I have previously published some info about Otto Vollmar, thanks for this post I got in contact with the family of Otto Vollmar and they have generously shared some photos of Otto Vollmar. i don´t publish them all here. But I publish what I wrote about Otto Vollmar for his daughter and grandchildren.
//Georg
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SS-Sturmbannführer
Otto Vollmar
SS-Sturmbannführer - 20.4.1943 SS-Nr: 257311
SS-Hauptsturmführer – 1.12.1939 NSDAP Nr: fr.1937
SS-Obersturmführer – 9.11.1936
SS-Unterturmführer – 9.11.1935
Awards: Ehrendegen der SS (Honory sword of the SS) Julleuchter (Candle lamp for the members of the SS) SA-Sportabzeichen in Bronze (Sport award for all SA and SS Members) Reitersportabzeichen im Bronze (Horse Sport award) Reichsport Abzeichen in Bronze (Reichsport award) Eiserne Kreuz I Klasse (Iron Cross 1: Class) Eiserne Kreuz II Klasse (Iron Cross 2:nd Class) Kriegsverdienst Kreuz mit Schwerten I Klasse (War merit Cross with sword 1: Class) Kriegsverdienst Kreuz mit Schwerten II Klasee ( War merit cross with swords II:nd Class). Ostmedallie 41/42 (Campaign medal for those who fought in Russia the winter 41/42) Infanterie Sturmabzeichen (Infantry assault medal)
Otto Vollmar was born on the 8 of February 1903 in Lütteringhausen. In school he studied to become a insurance clerk. But after he ended school he choose to join the military. Between 1921 and 1933 he served in the Reichswehr, the 100 000 army that
Germany was allowed to have after the Versailles
Treaty. After that Hitler came to power in 1933 the army
changed it course and name, but Otto Vollmar still
stayed in the army until 1935, , his final rank in the army
was Feldwebel (Sergeant) , a year he despite all his years
in the regular army joined the SS and there their military
wing which during the early years was called the SS-
Verfügungstruppe – SS-VT (SS Troops for any task). His
SS number became 257 311. One reason why Otto choose to
switch to the SS, can be that he from 1934 and until his final days in the Army was a trainer at the SS-Führerschule Otto as SS-Hauptscharführer 1935 (SS-Leader school) at Fröndenberg. At the beginning Otto Vollmar didn ́t join the Naziparty, which wasn ́t uncommon among SS-Soldiers they thought that it was enough to be SS Men, and no need to be party members. But Otto did join the organization Lebensborn, which was one of RFSS Himmlers creations and something he encouraged his SS-Men to join.
At the beginning Otto Vollmar was “only” SS-Hauptscharführer (Sergeant major) but only a few months after his service in the SS begun the commander of the II battalion of SS-Standarte Otto Vollmar to become a SS-Untersturmführer (junior Leutnant) all other officers of the Standarte also approved this recommendation.
The officer who recommended Otto to become a Officer is the future SS-Obergruppenführer Walter Krüger. He was at the end of the war a commander in chief of an
Army, and is reported as missing in Latvija on May 23,
1945 when he and other soldiers tried to fight their
way back to Germany.
Walter Krüger as SS-Obergruppenführer to the right
But before he left the Army he married Marianne Röder, born on 27.9.1908 in Elberfeld. The marriage was soon crowned with three children who came in rapid speed, a daughter born on the 15.1.1931 another daughter on 22.6.1935 and finally a son who was born on 14.9.1937.
Otto Vollmar with fellow NCO ́s in SS-Standarte "Germania"
Otto Vollmars first task in the SS was as platoon leader (Zugführer) in the Eight Company of the second battalion in the SS-Standarte “Germania” – SS-VT. In 1938 he was transferred to the I battalion of the SS-Standarte “Germania”. At this time Otto had som problems as he was cought drinking alcohol within the barracks. His punishment was a light 8 days of arrest.
But soon he was transferred again, this time to the Horse Platoon of the SS-Standarte “Germania” His Platoon was on horse back, and the photos of Otto on the back of a horse is from the years from 1938 and onwards. In 1937 Otto Vollmar joined the NSDAP, unfortunately is his member number unknown.
Otto Vollmar in head of his Horse Platoon of the SS-Standarte "Germania"
In 1939 was Otto Vollmar once again transferred, but still within the SS-Standarte Germania, he was at first SS-Obersturmführer, but later and three months after the World War II had begun was he promoted to SS-Hauptsturmführer (Captain) . His new assignment was withtin the staff of the SS-Standarte. And He was respocible for the Aidees of the regiment, the photo at top od this story about Otto Vollmar show him from that time. When the SS-Division “Wiking” was established, and the core of the new Division was SS-Regiment “Germania” Otto Vollmar followed after, and was from 1940 part of the SS-Divison “Wiking”. He was at that time Company Commander of the light Infantry Company in SS-Regiment Germania.
