Hauptmann Posted January 14, 2011 Share Posted January 14, 2011 Would welcome any comments/info on this. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hauptmann Posted January 14, 2011 Author Share Posted January 14, 2011 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hauptmann Posted January 14, 2011 Author Share Posted January 14, 2011 Hoping someone can read the handwritten portion including the signature: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hauptmann Posted January 14, 2011 Author Share Posted January 14, 2011 Here's a translation... completed with the very kind and able assistance of Nick (Obergefreiter). Many thanks Nick! The Commanding General and Commander-in Luftgau VI Munich 28 December 1941. My dear Herr Gauleiter! I send you and the Luftgau my heartiest wishes for the New Year. I would like to express how happy I am that the Fuhrer has entrusted you with the management of Gau Westfalen-Sud, where you personally came from and experienced the struggle. According to the word of the Fuhrer, the freedom fight of the German People goes towards its conclusion. Beginning next year – under the personal order of the Fuhrer – we’ll have the complete suppression of Russia, and begin the final subjugation of England. In cooperation between the Party, the State and the Wehrmacht we want to give our best effort to gain victory. As a sign of the solidarity between your Gau and my department I have taken the liberty of presenting to you a copy of a picture taken from our “Art of the Front” exhibition. I created this exhibit last summer. It shows pictures and other art of our soldiers during their free time or in (can’t read) front activities (can’t read). This picture was painted by an Airman Busch, who is on duty with the Staff Company of the Aerial Region Command. It shows a winter scene painted with a lot of talent. I hope that you enjoy the picture, and I would be happy if you took this gift from Luftgaue 6 as a memento of your first wartime Christmas in the Gau. I am, Sir Gauleiter Heil Hitler! Yours very truly, (Followed by the handwritten portion.) This is the info on the Luftwaffe General commanding Luft Gau VI at that time: General der Flakartillerie (Lieutenant General) August Schmidt, in 1944 commander of Luftgau VI, which provided the mobile troops to combat Allied airborne landings at Nijmegen and Arnhem. General der Flakartillerie August SCHMIDT - Ritterkreuz (1598): am 13.02.1945 als General der Flakartillerie und Kommandierender General und Befehlshaber im Luftgau VI. (Münster) - Deutsches Kreuz in Gold: am 06.03.1944 als General der Flakartillerie und Kommandierender General und Befehlshaber im Luftgau VI. (Münster) - Ritterkreuz des Kgl. Preuss. Hausordens von Hohenzollern mit Schwertern: 12.04.1917 - EK I: 14.03.1917 - EK II: 17.09.1914 - Grossherzoglich Mecklenburg-Schwerinsches Militär-Verdienstkreuz II. Klasse: 16.12.1914 - Schaumburg-Lippisches Kreuz für treue Dienste 1914: 10.06.1915 - Fürstl. Hohenzollernsches Ehrenkreuz III. Klasse mit Schwertern: 30.03.1917 - Ritterkreuz II. Klasse des Grossherzoglich Badischer Orden vom Zähringer Löwen mit Eichenlaub und Schwertern: 08.09.1917 - Verwundetenabzeichen, 1918 in Schwarz - Ehrenkreuz für Frontkämpfer 1914/1918: 01.11.1935 - Wehrmacht-Dienstauszeichnung IV. bis II. Klasse: 02.10.1936 - Wehrmacht-Dienstauszeichnung I. Klasse - Ehrendegen des Generalobersten Göring: 18.01.1938 - Spange zum EK I: 21.05.1940 - Spange zum EK II: 01.10.1939 - Finn. Freiheitskreuz II. Klasse mit Schwertern: 25.03.1942 General August SCHMIDT: Ex-commandant of Luftgau VI. Sentenced to life imprisonment by a British military court in November, 1947, in connection with the transmission of orders for the killing of Allied airmen. http://reocities.com/Pentagon/Bunker/7729/WEHRMACHT/LUFTWAFFE/General/SCHMIDT_AUGUST.html Reocities General der Flakartillerie August Schmidt Born: 01 Feb 1883 in Hildesheim Died: 23 Nov 1955 in Rotenburg, Hannover Promotions: Fahnrnjunker-Unteroffizier (27 Jan 1902); Fähnrich (17 May 1902); Leutnant (27 Jan 1903); Oberleutnant (27 Jan 1911); Hauptmann (08 Oct 1914); Charakter als