egonzinc
Brigade Commander
Sturmbahnfuhrer Max Wunsche
I./ SS-Pz Regiment 1
SS-PzGrenadier Division “LSSAH”
II. SS-Panzerkorps
Kharkov, May 1943
As I continue to make some figures from the 12.SS in Normandy I decided to make an earlier Wunsch, using as inspiration the several images of him after receiving his KC for actions in early 1943. For some reason the images show a brownish tone to the black wrap and you see a big difference in the color of the uniform and the belt and shirt, which is not there in person. I tried with less light and it improved but can’t figure out why it shows up that way… so I took the figure outside for some images with natural light…
I looked through all my HS looking for someone to remotely look like Wunsch and of course I found none, but found this one that I thought could at least gove a decent representation of this highly decorated officer.
The HS is Marcus Holzhammer the LW figure that came with the flak38 anniversary set.
The uniform is from one of the second generation Wittmann figures from CH. Used a saller silver loop for the KC. The collar insignia was impossible to remove and were larger than the CVI I generally use, o I went with some old collar tabs I had saved from pre-CVI days. I placed metal pips from a ITPT figre to make the Sturmbahnfuhrer look a little better. The shoulderboards are regular DML rubber major boards with NOMAD cyphers and a felt backing in black from a set of recent DML tabs. The belt is the ageless Fritz model, with replaced loop with RioRondo leather(the only dating piece of the belt is the plastic loop!)
The visored cap is one of a couple that I bought from a provider in Europe before he dissapeared from the face of the Earth with many paid orders, one from me!
The cap has a resin body but it is smartly covered with fine cloth and the details are very nice. If you have a HS and want to use the cap it might not work, but I usually go the other way around, it the cap fits the HS then I plan to use it. It is relatively a large cap and I made it larger on the interior by Dremelling the interior as not to damage the HS.
I repainted the hair on the Hs and gave it many washes to make it darker complexion as the original is VERY light skinned. Gloves are repainted from bbi. Boots are regular officer DML boots.
Some data about this officer:
Date of Birth:
20. April 1914
Date of Death:
17. April 1995
Awards:
Iron Cross II: 26. May 1940
Iron Cross I: 31. May 1940
Inf. Assault Badge Bronze: 30. October 1940
Eastern Front Medal: 6. July 1942
German Cross in Gold: 25. Febuary 1943
Knight's Cross: 28. Febuary 1943
Wound Badge in Silver: 11. June 1944
Oak Leaves: 11. August 1944 (54
Commissioned Ranks:
Commissioned: 20. April 1936
SS-Obersturmführer: 11. September 1938
SS-Hauptsturmführer: 25. May 1940
SS-Sturmbannführer: 1. September 1942
SS-Obersturmbannführer: 30. January 1944
Max Wünsche was born on 20 April 1915 in Kittlitz (Löbau/Oberslausitz county) Germany. He attended High School in Bautzen, and in 1928 joined the Reichslandbund (agricultural union) while at the same time attending Mercantile school. Employed for a short wile as a manager working on a manor, Wünsche then became a Department Head at an accounting firm. In November of 32' Wünsche joined the Hitlerjugend, and in July of 33' the SS. After attending a five month NCO training course at Jüterbog, Wünsche decided to become an officer and attended SS-Junkerschule Bad Tölz, graduating in the class of 1936. Commissioned and promoted to the rank of SS-Untersturmführer on 20 April 1936, Wünsche was assigned to the Leibstandarte where he served as a Zugführer in 9.Kompanie.
Transfered to 17.Kompanie later that month, this is where Wünsche stayed until 1 October 1938. He was then assigned to the Begleitkommando des Führers (Hitler's personal escort detachament) where he served as a Orderly Officer. Remaining in this post throughout the invasion of Poland, on 24 January 1940 he was transfered back to the Leibstandarte, posted as commander of the 2.Zug in 15.Kradschützenkompanie under the command of Kurt Meyer. Wünsche remained in this post throughout the invasion of France and the low countries, returning back to the BdF on 1 June. After something of a minor scandel in which Hitler's butler complained of their being Orderly Officer's that were "not behaving correctly", Wünsche was dismissed and re-assigned to the Leibstandarte, posted as Dietrich's Adjutant on 5 December 1940. It was "Sepp" Dietrich whom Wünsche would recall as most influential after the war.
