The Böhler Chapel in Plettenberg Germany is a historic religious site, serving as a significant Lutheran preaching spot from 1723 to the mid-18th century, particularly when the main town church was unavailable. It was a center for early morning services and is adjacent to a quiet, historic graveyard that reflects local history. A stone in the wall of the church has the date July 19, 1907. A sign in the cemetery notes that the cemetery was founded in 1906.
The wall surrounding the church has a World War I and World War II memorial. A Column with a metal dish on top that looks like an eternal flame has a plaque that says WE REMEMBER. Another plaque with a relief sculpture of a man in a trench coat with his hands outstretched says REMEMBER THE PRISONERS. At his feet are Prisoner barracks with four sentry towers. This is probably referring to the thousands of Russian Soldiers who were starved to death at Stalag VI-A.
On April 11, the Americans advanced as far as Meinerzhagen and Herscheid (West of Plettenberg) and arrived in the outskirts of Plettenberg around 1 p.m. on April 12. The German troops that had been stationed in and around Plettenberg in the preceding days had already withdrawn or gone into hiding. Nevertheless, there were instances where, despite the obvious futility of further resistance, the desperate orders of the higher command were followed verbatim. This was the case not only with the demolition of the road bridge at Kaley, but also with the railway bridge at Siesel. When the first American tanks entered Plettenberg, a German soldier attempted to destroy a tank with a Panzerfaust on Grafweg, next to the Rempel company, and was killed in the process.
During the course of April 12th, the Americans advanced on the center of Plettenberg. Artillery pieces were positioned near Sonneborn Germany. The town center around Christ Church came under fire.
According to eyewitnesses, the very first shell hit the church tower. On the morning of April 13th, the townspeople were startled early by renewed artillery fire. Bernhard Schulte wrote: “ On April 13th, 1945, Artillery shelling of Plettenberg. In the afternoon, American tanks advanced from the direction of Leinschede into our village. Houses along the main road, behind which German soldiers fled, were shelled. The Catholic church would also have fallen victim to the shelling if Father Busch, the parish priest, hadn’t left the air-raid shelter to go out to meet the Americans.”
Leinscheide is a 9 minute drive to the northeast on the opposite bank of the Lenne River. The American tanks would have needed a bridge to cross the river. It is possible they could have crossed at the Fish Belly Bridge.
When the Americans had actually occupied Plettenberg on April 13 and a truce had been declared, the terrified population still dared not believe that the horrors of war were over. That evening, most of the Americans retreated to their quarters and left Plettenberg by car, heading towards Herscheid Germany (the town West of Plettenberg). A rumor quickly spread through the town that Plettenberg was to be carpet-bombed, and some of the residents, along with their families, boxes, and suitcases, fled to the surrounding hills. Some of the more cautious didn’t return home until the following morning.
Schulte continued: There was Fierce resistance during fighting. “Albert’s house and farmer Otminghaus’s house received direct hits from the tank fire. No livestock was killed. The first tank then turned towards Grabenstraße. A truck was parked in front of the first house on the left. A German soldier fled behind it. The tank set the truck on fire. This caused the old house to catch fire and burn fiercely. The soldier was seriously wounded. At Siepmann’s bowling alley…” Seventy-year-old Mrs. Stutzke was hit by a bullet. She died soon after. At 6:05 p.m., the first Americans arrived in our cellar. I immediately looked at my watch to capture the moment. The German soldiers were captured and taken away. The fighting was over for our town,”
The 75th Inantry Division Command Post wasn’t set up in Plettenberg until April 22, 1945.
I I decided to spend several days in Plettenberg Germany which was the command post for the 75th Infantry Division at the end of WWII. I drove to the Lenne River where I parked at the AquaMagis water park and then walked to this steel beam Fish Belly Bridge built which was built in 1914. Since it was cold, the water park was quiet. It was a crisp fall afternoon and the walk along the river was gorgeous.
The 75th Infantry Division occupied Plettenberg in April of 1945, and stayed for some time while doing governmental work, building up the hospitals, railroads, bridges and water pipes. As always, immediately upon arriving in Plettenberg , the Division’s units set up their Command Posts and a series of signs throughout the town indicated their locations. Each Division in the European Theater of Operations, (ETO) had a different letter with which their individual outfits’ code name began. And so the indicator for 75th Headquarters was D for Diamond.