Officers visiting KL Mauthausen April 1941

[yoricks]

It is just odd that only two weeks after he captured Belgrade he is allready in KL Mauthausen. Does anyone know the exact date he got the knight's cross - it can't be more than a few days before the pic.

[Anas sawallha]

hi

he got the knight's cross on May 14th, 1941 during capture of belgrad

brief information you can find it in www.dasreich.ca/klingenberg.html

[TH Albright]

Actually, it is quite possible this "visit" was related to the success of Klingenberg and the "Reich" division in the Yugoslav campaign...a PR tour, perhaps, to demonstrate to the camp guards and staff the first real military success of the fledgling Waffen SS and the importance of all aspects of the SS mission. The camp system had been incorporated into the administrative apparatus of the Waffen SS not long before, and guard units would soon become integral to the Waffen SS replacement system once Barbarossa tooks its toll in the summer/fall of 1941.

[yoricks]

Anas - if so the pictures can not be from April 1941 (on the USHM web site it is mentioned as April 27, 1941). If he got the knights cross on May 14, and he is clearly wearing it at the visit, the date must be later.

[Anas sawallha]

yes right

as the guys discussed previosly , himmler had another visit to mauthausen i think in june 1941. the visit in april klingenberg was not present. ( please if is the date is wrong , please post the correct date ).

so the pictures posted previosly i think it's dated in june 1941 , and the visit in april August Eigruber was wearing allegemeine-ss uniform as Georg and Max mentioned.

[Ruslan M]

Looks like Willi Bittrich or I am mistaken?

[Anas sawallha]

yes he looks a lot like bittrich . i thinks his bald is enough to identify him

[Wilfried Abenaschon]

On the fourth pic (page 1) who's the SS Stubaf with HH? Ziereis???

Willab

[Michal78]

On the fourth pic (page 1) who's the SS Stubaf with HH? Ziereis???

Willab

It is Ziereis (between Wolff and Eigruber). Another Sturmbannfuhrer on the left is Otto Kumm.
Michal

[Wilfried Abenaschon]

Thank you. The man btw Bittrich and Wolff (pic above) has the shape of Pohl and surely, this man is a SS general as he seems to be a friend of the 2 others.

I find bizarre that Bittrich is wearing a SS Allgemeine uniform even if I agree about his identity.

Willab

[giselher]

Maybe I can shed some light on why Hausser, Klingenberg and other people from Das Reich visited the Mauthausen camp. The whole Division Das Reich was "parked" in the Linz area after the conquest of Yugoslavia from May 1, 1941 to June 13, 1941. These dates are for example given on http://www.buchkirchen.at. Buchkirchen is a little village near Wels and not at all far from Mauthausen. The history of the village which can be found on the web does not only give these dates but also mentions that 97 people of the 2nd Bataillon (of Regiment 11, I add that) were housed in that village and that Major Schmidhuber was staying with Farmer Josef Weiß. They left on June 13 for eastern Poland in order to attack Russia.

I can add from the papers of my grandfather who also stayed in the same village that the given dates are absolutely correct and that a couple of days before they left Buchkirchen, they already knew that they were going against Russia.

During this time the Division did not really have much to do and therefore there was time for some "SS-specific tourism" which in fact again shows the various links there were between the camps and the fighting troops. Unfortunately I cannot trace if my grandfather as troop physician and Untersturmführer also visited Mauthausen at that time.

Best Regards Tilman

[Ruslan M]

Looks like Willi Bittrich or I am mistaken?

Yes, it's definitely Wilhelm Bittrich! In first photo we can see a small bandage on his left arm! And another photo of him with bandage!



Best wishes

[Phil Nix]

Looks like Willi Bittrich or I am mistaken?

Yes, it's definitely Wilhelm Bittrich! In first photo we can see a small bandage on his left arm! And another photo of him with bandage!



Best wishes

On Himmlers left is Pohl partially hidden then Dr Friedrich Dermietzel Who is the Allgemeine SS Staf
Phil Nix

[Phil Nix]

Hi,
For those who have still some doubt, Fritz Klingenberg on the left. Source Bundesarchiv Wikipedia

Regards
Patrick

Could I try this pic again might the unknown SS Of be Konstantin Kammerhofer at the time the pic was takern he was the local SS Abschnitt Leader, there is another SS Of behind Kutschera any idea who he is
Phil Nix

Man behind Kutschera od Dr Friedrich Dermietzel
Phil Nix

[Phil Nix]

Hi,
For those who have still some doubt, Fritz Klingenberg on the left. Source Bundesarchiv Wikipedia

Regards
Patrick

Could I try this pic again might the unknown SS Of be Konstantin Kammerhofer at the time the pic was takern he was the local SS Abschnitt Leader, there is another SS Of behind Kutschera any idea who he is
Phil Nix

Man behind Kutschera is Dr Friedrich Dermietzel
Phil Nix