Help Translating Waffen SS Diary

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Project154
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Help Translating Waffen SS Diary

#1

Post by Project154 » 16 Sep 2020, 05:42

Hello, this is my first post on this lovely site, and I think this may be the best place to turn to with my current problem, as this message board has some of the most knowledgeable minds on Axis History in the world!

I am a relatively new collector of WW2 memorabilia and recently purchased a diary from an auction house. It was listed as "Diary of a Waffen SS Solider" without many other details. I will attach a photo of the man's picture and beside it a coat of arms with what appears to be Germanic ruins on the bottom? Does anyone know more about the ruins and what they mean?

Once I received it and started looking through it, I found it contained numerous poems by German writers, including Nietzche, Flex, Rilke, Hebbel, Schiller, Holderlin, Lons, Wehner and Limpach. I have been able to translate all the poems. But it also contained many entries from the original owner, that which I cannot translate as the cursive handwriting is too hard for me to decipher. I do not even know his name, although I believe I know of a page or 2 that it is written on, maybe someone here could help tell me his name? I believe he may have belonged to the The 5th SS Panzer Division "Wiking", as one of his drawings appears to have the symbol of the unit on it. The photos are very interesting as one appears to be at the Reich Chancellery, and appears to have who I think is Hans Lammers in it?. Others look like they could be early pre-war photos of the "Wiking" Division.

It also came as a big surprise when I discovered around 35 signatures had been collected inside! The man had collected them when in the Prisoner of War Temporary Enclosure (PWTE) located in Heilbronn. Most had been collected around July-August 1945. Fortunately, the owner/writer of the diary would include a brief description with each signature, including the person's title, unit, profession, etc. It seems most are from the Luftwaffe. But I also think there are some that include a field judge, professors, the camp quartet, reporter/broadcaster from the Propaganda Ministry (and he was also an actor in Hamburg in 1928?), and teachers from the Luftwaffe flight school. Also most of the signatures have a brief note associated with the name, so I am curious as to what each person was writing about and their state of mind after having just lost the war and currently contemplating their future in the prisoner of war camp!

There are 6 signatures from the Schlachtgeschwader 2 (SG 2) Immelmann dive bomber wing of the Luftwaffe. I have been able to translate 3 so far, Friedrich Lang, Kurt Plenzat, and Wilhelm Stahler, with Lang acting as the Commander for a brief period. All 3 were awarded the Knight's Cross. There are 2 signatures I am most curious about, one of them is associated with the "Chef d. Wehrmacht b. OKW" and the other is associated with the "Propaganda Ministry" and appears to have been an actor in Hamburg in 1928? I will post both photos below.

I have taken photos of every page in the diary, there is around 115 photos, I am loading them into a photo album on Google photos, if anyone has any interest or ability to look at them and share with me what they say, that would be amazing.

I feel like it is a big mystery as to what is written inside, and you can be the first to know! I just hope you will tell me too hah!!! :)

Thank you all so so much!

T.D.
project1542.jpeg
project1541.jpeg
project1543.jpeg
project1544.jpeg

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Re: Help Translating Waffen SS Diary

#2

Post by Project154 » 16 Sep 2020, 08:39

project1545.jpeg
project1546.jpeg


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Re: Help Translating Waffen SS Diary

#3

Post by history1 » 16 Sep 2020, 14:56

Welcome in the forum, Project154!

I´ll start with image "project1541.jpeg":
Meiner Mutter

aus Anlaß ihres Geburtstages und
meiner gesunden Rückkehr gewidmet.

Zusammengestellt im Kriegsgefangenen-
lager Heilbronn, 3. Mai bis 18. Aug [-ust] 1945

Hehlen/Weser
12. Sept[-ember] 1945

Hermann Serge
I´m not 100% positiv that I got the last name totally correct though. The runes are his first name, but I wasn´t able to find the third one from the left. Otherwise it´s reads "Sei.rge".
Hehlen on the river Weser is located in Lower Saxonia in Germany:
https://goo.gl/maps/Tr89X3NcM99hD57v5
Last edited by history1 on 17 Sep 2020, 13:52, edited 1 time in total.

