Feldgrau.net

Richard, what you might enjoy, more than Verweht sind die Spüren, is volume 1 of Paul Oosterling's biography of Johannes Rudolf Mühlenkamp. It has many of the same photos as Verweht, along with others from Poland and France, along with plenty of text in a large format, on glossy paper. Text and capt...

Has anyone had any luck reading this? The grammar is putting me to sleep. And the, excessive, German-esque, use of, commas. Is it me? Is there hope? I guess I don't really understand your query. I'm reading and enjoying it with no difficulty. It seems like many other unit histories, and not differe...

I'm sure this will be a good read when the time comes, thanks for the head's up! We know something happened on the LAH front on July 13, 1943. Hans Schmidt was wounded commanding 13./SS-PGR 2, and Werner Wolff then replaced him, and won the RK for repelling a Soviet tank attack. Meanwhile, Rudolf vo...

I've built up a really nice collection of photos for my project, and have begun writing captions. I'm still covering Reg. Germania before the war, but should reach Poland and the Western Campaign this weekend. This is all set-up for the main action, but I think it gives a fuller picture (so to speak...

Hi Carsten, the SS-Panzergrenadier Schule was at the Czech village of Prosetzchnitz (German spelling), which in early 1944 was renamed Kienschlag. It was a facility for testing new weapons and tactics for the entire Heer, with the SS-Panzergrenadier Lehr Regiment on hand to do the testing. Kienschla...

It's full of interesting accounts, but it is hard to read. I still haven't read it all, I just read a few pages at a time, then set it aside. It is worth getting if you want to know about the suffering of the German people after the war, just be ready for what you are getting into.

The handwritten name for the Estonian Brigade is Kurbjuhn, for Paul Kurbjuhn. He submitted reports about the Estonians to higher SS authorities, based on his observations. Another Kurbjuhn, a younger man named Ernst Kurbjuhn, was a photographer with Wiking during the spring and summer of 1944. I don...

Thanks for posting these, John! I'm surprised by how few names I recognize, but then, photographers were only a small part of the unit. Jobst Gösling was very active as a photographer, before being assigned to his administrative post in Riga. Wiking KB platoon commander walter Slapak was a very-acti...

It isn't in the English Swedes at War. My understanding is that the newer Swedish edition is based on the material translated for the English edition. The original book is from 2004, but it was considerably updated while preparing the 2010 English version.

Björnsson had been a combat infantryman. I think his superiors recognized two things. First, he had the talent to become an officer. Second, he came from an important family. So, some time was given to finding the right role for him, which proved to be serving as a war reporter. Other men, without h...

In the English edition of Herbert Poller's SS-PAA 11 book, as edited and expanded by Martin Mansson and Lennart Westberg, on page 88 it mentions that Erik Wallin was asked to become a war reporter during the spring or summer of 1944. His company commander, Hans Gösta Pehrsson, didn't like this idea....

I believe that Björnsson was promoted to Ustuf. on June 21, 1944, and that the April 20, 1944 date in his file is his date of seniority ("mit wirkung von..."). I'm not certain of this, it is of course possible he was actually promoted to Ustuf. on April 20. However, I have photos of Björns...

The photos of him with and without his cap are by a guy named Feder. He was at some facility, probably in Germany, where various men came to attend a course of some type. Feder would take portraits and casual shots of the men, and also of local women who crossed his path. I saw his contact sheets wh...

Kleinheisterkamp was successful, that's for sure, but he could count on better human material than Demelhuber could. The young Waffen-SS replacements who began to arrive for the division from November 1941 were far better - military speaking - than the former SS-TV members who formed the original S...

I think Demelhuber had already been identified as a better trainer for forming-up units than as a combat commander. He was sent to Finland when early signs showed that the Nord KG was unready for wartime combat (this was BEFORE its failure at Salla). After Salla, Demelhuber was able to being forming...