Waffen-SS graveyard

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Sauerkraut
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Waffen-SS graveyard

#1

Post by Sauerkraut » 16 Aug 2017, 20:44

Hello!

Reading books about various Waffen-SS units, I have seen photographs of cemeteries with fallen SS men graves.
On a photograph of a Nordland division graveyard, on the graves is a lebensrune of birch wood (I mean instead of a cross on the grave) like the one shown here as 'meaning life" Image.
But in a book about the Karstjäger, there are on the graves todesrune "meaning death" instead.
My question is, why this difference?

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Wim
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Re: Waffen-SS graveyard

#2

Post by Wim » 17 Aug 2017, 07:55

They put the Life rune for date of birth and the dead rune by date of dead.

Wim
Any information about Flemisch in German service (Waffen SS, OT, NSKK, Kriegsmarine, DRK, ...) during WWII is welcome.


Sauerkraut
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Posts: 74
Joined: 18 Feb 2017, 21:35
Location: France

Re: Waffen-SS graveyard

#3

Post by Sauerkraut » 17 Aug 2017, 17:40

Yes, I have seen that also ; but what I am referring to is not such writings, but the runes that stand on the graves, in the way a cross usually does.
One would expect the symbol to be the same for every fallen SS, and I try to understand why on the Nordland picture we can see Lebensrune, and on the Karstjäger picture the Todesrune.
Here are the pictures from the books.
First is the Nordland cemetery, with lebensrune on the graves but todesrune on the portal (from "La SS division Nord", Charles Trang, Heimdal)
20170817_171441[1].jpg
Second is the Karstjäger tombs picture, with todesrune (from "Karstjäger", Sergio Carbatti and Marco Nava, Heimdal)
20170817_171343[1].jpg
Third is a Karstjäger grave with a christian cross, I wonder to what extent it was permitted? ((from "Karstjäger", Sergio Carbatti and Marco Nava, Heimdal)
20170817_172321[1].jpg

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Wim
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Location: Vlaanderen/Flanders/Flandern

Re: Waffen-SS graveyard

#4

Post by Wim » 17 Aug 2017, 21:02

Well in Flanders they called them the Birch tree crosses because most of them were made out of the Birch tree (because of de availability of that tree).

The symbole for the dead soldiers.
Berkenkruis 7.jpg
Berkenkruis 7.jpg (187.71 KiB) Viewed 1155 times
Berkenkruis 6.jpg
Berkenkruis 6.jpg (123.6 KiB) Viewed 1155 times
Berkenkruis 1.jpg
Berkenkruis 1.jpg (37.38 KiB) Viewed 1155 times
Any information about Flemisch in German service (Waffen SS, OT, NSKK, Kriegsmarine, DRK, ...) during WWII is welcome.

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