Bernhard H.Holst

Hello Jock. Partial deciphering: In thankful remembrance of my co-worker and comrade who found a soldiers death a year ago near Petersburg. Cannot read the insertition below the Name Kittel. It is dated August 1942 so his comrade died in 1941. Bernhard H. Holst

Hello Jock. Farrier perhaps. I am not very familiar with the military trade-type symbols. Bernhard H. Holst

Hello Jock and Rick. The following pictures show the medals, the early long service ribbon and the "Deutscher Krieger Bund" insignia which belonged to the distiguished ( IMO) looking gentleman in the photo. The "Deutscher Krieger Bund or German Warriors League insignia unfortunately has only one of the four ribbons properly deployed, the others resisted my effforts to smooth them into place. But with just some imagination one can seefour X like extensions rather than only one. The following photo was taken in a place called Lemfoerde near Hanover which seems to fit well with the prior servive with a Hanoverian regiment which I have not been able to quite identify beyond that of a Dragoner Regiment which served at Waterloo. The 1870-71 commemorative clasps list Beaune-LaRolande, Loigny-Poupry, Orleans, Le Mans, Metz and Paris. It seems to me that the insignia shown on Jock's picture very much resembles the one I have pictured above. Bernhard H. Holst

Hello Jock. Thanks for showing. You may have already identified the left most photo of the second row as that of a member of the Fuselier Rgt. 73. This regiment was entitled to the cuff title "Gibraltar" and was the regiment to which the last surviving Pour Le Merite recipient, Ernst Juenger belonged as did his brother. Bernhard H. Holst

Hello Jock. The established practice was that the news of a died in action soldier notification was made in person by a ranking member of the party in the home district. This document and other similar ones issued by the army and airforce after death were discontinued after approx. 1943. As the relevant dates show the document was issued some considerable time after the date of death so with the ever mounting losses it would have become a task near impossible to handle. Thanks to The Prussian for showing these articles. Bernhard H. Holst

Hello readers. The ref. book by Angolia and Schlicht "Uniforms and Traditions of the German Army 1933 - 1945 " gives the letter A plus the bataillon number on the shoulder straps throughout the war years for divisional recon.bataillons. That publication appears based on official relevant German Army publications and is giving very detailed information with souces. Therefore the pictured AA 30 could well be unit based but not officially sanctioned slipon. As to # 8 by Jock. The information Jock gives is to the point because upon mobilisation certain mounted formations detailed troops to be part of recon. bataillons to revert to their regiments when the deployment ended. Bernhard H. Holst

Hello Jock. Thanks for showing, first for me ever. The first document certifies the holder's change from draftee to that of a regular army or serving above the duration limit.of draftees. The second document certifies his rank of rifleman into this new service obligation. Everything has to be done only one way and that is the right way. Bernhard H. Holst

Hello. This is only a guess and not supported by anything but AA 30 would stand for Aufklaerungs Abteilung 30 ( recon. bataillon 30) or the recon unit of the 30.Inf.Division. Here expressed not by a shoulderstrap with the correct cypher already worked in and the numeral 30 but with the cypher and number on the slipon. Bernhard H. Holst

Hello Larry. Another nice picture. Probably decorated for service at very exposed railroad areas subject to partisan attacks at any time. Bernhard H.Holst

Hello Larry and Jock. Re. magnification: indeed the left hand is the natural one. To note is the engagement band this fellow wears ( in Germany on the left and wedding band on the right.) Jock, your observation is on the mark with a wave of release from active duty to "bring in the 1940 harvest"it is said. To remember that not every wound qualifying for medical discharge would be a visible one. Also this fellow could be an indispensible one, of a trade category which made him "unabkoemmlich" (u.k.) but here after he served on frontline duty.. I do not recollect seeing a railroad employee during my frequent rail travels in 1942-43 so decorated but then more likely he would have been in the repair or signal branches and not in the more visible train or station duties. A most interesting picture and thanks for showing it. Bernhard H. Holst

Hello Larry. His left hand appears to be an artificial one. That would explain his now service with the Reichsbahn. However the Silver wound badge would be indicated for the loss of a limb. Bernhard H. Holst

Hello. And before hair could be worn any which way with hairnets obligatory when too long. Or am I in error and only the Dutch were allowed such unmilitary appearance. This is written by a former member ( if only for a short time ) also of the US Army wherein barber chairs never cooled down and a hair cut was a must every week. Bernhard H. Holst

Hello Jock. More good stuff. Picture with Sturmgewehr equipped men I believe were members of the "Betriebskampfgruppen". Militia type units raised to protect manufacturing and similar facilities against the Kapitalists. They were mainly armed with weapons from the former Wehrmacht surrendered in 1945. You are right changing some wording and such would crank the whole caboodle back... Bernhard H. Holst

Hello Jock. These documents were unlikely to have been put into wider circulation. Some of what you picture are documents to support Germany's having been driven into the war after years of smoothing over relations with Poland. The other part describes British documents found during the occupation of Norway putting together some conspiracy that British forces were ready to invade."See, folks we just were quicker than the Plutocrats, here is the proof." Of note are the handwritten versions, speed of plublication was of the essence. Jock, I think you found some treasure in which the Bundesarciv or even Imperial War Museum might be interested if they do not already have these documents. Thanks for showing these. Bernhard H. Holst

