WWII Photo I1

Leipzig Surrender Ceremony

     On page 44, of the History of The 272 Infantry, published and distributed to its members in June, 1945, there is a photo of Colonel Walter D. Buie and German Wehrmacht -Kommandant General Von Ziegesar in what is purported to be the surrender ceremony of the City of Leipzig.  The 272nd Infantry Regiment did not capture the General who was the Commandant of the City of Leipzig.  Colonel Buie was called on  to handle the ceremony, being the highest ranking officer available in the area where the General had been confined. 

          For years, the location of this photo was thought to have been the new Leipzig City Hall.  The only known living member of this group, Captain Joe Lipsius, Colonel Buie's S2 staff officer, seen on the extreme right in a dark shirt, does not recall the occasion or place. 

          Just recently in November 2005, AFTER THE BATTLE magazine group published THE BATTLE FOR LEIPZIG  Number 130, a magazine devoted to the story of the fighting for Leipzig with "then and now" photographs.  Among the" then" photos shown on its page 30 is the surrender ceremony as seen in the 272 History except the German general's adjutant is slightly to the right of Joe Lipsius. The magazine stated it was unable to locate the building where the ceremony took place to get a recent photo taken.   Credit for the photo in the magazine was the US National Archives. 

          On seeing the photo in AFTER THE BATTLE, Christoph Kaufmann, photo archivist of the City of Leipzig Museum, contacted the magazine editor for more information.  He received the magazine's picture, with a little more detail visible.  It showed a number on the building  that was quickly identified as a house in Paunsdorf, a suburb in the east of Leipzig.   The house is at Roschenhof 2.  It has been fully restored and looks much like it did in 1945. 

          It may be of interest to members of the 69th.  The Signal Corps captured a moving  scene of this event and it is on the Combat Video.     

 

Click here for more photos