Mistakes Concerning Death Notification
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Mistakes Concerning Death Notification
Hi
I have been rereading this section and wondered if mothers and/or wives were notified their family member had been killed and he later emerged. Had any women remarried?
Jacky
I have been rereading this section and wondered if mothers and/or wives were notified their family member had been killed and he later emerged. Had any women remarried?
Jacky
A friend of mine who was part of the Luftwaffe during the war stated that the United States retained the only formal death notification branch of its armed services during the Second World War. The visitation, presenting of the flag, and letter, were not utilized anywhere else, to my and his knowledge. In German armed services, he said, the only death notification was if the Squadron leader, Squad leader, or your particular superior officer chose or was able to write or send out a letter. Otherwise there was no notification.
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I do not believe that is entirely correct. The normal practice was for the company commander to forward back to the deceased soldier' s recruiting district, where his permanent file was kept, the detached half of his Erkennungsmarke and his Soldbuch and Wehrpass. The Wehrpass would have had the soldier's date of death and circumstances added to it as a final entry. It was normal for a letter of condolance from the deceased's company commander to be sent back as well which would then be forwarded along with personal effects, if any, and his Soldbuch to his family. Often a formal document was sent by the head of the recruiting district declaring the deceased had died in the line of duty. It could be that in the final hectic months of the war this system broke down, and some families were either not notified at all or received mistaken notification
An aquaintance of mine was severely wounded in the head in Normandy and was left by the roadside by his comrades who supposed he was dead, only to be taken prisoner. His family received the official notification of his death through channels, but never received notification through the red cross that he was a prisoner of war under Free French jurisdicition. They were rather suprised when he showed up at home after the war to say the least.
An aquaintance of mine was severely wounded in the head in Normandy and was left by the roadside by his comrades who supposed he was dead, only to be taken prisoner. His family received the official notification of his death through channels, but never received notification through the red cross that he was a prisoner of war under Free French jurisdicition. They were rather suprised when he showed up at home after the war to say the least.
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More the former, since the family has them drawn up.
Here are some good general threads on the subject:
http://forum.axishistory.com/viewtopic.php?t=70703
http://forum.axishistory.com/viewtopic.php?t=42474
http://forum.axishistory.com/viewtopic.php?t=49072
http://forum.axishistory.com/viewtopic.php?t=30989
~Vikki
Here are some good general threads on the subject:
http://forum.axishistory.com/viewtopic.php?t=70703
http://forum.axishistory.com/viewtopic.php?t=42474
http://forum.axishistory.com/viewtopic.php?t=49072
http://forum.axishistory.com/viewtopic.php?t=30989
~Vikki
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I believe this is true. I have read about many a leaders who had to send this kind of letters to the wives of their fallen soldiers.Boosh wrote:A friend of mine who was part of the Luftwaffe during the war stated that the United States retained the only formal death notification branch of its armed services during the Second World War. The visitation, presenting of the flag, and letter, were not utilized anywhere else, to my and his knowledge. In German armed services, he said, the only death notification was if the Squadron leader, Squad leader, or your particular superior officer chose or was able to write or send out a letter. Otherwise there was no notification.