A Romantic Professor In The Ruins Of Two Reichs

[Guest Rick Research]

Quick, add up current market "retail value" !!!!!

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Yeah. Nothing very exciting. All common stuff....

But not to the jolly Professor it all belonged to:

meet the PERSON behind the plain old stuff

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[Guest Rick Research]

There was, of course, a living, then-breathing INDIVIDUAL behind each and every item so "valued" to the National Currency Unit today. Millions or hundreds of thousands of same old items... but each PERSON was unique.

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Josef Enderle came from a prominent Baden-W?rttemberg family. In Imperial Germany, status often depended on military rank for those below the aristocracy. But Dr. Enderle chose academic status, and teaching. When the Great War broke out in 1914, he was almost 31, and had never served in the German military. He did not even volunteer.

He was drafted.

Why get all excited when eveything would be over in 6 weeks or so, and then everybody could go back to sleepy peace for another 40 years, right?

There was a certain allure to being a mere Man Of The People among the Volk In Arms...

PRIVATE Enderle reported for duty, as any citizen should.

These 1915 dated photos show him as an ordinary private soldier in Baden's Reserve Infantry Regiment 109, basic training over, ready for assignment...

[Guest Rick Research]

On 18 August 1915, a year into the war, 10th Company, Reserve Infantry Regiment 201 Fusileer Josef Enderle, PhD was awarded Baden's Silver Merit Medal on the wartime Military Karl Friedrich Merit Order ribbon,

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a heavy chunk of silver pendant from an odd Italian-style loop, with lots of ribbon, and wrapped in the plain brown paper wrapper seen here with his name scrawled on it--the sort of thing fish had come in, before the war:

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He never wore it. The folds of extra long ribbon squashed into the wrapper remain exactly as it came on the day he was handed the medal. His award document was neatly folded over along the bottom to fit into something now forgotten. The shipping creases as it came with the bundled medal remain crisp 91 years later

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Around that time, RIR 201 was in the 43rd Reserve Division, and had been on the Notre Dame de Lorette sector of the Artois front...

where the OTHER regiment in the 85th Reserve Infantry Brigade, RIR 202 was exterminated--losing 76 officers and 1,320 men.

[Guest Rick Research]

Something... happened to Private Josef Enderle, PhD. We may never know, now, what-- but it was almost certainly THERE and THEN.

He did not wear his medals. He did not have an Iron Cross....

Time passes.

The old Empire (more accurately, the YOUNG Empire, for it was only 47 years old) was dead. The Republic that replaced it was dying.

People save odd things. The contents of coat pockets. random scraps. Things that mean something only to them, and that survivors shrug and throw away.

Studienrat Dr. Josef Enderle of Karlsruhe, Baden saved THIS

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Oh, he WENT to the "Hitler Gathering." The stub was removed. Ticket holder #5185 showed up that Friday, 29 July 1932.

But was he mesmerized by the New Messiah? Was he bemused?

And how can I dare to claim that this scrap of history had anything to do with Enderle... not just some tossed together junk to "sex up" a boring, low value flea market lot?

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THAT'S why.

As a forensic historian, this evidence does present a puzzle however. How to interpret this?

Did he stride out of the hall, angrily waving aside the local Nazi paper man shilling for subscriptions at the door? He certainly did not, as prompted, fill in his address for 1 copy, 3 months, delivered!

Or

did he save this as a souvenir of a Night To Remember, the one and only time he might have seen his soon-to-be F?hrer with his own eyes? Did their eyes meet in the smoke filled room?

[Guest Rick Research]

And what are we to make of the fact that he never WORE his medals? The broken late war zinc version of his SMM looks like it was carried around in his pocket like a "challenge coin" today.

And though he certainly applied for his Hindenburg Cross early

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he never wore THAT either-- as seen above. The most common of German decorations remains in the pristine condition he was handed it on 5 January 1935, signed off on by the Police-President of Karlsruhe. By now Studienrat Dr. Enderle had the "Blue Angel" job his beard foresaged-- full Professor.

SOMETHING had happened to ex-Private and Professor-Doctor Josef Enderle. He also (eventually) applied for and received a "1918" army black wound badge

on 23 April 1937!

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So he had apparently been discharged from the army before these were handed out in 1918, and asked for it when the new retroactive awards began in 1936. Perhaps it was a shield against strutting troopers who "dissed" his lack of war record. He was not blind. He was not an amputee. He was not un-manned. This is the BLACK class badge.

Whatever took him out of the army before 1918, whatever scars it left visibly or invisibly... was none of the above.

[Guest Rick Research]

More time passes.

Did Professor Doctor Enderle keep on teaching whatever he taught until the new war took away all the students again?

Or did he run afoul of the bullyboy regime and lose his job out of conscience?

That we do not know, either.

The next clue is this:

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Ortsgruppenleiter der NSDAP scribble attested 6 November 1944 that Professor Doctor Josef Enderle (born 16 December 1883) and his wife Antonia (born 14 May 1901), no dependents living with them, had been forced out of their home at Karlstra?e 160, Karlsruhe, by light damage due to enemy bombing. This was their "Bombed Out Card" to seek shelter elsewhere...

and bring their "stuff"-- THIS STUFF -- with them on the refugee road.

The new Reich was dying too.

An old man and his middle aged wife (a former student? THAT old clich??) still needed to eat.

