Michel Schmitz was born in Tadler on 27 June 1923 and lived in Bettembourg during the war. He served in the RAD from February to May 1943 and was recruited to the Wehrmacht in June. Schmitz served at the Eastern Front for one year. Following a hospital stay in Luxembourg, he did not return to his unit in June 1944 but stayed in hiding until Luxembourg was liberated in September 1944.
Schmitz kept a diary during his time in the RAD and wrote letters to his cousin Pitt Gremling as a soldier. In 1976 he was interviewed by Guy Pauly. This interview is now part of the collection of the Luxembourg National Archives (ANLux) and can be accessed online.