Even though Wünsche served as "Sepp" Dietrich's Adjutant throughout the Balkan campgain, it wasn't until Operation Barrabossa, the invasion of Russia, that Wünsche would distuingish himself. Attached to Army group South, specificaly General Eberhard von Mackensen's III Korps, the Leibstandarte met bitter resitance in the opening days of the invasion. By late July the Leibstandarte punched it's way past the soviet defenders trapping several divisions in a pocket. Numerous times Wünsche would take to a Fieseler Storch and fly over enemy held teritory on reconnaissence missions. These missions particulary proved their worth On 31 July, when the results of his reconnaissence contributed signifigantly to the capture of Novo-Archelsk, which in turn closed the Uman pocket and sealed the fates of the trapped Russian Divisions.
As the Leibstandarte pushed deeper into southern Russia and reached the entrance to the Crimea, the Isthmus of Perekop, Wünsche was called upon to deputise for the Divisional Ia, SS-Hauptsturmführer Rudolf Lehmann on two seperate occassion's (At the time Lehmann was deputizing for SS-Sturmbannführer Wilhelm Keilhaus). Later, during the battles at Berdjansk, Mariupol and Taganrog, Wünsche assumed command of various sub-units when their commanders had fallen, time and time again "driving his men to substantial success". All the while he was still considered, officially, Divisional Adjutant.
On 15 February 1942 Wünsche was appointed commander of the Leibstandarte's Sturmgeschützabteilung, repelling all Soviet breakthrough attempts in the following weeks. That March Wünsche's command was placed as Korps reserve, where at the Muis bridgehead his command succeeded in halting all soviet attempts at penetrating the front lines of the 73. Infanterie and 13. Panzer Divisionen. On 1 June Wünsche left the front and was sent to Kriegschule Berlin, where he successfully completed a three month General Staff training course and was promoted to SS-Sturmbannführer. Resuming command of the Leibstandarte's Sturmgeschützabteilung on 1 September, shortly thereafter Wünsche was appointed commander (22 October 1942) of I.Abteilung in the Leibstandarte's newly formed Panzerregiment. The Panzerregiment began forming in early January 1942, formation was completed by mid January 1943. The Panzerregiment left for Kharkov in early Feruary.
Right from de-training, SS-Sturmbannführer Max Wunsche and his troops were thrust into combat. Fighting in blizzard conditions, with temperatures well below freezing, so began a series of battles that Wünsche would later recall as his most difficult. On 8 and 9 February, utilizing a mobile defense, I.Abteilung halted the up to then unstoppable Russian advance and held Merefa, inflicting heavy losses on the Soviets. On the 10th I.Abteilung went over to the attack with just one goal in mind, smash open the supply and communication lines to Kurt Meyer and the encircled Aufklärungsabteilung. Pushing further into the soviet lines on the 11th, further still on the 12th, I.Abteilung was credited with destroying 16 Anti-Tank guns through the deepest snows and coldest temperatures. On the night of the 13th, despite the extreme climatic and terrain difficulties, SS-Sturmbannführer Max Wünsche's Panzerabteilung succeeded in breaking open the supply and communication lines to Meyer's beleagured troops, saving them from certain anhiliation. Wünsche's I.Abteilung, now linked up with Meyer's Aufklärungsabteilung, formed a Kampfgruppe and pressed forward the attack, helping to smash the VI Guards Cavalry Corps on the 15th. That very same day Kharkov was abandonded. By the 22nd, through all of the local successes the Germans had regained the initiative and were focusing on what they had given up just one week earlier, Kharkov. On the 25th, the very same day Wünsche was honored with the German Cross in Gold for actions previously mentioned, he would again distinguish himself, this time worthy of the Knight's Cross.
