Dear Friends,
I recently learned that my father-in-law had his "Soldbuch" confiscated from him when he was in the British internment camp at Rendsburg, Germany. He was released on July 28, 1945. Does anyone know if these soldbuchs were destroyed or put into storage? Are they in storage to this day? Can they be accessed? Any help would be greatly appreciated. Thanks.
British records of German POWs
Moderator: Tom Houlihan
Re: British records of German POWs
Hello,
since my father was also in a British camp, I would appreciate any help about the mentioned questions.
Thank you!
since my father was also in a British camp, I would appreciate any help about the mentioned questions.
Thank you!
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PA. Dutchman
- Supporter
- Posts: 81
- Joined: Wed May 05, 2010 6:11 pm
- Location: State of Pennsylvania, United States of America
Re: British records of German POWs
I mentioned once before that I saw a movie based on a true event where American and German soldiers spent a Christmas Eve together. Not their idea, but they all respected the wishes of a German mother to do so in her home.
One of the Americans pulled something out of his pocket and a German medal fell out of his pocket. The German LT. and his men are very troubled to see this. The German LT. explains how his father was stripped on his medals in World War One by souvenir hunters. He explains how disrespectful it is to take an honored warriors medals as souvenirs that the departed warrior won in battle. In the end the American apologizes and gives the medals to German LT. and asks him to try to return them to the German soldiers family.
On one of the American Air Corp sites this week someone posted an entire collection of an American Airman's medals on EBay for sale to the highest bidder. That is where we are going with medals earned on both sides. Many family's are now so removed from the war they hold no value on some dead relatives' medals, they sell them.
Even if these people donated the departed warriors medals to some museum or Unit would be more honorable then selling them.
On this site someone mentioned the cards or small papers given out at the funerals of German service personnel. We live in a largely German area of Pennsylvania and we still do this here.
Last weekend we went to a country flea market in Lancaster PA. One of the stands had a small box full of the German Remembrance cards like the ones shown here. I asked them, "Where do you get all these?" The man said someone brought them back from Europe after a vacation. I looked through them and it was sad to see so many young men who had died and now their funeral remembrance cards were being sold at a flea market.
Americans and Germans both have some of these kind of people who want to make money on the deaths of our honored warriors. They have no respect or appreciation of what it took to earn such a medal in war.
The only war they fought in was with a purchaser to get the highest price.
One of the Americans pulled something out of his pocket and a German medal fell out of his pocket. The German LT. and his men are very troubled to see this. The German LT. explains how his father was stripped on his medals in World War One by souvenir hunters. He explains how disrespectful it is to take an honored warriors medals as souvenirs that the departed warrior won in battle. In the end the American apologizes and gives the medals to German LT. and asks him to try to return them to the German soldiers family.
On one of the American Air Corp sites this week someone posted an entire collection of an American Airman's medals on EBay for sale to the highest bidder. That is where we are going with medals earned on both sides. Many family's are now so removed from the war they hold no value on some dead relatives' medals, they sell them.
Even if these people donated the departed warriors medals to some museum or Unit would be more honorable then selling them.
On this site someone mentioned the cards or small papers given out at the funerals of German service personnel. We live in a largely German area of Pennsylvania and we still do this here.
Last weekend we went to a country flea market in Lancaster PA. One of the stands had a small box full of the German Remembrance cards like the ones shown here. I asked them, "Where do you get all these?" The man said someone brought them back from Europe after a vacation. I looked through them and it was sad to see so many young men who had died and now their funeral remembrance cards were being sold at a flea market.
Americans and Germans both have some of these kind of people who want to make money on the deaths of our honored warriors. They have no respect or appreciation of what it took to earn such a medal in war.
The only war they fought in was with a purchaser to get the highest price.
Sincerely yours,
PA.Dutchman
PA.Dutchman
Re: British records of German POWs
Sadly there is little prospect of locating a complete record of German PW held in the UK directly from the National Archives.
Upon capture, Axis soldiers would be searched and relieved of weapons etc. Subsequent movements from the front line to their eventual point of incarceration would more often than not involve more searches.
By the time a German soldier had reached a PW camp he would, in theory still have all his medals, rank insignia, Soldbuch, money on his person. In practice this was rare as front line troops would be keen to remove "Iron crosses", Soldbucher etc for souvenirs. Also you must remember that Army Intelligence would also ask to see Soldbucher as these could be a valuable source of intelligence on the prisoners unit.
A Prisoners personal money could be taken from him, especially if it might be deemed a source for an escape attempt but a receipt was supposed to be given to the prisoner.
Proceedures were not always followed and so some prisoners managed to hold onto their Soldbuchs whilst others lost everything.
If you know which camp a relative was held in then I'd suggest contacting that local area records department, as there may be some "local" material still held.
Despite alot of wishing there is no secret hoard of thousands of wartime Soldbuchs to be found in UK.
Upon capture, Axis soldiers would be searched and relieved of weapons etc. Subsequent movements from the front line to their eventual point of incarceration would more often than not involve more searches.
By the time a German soldier had reached a PW camp he would, in theory still have all his medals, rank insignia, Soldbuch, money on his person. In practice this was rare as front line troops would be keen to remove "Iron crosses", Soldbucher etc for souvenirs. Also you must remember that Army Intelligence would also ask to see Soldbucher as these could be a valuable source of intelligence on the prisoners unit.
A Prisoners personal money could be taken from him, especially if it might be deemed a source for an escape attempt but a receipt was supposed to be given to the prisoner.
Proceedures were not always followed and so some prisoners managed to hold onto their Soldbuchs whilst others lost everything.
If you know which camp a relative was held in then I'd suggest contacting that local area records department, as there may be some "local" material still held.
Despite alot of wishing there is no secret hoard of thousands of wartime Soldbuchs to be found in UK.
Simon Harrold
WW2 Battlefield Relics: German Erkennungsmarken decoded.
WW2 Battlefield Relics: German Erkennungsmarken decoded.
Re: British records of German POWs
Thank you very much for this information. A little bit disappointing not to be able to find out, but nothing one can do!