Frontbühne В

[Konstantin]

Hi, this photograph shows two Ukrainian girls. It is known that they were in the "Frontbühne В" for the 17th Army in the summer of 1942. Help please - what is the "Frontbühne В"?

[kenify]

I am pretty sure it means Front Stage B, ie Concert Party B.

[freddiefro]

This topic was covered, somewhat, on the Wehrmacht Awards forum (see: http://www.wehrmacht-awards.com/forums/ ... p?t=153588 and http://www.wehrmacht-awards.com/forums/ ... ?p=6703230.

Frontbühne seems to be similar to the American USO (morale & entertainment for the troops).

Fred

[Heimatschuss]

Hello,

the auction description (http://tinyurl.com/jwxl2za) says their names were Raja Gopta and Klawdie Zynkalowa though I think Kaja Gopta and Clavdie Zynkalow would be more correct.

I don't know from where the vendor got their family names and the location Kramatorsk(aja). There's nothing like that written the back of the pic (see below). Perhaps it was on another photo he sold seperately or in the photo album the pic is taken from.

The backside reads:

Zum ewigen Andenken
fon [sic, von] Kaja

18.7.42

Foto in Uniform
der Frontbühne B

Kaija u.[nd] Clavdie
Juli 42
Rußl.[and]

For eternal memory
from Kaja

July 7th, 1942

Photo in the uniform of Frontbühne B
Kaija and Claudia
July 42
Russia

A Frontbühne (literally: frontline stage) was a traveling vaudeville show (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vaudeville) to entertain German troops and other units of all kind. This could even be directly in the frontline trenches (if it was safe enough) though the bulk of performances took place in the hinterland, ranging from a few miles behind the front to quiet backwaters in the occupied areas hundreds of kilometers away from the fighting.

I've found at least four different ways how such traveling shows were set up:

a)
Most of the german free-lance artists performing with a Frontbühne were hired by the Kraft durch Freude office of the Deutsche Arbeitsfront (DAF) that also was responsible for organizing spare time acitivities for german workers. Such a case is described for example in Elfriede Schroter-Arnold's autobiography (2001). Schroter-Arnold did two tours as a singer on the Russian front. In winter 1943/44 she traveled the Baltic countries, in summer 1944 she was in Romania where she barely escaped the collapse of 6th Army in August.

b)
Occasionally large institutions in Germany like the police formed their own traveling show from personnel with artistic talent. These would then be despateched to the occupied territories.

c)
German propaganda troops hired local artists to perform in the region the propaganda unit was responsible for. For example when Maria de Smeth came to Propaganda-Staffel Pleskau in late autumn 1943 she found quite a number of Russian and Latvian women there who worked as singers, dancers or actresses (de Smeth, 1965, p.455).

d)
A number of larger military units (regiments, divisions) gathered men with stage experience from their lines to set up a small Frontbühne just fo themselves. Such a group would only operate in the area of their parent unit of course. Interestingly Melzer (1960, p.150) mentions that numerous Russian women from the division's kitchens volunteered as dancers and singers when 252. Infanterie-Division founded its own entertainment squad in spring 1942. Just a small number was qualified though.


References:

Melzer, Walther
Geschichte der 252. Infanterie-Division 1939-1945.
Podzun Verlag; Bad Nauheim; 1960

Schroter-Arnold, Elfriede
Die Verheizten.
AT edition; Münster; 2001

de Smeth, Maria
Roter Kaviar - Hauptmann Maria. Odyssee einer Frau im 20. Jahrhundert.
Verlag Welsermühl; Munich, Wels; 1965

Best regards
Torsten

[Askold]

I showed the photo to my veteran friend (former Waffen SS officer), as someone who would could read the writing of the time - he says the name is indeed Raja. Gopta is also a common name in Eastern Ukrane/Russia/Belarus

[Konstantin]

Hi,

Thanks to all who wrote. I was actually very interested in everything that is connected with the Frontbühne. All who have tried to decipher the inscriptions on the reverse side of the picture - not far from the truth. I'm originally from Kramatorsk himself. And by coincidence obstoyatelstv, know the woman in the photo (right). Though it is no longer alive, but there are many Kramatorsk her relatives. By this, I do not want to discuss her name. Nevertheless, I can inform you that for this his work on the German army after the war she stayed 10 years in Stalin's prison. Her life was hard and full of tragedy ...

Best regards
Konstantyn