Mistakes Concerning Death Notification

Discussions on the role played by and situation of women in the Third Reich not covered in the other sections. Hosted by Vikki.
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Jacky Kingsley
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Mistakes Concerning Death Notification

#1

Post by Jacky Kingsley » 15 Aug 2006, 01:10

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

Boosh
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#2

Post by Boosh » 19 Sep 2006, 08:21

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.


Jacky Kingsley
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#3

Post by Jacky Kingsley » 19 Sep 2006, 21:38

Thank you Boosh

Jacky

tommy303
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#4

Post by tommy303 » 19 Sep 2006, 22:26

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.

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Matt Gibbs
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#5

Post by Matt Gibbs » 20 Sep 2006, 03:04

Did they not have some kind of War graves unit, you see a lot of photos of quite smart looking war cemetries they set up all over the place. Surely such an organised army would have had something!!

Jacky Kingsley
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#6

Post by Jacky Kingsley » 28 Sep 2006, 21:13

Thank you Tommy303.

I was hoping someone would knopw of something.

Jacky

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new2this
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#7

Post by new2this » 29 Sep 2006, 04:10

Forgive me if this turns out to be a dumb question, but I see WWII "death cards" all over e-bay. Were these just a memorial item, like our funeral memory cards today, or were they some form of notification or posthumous honor?

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Vikki
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#8

Post by Vikki » 29 Sep 2006, 05:04


RedBarDragon
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#9

Post by RedBarDragon » 24 Nov 2006, 01:47

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.
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.

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