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Re: Help Translating Waffen SS Diary

#4

Post by history1 » 16 Sep 2020, 15:58

Project1545:
Kriegsberichter - Heckschütze KG 54
Ministerial-Rat (Rundfunk) im
Propaganda- Ministerium.
Bis 1928 Schauspieler in Hamburg
Im A13 Sprecher bei Veranstaltungen
KG 54 = Kampfgeschwader 54
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kampfgeschwader_54

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Re: Help Translating Waffen SS Diary

#5

Post by history1 » 16 Sep 2020, 16:09

Project1544 (top):
Wenn wir aus diesen Tagen schwerster
Prüfung die Erkenntnis mitnehmen, das
in den vergangenen unheilvollen Jahren
nicht nur unser Glück alleine unterge-
gangen ist, werden wir unser Schicksal
tragen. Einer Entwicklung, die man
nicht aufhalten kann, geht man an-
ständig entgegen!

A13, den 4.8.45 "unreadable signature"
Project1546:
Erlebe was geschieht!

Hans .....
Heilbronn, den 29.7.45

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Re: Help Translating Waffen SS Diary

#6

Post by Project154 » 16 Sep 2020, 20:24

History1, thank you so much for what you have translated! You have taught me a lot already. Now we know his mother was still alive, I wonder if that means by September 12th, he was out of Heilbronn and in Hehlen. And Hermann Serge is a lot more then I was able to read hah.

I am just using google translator, but that one man's entry partially reads

"...the knowledge that
in the past disastrous years
not just our happiness alone
is gone, we become our fate..."

Sounds like there wasn't much hope left for those that survived at that time.

And I can't help but chuckle a a bit at "Erlebe was geschieht!" I believe this means "See what happens!". I can only wonder if this means, see what happens with war! Or more along the lines of, let's see what happens to us now?!

Again, thank you. I will post up a couple more entries, if yourself or anyone feels like translating, I will be forever thankful!

T.D.
project1547.jpeg
project1548.jpeg
project1549.jpeg
project15410.jpeg

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Re: Help Translating Waffen SS Diary

#7

Post by Project154 » 17 Sep 2020, 01:01

And also if anyone can confirm if the symbol in the next photo does belong to the The 5th SS Panzer Division "Wiking"? I believe the photos below it are also men who are wearing the "Germania" cuff title? And that was only worn in the Wiking Division?
Project15411.jpeg
Project15412.jpeg

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Re: Help Translating Waffen SS Diary

#8

Post by Hohlladung » 17 Sep 2020, 20:43

Hi T.D.,

I can give you a name and a face to one of your signatures:

Picture 3 The Oberleutnant and Ritterkreuzträger,
Btl. Commander of VGD 36 is:

Erich Vielwerth

https://www.mymilitaria.it/liste_05/foto_vielwerth.htm

https://military.wikia.org/wiki/Wilhelm ... _Vielwerth

https://www.tracesofwar.com/persons/199 ... -Erich.htm

Best regards
Armin
"Ihr verfluchten Racker, wollt ihr denn ewig leben?" Friedrich, II. in der Schlacht von Kolin am 18.Juni 1757 zu seinen zurückgehenden Grenadieren.

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Re: Help Translating Waffen SS Diary

#9

Post by Hohlladung » 17 Sep 2020, 23:16

Next:

The Major and Luftwaffe pilot:

"Wenn auch alles um uns sank,
Laßt uns nicht entarten!
Haltet Schwert und Ehre blank.
Unsere Toten warten!"

Günther Ehrhardt
Detmold 1936. Heilbronn 1945

When everything around us went down,
don't let ourselves degenerate!
Keep sword and honour clean.
Our dead are waiting!

(Very pathetic but at least it rhymes in German language).
Best regards
Armin
"Ihr verfluchten Racker, wollt ihr denn ewig leben?" Friedrich, II. in der Schlacht von Kolin am 18.Juni 1757 zu seinen zurückgehenden Grenadieren.

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Re: Help Translating Waffen SS Diary

#10

Post by Project154 » 19 Sep 2020, 17:26

Armin,

Thank you so so much for your help! You have given me a couple new men to research, and thanks for the english translation! Often google translator doesn’t make a whole lot of sense hah

All the best, - T.D.

