About the fate of the Missing Soldier
Rudolf
Börner, born 12th March 1911
Military
Unit: Anti-Tank-Unit 741 (Panzerjäger-Abteilung
741)
Missing
since 2nd July 1944
German
Red Cross Missing Soldiers Picture List, volume FS, page 22
The
investigation bases on the details of the search application which were entered
into the Missing Soldiers Picture List. All soldiers returning from war or
imprisonment have been asked with the help of this list if it could be assumed
that they were the last ones being together with the missing person. These
requests took place in the Federal Republic, in Austria and in neighbouring
countries of Germany.
Further
information has been gathered from institutions that have records of losses from
the 2nd World War. Primarily these were the International Committee
of the Red Cross in Geneva, the German Office for the Information of Next
Relatives of Fallen Soldiers of the former German Armed Forces situated
in Berlin, and the Home Place Registers.
In
addition to these individual investigations it was checked whether the missing
soldier could have been taken as prisoner of war. To this end the last combat
actions in which he took part were reconstructed. As foundation for the German
Red Cross served the records about comrades that belonged to the same military
unit and went missing at the same time and at the same place of action, reports
from returnees, reports of the combat actions, war diaries, army- and special
maps.
The
result of all investigations lead to the conclusion that
Rudolf
Börner
in
all likelihood died in action on 2nd July 1944 in the retreat from
the area of Mogilev and Minsk.
(1570
09)
As
reasons are mentioned:
On
the 22nd June 1944 the Red Army began her great summer offensive in
the vicinity of the Army Group Centre concentrating
first on both sides of Vitebsk. On
the next day the offensive was widened along the whole front line of the German
Fourth Army where Soviet Tank Forces gained deep breakthroughs east of Orscha
and Mogilev. The Soviet
Fifth Guard Tank Army pushed along the flank of the German
Fourth Army through the wide gap of the German front line north of Borissov
to the river Beresina.
At
he beginning of the offensive the Anti-Tank
Unit 741 (Panzerjäger
– Abteilung 741) was
employed in the vicinity of Mogilev
when the frontline broke under the attack of several Soviet armies. The unit had
to go back across the river Dnjepr
and already here suffered severe losses through artillery shelling whilst
crossing the river. Just like the other German forces the unit tried to move
west through the extended wood and swamp area but got between the columns of the
Fourth Army which went back under
constant attack of the Soviet Air Force. Strong Partisan Units constantly
attacked the split-up parts of the German
divisions. After heavy fighting on the 29th
June at Belnitschi, 45 km west of
Mogilev, the unit reached the river Beresina
and was again involved in fighting with heavy losses while crossing the river at
Beresino. Trying to battle themselves through to Minsk,
the unit, together with other units, was encircled about 30 km east of the city
in the vicinity of Wolma and was
split-up through tank attacks. Only solitary groups were successful to get
through the encirclement to reach their own lines till the 4th July.
On the 3rd July Minsk
also fell into the hands of the enemy.
Since
then a number of soldiers of the Anti-Tank
Unit 741 is missing. The date of their last message respectively their last
unit-report confirms that they were involved in these actions. During combat in
the woody and swampy terrain, difficult to survey, many soldiers found their
death without noticing by their comrades or that it could be reported later by
them. Transportation back and medical aid of the wounded was not possible due to
the immediately rushing-in enemy forces. There is also no evidence that the
missing soldier was taken prisoner or had been seen in a prisoner-of-war camp.
All
these findings lead to the final conclusion that he died in action during the
retreat combat actions.
Munich,
7th December 1970
Max
Heinrich
Director