Goth, Ernst, born 28-07-1897 in Ingelstadt, 
to Alois Goth and his wife Anna Goth, born Hemmeter (1875-1938) Ernst married on 27-09-1924 with Julie Kempter (1901-1979) and they had one son, 1929 and two daughters, 1 son 1926/1938. Ernst dreamed of becoming a teacher but ended up commanding the German troops on Omaha beach. 
Ernst joined the Army as World War I broke out. From 10-02-1918 Leutnant, from 01-04-1933 Hauptmann from 01-08-1936 Major from 01-04-1939 Oberstleutnant from 01-02-1939 and from 01-01-1942 an Oberst. As the allied started Operation Overlord (D-Day) Ernst Kommandeur of the Grenadierregiments 916. 
Oberst( Colonel) Goth held the highest rank on the German side on D-Day and personally led counter-attacks to regain ground. The 916th withdrew on June 8 from the Omaha Beach area and made the retreat to Saint-Lo. Fighting the US divisions with only rifles, machine guns and handgrenades. Very little supply reached the combattansw. Soldiers of the Regiment can be found at La Cambe German war cemetery in Normandy. 
Although the German high command believed the main allied invasion would come around Calais 
, Adolf Hitler 
(see Hitler Paula) (did you know) 
believed an invasion was possible in Normandy and with Generalfeldmarschall der Panzertruppe, Erwin Rommel 
decided to reinforce the troops there. This new formation of the 352nd Division under command of Generalleutnant Dietrich Kraiss,
had three regiments -the 914th commanded by Oberst Ernst Heyna, the 915th under Oberst
, just north of St. Lo. The entire division was based predominately on the surviving elements of the 321st Infanterie Division, under command of Generalmajor Georg Zwade, which had been mauled at Kursk. Generalmajor Zwade 
died in 1968, age 74 in Rheda (Westfalen).
under command of Generalleutnant Heinz Greine 
and 546th Grenadier Regiment, the later forming the base for Grenadier Regiment 916. Generalleutnant Greine died 19-11-1977, aged 82. The men from the 546th were mostly men who survived the fighting in Stalingrad and had been lucky enough to have been evacuated. Along with other recovering veterans from all theatres of the war who were recovering in rest camps in France, these formed the base of the division. The Generalleutnant der Infanterie, Kommandeur der 91st Infanterie Division 
, 1st killed German General on D-Day, Wilhelm Falley
and General der Artillerie, Kommandeur LXXXIV Heeres Grup, also killed in action, Erich Marcks 
were killed in battle. The 916th was positioned on the stretch of coastline that became Omaha beach.
Ernst Goth was the highest German commander on D-Day. The operation Overlord, planned by a team under Lieutenant-General Frederick Morgan 
who died age 73, on 19-03-1967, in Northwood, was the largest amphibious invasion in world history and was executed by land, sea and air elements under direct Anglo-American command with over 160.000 soldiers landing on 6 June 1944: 73.000 Americans, 61.715 British and 21.400 Canadians. 195.700 Allied naval and merchant navy personnel in over 5.000 ships were also involved. The invasion required the transport of soldiers and materiel from the United Kingdom by troop-laden aircraft and ships, the assault landings, air support, naval interdiction of the English Channel and naval gunfire support. The landings took place along a 50-mile (80 km) stretch of the Normandy coast divided into five sectors: Utah, Omaha, Gold, Juno and Sword. Casualties at Omaha on D-Day 
numbered around 5.000 out of 50.000 men, most in the first few hours, while the Germans suffered 1.200 killed, wounded or missing.
a German soldier of 352nd Division, claimed to have shot hundreds of American soldiers of the 116th Infantry Regiment “The Bedford Boys” 
on Omaha Beach, stationed at his Widerstandnest 62, with his Czech water-cooled MG, machine gun, from WW I, a booty from the Czechian invasion in 1939.
Death and burial ground of Goth, Ernst.
Ernst Goth died at the old age of 89, on 04-01-1986 and is buried with his wife Julia, born Kempter, who died age 78 in 1979, on the Waldfriedhof in Munich. On this cemetery are also buried the next persons, Generalleutnant der Artillerie, Commander of the Troops Exercise Grounds in Maria ter Heide, Heinrich Curtze, Generalmajor der Infanterie, Kommandeur Wehrmacht Operaties Staff, Ernst Detleffsen, Free Corps commander Ritter Franz von Epp, SS Obergruppenführer, Kommandeur General II SS Panzerkorps, Paul “Papa” Hausser
, SS , SS Obersturmführer, Chef 1./SS Pz Grenadier Regiment 38 “Goetz von Berlichingen”, Bruno Hinz, Goering’s second wife, Emmy Goering-Sonneman, Generalmajor der Flieger, Commander of the Air Defend Division, Max Ibel, Hitler Navy adjutant Karl Jesko von Puttkamer,
Generalmajor der Flieger, Kommandeur Luftregio Truppe 3, 
Leni Riefenstahl. “Triumpf of the Will”, the film chronicles the 1934 Nazi Party Congress in Nuremberg.
Message(s), tips or interesting graves for the webmaster: robhopmans@outlook.com
Leave a Reply