Ernst Gottstein, born July 3, 1922 in the Sudetan town of Schreibendorf, now a part of the Czech Republic. Of German descent, he volunteered for the Wehrmacht, joining a tank outfit in 1941. He fought on the Eastern Front, getting to within 12 miles of Moscow. He then suffered through the harsh winter of 1941, and was wounded in the shoulder in April of 1942. He was sent back to Vienna to recover and volunteered for the Afrika Korps to avoid being sent back to Russia. He saw heavy action during the battle of El Alamein, and after the defeat retreated with his unit to Tunisia, where he was wounded in the battle of Tunis. He was evacuated to Berlin and then to Denmark, and was sent back into action in northern France. He was involved in extensive combat during the German army's retreat including defensive action on the Siegfried Line.
© Jonathan Alpeyrie
