Help finding a grave

[Frengstad]

Hello

I hope that there is someone with knowledge and information to help me out here. Story is as follows;

I am helping an aging norwegian woman who doesn`t speak english, german or russian, to find her German grandfather. She is Norwegian, but her mother got involved with a german soldier and she is now searching for help to try to find her grandfathers grave as her wish is to visit the grave and put flowers and candles on his grave before she passes away.

Here is what I have;

His name is Willy Bode. He was born 15.01.1915 and executed in a Russian POW camp 29.05.1951. He had the rank of Commanding Seargeant and served in Stab II u. 5.-8. Kompanie Grenadier-Regiment 359, field post 41785 C.

She has long believed that her grandfather was in Russia somewhere, but my early search indicates that he was in Balkan somewhere, and he retreated and his division got caught by th Red Army in old Czechoslovakia.

Does anyone have any information of him, his regiment, batallion, or who or where to contact for further investigations?

Best regards,
Bjørn Frengstad

[GregSingh]

Have you tried here:
https://www.volksbund.de/graebersuche.html ?

[Stauffenberg II]

Hi,

the field post number is indeed referring to Grenadierregiment 359. So it was part of the 181. Infanteriedivision. The division from April, 1940-Sept., 1943 was based in Drontheim and got shifted to the Balkans in Oct., 1943, see:
http://www.lexikon-der-wehrmacht.de/Gli ... /181ID.htm

At the above mentioned site there is only one Feldwebel Willy Bode, born 08.01.1915 in Ebergötzen, died at the POW Camp Orsk .

Ebergötzen was in area XI, where the 181. Infanteriedivision was raised.

Good luck for your search!

[Frengstad]

GregSingh:

Thank you! Yes, I have. There were som interesting info there, but nothing that really fit anything of info. Multiple Bode, but no one that I could say for sure. Thanks thoug:h.

Stauffenberg II:
I can`t read or understand german to the poit were I can understand where you can find that information, but I have to trust you. Based on what you write, I am 100% sure that it is the right Willy Bode. Birthplace is correct, even though birth date is one week earlier than registrered. That is pretty common I suspect, so I assume all in all that it has to be him.

Would you have an idea how to proceed...? I don`t read or understand german enough or have knowledge about which sites to investigate further. Did Orsk POW include in the agreement between Russia and Germany to give the people in the mass graves their own graves..?

[Stauffenberg II]

No sorry, the grave is in Orsk/Russia. I don´t have a clue how to proceed. I also have no clue how he ended in Orsk/Russia, as the 181. Infanteriedivision fought at the Balkans and ended at the Austrian border in Styria (no battle in Czechoslovakia as mentioned by you!)

Here the entry in Volksbund:

Nachname: Bode
Vorname: Willi
Dienstgrad: Feldwebel
Geburtsdatum: 08.01.1915
Geburtsort: Ebergötzen
Todes-/Vermisstendatum: 02.1945
Todes-/Vermisstenort: La.Laz.d.Kgf.Laz. Orsk

Willi Bode wurde noch nicht auf einen vom Volksbund errichteten Soldatenfriedhof überführt.

Nach den uns vorliegenden Informationen befindet sich sein Grab derzeit noch an folgendem Ort: Orsk - Russland

Name und die persönlichen Daten von Willi Bode sind im Gedenkbuch verzeichnet. Sie können gern einen Auszug bei uns bestellen.

[Melax]

what could be a possibility is the international red cross - they can search for "missing" german soldiers and their history - including getting copys of the russian documents about his time in the POW camp (the copys would be in russian, but maybe could be translated somehow cheap?) - in these documents COULD be why he died, when, where and what happed with the body after his death...

I think this might the best chance to get informations

edit: have looked at the german red cross site, they are mentioning that people who are not living n germany should go to their countrys red cross - so I guess the norwegian red cross could help you out.. if it is something like the german their is a search protocoll online to fill out...

[Frengstad]

Thank you for all participation and answers and knowledge that is shared..

I have contacted a german site, and a russian site in hope of some inputs here.

At least he is found and we know were his resting place is. Based on the information that I have gathered, he isn`t picked up from what I believe is a mass grave. As far as I know, Russia and Germany have an agreement to open mass graves and give the soldiers their own grave. I`m not sure if that means every mass grve and that Orsk is part of the agreement. I`ll just have to continue serching and investigate.

Thanks

[Frengstad]

Are there anyone who has knowledge of names of Russian POW camps? The camps name was: La.Laz.d.Kgf.Laz. Orsk
Is there anyone who can school me about his division and the campain in Yugoslavia? He served in Stab II u. 5.-8. Kompanie Grenadier-Regiment 359, field post 41785 C.

Any help at this is HIGHLY appreciated.

Bjørn