Dead Man walking........

[Chris Boonzaier]

This is one of those small groups that is fantastically interesting.... according to his Militärpass he took a direct hit from an artillery shell.... the letter to his family said there was no body to recover.... The local papers ran his death announcements.... in 1920 he is released from POW camp and makes his way home...... not THAT is one of those little stories of the war that you could inflate into a Hollywood movie!!

[Chip]

Amazing!

[Chris Boonzaier]

Yeah, I imagined him getting home and blundering into a wedding... his wife marrying his replacement.......

[Chip]

Ouch! You think he would at least have sent a postcard home just to avoid something like that.

[Chris Boonzaier]

4 minutes ago, Chip said:

Ouch! You think he would at least have sent a postcard home just to avoid something like that.

Hehe... I am sure he had contact before he came home... but imagine.... the unit reports its death... the family and firm he works with post death notices in the newspaper.... and then they get a letter that he is still alive!... did the relief of this news make up for the terrible time they went through ?

[Dansson]

Fantastic group Chris! That's an unique story!

 

Quite a fitting topic name for the thread indeed.

Edited April 30, 2017 by Dansson

[Trooper_D]

Interesting story, Chris.

On 29/04/2017 at 16:43, Chris Boonzaier said:

.... in 1920 he is released from POW camp and makes his way home......

As a matter of interest (I don't read German particularly well), who took him prisoner and why was he only released in 1920?