Help with grandfather's photos. Any info, please!

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wbfamily
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Help with grandfather's photos. Any info, please!

#1

Post by wbfamily » 09 Oct 2018, 21:22

My grandfather took these photos while in the war and id like help identifying the men, units, settings of these. I don't know much about his service other than what I can learn from these photos other than he was captured around 1945 and held until 1948.
Thank you!
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von thoma
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Re: Help with grandfather's photos. Any info, please!

#2

Post by von thoma » 09 Oct 2018, 22:47

Hello ;

Second picture shows a Truppenfahne of Pioniere ( Engineers )
Third, fourth and fifth picture; I think they belong, according their cap insignia, to a Gebirgsjäger unit ( Mountain Troops )
" The right to believe is the right of those who don't know "


wbfamily
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Re: Help with grandfather's photos. Any info, please!

#3

Post by wbfamily » 10 Oct 2018, 02:23

Here are more...
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wbfamily
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Re: Help with grandfather's photos. Any info, please!

#4

Post by wbfamily » 10 Oct 2018, 02:31

And a few more.
It seems as if he was an engineer in a mountain unit and kriegsmarine? As you can see, he was a pow in egypt in 1947. This postcard was written to my grandmother. I can't find any actual records of his existence from before the war, so i'm just looking for anything.
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Sejanus
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Re: Help with grandfather's photos. Any info, please!

#5

Post by Sejanus » 10 Oct 2018, 02:57

wbfamily wrote:
09 Oct 2018, 21:22
My grandfather took these photos while in the war and id like help identifying the men, units, settings of these. I don't know much about his service other than what I can learn from these photos other than he was captured around 1945 and held until 1948.
Thank you!

Image
This officer decorated with the Pour le Mérite, the WWI Iron Cross Second Class ribbon with the WWII Iron Cross Second Class clasp and with a Mountain Troops Edelweiss insignia on the side of his cap may be Ferdinand Schörner. I believe that Schörner was a colonel (Oberst) during the French Campaign when this photo may have been taken. If I am correct about Schörner's identity then perhaps your father was in one of the Mountain Troop units that Schörner commanded at that time?

Schörner ended the war as a Field Marshal. Some additional information about him (in German) is located here:

http://www.lexikon-der-wehrmacht.de/Gli ... /GJR98.htm
Last edited by Sejanus on 10 Oct 2018, 03:21, edited 1 time in total.

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Re: Help with grandfather's photos. Any info, please!

#6

Post by Sejanus » 10 Oct 2018, 03:20

Image

These young people are wearing the uniform of the Labor Service (Reichsarbeitsdienst, RAD). Labor Service duty was intended to occur prior to military service. More information about the Labor Service is here:

https://www.feldgrau.com/WW2-German-Nat ... eitsdienst

wbfamily
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Re: Help with grandfather's photos. Any info, please!

#7

Post by wbfamily » 10 Oct 2018, 03:42

Thank you so much! The photo envelope he had these in did indicate that it was in France. Your information is vey helpful!

wbfamily
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Re: Help with grandfather's photos. Any info, please!

#8

Post by wbfamily » 10 Oct 2018, 03:43

Do you buy chance know what "13b" means on the postcard?

Sejanus
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Re: Help with grandfather's photos. Any info, please!

#9

Post by Sejanus » 10 Oct 2018, 04:18

wbfamily wrote:
10 Oct 2018, 03:43
Do you buy chance know what "13b" means on the postcard?
Sorry, this I know not. I will keep searching though. Nice to see your photos! Is your grandfather in any of them by chance?

wbfamily
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Re: Help with grandfather's photos. Any info, please!

#10

Post by wbfamily » 10 Oct 2018, 05:12

Sejanus wrote:
10 Oct 2018, 04:18
wbfamily wrote:
10 Oct 2018, 03:43
Do you buy chance know what "13b" means on the postcard?
Sorry, this I know not. I will keep searching though. Nice to see your photos! Is your grandfather in any of them by chance?
Yes!
He is in the first photo in my 2nd and 3rd posts. He's also on the far right of the posed RAD photo. I have many more photos I can post if you'd like to see them!

Sejanus
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Re: Help with grandfather's photos. Any info, please!

#11

Post by Sejanus » 10 Oct 2018, 08:09

wbfamily wrote:
10 Oct 2018, 05:12
Sejanus wrote:
10 Oct 2018, 04:18
wbfamily wrote:
10 Oct 2018, 03:43
Do you buy chance know what "13b" means on the postcard?
Sorry, this I know not. I will keep searching though. Nice to see your photos! Is your grandfather in any of them by chance?
Yes!
He is in the first photo in my 2nd and 3rd posts. He's also on the far right of the posed RAD photo. I have many more photos I can post if you'd like to see them!
Yes, please do post more photos if it is not too much trouble. In addition to be interesting to look at (all subjects), some more photos of your grandfather may help to identify his unit, rank & awards.

In addition, I believe that the first photo you posted (showing the troops marching being followed by two more on horseback) with a large building & mountains in the background is also of Mountain Troops (Gebirgsjäger); it looks like Gebirgsjäger pattern rucksacks being worn. Very impressive landscape & building, so I am hoping to identify where that photo was taken as well.

And:

:welcome:

wbfamily
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Re: Help with grandfather's photos. Any info, please!

#12

Post by wbfamily » 10 Oct 2018, 16:04

It's no trouble, I am just so grateful for your help.
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wbfamily
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Re: Help with grandfather's photos. Any info, please!

#13

Post by wbfamily » 10 Oct 2018, 16:09

.
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wbfamily
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Re: Help with grandfather's photos. Any info, please!

#14

Post by wbfamily » 10 Oct 2018, 16:24

..
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wbfamily
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Re: Help with grandfather's photos. Any info, please!

#15

Post by wbfamily » 10 Oct 2018, 17:51

...
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