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61 year old Prof. Dr. Enderle is hereby attested (probably for rations) as having been employed HALF days since 24 February 1945 at the Economic and Provisions Office at Sinsheim, Baden. Duly signed and efficiently rubber stamped ("Heil Hitler, Herr Professor Doktor!") 6 March 1945

the French 1st Army took this area a month later.

Just ordinary flea market, junk shop stuff. Nothing "important." Nothing

"valuable."

You see what is stripped away from even the most "ordinary" items by removing them from their personal context? What is lost can almost never be found again.

What is thrown away is a crying crime against history shame.

Thanks to the local collector who let me scan this to share here.

[Paul R]

All I can say is "WOW"!.

It is amazing what stories are lost to time... Thank you for sharing this grouping and story.

[Ed_Haynes]

As a kindred spirit . . . thanks for sharing, Rick!

Like my over-documented Mecky group, I'm not sure what smiley to put up. None might be best.

But -- and some just may never understand -- this is why we study these things.

Edited April 5, 2006 by Ed_Haynes

[Mike Dwyer]

Astounding. Breathtaking.......these words are inadequate to desribe this, Rick. Seeing things like this, where everything comes together is the true joy of collecting. These aren't just objects, these are precious things that once meant something very special to REAL people.

Thanks for sharing!

[MattGibbs]

great stuff! This research always brings us closer to the real people behind these awards.

A prominent school in Baden_Wurrt. was the Rupert Ness Gymnasium in a town called "Wangen im Allg?u" named after another prominent individual of that area who died in 1740.

However, what does this have to do with us? Well at this school was a certain Dr Josef Enderle who was the Schuleleiter from 1942 until 1945

Could this be co-incidence? Who knows? But.... I thought I would bring it to you with the power of Google. http://www.rng-wangen.de/

Since it is 288 KM from the school town to Sinsheim, but both in Baden-Wurtt, I guess after the school closed or he could not continue his job he became a refugee? [Assuming its the same guy!]

Edited April 6, 2006 by MattGibbs

[Guest Rick Research]

That's a long way from Karlsruhe, but it would seem highly unlikely that there would be TWO academic Doctors with that name, Enderles not being thick upon the ground.

I think you may well have found him

BUT

where did you find the tiny photo? I checked the website but could find nothing that took me to "former headmasters" and no place to ctype in "Enderle" to find him there. Where did YOU find him?

I need to compare that ear... those eyes... that nose.

All that showed of the furry M1915 Enderle!

[MattGibbs]

http://www.schulseiten.de/rngwangen/sites/...schulleiter.php

List of school principals.

Just for you I emailled the school to ask if they had a better photo

Regards

Matt Gibbs

[Sal Williams]

This kind of thing is so cool! It kills me when I see photo albums etc. split up on ebay!

[Avitas]

This is what got me hooked on collecting, just sitting there and looking at the medal, thinking of what someone had to do and go through to receive it. Then trying to find out every bit of information you can and maybe if you're lucky you'll come across a complete story like the one above. My two grandfather's war stories were what started my interest of the history of these objects, just seeing all his war tattoos and his souvenir Mauser he got off of a German soldier after an attack on their airbase, and it still goes on today.

Pat

[notned]

Marvellous Rick!

thanks for sharing this story!

Important to us! indeed!

thanks again!

Paul

[Gerd Becker]

Rick,

these links are connected to Dr. Enderle as well:

http://www.rng-wangen.de/sites/unsere_schu...e/wgesch_06.php

http://www.rng-wangen.de/sites/unsere_schu...e/wgesch_04.php

http://www.rng-wangen.de/sites/unsere_schu...e/wgesch_09.php

http://www.rng-wangen.de/sites/unsere_schu...e/wgesch_03.php

The second photo does look a lot like Dr. Enderle in my opinion.

Great stuff

Gerd

[Guest Rick Research]

Ah, he sounds like a German "Mister Chips!" It is nice to know that he IS remembered, and remembered FONDLY.

Thanks!

[webr55]

Just discovered this thread. I can find only one Josef Enderle with a Dr., so both should be the same person. Josef Enderle got his Dr. rer. nat. in geology, at the University of T?bingen on 19.05.1914.

Of course, his "Prof." was not a university professor, but a senior teacher.

[Guest Rick Research]

Amazing stuff!!!!!

(And this group isn't even MINE any more!)

[Ed_Haynes]

(And this group isn't even MINE any more!)

I didn't think you sold your "children" away, you shameless capitalist, you!

[Guest Rick Research]

It was ten years ago... when I got INTO Soviet... I wasn't finding any more Imperial...

and I sold every Imperial German thing that I DID sell for what I paid for it, among friends.

Pro-fit? Is that, like, FOR being in healthy physical shape, erwut?

[Ed_Haynes]

It was ten years ago... when I got INTO Soviet... I wasn't finding any more Imperial...

and I sold every Imperial German thing that I DID sell for what I paid for it, among friends.

Pro-fit? Is that, like, FOR being in healthy physical shape, erwut?

Right! All that matters is that, eventually . . . things move on to good and loving homes . . . to folk who will cherish and advance the research agenda that clusters around these remnant relics of a real person's life.

The only items that have moved out of my custody were moved out, to friends, as trades, and were things I didn't (think) I was interested in anymore (then). Will dig out and post some of their photos, if they are not over-stained by tears. Not ONE item I have moved on -- however marginal -- that I have not later regretted passing along down the chain of custody.

A lesson here??

[jcsanche]

WOW

That's priceless. I love named tunics and the thrill of finding the owners identity. A great piece of history.

Juan

Edited July 4, 2006 by jcsanche