Major (30 Jun 1922); Oberst (01 Mar 1935); Generalmajor (01 Jan 1938); Generalleutnant (01 Jan 1940); General der Flakartillerie (01 Jul 1941) Career: Entered the Army as an Fahnenjunker and Battery-Officer in the 75th Field-Artillery-Regiment (16 Oct 1901-19 Feb 1909) Detached to Instruction-Course at the Field-Artillery-Firing-School (05 Feb 1905-25 May 1905) Detached to the Artillery-Workshop Spandau (01 Dec 1908-31 Jan 1909) Battery-Officer in the 10th Field-Artillery-Regiment (20 Feb 1909-30 Sep 1909) Battalion-Adjutant in the 10th Field-Artillery-Regiment (01 Oct 1909-24 Jun 1912) Battery-Officer in the 10th Field-Artillery-Regiment (25 Jun 1912-30 Sep 1912) Detached to the War Academy (01 Oct 1912-01 Aug 1914) Battery-Leader in the 10th Reserve-Field-Artillery-Regiment (02 Aug 1914-00 Sep 1914) Battalion-Leader in the 46th Reserve-Field-Artillery-Regiment (00 Sep 1914-00 Jan 1915) Adjutant of the 19th Reserve-Infantry-Brigade (00 Jan 1915-19 Dec 1915) With the Staff of Staging-Inspection 4 (20 Dec 1915-02 Sep 1916) At the same time, Acting-Chief Of Operations of the 46th Reserve-Division (27 Jan 1916-03 Mar 1916) In the General-Staff of the VII. Army-Corps (03 Sep 1916-20 Nov 1916) Chief Of Operations (Ia) in the Staff of the 28th Infantry-Division (21 Nov 1916-26 Aug 1918) In the General-Staff of the X. Reserve-Corps (27 Aug 1918-03 Jan 1919) In the 10th Field-Artillery-Regiment (04 Jan 1919-22 Jan 1919) In the Staff of the 86th Infantry-Division (23 Jan 1919-10 Mar 1919) Advisor in the Army General Staff (11 Mar 1919-30 Sep 1919) Advisor in the RWM (01 Oct 1919-28 Feb 1922) With the Staff of Group-Command 1 (01 Mar 1922-30 Jun 1922) Retired (30 Jun 1922) Employed by the Army with the RWM (24 Jun 1934-28 Feb 1935) Reactivated to Army Service as an Oberst in the RWM (01 Mar 1935-30 Apr 1936) Managing Director of the Reichs-Defence-Committee, Berlin, RLM (24 Jun 1934-30 Apr 1936) Instructor at the Air War Academy (01 Apr 1936-31 Mar 1937) Transferred into the Luftwaffe (01 May 1936) Course with Bomber-Group 157, Langenhagen (01 Sep 1936-14 Sep 1936) Course with Flying-Group (S), Hildesheim (15 Sep 1936-29 Sep 1936) Higher Flak-Artillery Commander I (01 Apr 1937-31 Oct 1937) Commanding General and Commander in Air-Region VI (01 Nov 1937-01 Apr 1945) Commanding General of the Special-Purpose-Flak-Corps (02 Apr 1945-08 May 1945) In British Captivity (08 May 1945-00 Nov 1950) Condemned by a British Military Court in Hamburg to Life Imprisonment because of Alleged War Crimes, on Appeal Judgement was reduced to 10 Years (14 Oct 1947) Released Early for Health Reasons (00 Nov 1950) Decorations & Awards: - Ritterkreuz (1598): am 13.02.1945 als General der Flakartillerie und Kommandierender General und Befehlshaber im Luftgau VI. (Münster) - Deutsches Kreuz in Gold: am 06.03.1944 als General der Flakartillerie und Kommandierender General und Befehlshaber im Luftgau VI. (Münster) - Ritterkreuz des Kgl. Preuss. Hausordens von Hohenzollern mit Schwertern: 12.04.1917 - EK I: 14.03.1917 - EK II: 17.09.1914 - Grossherzoglich Mecklenburg-Schwerinsches Militär-Verdienstkreuz II. Klasse: 16.12.1914 - Schaumburg-Lippisches Kreuz für treue Dienste 1914: 10.06.1915 - Fürstl. Hohenzollernsches Ehrenkreuz III. Klasse mit Schwertern: 30.03.1917 - Ritterkreuz II. Klasse des Grossherzoglich Badischer Orden vom Zähringer Löwen mit Eichenlaub und Schwertern: 08.09.1917 - Verwundetenabzeichen, 1918 in Schwarz - Ehrenkreuz für Frontkämpfer 1914/1918: 01.11.1935 - Wehrmacht-Dienstauszeichnung IV. bis II. Klasse: 02.10.1936 - Wehrmacht-Dienstauszeichnung I. Klasse - Ehrendegen des Generalobersten Göring: 18.01.1938 - Spange zum EK I: 21.05.1940 - Spange zum EK II: 01.10.1939 - Finn. Freiheitskreuz II. Klasse mit Schwertern: 25.03.1942 Back to ABR Homepage General of the anti-aircraft artillery Schmidt, August * 01.02.1883 Hildesheim + 11/23/1955 Rotenburg ad Wümme Knights Cross of the Order: 13.02.1945 as: General of the anti-aircraft artillery Function: Commanding General and Commander-Luftgau VI (Münster) Bes. Notes: According Biblio RK on 2/11/1945. And the Gauleiter the letter was too was: Paul