Obituaries

Frederick Weiss

FREDERICK BURCH WEISS Ocean Pines

Frederick Burch Weiss, 78, of Ocean Pines, passed away Saturday, July 16, 2022, at Atlantic General Hospital. Born Aug. 5, 1943, he was the son of the late Frederick Adolph and Jane Collinson Weiss.

He is survived by his wife of 58 years, Alta Ann Weiss; two daughters, Lisa Ann Weiss and Elizabeth Jane Koutsoumbaris; sons-in law, John William Strand and T. Alex Koutsoumbaris; grandchildren, Pearl Elizabeth and Lucy Constance Strand; and Benjamin Stamatios and Joshua Frederick Koutsoumbaris.

He was preceded in death by his two sisters, Flora Jane Moore and Florence Cole Jeziorski.

Growing up, Fred spent his winters in his parent’s Baltimore home and summers at their waterfront home on the Severn River. He bought his own boat at age 12 and had a boat ever since.

He was an excellent water skier and also enjoyed fishing or just cruising around with family and friends.

Fred was an athlete throughout his elementary, high school and college years. He played football, lacrosse and soccer and received numerous trophies and awards.

In 1958, Fred began his sophoContinued on Page 67 Continued from Page 65

Another Brandenburger unit, also dressed in Soviet uniforms and commanded by Lt. Ernest Prochaska and also traveling in captured Soviet trucks, advanced toward the strategically important bridge at Bjelaja, and by yelling “Tanki, Tanki!” while gesticulating and looking terrified, convinced the Soviet defenders that these were Soviet troops in full retreat.

The Soviet troops defending the bridge abandoned their positions and fled, allowing the Brandenburgers to disarm the demolition charges. Both lieutenants were decorated with the Knight’s Cross — Prochaska posthumously.

On Aug. 9, Hellmut von der Chevallerie’s 13th Panzerdivision marched in and captured the city, the oil fields, 1,000 prisoners and the base, without a shot being fired. Accompanying the division was an “oil salvage company,” which, although it may have known something about oil production, knew little to nothing about combat, which didn’t serve it well when it encountered the Red Army.

That same day, Gen. Rouff’s Seventeenth Army occupied Krasnodar. It is located 50 miles east of the Black Sea and 620 miles south of Moscow. Located on the Kuban River, it has a population of 750,000. But its refinery was destroyed.

Unfortunately for Hitler, the capture of Maykop did not solve his fuel problems. The Red Army had, in fact, sabotaged the wells, storage facilities and refineries. A bigger target — and even further distant — was Baku. Der Führer urged Field Marshal von List to scrape together all available forces for the final push to Grozny and Baku.

Today, Baku, a 2,000-year-old city on the western shore of the Caspian Sea, with a population of 2 million is the capital of Azerbaijan. Eighty years ago, it had a population of 800,000 and produced 80 percent of the Soviet Union’s oil. Its capture — no matter the condition of the oilfields — would have driven the U.S.S.R. from the war.

Prior to the campaign, a cake had been presented to der Führer in the shape of a map of the Caspian Sea, with Baku spelled in chocolate. After eating the cake, Hitler told the assembled, “Unless we get Baku oil, the war is lost.”

On Aug. 25, tanks of XXXX Panzerkorps, commanded by Baron Geyr von Scheppenburg, were at Mozdok, 50 miles from Grozny, on the Terek River. The river was crossed on Sept. 2.

Grozny is the capital of Chechen Republic of the Russian Federation, with a population of 271,000. Before the war, Chechnya had a population of about 700,000, of which 53 percent were Chechens and 29 percent were Russians. The Russians have always had trouble with the Chechens and 80 years ago was no different. Therefore, the Germans expected a lot of help, but it didn’t happen to the extent that the Germans thought, and hoped, it would.

The Supreme Warlord relieved Field Marshal von List of the command of Armeegruppe A on Sept. 9. Hitler replaced the field marshal with himself — 1500 miles away! Three days later, Malgobek in the Republic of Ingushestia, was occupied. Ingushestia is a part of the Russian Federation, bordering Georgia to the south and the Russian republics of North Ossetia–Alania and Chechnya to its east and west. Today, Malgobek has a population of 31,000, and on Oct. 8, 2007 was designated a “City of Military Glory.”

On Sept. 20, Eberhard von Mackensen’s III Panzerkorps began driving toward Grozny, and Terek was captured. Today Terek, located on the Terek River, has a population of 19,000. III Panzerkorps consisted of two Panzerdivisions, Felix Steiner’s SS Viking Division and two Rumanian Mountain Divisions, commanded by Ion Dumitrache and Radu Fâlf nesque. On Oct. 6, Gen. Fâlf nesque was replaced by Leonard Mociulschi.

