Waffen SS 6 SS-Gebirgsjäger-Division 'Nord' Flak Soldbuch

[hucks216]

A recent addition to the collection is this Soldbuch to a soldier who joined the SS in 1941 and served with 6 SS-Nord Division for the remaining 4 years of the war, serving the entire time in that division's Flak-Abteilung (and 3./SS-Panzerjäger Abt 6 which the 3./SS-Flak-Abt 6 evolved into during the latter stages of the war), and finishing the war with the rank of SS-Rottenführer. He didn't win many awards (just 2 are entered) but one of them was the Heeres-Flak-Abzeichen which is a scarce entry to see in SS-Soldbucher.

The photo in the SB was removed (a not uncommon occurrence) but there is a small portrait photo that came with the SB that 'could' be Dannenberg. It fits the vacated photo area very nicely so it is possible that the original photo in the SB was a duplicate of the one shown.

[hucks216]

Unit Pages...

[hucks216]

Being with 'Nord' he spent most of the war in the far north of the Russian Front but along with the rest of the division he would of taken part in its transfer to Germany (via Denmark) in December 1944 and its participation in Operation Nordwind which was the last major German offensive on the Western Front. After the failure of this offensive 'Nord' continued to face American troops around Trier & Koblenz and during these actions, SS-Rottenführer Heinrich Dannenberg received bullet wounds and was sent to a Lazarett. It may well be that he was entitled to the Wound Badge after this but it was never entered in the SB for whatever reason.

[hucks216]

I have been able to identify two signatures in the Soldbuch, those belonging to Paul Engber who was KIA in March 1945 at Pfaffenheck (which is near Koblenz and is the present day location of the 6 SS-Gebirgsjäger Division 'Nord' Memorial Site) and Martin Braune. Neither won any high end awards but I always enjoy identifying the signatures in Wehrpasse & Soldbucher, especially if it turns up a winner of the Ehrenblattspange, DKiG, RK or higher or a name of note.

[AlecH]

Kevin - very nice soldbuch indeed, comes from a WW2 front that was hard and long fought over and I believe the only instance in WW2 where SS troops fought under a foreign commander, however today one sees very little artifacts from this front. I do have one photo album which belonged to a SS- Gebirgsjäger Pionier unit from Dresden, which was also part of 6 SS-Gebirgsjäger Division "Nord" seems to have been a horrible terrain to fight on. When I get chance, I'll post a few pictures on the thread.

Best Wishes

Edited June 14, 2012 by AlecH

[AlecH]

Here are four pages from the 6.SS-Gebirgsjäger Div. Nord - Pionier Photo Album I have. First deal with basic training at Pionierkaserne Dresden 1940. (2) Fighting around Salla (3) also fighting around Salla (4) Finnish & German soldiers near the Murmansk railway

[hucks216]

Very interesting images. Do they belong to a specific soldier (i.e. private photos) or are they the type taken by a unit photographer and then sold to the soldiers?

[AlecH]

Kevin - I can't really answer you, as far as I can tell and there are over two hundred photos - most are possibly a mix of private photos / unit photos, on some of the descriptive labels the compiler has hand-written soldiers names on them. There are also pictures of the generals Dietl, Kleinheisterkamp, some of the convey ships these are printed on paper with explanatory label which have been cut out from some kind of official handed-out material. A number of photos are enlargements mainly without labels which I think the original owner may have had done after the war possibly exchanged with former comrades. The owner was again in Finland, there are loose colour pictures cards dated on the back 25.8.75 of the German War Graves and a commemoration plague to - 6SS-Gebirgs-Division "Nord". Not a easy album for a collector, then again it was never intended for a collector. If you want any more pictures, I can send them private, don't want to dominate this thread.

[hucks216]

I can imagine it isn't an easy album to obtain - decent SS ones rarely are especially those for the ones that fought in a largely unknown theatre. Don't worry about hijacking the thread, feel free to post whatever examples you wish.

[AlecH]

Kevin - I've been thinking over your point - private or unit photographer's pictures. I always thought Waffen SS soldiers were under orders not to take photos at the front which seems at odds to them being officially accompanied by a unit photographer? However these pictures have materialized from somewhere and reading under-title label slips they are factual but give somehow the impression of being detached, the compiler types always in the third person, never in the first person except here and there are the unit number or a family name. Which makes me think the photos come not from the original owner, he probably didn't know many of the soldiers in the pictures so seems more than likely perhaps a unit photographer. Here's three more (1) Finnish soldiers (2) life in the front line (3) a 1975 visit to German War Graves in Finland.

Cheers

[hucks216]

Nice additional images. They could well be a unit photographers images, bought by a soldier and then compiled into a photo album sometime after the war when some of the details might of been a little hazy due to the mists of time. The post-war memorial photos show (I believe) that the album at least belongs to a particular soldier or that it was compiled for a veterens organisation. It is the same with alot of photo albums for sailors who served on the big ships. It is very common to see the same photos appear in numerous KM albums, especially those related to Scharnhorst & Gneisenau with some of them being stills taken from the official newsreel films.

Doesn't detract from them though.

[AlecH]

Kevin - The war time photos continue to the summer of 1944 with them going on holiday, as coincidence would have it - being transported from the port of Turku, Finland on the ship Gneisenau (mentioned in your last post, see picture top left) to Danzig via Riga. I too, think its been compiled after the war due to the type - written subtitles, but long before the memorial pictures were taken. They are tucked in loose at the back of the album. As you say in a earlier post, SS albums don't turn up every day. I consider myself lucky to have it.

[Franz Repper]

Hello sirs ,This is my first post here I am a big fan of things SS Nord and do have a large collection of photos from this unit I have a few of the Flak-Abteilung as well . I will try and post some up

[hucks216]

Hello sirs ,This is my first post here I am a big fan of things SS Nord and do have a large collection of photos from this unit I have a few of the Flak-Abteilung as well . I will try and post some up

Hello Franz - welcome to the Forum. I'm sure there are plenty of members who would like to see your images.

[Franz Repper]

Ok here is one some might know the Gent in the front of the photo

[Franz Repper]

Here is a pre Finland Photo of Nord when they were still using the TK on the back its dated 1941 Oslo ,Note the band member as well

[hucks216]

Two nice examples Franz.