Giesler (15 June 1895, Siegen, Westphalia – 8 May 1945) was a member of the NSDAP, from 1941 NSDAP Gauleiter of Westphalia-South (Westfalen-Süd) and as of 1942 also acting Gauleiter of the Gau Munich-Upper Bavaria (Gau München-Oberbayern). He was from 2 November 1942 to 28 April 1945 the Premier (Ministerpräsident) of Bavaria. The trained architect was from 1924 a Party speaker, an SA leader, and leader of an NSDAP local (Ortsgruppenleiter). During the Night of the Long Knives he only narrowly missed being arrested and murdered. He served in the Poland and France campaigns. Only from August 1941 did Giesler once again take up important Party functions, at Martin Bormann's instigation, first becoming NSDAP Gauleiter of Westphalia-South in 1941, and then as of April 1942 Adolf Wagner's successor as acting Gauleiter of Munich-Upper Bavaria. After Ludwig Siebert's death on 1 November 1942, he was also appointed acting Ministerpräsident of Bavaria. As the war continued, he took up more and more ministerial posts, especially after Wagner's death. In Munich, Giesler was known for speaking out against higher education for women, provoking student walk-outs of his speeches. He was also known for the capture and defeat of the White Rose (Weiße Rose) student resistance movement. In April 1945, he was appointed Reich Defence Commissar-South and with help from SS units brutally quelled the "Freedom Action Bavaria" ("Freiheitsaktion Bayern") uprising under Captain Dr. Rupprecht Gerngroß in Munich. In Adolf Hitler's will of 29 April 1945, Giesler was made Reich Minister for the Interior. He never had the chance to assume this latest post, though. As American troops approached, Giesler was reported to be planning the murder of the surviving inmates at Dachau concentration camp in March 1945. Karl von Eberstein claimed he was ordered to 'use my influence with the commander of Dachau' to have 25,000 prisoners shot when the US approached. Eberstein refused. Geisler said he would poison the prisoners. Eberstein claimed he stopped Geisler by getting an order from Himmler to simply surrender the camps. Gieseler then fired Eberstein on April 20, on orders of Martin Bormann, for 'defeatism'. [1][2] On 8 May 1945, Nazi capitulation day, Giesler and his wife committed suicide, fearing capture by American troops as they fled Berchtesgaden. Giesler was an unquestioning follower of Hitler, ruling efficiently and with almost unlimited power in the last war years in Bavaria[3]. Paul Giesler with his deputy Heinrich Vetter Hagen Germany 17 May 1942 Dan Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris Boonzaier Posted January 14, 2011 Share Posted January 14, 2011 Haupti! Sorry I did not get around to this earlier... Very interesting letter indeed! And interesting to see what a Nazi Buttkisser he was... I was going to say the political cuddling in the letter may have made the allies dislike him... then saw he was sentenced to life. Nice find!!!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hauptmann Posted January 14, 2011 Author Share Posted January 14, 2011 Haupti! Sorry I did not get around to this earlier... Very interesting letter indeed! And interesting to see what a Nazi Buttkisser he was... I was going to say the political cuddling in the letter may have made the allies dislike him... then saw he was sentenced to life. Nice find!!!!! Many thanks Chris! Was hoping it was something good. Dan Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
speedytop Posted January 14, 2011 Share Posted January 14, 2011 Hi Dan, small additions: Dear Mr. Gauleiter! I send you mine and the Luftgau heartiest wishes for the New Year. ... ... I am, dear Mr. Gauleiter, with Heil Hitler! Your more loyal Schmidt Meine Frau trägt mir viele Grüße auf. Der hier folgt gesondert. Correct german should be: Meine Frau trägt mir viele Grüße auf, die hier gesondert folgen. Following here seperately, my wife instruct me, to send you many greetings. Uwe PS: Please excuse my bad English, my German is a little bit better Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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