Description
Wehrpass – Luftwaffenhelfer – 1st
Flak Division at Berlin-Lankwitz
Wolfgang Seppeler, born in 1927 in Berlin Neukölln, as a 17 year old student he was called up in January
1944 to be a Luftwaffenhelfer (Air-Force Assistant) in Berlin Lankwitz. He was trained on a heavy
machine gun, and served for a total of nine months with the heavy
Schwere Flak Abteilung 377 / Flak Regiment 22
In Berlin Lankwitz, they were under direct command of the 1st Flak Division,
responsible for the air defence of the greater Berlin area, the headquarters of which were based in three
Flak Tower Zoo. In early 1943, an order was passed called the Kriegshilfseinsatz der Jugend bei der
Luftwaffe – (Youth war assistance with the Air-Force), the conscription of children under the ages of 18
deployed them to assist the Air Force in the bringing down of allied aircraft. By mid 1944 there were over
one million children, both young men and woman standing at the barrels of weapons looking towards the
skies.
Interestingly, Wolfgang’s father Eduard was an engineer and ran a firm in Berlin producing the pitch
element on propellers and missiles for Luftwaffe aircraft and weapons. Wolfgang Seppeler seems to have
been dismissed in October 1944 and was found not to be fit for duty, and was ordered to report back in
October 1945 by that time the war was long over.
In 1945, the firm his father created was dismantled by the Soviets. It is unknown if Wolfgang Seppeler was caught up in the ground battles in 1945.
Wolfgang Seppeler survived the war, and later went on to manage another part of his fathers firm that moved away
from the production of items that could be used to harm others and still exists today. Wolfgang passed away in 1990.
Comments
A nice Wehrpass for a young Flakhelfer in Berlin. They do not come up too often for Berlin, a nice addition to any advanced Berlin collection.
This Wehrpass is featured in an upcoming book on the Battle of Berlin. Details will be given to the new owner.