Reconnaissance by Wünsche's Kampfgruppe revealed a strong enemy column approaching on the Division's southern flank. Wünsche on his own initiative and without waiting for orders, gave the command to his Kampfgruppe to encircle the enemy out of Jeremejwka in a northward thrust. The action was a success, with 54 heavy guns destroyed (two 12,2 cm guns by Wünsche personally) and over 900 casulties for the Russian's. It was for this battle that Wünsche was awarded the Knight's Cross on 28 February 1943. On 15 March the battle for Karkov was over, "Red Square" was renamed "Liebstandarte Square" and the city was firmly in the grasp of II. SS-Panzerkorps. The men of the Leibstandarte recieved a brief respite during the month of April, refitting around Karkov. That June SS-Sturmbannführer Max Wünsche recieved orders to transfer to a new division under going formation: the 12. SS-Panzerdivision "Hitlerjugend", of which Wünsche was assigned to command the Panzerregiment.
On 6 June, the Allies commenced with the largest amphibious assault in history. As the Allies hit the beaches and consolidated their beachhead, thoughts turned to pushing inland. As the British and Canadian forces pushed deeper inland on the 7th they then ran smack into the 12. SS-Panzerdivision "Hitlerjugend". In the ensuing battle's Wünsche and his Regiment were credited with destroying 219 enemy tanks up to mid July, and for his resolute leadership was awarded Oak Leaves to the Knight's Cross on 11 August 1944. A few days later, as the Allied forces encircled the German division's in what is known as the Falaise pocket, it would come to an end.
On the night of 20 August, Wünsche, along with his adjutant SS-Hauptsturmführer Isecke, SS-Untersturmführer Freitag and a wounded medical officer, all made good their escape. Travelling on foot, they encountered a enemy outpost where the injured Doctor was captured and Wünsche wounded in the calf. On the 24th, Isecke became seperated and was captured. Wünsche's group was now down to two. A short while later, Wünsche and Frietag found a German vehicle in good working order and drove through St Lambert in plain view of the Canadians that occupied the town. As fate would have it, later that day while waiting under the cover of bushes for darkness they where captured.
Wünsche survived the war, and became a manager of a industrial plant in Wuppertal, Germany. He died in Munich on the 17th of April 1995. He was 80 years old.
I./ SS-Pz Regiment 1
SS-PzGrenadier Division “LSSAH”
II. SS-Panzerkorps
Kharkov, May 1943
As I continue to make some figures from the 12.SS in Normandy I decided to make an earlier Wunsch, using as inspiration the several images of him after receiving his KC for actions in early 1943. For some reason the images show a brownish tone to the black wrap and you see a big difference in the color of the uniform and the belt and shirt, which is not there in person. I tried with less light and it improved but can’t figure out why it shows up that way… so I took the figure outside for some images with natural light…
I looked through all my HS looking for someone to remotely look like Wunsch and of course I found none, but found this one that I thought could at least gove a decent representation of this highly decorated officer.
The HS is Marcus Holzhammer the LW figure that came with the flak38 anniversary set.
The uniform is from one of the second generation Wittmann figures from CH. Used a saller silver loop for the KC. The collar insignia was impossible to remove and were larger than the CVI I generally use, o I went with some old collar tabs I had saved from pre-CVI days. I placed metal pips from a ITPT figre to make the Sturmbahnfuhrer look a little better. The shoulderboards are regular DML rubber major boards with NOMAD cyphers and a felt backing in black from a set of recent DML tabs. The belt is the ageless Fritz model, with replaced loop with RioRondo leather(the only dating piece of the belt is the plastic loop!)
The visored cap is one of a couple that I bought from a provider in Europe before he dissapeared from the face of the Earth with many paid orders, one from me!
The cap has a resin body but it is smartly covered with fine cloth and the details are very nice. If you have a HS and want to use the cap it might not work, but I usually go the other way around, it the cap fits the HS then I plan to use it. It is relatively a large cap and I made it larger on the interior by Dremelling the interior as not to damage the HS.
I repainted the hair on the Hs and gave it many washes to make it darker complexion as the original is VERY light skinned. Gloves are repainted from bbi. Boots are regular officer DML boots.
