WAST reply

[maurice_h]

Hi all
I have just received after 12 months of waiting information regarding my Grandfather from the WAST. Although I have used an online translator to work out the basic gist of the letters can anyone translate them for me to give me a more accurate interpretation of what they say.

Thanking you in advance
Maurice

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[l3w]

Did my best with the translation, sorry about the limited English skills, hope it makes things a little clearer for you anyway.

Dear Mr. Hillman,

we do not have the personal papers (Wehrpass, Wehrstammbuch, Stammrolle) of your grandfather; they were probably lost because of military action. From other Wehrmacht documents the following can be confirmed:

Meiser (also Meissner), Paul, born Dec. 31, 1914 Cologne/Rhein

Address: 1939 (no name given), Hamburg 19, Osterstrasse 5
1943 father Paul M., Hamburg 19, Oppendorferweg 51

Date of enlistment: N/A

Identification tag: -4-3./Bau 1
(= 3. Coy, Construction Btl. 1)

Units:
according to report on 21 Sept 39: 3. Coy, Construction Btl. 1
(this unit was deployed on 26 Aug 39 in Wehrkreis II (Stettin) and was under the command of the Heerestruppe. Operational area: N/A)

report 23 Jan 40: 7. Coy, Inf.Rgt. 251

from 23 Jan 40 on: Engineer platoon of Inf.Rgt. 251

report 20 Dec 41: 2. Coy, Inf.Rgt. 251

report 30 Dec 41: HQ Coy, Inf.Rgt. 251
(this unit was deployed on 01 Dec 39 on military training area in Bergen, Wehrkreis XI (Hannover) and was under the command of the 83 ID. The operational areas of this division were: Jan 40-April 40: N/A. May 40: OKH Reserve at Herford, June 40-July 40: France, Aug 40-Feb 41: on leave, Wehrkreis XI (Hannover), March 41-Dec 41: France)

report 15 May 43 and 10 June 43: 6. Coy, Gren.Rgt. 502
(this unit was under the command of the 290. ID. Op. area: May 43 Dno, June 43: Ladoga lake)

report 17 Oct 43 and 05 Nov 43: HQ FeldErs.Btl. 290

injuries:
21 Feb 42 wounded at Niwy (bullet wound in the shoulder, delivered to field dressing station)

stays in hospital:
22 Feb 42: field hospital 181 (motorised) Witebsk, because of frostbite (3. grade) on right foot
entry: from collecting point Witebsk
exit: 23 Feb 42 to rear medical unit

02 March 42: General hospital I Bad Homburg
entry: with hospital train
exit: N/A

rank:
report 21 Feb 42: Feldwebel
report 05 Nov 43: Lt. d.R.
(no dates of promotion)

Your grandfather was posthumously promoted to Oberleutnant.

KIA:
05 Nov 43 at Schelkunicka, 5km west of Pyrebitsche, Russia - abdominal grenade wound -

According to our documents your grandfather found his final resting place in a Kameradengrab [grave with more than one soldier] by the churc of Lowez. I can give no further information about today's condition of the grave.

The Bundesarchiv-Militärarchiv, Wiesentalstr. 10, 79115 Freiburg might be able to tell you more about possible conference of medals and decorations of your grandfather.

I hope this has been of help to you.

[maurice_h]

Thankyou I3w
That has certainly made things a lot clearer for me, I will now try to find out where in Russia Schelkunicka and Pyrebitsche is located and also where the church of Lowez is. I have tried googling these places but haven't had much luck with these names, unless these were names used during the war and have changed since then hopefully someone might be able to shed some light on them, but I am assuming they are somewhere near St Petersburgs (Leningrad)
Regards
Maurice

[l3w]

Maurice,
I did a search with google map. Considering that the FeldErsBtl. 290 as part of the 290 ID was around Nevel' in Nov. 1943 it is likely that the Lovets (different spelling in German) you are looking for is here:

56.031888,29.61216

*edit*
in the map attached below I found a place called Pogrebishche, close to Lovets. It's fairly close to the name given in the documents, esp. as German speakers often have problems spelling Russian names. (map found here: http://russia-atlas.ru/karta/lovets_1153.htm)