Bernhard H.Holst

Hello.

Very interesting documents. Thank you for showing them to us.

I believe individuals authorized to wear a fouragere are quite rare.

Bernhard H. Holst

Hello Jock.

It looks like other than the British and occasionally the French Army had to blanco belts and such.

Personally I recall while on active service in Vietnam the colonel commanding our Amphibious Group to blanco our equipment for some ceremonial occasion. Our web equipment was the one and only set assigned to us. All the grumbling did not help. The next day we presented excellent targets to the other side.

Thanks for showing this. It seems extraordinary to have survived all these years including the Troddel.

Bernhard H. Holst.

Hello Matt.

The inscription reds:

Geheim ( Secret)0

Aufgenommen von Lt.v.Rottenburg

Eigene Stellungen oestlich Gluecksbuerger Eck

I cannot read the writing indicating the several positions. Oftentimes ones own positions received their own names utilized for identification purposes combined with cover-ups.

Bernhard H. Holst

On another forum a person has 2 WWI British Victory medal for $15.00 each. He describes them as:

WW1 victory DVR AJ Smith ASC

WW1 victory PTE A Anderson HLI

I assume the DVR and PTE are rank. What does the ASC and HLI stand for? Also is it possible to get the award card and find their unit? Is the price good?

Thanks for the help

Hello Paul.

I believe DVR means Driver and PTE= Private.

ASC= Army Service Corps and HLI= Highland Light Infantry.

Bernhard H. Holst

Hello.

Brian's memory serves him well. In the book I recently recommended in the Books etc section, "Silent Night" mention is made of only very minor temporary cease-fires on the French held line.

Bernhard H. Holst

Hello Chris.

Thanks for bringing this to our attention. A subject not receiving much exposure. The mutinies in a considerable part of the French Army were reported by an escaped German POW but disbelieved ( described in a post-war book). A push by German forces may have been successful regardless of the pledge by mutineers to hold positions but not to participate in useless attacks.such as Gen. Nivelle conducted in April, 1917.

And then came Gen. Petain...

Bernhard H. Holst

Hello Paul.

Besides Dave's very informative post on decorations for which which native soldiers qualified I would like to give some clarification on the strength of German troops in then German East Africa during WW I.

Byron Farwell in his excellent book "The Great War in Africa" gives the following strenght at the outbreak of the war:

German personnel:

- 68 officers;

- 60 warrant officers and NCO's;

- 132 non-combatant medical officers and officials;

African personnel:

- 2 officers;

184 NCO's;

2,286 askaris.

In addition there were gendarmerie of 45 europeans and 2,154 native police.

von Lettow-Vorbeck during hostilities employed a total of 3,00 europeans and 11,000 African troops with an attrition rate which left him with

-20 combatatnt officers , 6 medical officers , 1 vet, 1 chemist and a signals officer as well as 125 other ranks including 15 former crew of the " Koenigsberg". And last but not least 1,156 askaris and 1,598 carriers.

During WW II as a student at a Bremen , Germany school named after Gen.v.Lettow-Vorbeck and as told here before, I was together with the other members of my class ( form ) introduced to the General during an excursion away from the school.

Bernhard H. Holst

Bernhard,

I read the same but I am not all that clued up on the German equivilants, I thought it was something to do with Easter but I am a 'heathen' so pardon my error and thanks for the info, is that the one where the kids come round singing or am I way off again?

Hello Jock.

Without wanting to bring religion into anything at all I am a "Heathen" myself. Pentecost is to my knowledge not an occasion for children to go around singing. I cannot remember when we went about doing that. But then that is a long, long time back. Should ask my wife what she remembers since we grew up at the same time and in the sme little town.

Bernhard H. Holst.

Hello Chris.

This regiment was brigaded with I.R. 91 (Oldenburg) in Inf.Brig. 37 when a inf.div. still comprised two brigades each with two regiments. Later consolidated into one brigade with three regiments. , I.R.74 added.. So this may well be the Oldenburg connection you are seeking.

Bernhard H. Holst

Hello.

I believe it is a place name rather than a person's name .

I read Pfingsten ( not Easter but Pentecoste(s) ) Flandern ( Flanders) St. Marguerite,

Bernhard H. Holst

Hello Chris.

Thanks for posting this.

Just a reminder "Gott strafe England" or May God Punish England was a popular slogan during WW I when religious expressions and Fire and Brimstone sermons from the pulpit were all the rage.

Bernhard H. Holst.

Hello Stefan.

Thanks for showing this concerning Gen.d.Inf. L. Wolf. Very interesting to because of his command of 22.Inf.Div. later ( # 695-697) in which a relative served throughout the war. Anyone who has seen photos of him after the severe wound he suffered, must be wondering how he survived.

Bernhard H. Holst

Hi,

Will euch hiermit eine kleine Freude machen.

Hatte mich am Sonntag photographieren lassen.

