Yesterday, December 29, it was 75 years ago that Robert Jänicke wrote his last letter, it was addressed to his aunt Mili and it arrived a few days later with good news but then came the silence, Robert Jänicke is still one of the many MIA soldiers of WW2.
Robert J (°1926) was a Sturmmann in the ninth company of SS Panzergrenadier Regiment 25 of the 12th SS Panzer Division “Hitlerjugend”.
At the time that he wrote this letter he was in the forest around the tiny hamlet of Sadzot, his battalion had just taken part in the attempt of the II SS Panzer Korps to break through the allied front at Erezée, now known as the “Sad Sack Affair”, this battle is well covered in the book “Bloody clash at Sadzot” by Wiliam B, Breuer.
Initially the SS Grenadiers assault was successful, during the night attack of December 27/28 1944 they had managed to find a gap in the front line held by the 289th Infantry Rgt of the 75th US ID, the three battalions of SS Pz Gr Rgt 25 supported by three 75mm Pak guns which were manually pulled through the steep forested hills, slipped through the gap and surprised the mortar men of B company of the 87th Mortar Battalion which had occupied the houses of the hamlet Sadzot near the main road from Manhay to Hotton.
A dangerous gap in the allied front line was being formed, to safe the day, the men of 509th Parachute Infantry Battalion, supported by six tank destroyers were sent forward; fierce fighting now commenced and the paratroopers managed to push out the SS Grenadiers from the little village.
This is a little quote from the book “Bloody clash at Sadzot” for December 29 1944, the day Robert J wrote his letter:
“All during the day on December 29 the woods and snow covered hills adjacent to Sadzot echoed and re-echoed with harsh sounds of bitter firefights between adverseries of the highest caliber and courage – the 509th Parachute Infantry Battalion and equally elite SS Panzer grenadiers.”
The next days the paratroopers make further attacks and forced the SS Pz Gr Rgt 25 to retreat, it is in this period that Robert Jänicke gets MIA.
He is both listed with the German Red Cross and the German war graves archive as being MIA.
In March 1994 his family placed an add in the Waffen SS veteran magazine “Der Freiwillige” to ask for information about what happened to Robert; someone from his division had told them that he might have seen him in Vienna in April 1945, which most likely was a false sighting.
Robert J (°1926) was a Sturmmann in the ninth company of SS Panzergrenadier Regiment 25 of the 12th SS Panzer Division “Hitlerjugend”.
At the time that he wrote this letter he was in the forest around the tiny hamlet of Sadzot, his battalion had just taken part in the attempt of the II SS Panzer Korps to break through the allied front at Erezée, now known as the “Sad Sack Affair”, this battle is well covered in the book “Bloody clash at Sadzot” by Wiliam B, Breuer.
Initially the SS Grenadiers assault was successful, during the night attack of December 27/28 1944 they had managed to find a gap in the front line held by the 289th Infantry Rgt of the 75th US ID, the three battalions of SS Pz Gr Rgt 25 supported by three 75mm Pak guns which were manually pulled through the steep forested hills, slipped through the gap and surprised the mortar men of B company of the 87th Mortar Battalion which had occupied the houses of the hamlet Sadzot near the main road from Manhay to Hotton.
A dangerous gap in the allied front line was being formed, to safe the day, the men of 509th Parachute Infantry Battalion, supported by six tank destroyers were sent forward; fierce fighting now commenced and the paratroopers managed to push out the SS Grenadiers from the little village.
This is a little quote from the book “Bloody clash at Sadzot” for December 29 1944, the day Robert J wrote his letter:
“All during the day on December 29 the woods and snow covered hills adjacent to Sadzot echoed and re-echoed with harsh sounds of bitter firefights between adverseries of the highest caliber and courage – the 509th Parachute Infantry Battalion and equally elite SS Panzer grenadiers.”
The next days the paratroopers make further attacks and forced the SS Pz Gr Rgt 25 to retreat, it is in this period that Robert Jänicke gets MIA.
He is both listed with the German Red Cross and the German war graves archive as being MIA.
In March 1994 his family placed an add in the Waffen SS veteran magazine “Der Freiwillige” to ask for information about what happened to Robert; someone from his division had told them that he might have seen him in Vienna in April 1945, which most likely was a false sighting.
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