Meetings with „Wiking” Division Veterans

German Veterans, vet accounts, MIA searches, KIA info, and on relatives who served.

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ghp95134
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Re: Meetings with „Wiking” Division Veterans

Post by ghp95134 »

John P. Moore wrote:.... my “Führerliste de Waffen-SS” publication....
John, can anyone convince you to publish Signal Officers of the Waffen-SS - Nachrichtenoffiziere der Waffen-SS in BOOK form again? The CD is nice ..... but I guess I'm too old fashioned -- I like to have the book in my hands.

Look at all the fantastic photographs you have that could illustrate the NEW-revised edition!!! Heck ... you've got everything formatted ... you could self-publish through CafePress and we could buy them off the 'net.

Yeah, I know .... too much work; too little free time. Well .... put me down for one anyway!

Cheers,
--Guy Power
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Re: Meetings with „Wiking” Division Veterans

Post by Annelie »

The Armelstreifen disappeared for many years and about a year ago I found it in the envelope that Bünning had given him underneath a drawer in my son’s old night stand that I was about to donate to charity!
This is one time I am glad to hear that charity didn't end up with this donation...it may very well have been destroyed.
What a relief it must have been to find it?
Annelie
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John P. Moore
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Re: Meetings with „Wiking” Division Veterans

Post by John P. Moore »

Thanks everyone for the comments.

Guy - Earlier this year a publisher friend in the UK had persuaded me to let him publish the "Signal Officers.." in book form again. As it had grown to over 575 pages it was going to be published in two volumes with a CD enclosure of the personnel files of 225+ officers. Unfortunately, a disagreement arose over content and it will remain on a 2 CD set.

Below is a letter from January 1996 where Hans Bünning acknowledges receipt of his copy of the book and his satisfaction with the content. It was nice to later walk into his home with my son and to see the book prominently displayed.
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Michael Keilhaus
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Re: Meetings with „Wiking” Division Veterans

Post by Michael Keilhaus »

Hello John and the others here in the Forum
I have just genealogical research on my great-uncle William Keilhaus and I'm excited about this forum.It is sad to see how all of us veterans have gone.I already have some material collected.
you can also find material in your book about William?
Best Regards
Michael
John P. Moore
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Re: Meetings with „Wiking” Division Veterans

Post by John P. Moore »

Hello Michael and welcome to Feldgrau! You are the second close relative of a senior Waffen-SS Nachrichtenführer to have contacted me this year. Several months ago the grandson of SS-Oberfüher Ernst Kemper, who was the first commander of the SS-Nachrichten Abteilung "Wiking" and was a close friend of Wilhelm Keilhaus since before 1935 contacted me and we have had a good exchange. Here is a letter from Ernst Kemper to Wilhelm Keilhaus from 1976 at the beginning of the Waffen-SS signals research project. This letter was one of many given to me by the former SS-Sturmbannführer Herbert Schmeißer, who was the last commander of the SS-Nachrichten Abteilung "Wiking". The son of Ernst Kemper in Stuttgart knew all of these former signal men that are mentioned in this thread as they were regular visitors to his father's house after the war.

There is quite a bit of information about Wilhelm Keilhaus in my "Nachrichtenoffiziere der Waffen-SS" publication where the research work is described here

viewtopic.php?f=73&t=28002&start=45


John
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Michael Keilhaus
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Re: Meetings with „Wiking” Division Veterans

Post by Michael Keilhaus »

Good Day John
Thanks for the Information. I write you a PM - because I believe you can better German than I am English :-)

Best Regards

Michael
peterott
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Re: Meetings with „Wiking” Division Veterans

Post by peterott »

Hi John,

Thanks for all the info. I doubt there are many places with such comprehensive information and historical documents readily available. I am ANOTHER Grandson of Ernst Kemper and am currently a serving officer in the Irish Army as already discussed. My interest is personal but I have an interest in MH anyway. I am delighted to see such intense discussion going on as I often fear that all this history will soon be lost. I have myself been slow to research the family history but am picking up momentum. An excellent thread. If any one has further info on my Granddad or his collegues I would be delighted to hear them. Thanks again John.

Peter
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Tom Houlihan
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Re: Meetings with „Wiking” Division Veterans

Post by Tom Houlihan »

I'm a little late, Peter, but welcome to Feldgrau! It's always interesting to run into a relative of the men we read about and study. With my surname, it's even more interesting running into a serving Irish Army officer! You make the second I've run into!

Did your grandfather ever relate any stories to you? Most of the veterans are reticent, but it doesn't hurt to ask.

Looking forward to hearing more!
TLH3
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Feldgrau für alle und alle für Feldgrau!
John P. Moore
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Re: Meetings with „Wiking” Division Veterans

Post by John P. Moore »

Earlier in this thread I wrote about a birthday reunion that I attended back in October 1995 with some veterans from the Nachrichten Abteilung of the SS-VT from back in 1935. I recently learned that the former Hauptsturmführer Günter Liersch died on October 22, 2011. Earlier this year the head of the T-Div vet association informed me that the division's newsletter to Liersch came back marked as deceased and we then tried to determine when he died. I contacted the family of Ernst Kemper as Liersch was known to them after the war and often visited at their home. We finally were able to find out when he died which is becoming a very difficult task as the circle of surviving veterans declines and their passing goes unnoticed outside their family. Liersch was born in 1914 and lived a long and productive life where he was an oil company executive after the war. Below is a photo that Günter Liersch sent me from 2008 where he visits the grave of a fallen comrade.

John
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