Bin auch ganz schön getroffen. Ich war gerade draußen zur Fliegerabwehr.

Sonst noch gesund und munter, hoffe dasselbe auch von euch lieben allen daheim.

It should be the town Lebach.

Uwe

Hello Uwe.

Your being able to read the whole thing puts the correct meaning down. I looked at the name of the town again and again without result.

Good job.

Bernhard H. Holst

Hello Tony.

Thanks for posting these items.

First section you would like translated I read as: "bin ganz schoen getroffen. War gerade draussen zur Fliegerabwehr" or was hit pretty good. Was just outside as defense against airplanes.

The next and last one: unable to read, begins with L...??

Bernhard H. Holst

Hello Dave.

Thanks for the additional document. Interesting read of history.

Bernhard H. Holst

Perhaps Public Records Office?

What a nice group with the log books and all. It is interesting for me that he visited localy, Hannover, Braunchwieg and the rocket site at Pienmunde. Great stuff!

Jock

Hello:

I liked Jock's term of the recipient having "visited locally". But Jock did not mention Hamburg during the devastating air attacks of July, 1943 and farther away Kassel also in 1943. Having been personnally only somewhat on the sidelines of the opposing side during the night raids conducted by the RAF except some fighter bomber doings towards the end of the war, we were quite aware of the air war day and night..

I was able to visit Peenemuende shortly after the two Germanies became one. Of note was the description of the wartime ability to have the smokestacks of plants in operation wartime, evicting nearly smokeless exhaust.for camouflage purposes of course, not environmental concern.

Bernhard H. Holst

Hello.

I can only echo Brian's wish to see more details. Thanks for showing the above so far.

Bernhard H. Holst

Hello readers.

Thanks to Dave for posting this interesting part of a document. For those of the readers not acquainted with the German language: the entry underlined in red states that the severe wound to the knee rendered the Lt.d.Res.E. Metzger unfit for further service.

Bernhard H. Holst

Hello Jock.

Sorry I misunderstood. the repatriation term you used.

I dislike when I see the " ground-dug" items.

.

Bernhard H. Holst

Kev,

I am sure it will be at some point by the sheer amount of 'black diggers', whether it is repatriated is another question.

Jock

Hello Jock.

Those remains recovered are gathered and reburied in German War Graves sites in the general area. Thereafter maintained by the Volksbund ( an extract was kindly shown above by Kevin lists Uffz. Neubert registration which is also maintained by them ).I believe very similar to the Imperial War Graves Commission. To my knowledge no repatriation takes place.

Bernhard H. Holst

Hello Jock.

As you know the Home Army was in charge of matters regarding missing or fallen service personnel. Here are pictured the paperwork listing survivor benefits. The document which includes the female photo is a certificate from the local mayor's office stating who the lady is and that she was married to the service man ( listed on the survivor document ) with the date of marriage given ( 1941 ).The date of the latter document pre-dates the DoDeath of her husband so it must have served some other purpose, perhaps a loss of marriage certificate or such.

The Home Army/rear echelon must have been busy considering the losses to be administered for surviving families and others.

BTW: I have paperwork etc for a fallen officer who was a dentist as was the widow. She changed residence from Hamburg to the countryside. Bingo a reduction in widows benefits.

Bernhard H. Holst

Hello Jock.

You are most likely aware of the following:

On occasion when the Knights Cross award was announced via tetegram and the formal handing out of the decoration was still some time away, the unit to which the recipient belonged would present a unit-made cross together with a award certificate. The rolled up paper in front of the recipient may very well be it. A celebration apparently takes place already.

BTW: a speedy notification nearly always took place, the risks to frontline personnel not to be alive otherwise, was well known.

Thanks for showing this picture.

Bernhard H. Holst

Hello Chris.

Apparently some of Hptm. W. Schwerdtfeger's work in the fashion world is kept at Stadtmuseum Berlin. ( I do not know how to link.)

Bernhard H. Holst

Hello:

The officer meant here in Chris' inquiry as well as his brother listed by Dave seemed to have had an artistic nature. Wulf resigned from the military to pursue a career as painter and also sketching fashions. He sure saw his country and Paris.

Bernhard H. Holst

Hello Chris.

The Ehren Rangliste shows three possible Hauptleute Schwerdtfeger:

- Hptm. a.D.Schwerdtfeger , recalled to service. Employed II. Ers.Abt. FAR 39, prior to retirement assignment to FAR 5;

- Hptm. Schwerdtfeger in Fussart..R. von Hindersin (1.Pomm.) Nr. 2 ; Survived the war.

- Hptm. Schwerdtfeger, 2.Wuertt. F.A. Nr.29 Prinz-Regent Luitpold von Bayern, died in action 26.July 1915 near Szarlat ( Narew ),

The system in use at the time excluded first names unless more than one with same last name in the identical unit. This of course throws obstacles in researchers' way.

I hope above helps.

Bernhard H. Holst