Some data about this officer:
Date of Birth:
20. April 1914
Date of Death:
17. April 1995
Awards:
Iron Cross II: 26. May 1940
Iron Cross I: 31. May 1940
Inf. Assault Badge Bronze: 30. October 1940
Eastern Front Medal: 6. July 1942
German Cross in Gold: 25. Febuary 1943
Knight's Cross: 28. Febuary 1943
Wound Badge in Silver: 11. June 1944
Oak Leaves: 11. August 1944 (54
Commissioned Ranks:
Commissioned: 20. April 1936
SS-Obersturmführer: 11. September 1938
SS-Hauptsturmführer: 25. May 1940
SS-Sturmbannführer: 1. September 1942
SS-Obersturmbannführer: 30. January 1944
Max Wünsche was born on 20 April 1915 in Kittlitz (Löbau/Oberslausitz county) Germany. He attended High School in Bautzen, and in 1928 joined the Reichslandbund (agricultural union) while at the same time attending Mercantile school. Employed for a short wile as a manager working on a manor, Wünsche then became a Department Head at an accounting firm. In November of 32' Wünsche joined the Hitlerjugend, and in July of 33' the SS. After attending a five month NCO training course at Jüterbog, Wünsche decided to become an officer and attended SS-Junkerschule Bad Tölz, graduating in the class of 1936. Commissioned and promoted to the rank of SS-Untersturmführer on 20 April 1936, Wünsche was assigned to the Leibstandarte where he served as a Zugführer in 9.Kompanie.
Transfered to 17.Kompanie later that month, this is where Wünsche stayed until 1 October 1938. He was then assigned to the Begleitkommando des Führers (Hitler's personal escort detachament) where he served as a Orderly Officer. Remaining in this post throughout the invasion of Poland, on 24 January 1940 he was transfered back to the Leibstandarte, posted as commander of the 2.Zug in 15.Kradschützenkompanie under the command of Kurt Meyer. Wünsche remained in this post throughout the invasion of France and the low countries, returning back to the BdF on 1 June. After something of a minor scandel in which Hitler's butler complained of their being Orderly Officer's that were "not behaving correctly", Wünsche was dismissed and re-assigned to the Leibstandarte, posted as Dietrich's Adjutant on 5 December 1940. It was "Sepp" Dietrich whom Wünsche would recall as most influential after the war.
Even though Wünsche served as "Sepp" Dietrich's Adjutant throughout the Balkan campgain, it wasn't until Operation Barrabossa, the invasion of Russia, that Wünsche would distuingish himself. Attached to Army group South, specificaly General Eberhard von Mackensen's III Korps, the Leibstandarte met bitter resitance in the opening days of the invasion. By late July the Leibstandarte punched it's way past the soviet defenders trapping several divisions in a pocket. Numerous times Wünsche would take to a Fieseler Storch and fly over enemy held teritory on reconnaissence missions. These missions particulary proved their worth On 31 July, when the results of his reconnaissence contributed signifigantly to the capture of Novo-Archelsk, which in turn closed the Uman pocket and sealed the fates of the trapped Russian Divisions.
As the Leibstandarte pushed deeper into southern Russia and reached the entrance to the Crimea, the Isthmus of Perekop, Wünsche was called upon to deputise for the Divisional Ia, SS-Hauptsturmführer Rudolf Lehmann on two seperate occassion's (At the time Lehmann was deputizing for SS-Sturmbannführer Wilhelm Keilhaus). Later, during the battles at Berdjansk, Mariupol and Taganrog, Wünsche assumed command of various sub-units when their commanders had fallen, time and time again "driving his men to substantial success". All the while he was still considered, officially, Divisional Adjutant.
On 15 February 1942 Wünsche was appointed commander of the Leibstandarte's Sturmgeschützabteilung, repelling all Soviet breakthrough attempts in the following weeks. That March Wünsche's command was placed as Korps reserve, where at the Muis bridgehead his command succeeded in halting all soviet attempts at penetrating the front lines of the 73. Infanterie and 13. Panzer Divisionen. On 1 June Wünsche left the front and was sent to Kriegschule Berlin, where he successfully completed a three month General Staff training course and was promoted to SS-Sturmbannführer. Resuming command of the Leibstandarte's Sturmgeschützabteilung on 1 September, shortly thereafter Wünsche was appointed commander (22 October 1942) of I.Abteilung in the Leibstandarte's newly formed Panzerregiment. The Panzerregiment began forming in early January 1942, formation was completed by mid January 1943. The Panzerregiment left for Kharkov in early Feruary.
