German WW2 war dead memorials

[grassi]

This is a memorial in Frankfurt am Main.
It is dedicated to the 2nd Nassauisches Feldartillerie-Regiment Nr. 63 (1914-1918) and to the dead soldiers of
Art. Regiment 15/51 (1939-1945).

It is interesting to see that the memorial erected in 1938 is quite anonym.
It is dedicated to a unit but not to humans.
The relief is very detailed – at least when it comes to horses, equipment etc.
Individual faces of the soldiers are not visible.
Something on the plaque has been erased (just the line above “1938”).

The memorial after WWII is dedicated to persons.

The photos are a present of A.C.
There were taken on August 20th 2008.

grassi

[grassi]

Part I
This is the central war memorial in Munich.
It was erected in the years 1924-1926 in front of the Bavarian Army Museum and on the area of the former Hofgarten barracks.
The Obmannbezirk of the Kriegerbund München-Stadt was responsible for building this memorial.
It is dedicated to the 13000 dead soldiers of WW I from Munich.
And to the 22000 KIA, 11000 MIA and 6600 dead of the air war 1939-1945 (see image IMG_0032 II.JPG).
For example on Rememberance Day / Volkstrauertag, November 18th 2007, the Bavarian Prime Minister honoured the dead.

The memorial was cleaned up when I photographed it on August 29th 2008.

By the way there is another thread on this forum which deals with war memorials:
http://forum.axishistory.com/viewtopic.php?p=9949#p9949


grassi

[grassi]

Part II.

grassi

[Adam Carr]

If we're going to include First World War memorials, this is the most striking one I saw in Germany, in Hamburg. It says: "Forty thousand sons of this city lost their lives for you - 1914-18."

[grassi]

This is a very interesting war memorial.
As far as I know it is also dedicated to WW II.
It was redesigned during 1938 and 1949 when Ernst Barlach's relief on the other side of the photo (a mother with a child) was replaced by a relief with an ascending eagle made by Hans Martin Ruwoldt (see Klingel, Eichenkranz und Dornenkrone, p. 135).

Concerning the war memorials in Hamburg I recommend this book:

Klingel, Kerstin, Eichenkranz und Dornenkrone. Kriegerdenkmäler in Hamburg (Landeszentrale für Politische Bildung), Hamburg 2006.

It offers on ca. 300 pages a good overview about the roughly 150 public war memorials in Hamburg.
The book is for free - if you go to the Landeszentrale and pick it up.
Or you order it for some Euros via ZVAB etc.

grassi

[Marcus]

To keep this thread focused on photos of German WW2 memorials I've moved several post to a new thread entitled The Axis nations should be allowed to honor their war dead.

/Marcus

[grassi]

This is the war memorial in Altusried (near Kempten/Bavaria).
It is dedicated to the war deads of 1870/71, 1914/1918 and 1939/1945 and to peace.

grassi

[Spike 7.62]

I visited the Feldkirche (field church) in Bavaria this past April and there was a large tablet inside with the names of local men who were killed in World War One.





I spent some time in Garmisch-Partenkirchen in 2007 and was in a small, wood-lodge looking church. Covering all the walls and even the outside of the church were pictures of WWII German soldiers, with their names and the smallest info as to their fates. Most read "1944 Russland", some just said the country because they were counted as "missing". It was very moving to see all the young men in their uniforms, and I was glad, in a fulfilled kind of way, to see that all branches were represented (Kriegsmarine, Luftwaffe, Heer, Waffen SS) and there was at least one polizei uniform. I wanted very badly to take pictures of this scene, but out of respect for the worshippers and for the local custom of "kein foto" in church, I did not. I returned to "GAP" earlier in 2010 but was too busy to try and find this church, but I want to see it again. No where else in Germany had I seen such an honest memorial to their Second World War dead.

-Spike

[grassi]

@ Spike 7.62

Interesting photos, but isn't it the Wieskirche /Steingaden rather than the Feldkirche?
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wieskirche

Best regards

grassi

[Spike 7.62]

Ah yes, it appears you are correct. I've traveled through the area quite extensively and multiple times over the years so I must have mixed it up in my memory. The small church with the pictures though, I'm sure is in Garmish-Partenkirchen, or at least in the immediate surrounding area (within a bicycle ride). Thanks for the clarification.

-Spike

[grassi]

The small church with the pictures though

Which church do you refer to?
This one?

This is the war memorial in Altusried (near Kempten/Bavaria).
It is dedicated to the war deads of 1870/71, 1914/1918 and 1939/1945 and to peace.

If you mean Altusried, it is only 60-80 km away from Garmisch-Partenkirchen.

Best regards

grassi

[grassi]

Well, I don't know where this Kriegerdenkmal is located, but the picture is interessting anyway.
I more than once thought about WW I memorials during WW II.
What happend to them, were names of the new war dead attachted etc.?

I suppose that this photo shows a war dead memorial of the 1920ies or 1930ies:
An Iron cross, maybe made out of bronze, is clearly visible.
The memorial is apparently placed on a little fountaine.
There is also a wreath or smth. like that visible.

In the centre and in the back ground of the picture we see two steles with Iron Crosses on top.
Both steles show little name boards with the war deads of the current war.
One can read Wilhelm Rank, + 21. February, 1944 or Alfred Jäger, + 16. September 1944.
One swastika is already removed, the other will be soon.
http://good-times.webshots.com/photo/28 ... 0923mDjcCO

Where could this be?
I am highly interested to learn more about the use of war dead memorials during WWII.

Best regards

grassi

[Auseklis]

Might be possible to find it with more names and dates of death. It's somewere in south-western Germany (Baden-Würtemberg).

[grassi]

Thanks, Auseklis!
How come that you think about south-western Germany?
I also have some hints for this, but maybe you know more than I.

Best regards

grassi

[OJJE]

Rovaniemi - Norvajärvi, Finland

Der Deutsche Soldatenfriedhof - The german military cemetary in Norvajärvi, outside Rovaniemi, Finland.
These pictures are from my visit there in May 2010. (on my way back to sweden).

1.jpg