March Offensive 1918 - Place Name help

[dphillipsd]

For sometime now I have, in conjunction with my grandparents, been researching the history of one of our relatives; Unteroffizier Heinrich Martin who served with Rhenish Infantry Regiment 28 and was KIA on 28 March 1918. Whilst Rick and others were extremely helpful in providing information pertaining to the history of the regiment

http://www.wehrmacht-awards.com/forums/sho...ead.php?t=14437

I recently came into position of his death certificate and would appreciate any help in locating the place of his death: 'Moueby'.

To this end, pictures of the above mentioned death certificate can be found at http://www.wehrmacht-awards.com/forums/sho...d=1#post1469468.

Thanks for any help in advance!

[Daniel Murphy]

I have been looking , but have been unable to find anything even similar. Perhaps it was just a small village and it ceased to exist in 1918. This happened quite often. For instance there were 9 towns around Verdun that were totally obliterated in 1916. They were never rebuilt. I would attempt to find a michelin map of the Pas de Calais area from pre WW1. I think that is your best bet for finding it.

Dan Murphy

[Chip]

dphillipsd,

I suppose that someone has already told you this, but assuming that your relative was with the regiment on the 28th of March 1918, it is logical to assume that he was one of the many casualties suffered on that day, when all three regiments of the division (185.Div.) attacked. They were in the area of Monchy le Preux (southeast of Arras).

Chip

[JensF.]

Btw. he is listed in the database of the Volksbund (German War Graves Comission):

Nachname: Martin

Vorname: Heinrich

Dienstgrad: Unteroffizier

Geburtsdatum: 24.12.1898

Geburtsort:

Todes-/Vermisstendatum: 28.03.1918

Todesort: nicht verzeichnet

Heinrich Martin ruht auf der Kriegsgr?berst?tte in F?rin (Frankreich) .

Endgrablage: Block 2 Grab 601

[dphillipsd]

Thanks for the help guys, much appreciated!

@ Jens, already found that out and have written to the Volksbund, but thanks anyways!

@ Chip, are you sure the regiment was with the 195th Division; I thought it was part of the 16th Infantry Division throughout the war?

Edited July 4, 2006 by dphillipsd

[Kev in Deva]

I have been looking , but have been unable to find anything even similar. Perhaps it was just a small village and it ceased to exist in 1918. This happened quite often. For instance there were 9 towns around Verdun that were totally obliterated in 1916. They were never rebuilt. I would attempt to find a michelin map of the Pas de Calais area from pre WW1. I think that is your best bet for finding it.

Dan Murphy

Hallo Dan,

with regards Verdun it was the villiages that got obliterated in the war around Verdun not towns, Verdun was the town for the area.

Kevin in Deva.

[Chip]

dphillipsd,

It was the 185th division, not the 195th and the change from the 16th Reserve division was made in August of 1916.

Chip

[Daniel Murphy]

with regards Verdun it was the villiages that got obliterated in the war around Verdun not towns, Verdun was the town for the area.

Thank you for the grammar correction. " Dan, with regards Verdun..."?? tsk, tsk tsk. The point which you missed is that 9 "areas in which people lived with their homes closely together in a community" were wiped out. The inhabitants don't care what I call it, because all but a few died there.

Dan Murphy

Edited July 5, 2006 by Daniel Murphy

[dphillipsd]

Thanks for clarifying the point Chip; very much appreciated, and very helpful!

[Kev in Deva]

Thank you for the grammar correction. " Dan, with regards Verdun..."?? tsk, tsk tsk. The point which you missed is that 9 "areas in which people lived with their homes closely together in a community" were wiped out. The inhabitants don't care what I call it, because all but a few died there.

Dan Murphy

Hallo Dan

I visited Verdun a few years back and from my understanding, most of the villages were evacuated of their civilian occupants, before the serious fighting started, after the war ended the area looked like the surface of the moon, scared with shell craters, littered with the remains of the dead, and tons of Ordnance from the fighting, so it was decided to relocate the people in other locations for safety.

Kevin in Deva.

[JensF.]

The following villages in the central battlefield were obliterated:

Douaumont

Vaux

Fleury

Haumont

Louvemont

Bezonvaux

Ornes

So seven at all. The most other villages were heavily damaged, but those listed here were completely destroyed and never rebuilt. And it is true, that the most inhabitants were evacuated either by the Germans or the french just before or during the attack.