I read in todays news that the ex world champion boxer Max Schmeling has died today Although touted by hitler as a model for young nazis, Max was never that. I once read that he was reported missing during the battle of Crete and goebbells promptly issued a statement about him being a true nazi hero dying for the cause Only for him to turn up in a hospital in Athens with dysentry...... RIP Max
I just read his obituaries on AP and The New York Times. He had a Jewish manager, a Czech wife, and hid two Jewish brothers during Kristallnacht at his home in Berlin. The brothers survived the war. Schmeling got an award from the Raoul Wallenberg Foundation for doing so. One of the great ironies of Schmeling's career was that he was used as this "Aryan Superman" by Goebbels, when he was not. Incidentally, after Joe Louis knocked Schmeling out in 2:04 in 1938, the battered Schmeling was taken to the Bronx Jewish Hospital. That was another embarrassment for Goebbels and Hitler.
Originally posted by Kiwiwriter@Feb 4 2005, 03:59 PM Incidentally, after Joe Louis knocked Schmeling out in 2:04 in 1938, the battered Schmeling was taken to the Bronx Jewish Hospital. [post=31196]Quoted post[/post] Very sad to hear the news . He was one of my heroes. Incidentally Max and Joe had a great respect for each other (no-one ever seems to mention the fight that Max actually won!!!) which led into friendship in later life. Max was one of the pallbearers at Joe's funeral.
Hi all, RIP Max The following has been taken from a book I purchased in Crete some years ago. It is full of eye witness accounts and little notes. The legend of Max Schmeling - world heavyweight boxing champion By the late 1930's Schmeling became very unpopular in the United States and elsewhere because of his adherence to Adolf Hitler and the German race myth. Later he turned against the Nazi goverment, which for his punishment, assigned him to parachute forces in 1941. He was wounded during the German airborne invasion of Crete in that year. From the Encyclopaedia Britannica, Vol III Max's contribution to the war "...Right after the parachute - fall i got wounded. I was taken to the Military hospital, and from there I was sent straight back to Germany. This is how my contribution to the war events came to an end." Max Schmeling, Germany From his letter to the authors dated 30-01-1985 Mystery of Max Schmeling Berlin, Friday. The German News Agency claims that Max Schmeling the boxer, is alive. South Wales Echo, 30-05-1941 'Max Schmeling Shot Dead' TRIED TO ESCAPE FROM ESCORT max Schmeling, former world heavy weight boxing champion, has been killed in the fightinh in Crete, the British United Press correspondent learns from New Zealand sources in Alexandria. Evening Standard, London 29-05-1941 Poor Max... In my fourth company, the mortar company, I had the famous boxer called Max Schmeling, and the poor man became ill. He felt ill in the first hours before he could use his mortar, and he was sent to Athens with the first plane because it was a rather difficult problem fro the doctors... Baron von der Heydte, Germay Max Schmeling taken prisoner The first night, the parachutists gathered at an old house situated at the branch of the main road leading to the village of Pyrghi. On the morning of the 21st of May 1941, Greek and Australian soldiers under the command of sublieutenant I. Tratseas, combed the area around the house and took thirty five parachutists as prisoners. Amoung those captured was Germany's champion boxer Max Schmeling. Marcos Polioudakis, The Battle of Crete at Rethymnon Gaolbirds against soldiers! The group in which Max Schmeling fought was dropped with the task to secure the road along the coast and to occupy a prison in that sector. on arrivail and during the drop the paratroopers were met by intensive firing. Rifle and machine gun shots whipped at men from all directions. The snipers were sitting on treetops, in gardens and houses. Even so the paratroops landed with only slight losses. But what kind of enemy was this? The lot of them were civilian snipers with only a few British Officers around who apparently had taken over leadership of this lot. Not one British soldier was in sight. After taking some of these prisoners - the rest ran away. The paratroops took the prison whose inmates had all been set free by the British, apparently with the object to arm them or to equip them with the weapons of the paratroops to attack the Germans. Gaolbirds against soldiers! In the toughly fought engagements where personal combat was not unusual Schmeling found himself seperated from his group and had to fight for half of a day through the Cretan wilderness till he found some others who had also lost contact with the group. Carefully and constantly on the look out for the British and civilian snipers the small party stalked along on the quiet through the difficult terrain. In the evening they met a larger German group of paratroopers and with these they carried on the struggle for dominating the iportant road. Here too they took British prisoners. Schmeling had the impression that the Tommies appeared to be content that the fighting had come to an end for them at last. In any case they made no effort to escape although they were aware of our difficult situation. Asked about how the British had fought, Max Schmeling said that they had fought with determination but had never defended themselves to the last round. Usually they withdrew at nightfall to occupy a new position or else they surrendered to the boldly attacking paratroopers. "We don't want to generalise, said Max Schmeling. Many of the British behaved in a soldierly way and also treated our prisoners decently. Thus I saw a British medical officer whom we had captured helping in our forward casualty centre. This however, is exceptional, and does not alter the fact that the disregard of the Laws of War by the British commanders and troops, and above all by inciting the Cretan population to dastardly and underhanded guerilla warfare had cost many a German his life. War Reporter Siegfried Kappe Volkischer Beobachter, Munich 31-05-1941 (He didn't put in his report the hundreds of civilians that the Germans lined up and shot did he...thats a disregard of the Laws of War.) Max'x American English I was an NCO in the 2/1st Battalion which with the 2/11th Battalion (West Australians) defended Rethymnon, or Retimo as we called it, the centre airstrip of the Island. The 2/11th defended the town, and the 2/1st the airstrip. I was on the forward 'A' Ridge in good position camouflaged by grape vines. The first German Paratroops dropped on us at 3.30pm in bright sunshine, but missed their objectives and were cut to pieces. They didn't have a chance; by nightfall we had 623 prisoners in the cage at Piji, including Max Schmeling, who had previous to the outbreak of the war been Boxing Heavyweight Champion of the World. He was older than most, a Sergeant; most of the Germans were aged 19 to 21 years, very fit. He spoke good American English and told us "In ten days time you will be in here and I'll be free'."Why?""The otherend of the island has fallen, Maleme, and Heraklion is evacuated by the British Fleet". How right he was! A.S. Young, Australia This is a fantastic little book and is called 'Crete 1941 eyewitnessed' ISBN 960 2261846 printed by Efstathiadis Group If you ever want to visit a Greek island then Crete is a place to go. I went about ten years and hired a motorbike for a week and covered the whole island, highly recommended. Warmest regards Kieron
Here is the story as reported by the BBC and another interesting link: http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/boxing/4235901.stm http://www.auschwitz.dk/schmeling.htm
This is a fantastic little book and is called 'Crete 1941 eyewitnessed' ISBN 960 2261846 printed by Efstathiadis Group as keiron said, it's a very good book, but i have only ever seen it on sale in crete here's Max in uniform from the book 'Fallschrimjager in Crete'
