1. A German soldier visits German graves at the General Cemetery in Dordrecht
A German soldier inspects German graves at the General Cemetery in Dordrecht. The graves of Friedrich Knaute, Willi Bormann, Erich Niemeyer, Hans Lausen, Franz Deutsch and Adam Kettler and Johan Mann at the General Cemetery in Dordrecht.
The large graves in the center of the photo are the following fallen soldiers: Gefreiter Knaute, Obergefreiter Bormann and Gefreiter Niemeyer.
Six pieces of mountain artillery (Skoda 7.5 cm mountain howitzers) were assigned to Kampfgruppe de Boer on 12 May, including the four pieces brought in on 12 May from 5./AR.22. The artillery pieces were unloaded at the cemetery and deployed. They were partly positioned in the streets to shell the station. One piece was fired upon by a pontoon corporal [J. Grollé 1.DCP] from the roof of the pavilion with a light machine gun, disabling the entire gun crew. Five men were killed. These were Unteroffizier Ulmer, Obergefreiter Bormann, Gefreiter Niemeyer and Knaute, and the gunner Kahnenbley.
Gefreiter Hans Lausen: On 12 May, 10./FJR.1 together with 11./FJR.1 and several staff units fought a fierce battle at Wieldrecht with 4-3 GB. In that battle, two men of 10./FJR.1 were killed (Hans Lausen) and the deputy company commander (Oberleutnant Specht and Feldwebel Wallner) were severely wounded.
Schütze Deutsch and Oberleutnant Mann: IR 72 was the strategic airborne reserve, assigned to the 7th Air Corps, but not yet trained for airborne deployment. It was part of the 46th Infantry Division. From this reserve, the entire 1st Battalion plus the 6th Company of the 2nd Battalion were flown into Waalhaven on 10, 11 and 12 May 1940. The 1st Company was deployed against the western part of the island of IJsselmonde (Hoogvliet–Pernis region), the 6th Company was sent to Rotterdam. A platoon of the 2nd Company served as security at Waalhaven, and the rest of the 1st Battalion plus staff were assigned to the Gruppe de Boer, formed on 12 May 1940, which fought heavy battles in Dordrecht on 12 and 13 May 1940. Schütze Deutsch was killed on 12 May in Dordrecht during the fighting around the railway. Oberleutnant Mann was platoon leader in the 3rd Company. He likely died in the early evening during heavy fighting along the railway.
Gefreiter Adam Kettler: Gefreiter Kettler was killed on or along the highway near Dordrecht or was severely wounded there and later died. It is unclear whether he fell during the movement of 11./FJR.1 to Dordrecht — during which 11 men of 11./FJR.1 were wounded to varying degrees on the traffic bridge of Dordrecht — or whether he was severely wounded or killed when 11./FJR.1 engaged in combat in the afternoon with the survivors of Battalion Ravelli (NL) at Wieldrecht.
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