Help with German

[GregSingh]

Village Birsula changed name to Kotowsk (Котовск) in 1935 and in 1938 received status of a town.
There was a collective farm (колхоз) there and a farm equipment depo (70 tractors and 20 combines in 1940).
But according to this German map from 1942, there were still two settlements nearby called Birsula.
Which one they meant, I wonder!

Kotovsk (Birsula)

[history1]

Would the term 'Siedlung' (settlement) be a collective farm. [...]

Definetly not, Jeff.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kotovsk,_Ukraine

[Jeff Leach]

Looking at the wartime Soviet map, ПОС. БИРЗУЛА is on the rail line and БИРЗУЛА is on the stream. There is no Kotomsk on the Soviet map.

So 'Siedlung' probably the "ПОС."

[GregSingh]

Yeah, поселок translates as settlement.

[Jeff Leach]

Next question: ehem.Vw. = ehemalige Vorwerk = previous outwork (forward part of field fortifications).

but this rarely makes sense in context

The 46. Infanterie-Division while fighting agains the 176th Rifle Division northwest of Balta on 24th July 1941 writes:

Inf.Rgt.97 hat starken Feind mit Artl. vor sich in dem ehem.Vw. und südostw. Chrustowo.

"Infanterie-Regment 97 has strong enemy with artillery support before them in the previous outworks and southeast of Krustovo."

[HM]

Jeff,

perhaps it means "ehemalige Verteidigungswerk"?.

HM.

[Heimatschuss]

Hello,

in German Vorwerk also can mean a satellite farm belonging to a large estate farm. The very large estate farms in Eastern Germany were sometimes so big that they had several branch farms under them that operated independently.

You would have to have a look at a detailed topographical map to see if this interpretation may apply here.

Best regards
Torsten

[Jeff Leach]

could use some help translating, "Der Russe ist ein ausgesprochene Strauchdieb. 1 Soldat des I.R.299 wurden die Augen ausgestochen, ein anderer wurde gefesselt, geknebelb und erhielt dam einen Wundschuss."

Roughly, "The Russians are tramps. One soldier from I.R.399 (was found) stabbed in the eyes and another was found tied-up, beaten and had been not-fatally shot"

The 170. Infantrie-Division had found two dead soldiers that had been tortured first.

[GregSingh]

Strauchdieb is a nasty insect, common in the rural areas of Central Europe. Attacks other insects.
In English might be called Awl Robberfly, but I'm not sure about that...

[Jeff Leach]

consulting my various sources, I came to the conclusion it was a diraugatory remark meaning 'petty criminal'.

[history1]

The term "Strauchdieb" isn´t related to the insect, though it has the same name.
It´s built from Strauch = shrub and Dieb = thief but it´s meaning is more historic. Strauchdiebe (plural) are bandits who did hide in the shrub and robb travelers who are passing the place/road. It´s a cuss word like bandit, crook, hoodlum, etc. .
BTW, the text should read:
" Der Russe ist ein ausgesprochener Strauchdieb. Einem Soldaten des I.R 299 wurden die Augen ausgestochen, ein anderer wurde gefesselt, geknebelt und erhielt dann einen Wundschuß".
Translation: The Russian is a downright scoundrel. A soldier of the Infantry Regiment 299 were his eyes gouged out, another one was tied up, gagged and got a wounding shot.

[Jeff Leach]

Thanks for the help. It is Inf.Rgt.399 of the 170. Infanterie-Division.

I assumed the German soldiers were dead. On the 3rd July 1941 the 170. Infanterie-Division was pursuing the retreating Soviets towards Balti. It is doubtful they were survive the time they were being tortured to the time the advancing German discovered them. I consider these reports important because they illustrate that both sides were committing excesses from the start of the war.

[history1]

Sorry, Jeff, for the wrong number of the infantry regiment, I used the number you provided in the OP