Hello Jock. This is a most interesting group of documents from a large manufacturing outfit which changed its name to that of a mining company in the Ruhr area. I am unsure whether it changed away from manufacturing to mining or just got bigger. It seems that this gentleman celebrated his 50 anniversary of working life and would be going on. A sheet with an opening full of humor and in ryhme with the signatures of all collegues. One wonders how many of them survived the bombing unleashed shortly after the given date or any of the other death dealing war activities. Thanks for posting this group. Bernhard H. Holst

Hello Jock. My very first inclination was : "WHAT?" but then like you said they fake every item which brings in money. Bernhard H. Holst

Hello Jock. Ref.# 13 in Germany by just finishing basic schooling ( Volksschule) at age 14 one could as you state, finish 50 years of a given trade at age 64 or 65. Civil service may have required a step up as a minimum ( Mittelschule) which one would leave at age 16. And I believe mandatory retirement at 65. Bernhard H. Holst

Hello Rick. It looks like a nice shot of good quality cognac no less. Thank you. Bernhard H. Holst

Hello readers. On September 28, 1958 Capitaine Xavier de Cacqueray-Valmenier died of wounds following a night time attack on a farm held by the enemy in the area of Constantine, Algeria.He was commanding a troop of the 4. Chasseurs at the time of his death at the age of thirty. His mother was able to attend his services but his father was prevented because of active duty as a Brig.General some place else in Algeria. Capitaine de Cacqueray had served in the 1.REC ( 1.Foreign Cavalry Regiment) in Vietnam from 1952 to 1955 as Lt. and Executive Officer of the 5.Compagnie Portee and then commander of mounted elements of the 18.Escadron. At the age of sixteen the later officer was already engaged as an active participant of the resistance movement in France and was decorated later with the croix de guerre. For distinguished actions in Vietnam he was decorated with the croix de guerre on three occasions and was made a chevalier de la Legion d'Honneur. Following his death Capitaine de Cacqueray was elevated to the rank of officer of the Legion d'Honneur and the receipt of the croix de Valeur Militaire at army level ( ordre de l'Armee). His remains today rest in the family mausoleum. This writer served under the orders of this officer during his two tours of duty in Vietnam and retains a vivid memory of a gallant officer and had the pleasure to learn that the 2012 graduating class of the French Army Officers School St.Cyr elected to be named after him. It was followed by the invitation of the family and the graduating class to attend a day of remembrance of this officer at the Ecole Militaire in Paris in 2011 which turned out to be a memorable day. Bernhard H. Holst formerly with the 1.REC 1951 - 1953 and again 1954 - 1956 in Vietnam

Hello Jock. At first glance it appears to be Fieldmarshall v. Reichenau carrying his interim baton, who died on 18.Jan.1942 of illness. Thanks for showing these. Bernhard H. Holst

Hello Jock. Yes, a shame what has been and is still being discarded. But then who would want articles such as this except weird folks like us??? I will save above pages in my Documents and diddle to perhaps enlarge it in order to easier read them. What I was able to make out Matrose Luetjens was an eager and willing young fellow. There were a lot more of them. Bearing in mind that the U-Boats never had a lack of volunteers in the sailor ranks however officers had to be ordered more and more to fill slots, one can only wonder... Bernhard H. Holst

Hello. Going from memory this is a Blohm and Voss plane. It was able to fulfill several purposes incl. observation, mine sweeping, transport and others. Unless memory tricks me as it does increasingly with age, it also transported refugees from East Germany during the closing days of the war. I have some reference and should look it up. Bernhard H. Holst

Hello Jock. Thank you for posting this.Interesting Log Book of and then for Matrose ( sailor) Luetjens.who apparently started his navy enlistment on bord of the old battleship of the line (Linienschiff) "Schlesien". His handwriting is easy to read only the size gives me some trouble. He gives the particulars of the ship which they learned to become familiar with it including the officers complement and their assignment ( First Officer, Engineering Officer etc). The ships armament, speed.and all things important. So this is a personal log rather than anything official. He gives info on a trip to Spain while it seemingly is still a republic. The picture of U 1 shows the ship's flag still to be the Weimar flag not the new "Reichskriegsflagge" with the swastica. The last page you show describes the new year 1936 just being entered. The "Schlesien" was a training vessel and obsolete but still useful together with the "Schleswig Holstein" and both performed credibly during the between war years having been allowed by the Versailles Treaty to be kept by Germany and then during the WW II. I wish I could read more of the pages but that is a pain... Bernhard H. Holst BTW: name Luetjens is a coincidence with the Admiral who died on the "Bismarck"

Hello Jock. I was unable to come up with any prospective likelyhood of the recipient of the Prussian Gold Military Merit Cross you show in # 44. Bernhard H. Holst

Hello Paul. In this context longer duration service obligation means commitment to several years service. Probably to be able to give accomodate a long training period necessary for some specialties with a longer time available in service to ensure " a bang for the buck". I have seen unrelated from this, signed contracts for Army longer service extending to twelve years. Bernhard H. Holst