In 1942 he got a new assignment within the SS-Divison Wiking, which at this time had become a SS-Panzer Grenadier Division. His new task was as responcible for the Divisions staff quarter. His Commander in Chief SS-Gruppenführer Felix Steiner, wrote a very nice letter of recommendation (for his promotion) about Otto Vollmar., in which he writes that Otto is a good comrade and a very good at organization , he strongly recommend similar tasks for Otto Vollmar. After that he got the promotion to SS-Sturmbannführer (Major).
Felix Steiner was at the end of the war SS-Obergruppen-
führer and commander in Chief of the III. SS-(Germanische)
Panzer Korps, in which 11.SS-Frw.Pz.Gr. Nordland was part of.
Felix Steiner survived the war and was until his death in 1966
a regulare visitor to different meetings for Veterans of the
Waffen-SS, he also published a couple of books about the
Waffen-SS
When the 11.SS-Freiwillige Panzer Grenadier Division Nordland was established in the summer of 1943, the core of officers for that new Division came from SS-Division Wiking as it was one of that divisions Regiment (Nordland) was the core of the Division. With that also Otto Vollmar was transferred to the new Division. He had the same assignment as he had in the Wiking Division, i.e. Responsible for the Staff quarter of the Division. He was still liked as a friend a colleague, as one of the letters written about Otto tell almost the same as what the SS-Gruppenführer Steiner previously wrote about him. A couple of photos shows clearly that he had friends among his fellow officers. As when SS-Sturmbannführer Otto-Friedrich Gläsker was awarded the german Cross in Silver Otto is among those who are celebrating Gläskers award. In the photo we can see a unidentified major from the Army, SS-Stubaf Otto Friedrich Gläsker, SS-Hauptsturmführer Heinz Hämel (with Knights Cross) , SS-Stubaf Otto Vollmar and a unidentified SS-Obersturmführer or SS-Hauptsturmführer.
From Left. To Right: Unknown, O.F. Gläsker, H. Hämel, O. Vollmar and Unidentified Officer
As the SS-Pz.Gr.Div Norland fought on the battle front in Estonia and Latvija, the Division had severe casualties, which forced the German high command to after new years ewe of 1944/1945 to withdrawn the Division to eastern Germany and with the task to defend the reich. The SS-Pz.Gr.Div. Nordland had many volunteers from many different western countries such as the Netherland, Denmark, Norway, Sweden and Iceland. For a short while in march 1945 the Britische Freikorps der SS (UK Volonteers in the SS) was attached to the Recon Battalion of the Division (SS-Pz.A.A.11) . The division fought all the way from the eastern borders of the reich into the capitol Berlin and defended Hitler and his entourage. The fight was totally in vain and the SS-Division Nordland was almost totally destroyd, the few survivors was either captured by the Soviets, many was summarily shot on the spot, other vanished into the Gulag system of the Soviets.
A Few was lucky to be able to sneak out of Berlin and made their way to the west and surrender to the western allied. Unfortunately wasn ́t that the case with Otto Vollmar, he is among a number of other soldiers of the 11.SS-Frw.Pz.Gr.Div. Nordland are reported as missed in action on the 2:nd of May 1945. After that all trace of Otto Vollmar ceased to exist. After the war the HIAG (Waffen-SSveteran organisation) tried to get some info about the soldiers who was MIA during and after the war, Otto Vollmar was often published in their own magazin “Der Freiwillige” but despite all attempts to get a final destiny for Otto Vollmar all efforts was in vain and he is in 2023 still listed as MIA on the 2.5.1945 in Berlin. The HIAG had a motto ,a another version of the motto of the SS, which was “Seine Ehre Heisst treue” something they often used when
they tried to make other Waffen-SS members to come forward and tell what they know. The also said “Suchdienst is ehren dienst” (Search aide is honory service).
Above we can see one of all the Search ads that was published in the monthly magazin "DerFreiwillige". That paper first started under the name "Wiking Ruf" in 1956, but from 1960 and until it ceased to exist in 2013 they changed the name to "Der Freiwillige".
Since Otto Vollmar served at SS-Standarte "Germania" who was located in three different town, Hamburg who was the head of the SS-Standarte, but the Radolfzell and Arolsen, as Otto ́s unit was located in Arolsen was his family also located there. They lived at the Parkstrasse 18 in Arolsen. See photo from Google Maps.
(C) Georg Schwab Uppsala 2023
