who first told the German High command that the invasion Fleet had appeared off the Normandy horizon june 6. From his Bunker above Omaha Beach Pluskat watched As thousands of ships moved into position for the landings. Minutes later he Reip Embred the carnage began As his unit gunned downed the americans at will. A they were lambs to the Slaughter a he said. Pluskat said his superiors did not first believe the report of the Armada of Allied ships that had appeared before him in the morning Mist. A i had called High command West. They claimed the allies did no to have such ships. They told me i was imagining things a Pluskat said. Pluskat said he told the officer on the phone a those imaginary ships that the allies done to have Are All headed right at Pluskat an East prussian from Konigsberg now Kaliningrad russians 84 and still Active in business. He lives in a spacious House on the Edge of Heilbronn a City near Stuttgart in Southern Germany. He said he was disturbed to hear about a persistent Rumor that he Wasny to at his Post at All during a Day but in Paris on private business and that he lied to author Cornelius Ryan the longest Day to cover up his absence. A ridiculous. I can to imagine How such a Story got started. Its totally untrue a Pluskat said. He rejected the charge that the German army was totally unprepared for the Allied Landing at Normandy rather than somewhere such As Pas de Calais where there was a port capable of handling supplies and reinforcements. A we the wehrmacht German army had two favored theories about a possible Allied Landing a the one said they would land somewhere near Bordeaux and the other was they would land where they eventually said his unit was made up of crack and seasoned troops from the russian front. A we did have a weak Point. One of my batteries was composed of slovakian romanians and bulgarians with one German sergeant. When the allies landed they were suddenly confronted with shooting at British and american troops and deserted. Their enemy was in the East not the West. It was to underline the fact that the germans knew where the allies would land Pluskat gave an example of just How prepared they were. A afield marshal Erwin Rommel a personal Friend of mine and pointing with his Baton told me and my officers a Pluskat this Normandy is where they will land. Just like the Bay of Salerno. I met the Amis there too. They May feint another site but there a no genuine alternative to a Rommel then asked for an artillery test to see How far the shells went into the sea Pluskat said. A i ordered in two rounds and Rommel looked and said a that a too far out bring them in closer to the i then told the artillery to Back up. I had a Good idea How far they could fire v because we had test shot the whole coast. A after the next round Rommel said a Pluskat wonderful but Back them up another 100 i said a general Field marshal then we be got to take a a a nonsense Pluskat nothing will happen a he told me. The incoming round knocked us on the ground and he said a now i know what you a. V a a a a a Pluskat said the wehrmacht had enough spy gained intelligence to know Normandy would be a Landing site. Re knew on june 4th that the infantry was being loaded onto ships and we y y knew they be staying on them Long a Soldier has to take a leak. On june 5th we got the first reports a the Landing is imminent. After the first bombing raids we knew it was happening. A i was on the coast. I was looking through my binoculars. It was dark and foggy. Finally the fog lifted and i saw in front of me part of the Armada. It was Gigantic. It was the sight of my life. There was an Armada of at least 10,000 warships moving without the slightest telltale of sound or Light. We began searching for signal lights and listening for radio communications nothing a it was a Model of discipline among the american and British military a rare among armies. In be never tired of praising the discipline of those Pluskat said that when Headquarters finally believed his report on the invasion he began to get Calls. A a or got two Calls from hitlers High i command in Berchtesgaden a he said. Al the first was from Field marshal Wilhelm Keitel. He shouted a what a happening Pluskat a i overheard him say to someone a Well have to Wake the i got another phone Call from Berchtesgaden from general Alfred Jodi Keitel a Deputy. I had the impression Hitler was standing nearby. I began my report but was Cut off when my Bunker took a hit from the Allied before his Bunker was hit Pluskat said he kept watching the silent approaching Armada in fascination. A a a then i saw a purple flare shoot about 300 meters into the air and then a second one arched into the morning sky. That was the signal for the entire Armada to Man Euver around and face the. Coast. They then slowly raised their cannons and then it began. They unleashed an inferno that made hell seem like child s play.�?�. A. As the american troops tried to land on Omaha Beach Pluskat a unit Laid Down a Wall of fire. A a a. A a a a a a a a it was terrible. Lambs led to the Slaughter. 1 watched hundreds die in the sea. And then we ran out of ammunition. We did t have a single shot left. I still dream about the Landing. C c to 7fy Bunker to a two direct hits. 1 flew against the Wall and was bleeding. It a Al y Jowas a Battle of the mosquitoes against an elephant. We were the mosquitoes. And we were burned out. The German army was burned out after four years of War. Hermann Goering with his big Mouth air Force promised to be there. There was nothing. We were abandoned just Cannon Pluskat said there was Only one reason for the German defeat in Normandy and that was that the High command failed miserably in its defense strategy. A the whole Crew men of the Caliper of Gerd von Runstedt Rommel and others All depended on four tank units stationed near Bordeaux but without any air support. A those tanks did no to move 50 feel after the american and British air forces finished with them. Tanks Are no Good without air superiority. Everybody should know that its a fundamental taught at the War colleges around the after a Day Pluskat fought at and later got a Bullet in the heart muscle which causes him some trouble to this Day he said. The end of the War came for Pluskat in. Magdeburg Germany in March 1945, when he was captured by the americans. Pluskat worked for the . Military government in the town of Fritzlar in Hessen to help rebuild the War torn country. There he said an american colonel befriended him and even offered him a soft drink franchise for Hessen but he had already signed on with a Large Cement. A a firm. A a a a a a a. A a a a a a a a Pluskat said a even though think Many a nature will always make him wage wars. I also think there Are probably More people now with a different attitude about War a with More respect for life than previous he then cited the example of his own son who is in the Export business. A i went to Normandy with him. We started to walk along the Shore of Omaha Beach and he stopped me and said a dad 1 done to want to take another step. Thousands of americans were killed then visited the american cemetery and that was too much for him. You can see by his reaction How the mentality is is Ken g�or0� Werner Pluskat then a 34-year-old German major served at Omaha Beach today Pluskat lives in Heilbronn Germany. June 6, 1994 a stars and stripes commemorative edition 9