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Re: Help Translating Waffen SS Diary

#11

Post by Hohlladung » 19 Sep 2020, 21:58

T.D.

I think I identified another of your signatures.

The Oberst (Colonel) of the Feldpolizei with date of 4.8.1945 ( translated by history1) is:

Oberst Wilhelm Krichbaum.

I read the signature as Willi Krichbaum(Willi =short for Wilhelm)

https://de.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wilhelm_Krichbaum

https://de.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Geheime ... Wehrmacht)

There is a section here in this Forum called" The Phil Nix SS & Police section". You can ask there for more information about him, maybe someone even has a document available with his signature for reconfirmation.

You really found something special there with this booklet, looking forward for the next pages.

Best regards
Armin
"Ihr verfluchten Racker, wollt ihr denn ewig leben?" Friedrich, II. in der Schlacht von Kolin am 18.Juni 1757 zu seinen zurückgehenden Grenadieren.

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Re: Help Translating Waffen SS Diary

#12

Post by Project154 » 20 Sep 2020, 00:31

Wow Armin if that’s the case, I am shocked! Thank you again for your help! I would have to think he is probably the “top name” in the diary, but who knows, there are still many left to be figured out 🙂

Perhaps you could help me with the translation of what Willi wrote in English? I know history1 was nice enough to write down what it says in German, however google translator has made it hard to understand what it says in English??

I very much appreciate all your efforts 😃

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Re: Help Translating Waffen SS Diary

#13

Post by HM » 20 Sep 2020, 08:51

Hohlladung wrote:
19 Sep 2020, 21:58
T.D.

I think I identified another of your signatures.

The Oberst (Colonel) of the Feldpolizei with date of 4.8.1945 ( translated by history1) is:

Oberst Wilhelm Krichbaum.

I read the signature as Willi Krichbaum(Willi =short for Wilhelm)

https://de.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wilhelm_Krichbaum

https://de.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Geheime ... Wehrmacht)

There is a section here in this Forum called" The Phil Nix SS & Police section". You can ask there for more information about him, maybe someone even has a document available with his signature for reconfirmation.

You really found something special there with this booklet, looking forward for the next pages.

Best regards
Armin
Armin,
Wilhelm Krichbaum seems the correct name!
Here is a "bad"copy of his signature to compare. Krichbaum was in captivity as of 03.05.1945. 01.05.1948 released. Between 03.1946 and 01.05.1948 he spent a total of 20 months at Nürnberg.

HM.
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Re: Help Translating Waffen SS Diary

#14

Post by history1 » 20 Sep 2020, 09:14

history1 wrote:
16 Sep 2020, 16:09
Project1544 (top):
Wenn wir aus diesen Tagen schwerster
Prüfung die Erkenntnis mitnehmen, das
in den vergangenen unheilvollen Jahren
nicht nur unser Glück alleine unterge-
gangen ist, werden wir unser Schicksal
tragen. Einer Entwicklung, die man
nicht aufhalten kann, geht man an-
ständig entgegen!

A13, den 4.8.45 "unreadable signature"
[...]"
When we will realise from these days
of hard test that in the
past baleful years not only our luck
disappeared we will bear our fate.
A development which one can not
avoid must be faced decently.

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Re: Help Translating Waffen SS Diary

#15

Post by history1 » 20 Sep 2020, 09:56

Hohlladung wrote:
17 Sep 2020, 23:16
Next:

The Major and Luftwaffe pilot:

"Wenn auch alles um uns sank,
Laßt uns nicht entarten!
Haltet Schwert und Ehre blank.
Unsere Toten warten!"

Günther Ehrhardt
Detmold 1936. Heilbronn 1945

When everything around us went down,
don't let ourselves degenerate!
Keep sword and honour clean.
Our dead are waiting!

(Very pathetic but at least it rhymes in German language).
Best regards
Armin
Let me only add that he states also in "project1547.jpeg":
"1936 Lt. + Zugführer Flea in Detmold = 1936 Leutnant und Zugführer Fliegerersatzabteilung in Demtold = 1936 Second Lieutenant and platon leader with the airmen replacement/training department in Detmold".
Note: The correct acronym is FEA, not Flea!
Further informations (German only!):
https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flugplatz_Detmold
https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/A/B-Schule

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