Right from de-training, SS-Sturmbannführer Max Wunsche and his troops were thrust into combat. Fighting in blizzard conditions, with temperatures well below freezing, so began a series of battles that Wünsche would later recall as his most difficult. On 8 and 9 February, utilizing a mobile defense, I.Abteilung halted the up to then unstoppable Russian advance and held Merefa, inflicting heavy losses on the Soviets. On the 10th I.Abteilung went over to the attack with just one goal in mind, smash open the supply and communication lines to Kurt Meyer and the encircled Aufklärungsabteilung. Pushing further into the soviet lines on the 11th, further still on the 12th, I.Abteilung was credited with destroying 16 Anti-Tank guns through the deepest snows and coldest temperatures. On the night of the 13th, despite the extreme climatic and terrain difficulties, SS-Sturmbannführer Max Wünsche's Panzerabteilung succeeded in breaking open the supply and communication lines to Meyer's beleagured troops, saving them from certain anhiliation. Wünsche's I.Abteilung, now linked up with Meyer's Aufklärungsabteilung, formed a Kampfgruppe and pressed forward the attack, helping to smash the VI Guards Cavalry Corps on the 15th. That very same day Kharkov was abandonded. By the 22nd, through all of the local successes the Germans had regained the initiative and were focusing on what they had given up just one week earlier, Kharkov. On the 25th, the very same day Wünsche was honored with the German Cross in Gold for actions previously mentioned, he would again distinguish himself, this time worthy of the Knight's Cross.
Reconnaissance by Wünsche's Kampfgruppe revealed a strong enemy column approaching on the Division's southern flank. Wünsche on his own initiative and without waiting for orders, gave the command to his Kampfgruppe to encircle the enemy out of Jeremejwka in a northward thrust. The action was a success, with 54 heavy guns destroyed (two 12,2 cm guns by Wünsche personally) and over 900 casulties for the Russian's. It was for this battle that Wünsche was awarded the Knight's Cross on 28 February 1943. On 15 March the battle for Karkov was over, "Red Square" was renamed "Liebstandarte Square" and the city was firmly in the grasp of II. SS-Panzerkorps. The men of the Leibstandarte recieved a brief respite during the month of April, refitting around Karkov. That June SS-Sturmbannführer Max Wünsche recieved orders to transfer to a new division under going formation: the 12. SS-Panzerdivision "Hitlerjugend", of which Wünsche was assigned to command the Panzerregiment.
On 6 June, the Allies commenced with the largest amphibious assault in history. As the Allies hit the beaches and consolidated their beachhead, thoughts turned to pushing inland. As the British and Canadian forces pushed deeper inland on the 7th they then ran smack into the 12. SS-Panzerdivision "Hitlerjugend". In the ensuing battle's Wünsche and his Regiment were credited with destroying 219 enemy tanks up to mid July, and for his resolute leadership was awarded Oak Leaves to the Knight's Cross on 11 August 1944. A few days later, as the Allied forces encircled the German division's in what is known as the Falaise pocket, it would come to an end.
On the night of 20 August, Wünsche, along with his adjutant SS-Hauptsturmführer Isecke, SS-Untersturmführer Freitag and a wounded medical officer, all made good their escape. Travelling on foot, they encountered a enemy outpost where the injured Doctor was captured and Wünsche wounded in the calf. On the 24th, Isecke became seperated and was captured. Wünsche's group was now down to two. A short while later, Wünsche and Frietag found a German vehicle in good working order and drove through St Lambert in plain view of the Canadians that occupied the town. As fate would have it, later that day while waiting under the cover of bushes for darkness they where captured.
Wünsche survived the war, and became a manager of a industrial plant in Wuppertal, Germany. He died in Munich on the 17th of April 1995. He was 80 years old.
