Karl-Heinz Rosch, one of many young men in the German Wehrmacht in the final two years of the war, did not survive the conflict. However, he became known as the “Hero with No Glory” for a selfless act on his part that led to the creation and erection of one of two known monuments dedicated to a specifically named World War Two German soldier...a measure to give him the glory some felt he deserved.
Rosch was born on October 3, 1926 in the German town of Meißen and little is known of his early childhood. His military career began when he was conscripted into service at the age of 17 in July 1944. Rosch soon found himself assigned to the elite Fallschirm-Panzer-Division 1. “Hermann Göring”. This unit, whose lineage went back to its formation by Hermann Göring in 1933 as a police battalion, became a Luftwaffe unit in September 1935 under the designation Regiment General Göring. At the time of Rosch's appointment, the division was commanded by Generalmajor Wilhelm Schmalz. Specifically, Rosch was assigned to the 14. Batterie (14th. Battery) of Fallschirm-Ersatz- und. Ausbildungs-Regiment “Hermann Göring” (Parachute Replacement and Training Regiment “Hermann Göring” under the command of Oberst Fritz Fullriede. The purpose of the regiment was to take in new recruits and transfers, provide them with training, then push them into the parent unit (in this case, Fallschirm-Panzer-Div 1 HG) as replacements for casualties. Rosch, by October 1944, had the rank of Kanonier (Private in an artillery unit) and was assigned to the Muni-Staffel (Munitions Staffel, literally “ammunition squadron”) of 14. Batterie. His immediate commander was Oberwachtmeister Heinz Wustmann. Also by this time, the process of turning the division into a full Panzerkorps had gotten underway, ordered on October 1, 1944 with the first step being the formation of Fallschirm-Panzergrenadier Division 2 "Hermann Göring”. This brought a large influx of men into the training regiment (drawn from superfluous Luftwaffe personnel and draftees leeched from the German Heer (Army).
Fallschirm-Ersatz- und. Ausbildungs-Regiment “Hermann Göring” was based in Utrecht in the Netherlands and by the beginning of October 1944, elements of Rosch's battery was situated in the town of Goirle, some 54 miles south of Utrecht. Specifically, Rosch and his fellow soldiers were based at a farm owned by the Kilsdonk family. Rosch celebrated his eighteenth birthday at the farm on October 3, 1944. Three days later, on October 6, Rosch was inside the farmhouse having a cup of coffee with the matriarch of the Kilsdonk family when the whistle of incoming mortar rounds from a British unit started to impact near the farm. Rosch, along with his fellow soldiers, picked up their arms and made for their positions to ride out the bombardment and prepare to repulse the expected attack once the shelling stopped. Rosch, from his position, noticed that the two children (aged 4 and 5) belonging to the Kilsdonk family, Jan and Toos, were in the yard and seemed to be oblivious to the incoming fire that was creeping towards the farmhouse. Rosch dropped his weapon and ran towards the two children, picking them both up, one under each arm, and took them to the relative safety of the farmhouse's basement. Rosch sprinted back towards his comrades when a mortar round directly struck Rosch near the very location where the children had been. The detonation of the round blew Rosch apart. When the bombardment ceased, there was no follow-up assault on the unit's position and so Rosch's fellow soldiers were able to assemble Rosch's various body parts that had been strewn across the yard by the blast and buried him on the farm's grounds in a field grave.
Rosch's selfless sacrifice was a closely guarded Kilsdonk family secret. The German occupation of the Netherlands, which worsened starting in June of 1941, saw the people of the Netherlands endure starvation, deplorable living conditions, mass deportations, and war crimes to the point that by the final surrender of German forces on May 5, 1945, the country was in relative ruin. Not surprisingly, the hatred of the Germans was high and for the Kilsdonk family to praise a German soldier for saving the lives of their children was simply inviting ridicule and shame. In fact, Rosch's parents and relations did not know the truth behind their son's death, even after Rosch's father was able to visit the farm following the fall of East Germany in 1989. But, in 2004, that changed.
The two children, Jan and Toos, finally informed the world of what happened to them on that October day in 1944 and who they had to thank for their lives. Rosch's sacrifice was made known to the Rosch family and Rosch's body was exhumed and re-interned at the Deutsche Kriegsgräberstätte Ysselsteyn (German War Cemetery Ysselsteyn) located 1.2 miles outside of Ysselsteyn, Germany. Jan and Toos wanted to erect a monument to Rosch but despite some 60 years having passed since World War Two, the opposition to it was great. Nevertheless, through the efforts of former Goirle city councilman Herman Van Rouwendaal, enough private funds were raised to have sculptor Riet van der Louw create the bronze statue that depicts a German soldier with two children under his arms. The monument was unveiled in 2008 but because the city would not allow it to be put on public property, it was erected on private property, situated in a garden in front of the home of a citizen who had actually met Rosch prior to his death. It is located in the village of Riel (a municipality of Goirle) at the corner of Dorpstraat and Beatrixstraat streets.
The photograph of Rosch shows him in full Luftwaffe uniform. He looks to be wearing the early M35 Fliegerbluse for enlisted ranks as there does not seem to be any noticeable lower pockets on the Flight Blouse, something introduced on the M40 Fliegerbluse. Despite being introduced prior to the start of World War Two, the M35 continued to see wear well into 1945. He is wearing the black leather Marschstiefel, or Marching Boots, and atop his head is the Luftwaffe Einheitsfliegermütze which was introduced starting in September 1943. Not visible is the single gull pip on his white collartabs that denotes his rank of Kanonier. After June 1943, the Fallschirm-Panzer-Division 1. “Hermann Göring” adopted the standard Luftwaffe waffenfarbe (corps colors) and so Rosch's collartabs should have been red which was the corps color for Artillerie (Artillery). However, the division changed the regulations so often (three times between 1936 and 1943), it was difficult for troops in the field to adopt the new regulations and so it was not uncommon for enlisted men to use the standard HG white collartab regardless of their branch of service. Just visible on his right sleeve is the enlisted cuff title for the division which was a dark blue band with HERMANN GÖRING in white block letters.
