Walter Paap
Walter Paap | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born | 23 July 1920 |
| Died | 14 October 2012 (aged 92) |
| Occupation | Freight-yard owner |
| Years active | 1956–1985 |
| 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 Waffen-SS officer and freight-yard owner. He served in the Leibstandarte SS Adolf Hitler and the 12th SS Panzer Division "Hitlerjugend" during the Second World War, reaching the rank of SS-Obersturmführer. Following his release from American captivity in 1947, he returned to Germany and eventually took over his father's freight yard in Bentheim, which he owned until 1985.
Early life
[edit | edit source]Walter Paap was born on 23 July 1920 in Bentheim, Germany. His father, Theodorus Paap, was originally from the Netherlands and had moved to Bentheim before the First World War. He became a naturalized German citizen in 1913 and operated a private freight yard beside the railway. Theodorus was a first cousin of Martinus Antonius Johannes Paap, making Walter a second cousin of Jan Paap.
Walter attended the Bentheim Mittelschule, where he completed the Mittlere Reife. He entered SS service shortly after finishing his education.
Military service
[edit | edit source]Paap joined the German SS in November 1938, aged 18, and was assigned to the Leibstandarte SS Adolf Hitler. He also joined the Nazi Party before the end of the year. He remained with the Leibstandarte as it became part of the Waffen-SS and took part in the Invasion of Poland in September 1939. During the German campaign in France the following year, he received the Iron Cross 2nd Class on 31 May 1940.
In 1941, Paap fought in the Balkans campaign before deploying to the Soviet Union during Operation Barbarossa. On 22 July, he was wounded near Belgorodka when shell fragments struck his upper left arm. The injury temporarily removed him from front-line service, but he returned to the Leibstandarte later that year and received the Wound Badge.
During the German withdrawal from Rostov in November 1941, Paap encountered a Soviet T-34 tank that had become separated from its supporting infantry. He approached the vehicle as its commander opened the turret hatch and threw a grenade inside. The commander escaped from the tank 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 for officer training in December 1942. He was promoted to SS-Untersturmführer on 10 March 1943 and subsequently transferred to the 12th SS Panzer Division "Hitlerjugend". After initially serving on the divisional staff, he joined SS-Panzergrenadier-Regiment 26.
In August 1944, Paap was caught in the German withdrawal from the Falaise Pocket. Allied artillery fire separated him and part of his battalion from the rest of the regiment. He gathered the soldiers who had been cut off with him and led them along another route. The group managed to bring several damaged vehicles out of the pocket before rejoining the regiment. Paap received the Iron Cross 1st Class on 31 August.
On 9 November 1944, Paap was promoted to SS-Obersturmführer. During the Battle of the Bulge, he fought around Domäne Bütgenbach. On 21 December, American artillery fire isolated him and approximately 20–30 men from their battalion. The group attempted to return to the German lines during the night but encountered an American patrol in the woods. A close-range firefight followed, during which several American soldiers were killed. Paap disengaged from the patrol and continued towards the German positions with his men.
By spring 1945, Paap was serving as adjutant of II Battalion, SS-Panzergrenadier-Regiment 26. He surrendered to United States forces near Steyr, Austria, on 8 May 1945 and was taken into American captivity.
Postwar life
[edit | edit source]Paap was released from captivity on 18 September 1947 and returned to Bentheim. He resumed working at the freight yard owned by his father, who had continued operating the business during his military service and imprisonment.
In 1948, Jan Paap invited Walter to join the Tanoa Einsatzgruppen. Walter refused the invitation because he wanted to remain in Germany and eventually take over the freight yard. Jan regarded his refusal as disloyal, and the two largely ceased contact afterward.
Theodorus retired in 1956 and transferred ownership of the freight yard to Walter. Paap continued operating the business until his retirement in 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 eldest son, John Paap, was born on 14 August 1952.[1] Their son Koen Paap was born on 14 August 1958 and later worked as a freight train operator.[2] The couple also had a son, Mart Paap, and a daughter, Catharina Paap.
Retirement and death
[edit | edit source]In 1985, Paap sold the Bentheim freight yard to a German company and retired at the age of 65. He and Adriana moved to Vriendendam, Netherlands, that year.
Adriana died in Vriendendam on 3 May 2007. Walter continued living there until his death on 14 October 2012, aged 92.