The Supreme Warlord sacked Army

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Check Out Our Home Décor! Ocean City Florist is MORE Than A Flower Shop!

Field Marshal Wilhelm von List wearing Knight's Cross

Chief-of-Staff Franz Halder on Sept. 25, 1942, and replaced him with Kurt Zeitzler.

Although the Axis came within 50 miles of Grozny, on Oct. 29, 1942, they were never able to capture it, or Baku. Hitler’s decision to attack Stalingrad, and the subsequent siphoning of forces from the efforts to capture the Soviet oilfields, insured that the forces were insufficient for either goal.

The high-water mark of this effort was the failed attempt to capture Vladikavkaz, capital of North Ossetia, which today has a population of 311,000. On Oct. 8, 2007, President Putin recognized it as a “City of Military Glory.”

In November 1942, der Führer decided that if he couldn’t have those oilfields, the Soviets couldn’t either, so he ordered the Luftwaffe to begin attacking them. Previously, the Germans had not bombed them, figuring that they were going to capture them.

On Jan. 29, 1943, the Red Army recaptured Maykop, without the Germans having extracted a drop of oil.

Next week: Operation Pedestal - The Relief Of Malta

Mr. Wimbrow writes from Ocean

City, Maryland, where he practices law representing those persons accused of criminal and traffic offenses, and those persons who have suffered a personal injury through no fault of their own. He can be contacted at wimbrowlaw@hotmail.com

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Continued from Page 66 more year at Severn School in Annapolis, Maryland, as a boarding student. That year he played JV football and was one of three sophomores who played varsity lacrosse.

During his junior and senior years, he played varsity football almost every minute of every game and played first midfield varsity lacrosse.

In his senior year, Fred received multiple awards in football and was co-captain of the football team and Varsity Club president. He was inducted into the Severn School Athletic Hall of Fame.

Fred graduated from Washington College in Chestertown, Maryland, in 1965 and became a member of Kappa Alpha fraternity in his freshman year.

During college, he continued to play first midfield varsity lacrosse as well as played varsity soccer.

He was named an All-American lacrosse player and lettered all four years in lacrosse and soccer. He was inducted into the Washington College Athletic Hall of Fame.

Fred married his college sweetheart, Alta, the love of his life, and he kissed and told her so almost every day. Fred and Alta bought their Ocean Pines lot in May 1969 and had their house built in 1971.

Among the first persons to live permanently in Ocean Pines, theirs was the second (almost first) house on Sandyhook Road, which was still a dirt road when they moved into their house.

During the early years of Ocean Pines Fred enjoyed riding his various motorcycles to explore the new sections of Ocean Pines that were gradually added over the years.

Fred was a charter member of the Ocean Pines Volunteer Fire Department, feeling it was his duty to serve the new community that had only a few young year-round owners.

When the Ocean Pines Yacht Club and Marina was built, Fred rented a boat slip right away and continued to do so until his death.

His family and friends enjoyed water skiing, fishing, and boat rides in the river, bay, and ocean.

Fred retired from the Maryland Department of Labor, Licensing, and Regulation (DLLR) in 1993 so he could spend more time being a “snow ski bum” and summer boater.

He and Alta were initial members of the Salisbury Ski Club of Delmarva, and were trip leaders for New England ski trips for over 20 years.

They also skied most major northeast ski areas with their children, and Fred skied twice in Europe. Then, the western mountains beckoned him, with their fresh, light, powder skiing.

Each ski season, Fred with Alta or Fred with some of his ski buddies made many trips to different western ski areas.

On one trip, they discovered a smaller, but very challenging local ski area – Sunlight Mountain in Glenwood Springs, Colorado.

Fred and Alta bought their first slopeside Brettelberg condo on the mountain in 1985 and continue to own two condos there.

They started an annual pattern of driving to Colorado to stay at their condo from December through early April and ski not only Sunlight but also Vail, Beaver Creek, and the Aspen area mountains.

Fred was an excellent skier and had different skis for every kind of snow conditions. He was also a highly skilled ski tuner and kept all his family’s and friend’s skis in great condition.

At Fred’s request, no formal service is to be held. His wish was to be cremated and have his ashes spread by his family at his chosen places.

V i s i t wwwboundsfuneralhome.com to share stories and memories with the family.

PATTI BADEN (DRISCOLL) Ocean City

Patti loved life…the beach…the ocean. Patti always had a smile on her face for everyone.

She will be greatly missed by her family and friends. You will be in our everyday thoughts.

Aloha, surf on, rip it. Love your bro and sisters.

A paddle out is planned at Assateague on Aug. 13, 2022 at 8 a.m.