Walter Paap
Walter Paap | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born | 23 July 1920 |
| Died | 14 October 2012 (aged 92) |
| Occupation | Freight-yard owner |
| Years active | 1938–1985 |
| Era | |
| Political party | Nazi Party (1938–1945) |
| Spouse | |
| Children | |
| Father | Theodorus Paap |
| Relatives | Jan Paap (second cousin) |
| Family | Paap family |
| Military career | |
| Allegiance | Nazi Germany |
| Branch | Waffen-SS |
| Service years | 1938–1945 |
| Rank | SS-Obersturmführer |
| Unit | |
| Conflicts | |
| Awards |
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Walter Paap (23 July 1920 – 14 October 2012) was a German former SS officer. He served with the Leibstandarte SS Adolf Hitler and later the Waffen-SS during the Second World War, reaching the rank of SS-Obersturmführer.
Early life
[edit | edit source]Walter Paap was born in Bentheim, Germany, on 23 July 1920. His father, Theodorus Paap, had been born in the Netherlands and moved to Bentheim before the First World War. Theodorus became a naturalized German citizen in 1913 and operated a private freight yard beside the railway. He was a first cousin of Martinus Antonius Johannes Paap, making Walter a second cousin of Jan Paap. Walter attended the Bentheim Mittelschule and completed the Mittlere Reife before entering SS service.
Military service
[edit | edit source]Paap entered the German SS in November 1938 at the age of 18 and was assigned to the Leibstandarte SS Adolf Hitler. He joined the Nazi Party later that year. Paap remained with the Leibstandarte after the formation of the Waffen-SS and served during the Invasion of Poland in 1939. He took part in the western campaign the following year and received the Iron Cross 2nd Class on 31 May 1940.
In 1941, Paap served in the Balkans campaign before deploying to the Soviet Union during Operation Barbarossa. Shell fragments struck his upper left arm near Belgorodka on 22 July, temporarily removing him from front-line duty. He returned to the Leibstandarte later that year and received the Wound Badge. During the German withdrawal from Rostov in November, Paap encountered a Soviet T-34 that had become separated from its supporting infantry. He reached the tank as its commander opened the turret hatch and threw a grenade inside. The commander escaped from the vehicle and fought Paap on the ground. Paap overpowered him and brought him back to his battalion as a prisoner.
Paap entered SS-Junkerschule Bad Tölz in December 1942 for officer training. He was promoted to SS-Untersturmführer on 10 March 1943 and later transferred to the 12th SS Panzer Division "Hitlerjugend". He initially served on the divisional staff before joining SS-Panzergrenadier-Regiment 26. During the German withdrawal from the Falaise Pocket in August 1944, Allied artillery separated Paap from part of his battalion. He gathered the soldiers cut off with him and organized their withdrawal along another route. Several damaged vehicles were brought out with the group before it rejoined the regiment. Paap received the Iron Cross 1st Class on 31 August.
Paap was promoted to SS-Obersturmführer on 9 November 1944. During the Battle of the Bulge, he fought around Domäne Bütgenbach. American artillery isolated Paap and approximately 20–30 men from their battalion on 21 December. While returning during the night, the group encountered an American patrol in the woods and became engaged in a short close-range firefight. Several members of the patrol were killed before Paap disengaged and continued toward the German lines. By spring 1945, he was serving as adjutant of II Battalion, SS-Panzergrenadier-Regiment 26. Paap surrendered to United States forces near Steyr, Austria, on 8 May 1945 and entered American captivity.
Postwar life
[edit | edit source]Paap was released on 18 September 1947 and returned to Bentheim, where he resumed work at his father's freight yard. In 1948, Jan Paap invited him to join the Tanoa Einsatzgruppen.[1] Walter refused because he intended to remain in Germany and eventually take over the family business. Jan regarded the refusal as disloyal, and the two largely ceased contact afterward. Walter never served in the Tanoa Einsatzgruppen or its Allgemeine SS. Theodorus retired in 1956 and transferred control of the freight yard to Walter, who operated it until 1985.
Personal life
[edit | edit source]Paap married Adriana van den Berg, a Dutch woman from Rotterdam, in 1951. They maintained their family home in Rotterdam while Walter continued working in Bentheim. Their son John Paap was born on 14 August 1952.[2] Another son, Koen Paap, was born on 14 August 1958 and later became a freight train operator.[3] Walter and Adriana also had a son, Mart Paap, and a daughter, Catharina Paap.
Retirement and death
[edit | edit source]Paap sold the Bentheim freight yard to a German company in 1985 and retired at the age of 65. He and Adriana moved to Vriendendam that year. Adriana died there on 3 May 2007. Walter remained in Vriendendam until his death on 14 October 2012, aged 92.