Pultusk, Warsaw, 1943; SS, SD - Gestapo; prisoner search

[alan newark]

Greetings to all troops

Can anyone help me, and an elderly Polish - Canadian lady of Austro - German descent, with information ref the SD - Gestapo; Abwehr; Field Security; SS units and commanders; ref, also, and trial systems in prisons in Pultusk, Poland circa March - July 1943?

We are trying to trace documents about the presumed surveillance, the arrest and imprisonment, in a Pultusk prison, and the deportation to Stutthof, where he later died, of Karol Wolf.

The son or grandson of an Austro-Hungarian Army officer, who became an economic adviser to Kaiser Wilhelm, Karol Wolf was born in German - occupied territory. Before WWII he developed a strong reputation as the founder and editor of several Polish newspapers. He was also fluent in 9 languages.

After the German invasion of Poland in 1939, Karol was registered as an ethnic German. By early 1943, Karol was employed by the German military in the Municipal Authority of Pultusk, northeast of Warsaw. He worked in the tax and housing departments as a translator and interpreter.

A devout Catholic, Karol seems somehow to have been involved with the Polish Resistance. In the late-spring of 1943, he was warned by a person unknown of the Gestapo's interest in him. He was warned to disappear. Karol failed to heed that warning and was arrested.

When last seen, by his sister, in a Pultusk prison, in June, 1943, Karol was emaciated, disoriented and did not recognise his sister. Sometime thereafter, he was deported to Stutthof. A Red Cross search later established that he had died there. The Camp Museum is said to have stated that no records exist of his presence there. These records might have been destroyed in a fire.

I have, in a parallel search, been able to locate and to send Rita fotos of the relocated grave, in Scotland, of her Anders Army father Tadeusz Wolf.

As, technically, Ethnic Germans, Rita, with her mother and her siblings, had to leave Poland. They endured several refugee camps - again, I have been able to help with valued info and maps ref one of these camps - in NW Germany before finally boarding a ship to Canada.

I would like to be able to help Rita further by tracing the documentary and operational processes covering Karol Wolf's presumed surveillance, his arrest and his transfer to Stutthof. It seems obvious that the SD - Gestapo, perhaps the Abwehr and possibly a Field Security unit would have been involved in these processes. The SS would certainly have been involved in his deportation.

Any help given will be gratefully received. This is a No Fee investigation.

Besten and Och Aye The Noo

Scottish Alan / Alan Newark

[Ada]

Hi,

I've sent e-mail to Stutthof.

Greetings

[alan newark]

Bless you Ada.

For the Red Cross to have esablished that Karol Wolf had died at Stutthof, there must, obviously, have been records of some sort which mentioned him?

Thank you for your gesture. I will watch this space.

Best..Alan

[Ada]

I live quite close to Stutthof so if they do not answer me by e-mail I would go there by my own. I've never been there - but I've always wanted to go there.
ps. On their web-site they said that they can inform people of any information they have in their quite big database.

[alan newark]

Hiya Ada

My Anglo-Irish grandmother (RIP) was named Ita Ada O'Kane...:->

Wow!!! You live close to Stutthof!!!!! Wot chance digi-pix?

Also....

Although I am a Scot, aged 49, living in England ( wotz your profile?), I am the First Vice - President, unpaid and overworked:->, of the California-based http://www.dpcamps.org, the world's largest, as far as I know, website about WWII and Cold War era Displaced Persons, camps, records sources.....etc. Since my involvement, some time back, the site also now carries refs to POWs and POW camps. Some day, I will inherit the website..over 190 pages...

Both generally and specifically in relation to the above, I help enquirers on both fronts, of all nationalities, regardless of whether they were political or military action civilian victims or persons of the various regimes who were themselves purged, detained, whatever.

I am helping, or trying to help, several individuals whose interests lie in tracing persons or groups pf people who had a Stutthof Connection. I am not charging any of these individuals for my help, chiefly because they have approached Olga, who does not yet charge for her services (but who is thinking about asking for at least a donation), who has then referred them to me. Either that or I have seen enquiries on the site and have responded separately.

One family here in the UK has a document / address giving a Stutthof sub-camp location, possibly down to hut level, and wants to know if there is any info about their relative's presence there.

The second main enquiry, that ref Kaol Wolf, you already know about.

The third is from, I think, must check, a German woman researching a mid-1945 ship, Red Cross?, sent by the Stutthof SS to a Danish island.

I know that Olga and I, and a myriad of other helpers, have added all sorts of camp museums' and other Archive source references to the http://www.dpcamps.org database but I've not had a lot of free time to devote to these private time searches. Recently, I fell ill for a while, so that also affected input.

I am, anyway, a great believer in asking the locals...if someone is on the ground, in situ, and can apply local knowledge and insight, all the better.

Can we, one step at a time, co-operate in trying to develop, as 'test items', the above searches? If they work out and we score reasonable set of results....maybe we can think of future activity with at least you being paid SOMETHING, if only realistic expenses and, e.g., being paid via PayPal?

Finally, if you can't immediately locate information about Karol Wolf or Wolff, maybe the records will provide details of prisoner transfers from Pultusk? Might they, perhaps, tell us the dates and routes of any such transports in 1943...about the various organisations, officers, units and personnel involved at both ends and in running / overseeing such transports?

I will forward a copy of this message to Rita in Ontario.

Take care..Alanu..

[alan newark]

Ada! All...

Almost forgot. Have just received another request for info about a Stutthof inmate, described in the original e-amil as a POW (sic).

The man, or woman, in question was named Sprafke and his or her name appears on a piece of artwork held by a Hotel Manageress here in Yorkshire, England. The Manageress is keen to return the painting to Sprafke's family.

Failing that, if all else fails, I will suggest the eventual donation of the painting to the Stutthof Camp Museum

Maybe, in time, we can put together a nice feature article about these various searches?

Meantime...this gets bigger with every message. Keep It Simple, Alan!!

Best..Al:->

[Ada]

I've received information from Stutthof. They need more information of Mr Wolff (date of birth etc.) to verify their database information. So we can think that they have something!!!!

[alan newark]

Howdy Ada

Got your e-mail address. Will use it to forward other query details.

That was quick ref Stutthof reply!!!! Very professional of them.

I have e-mailed Rita in Canada and have asked if she can add more information. Can only now wait for her reply.

Bless ye for moving this forward.

Be in touch soon..Al:->

[alan newark]

Hi, Ada..

Hope that you are well.

I have had some heart problems but am generally OK.

Realised it has been some time since we communicated and wonder how you are?

Also, ref Karol WOLF and Stuthoff..My Polish-Canadian friend told me some time ago that family members had found a Red Cross card saying that Karol died at Stuthoff. I meant to to chase up my request for a copy of the card and to forward the card to you..

I will also revive my search for the Stuthoff artist named SPRAFKE..

You take care of you today.

Best..Al:->