WEDDINGS - Here come the BRIDES!

[von thoma]

Photo:http://www.emedals.com/

[Tom32]

...and one of my own - Art.- OFw

[Tom32]

... and once again one of my own - KM Masch.-Mt.

[Tom32]

... and again one of my own - KM Oberbootsmannsmaat (= hard to identify )

[carius]

Image from ebay.de №361413173438
George[/i]

[Heimatschuss]

Hello,

See attached pic for another proxy wedding where he was present. It also makes clear why such weddings were called Stahlhelm-Hochzeit (steel helmet wedding) by the public. The groom was symbolized by a military helmet during the wedding ceremony.

The ulimate form of this (introduced in Nov. 1941) was the possibility to marry a soldier already dead. Really a bit spooky. This was in most cases conducted because a child was under way and the family (and the authorities) wanted to spare the child the shame of illegitimacy. There were about 25.000 cases of this during WWII.

http://forum.axishistory.com/viewtopic. ... 3#p1244473

here's an example of a proxy wedding for a dead man. On Dec. 30th, 1944 school teacher Annemarie Dolzer from Lohnsburg (Upper Austria) married senior school teacher Gustav Heger who had been KIA already on Sept. 5th, 1944:

Proxy Wedding 1.jpg (28.58 KiB) Viewed 12623 times

Source: Innviertler Heimatblatt [Ried, Upper Austria] of Jan. 5th, 1945; 8. Jahrgang, Nr. 1, p.5
http://www.anno.onb.ac.at/cgi-content/a ... =5&zoom=43

From http://www.volksbund.de:

Gustav Heger

Gustav Heger ruht auf der Kriegsgräberstätte in Riga-Beberbeki.
Endgrablage: Block 5 Reihe 26 Grab 489

Nachname: Heger
Vorname: Gustav
Dienstgrad: Gefreiter
Geburtsdatum: 26.02.1908
Geburtsort: Ried
Todes-/Vermisstendatum: 04.09.1944
Todes-/Vermisstenort: Alermani, südlich Bahnhof Daudzewa

Best regards
Torsten

[Heimatschuss]

Hello,

just a few weeks later keen newspaper readers could learn more about the background of this proxy wedding.

Proxy Wedding Child.JPG (41.81 KiB) Viewed 12537 times

Source: Innviertler Heimatblatt [Ried, Upper Austria] of Feb. 9th, 1945; 8. Jahrgang, Nr. 6, p.4
http://www.anno.onb.ac.at/cgi-content/a ... =4&zoom=43

In early February 1945 school teacher Annemarie Heger née Dolzer gave birth to a little boy who was christened Gustav after her deceased husband.

Best regards
Torsten

[carius]

Image from ebay.de №230979906428
George[/i]

[freddiefro]

(Source: NARA)

Fred

[freddiefro]

(Source: NARA)

Fred

[Unica semper avis]

Hallo

This wedding group is purported to be that of Kurt Meyer and Käthe Bohlmann at Schrampe b. Arendsee, early December 1934. Heinrich Himmler is supposed to be in attendance, walking behind the three young boys.

I don't think it is.

But, it is necessary to find/cite source and state clearly, undeniable evidence to support this claim.

Just to vaguely mumble something about, "why it might well not be" will never be accepted. I have tried to sharpen and enlarge the image with Photoshop - but it is not an original and is too pixellated. Image found on the 'net and cannot be accurately credited, no idea at all who owns the original.

My reasons against, thus far: Doesn't look like a December wedding, even with the child in a hat and coat. Kurt Meyer was too lowly ranked in 1934, to have Himmler at his wedding and when Himmler did turn out to a wedding he wore a very tailored dress uniform in black. Himmler has also been credited as "match-making" this union. My response upon reading that gem was "balderdash." Kurt courted Käthe - lovelorn and smitten for months and months. The romance was a lengthy "work in progress" that was a complete KM "concept."

Käthe may still have been blonde at this stage - but that does not even look like her.

This looks like a war wedding, not 1934. Heer uniforms?

The Bohlmann family were reasonably well off - sufficient wealth to make it a noteworthy affair in the small Schrampe b. Arendsee village and alas, this looks like a very little wedding to my eye.

Would Kurt have not worn his black uniform? Walking out uniform?

The medals: I know very little about insignia - but is that an infantry assault badge (or similar). Ostfront ribbon? What is the arm cloth insignia?

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As shown: an example of an SA? wedding for comparison; an SS wedding.

Any comments greatly appreciated.

[seaburn]

As suspected, this is not KM. This is not even an SS combatant as the collar tabs show. The EK2 ribbon is clearly shown on the front of his tunic and the infantry assault badge is also shown. KM only won these after the war started. The EK2 was won in Poland in 1939.....this lowly ranked soldier was married during the war not pre war. The figure behind is def not Himmler .... Face, uniform and decorations are all off.

[Larrister]

From my own private collection. Technische Nothilfe (TeNo) wedding portrait.

Cheers,
Larry

[Unica semper avis]

Thank you for the response to my post. Appreciated.

Having learned by experience from harsh masters - it is essential to get all of one's ducks and drakes lined up, sorted, edited and cited, when venturing into this forum.

However, a class of even more fervent and harsher judges than snotty academics are the "phantom brides and hand-fasted" female admirers who dote on these men. Unless a counter-claim is sewn up and water-tight - the "spectrally-affianced ones," are far more acerbic and scathing masters-of-scrutiny, than any academic. A mild "Phooey" to a claim - will not stand - there must be water-tight, document evidence to counter their lovelorn maundering. I am sure only Time-travel and a return with a photobomb and selfie with the bridal-couple will shut down the most "distrait" of the brides and with the most fervent - not even dragging the actual bridal pair back through a time-portal will shut the most fervent, lovelorn, hand-fasted female down.

In 1925 Kurt Meyer had joined the Hitler Youth. He joined the NSDAP in 1930 and on 01/10/1931 became a member of the SS. In 1934
he moved to SS-Verfügungstruppe ( Leibstandarte Adolf Hitler ) as Untersturmführer.

Meanwhile.....aided by his faithful mount (an ancient and hopelessly noise-polluting, un-mufflered motor-cycle), Kurt Meyer ran the gauntlet of local-rival swains for the hand of his love, Käthe Bohlmann. Bless him!

[carius]

Image from ebay.de №401083072733
George[/i]