Death notices from WWII

[cassarnold]

Hi,
My grandmother's (Anneliese) brother Georg was killed in Russia in June, 1942. She survived and went through great trouble to get documents about him. I found several pieces of official paper about it, dated 1948, 1949, 1950. I know some German and can get the basics, but would greatly appreciate any insights into these notices--about where he was, rank, etc, and what these documents may mean.

He is the one on the left in the photo.

Thanks much,
Cassandra

[Hans]

Geburtsurkunde - Birth Certificate.

The first item is a court document declaring that Oberleutnant der Reserve [Senior Lieutenant of the Reserve] Schröder, born on 5 January 1908 in Großherzogswalde, West Prussia was declared deceased on 15 September 1949 at 12 midnight. He was posted missing on 2 June 1942 as a result of a direct hit [one assumes artillery].

He was a farmer.

The other item is a letter stating the above information would be sent.

Sorry I did not translate it word for word, but I'm in a hurry. Will do so later if you so wish.

- Hans

[cassarnold]

Thank you, Hans, for your response, it is appreciated. I am glad to know what the first documents are--can you tell what are the 3rd and 4th? Just in a nutshell few words or so, no need to translate word-for-word, but thank you for the offer.

I wonder if any of them refer to Georg's activity in the War, i.e. what was his duty and even in what branch did he serve?

thanks,
Cassandra

[Hans]

Hi Cassandra,

Back from being busy. Here goes:

First document: Aufgebot = Certificate [in this case a duplicate = Ausfertigung]. The rest as mentioned previously, except that the direct hit was on a bunker [therefore we have the evidence that artillery would have been the cause].

2nd Document: Entails the forwarding of an application, which is to be completed and returned for action re the case of Schröder.

3rd Document: The Declaration of Death for Schröder. It states that he was single [ledig] & German. His last known address [civilian] was: Großmedien in the area of Darkehmen, East Prussia. It further states that the Amtsgericht [Magistrates Court] at Dannenberg/Elbe declared him deceased on the 15 September 1949 [Document II 16/48]. Date & time of death: 2 June 1942 - 24.00hours. The rest is his date and place of birth. The certificate was issued on 19 January 1950.

Then of course we have the birth certificate which you probably understand. Georges' father was an Oberinspektor [Senior Inspektor]. Inspector of what, it does not say.

Alas, there is no information as to where he was when he was killed, except that it was in a bunker. One assumes that he was in the army - no information re unit. Nor is there any other information re his military activity.

You are lucky however, as you have a number of addresses you can write to in these documents. Also, you can write to WAS[t] in Berlin & the Kriegsgräberfürsorge & I am sure that they will be able to supply you with further information on your great uncle.

- Hans
PS. You no doubt know, that he smoked and drank.

[cassarnold]

Hans,
Thank you so very much for your responses. I am new to this research and to the forum, and am very thankful for everyone's kind help.

Yes, I am aware that he drank and smoked (from the photos), but would expect no less from someone in that situation!

I am sorry to ask, but what is the WAS(t)? and which addresses do you suggest I write to in order to get more information? I also have a grandfather who was an air force observer in WWI and then became a physician, but worked for the public health (government) service in Zwickau. Family lore has it that he did not agree with the agenda of the Third Reich under Hitler, and then supposedly died under unclear circumstances in St Blasien in his early 40's (date 1940). After he died unexpectedly, my grandmother, mother, and aunt fled in 1945 from East Prussia across the Elbe to Dannenberg. Noone could ever explain his sudden death.

Do you think it would be possible to find records of his dissent or as a threat to the state? (again, he was a physician, but had a public office.)

Vielen Dank in advance for any help, but I understand if that is too much,

best
Cassandra

[Hans]

Cassandra,

This is my 2nd attempt to get the info. to you. The first must be floating in space somewhere. Here we go again:

Write to the erstwhile Amtsgericht in Herzogswalde, I'm sure it is now in Poland and is called Wierzbnik, therefore you will need to do some research.
Write to : Amtsgericht in Dannenberg [interesting that the person dealin with this case in 1949 was named Schröder].
Write to Standesamt, Berlin and give them the reference number shown in your document.
In all cases you must give them rthe full name of the person, date and place of birth. This will be no problem as you have this information.

WASt holds all records, if not destroyed by acts of war for all service personnel, they should also have records of your grandfathers' WWI service. Write to Deutsche Dienststelle {WASt], Eichborndamm 179, 13403 Berlin. Be prepared to wait as they are very busy. However it's normally worth it.

Write to the Deutsches Rote Kreuz, DRK Suchdienst, Chiemgaustraße 109, D - 81549 München. They may even have a photo.

Write to: Bundesarchiv - Militärarchiv, Wiesentalstraße, D - 79115 Freiburg in case your great uncle saw service in the Reichswehr [1919 - 1939].

As Schröder was an officer, write to: Bundesarchiv, Militärarchiv, Postfach, 79024 Freiburg im Breisgau.

Write to; Volksbund Deutsche Krieggräberfürsorge, Werner-Hiltpertstraße 2, D 34122 Kassel. This is the equivalent of the War Graves Commission. They may by now have recovered Schröder and buried him. If not he may be on a memorial near to where he was killed. They will provide pictures of the memorial etc.

As your grandfather probably served in the Prußian Army in WWI, you should also write to: Geheimes Staatsarchiv Preußischer Kulturbesitz, Archivstraße 12 - 14, D - 14195 Berlin.

I do not know where you are or wether you speak/write/read German. However don't be afraid to write in English, Some will respond in English, most in German. Don't forget in all cases, name, date & place of birth.

Anyway that is enough to go on with today. Good luck and if you find the time let me know how you get on. I may be able to further assist some way down the track.

- Hans

[cassarnold]

Tausend Dank Hans!

You are so very helpful, thank you so much. I am able to take it from here. I live in America, near Washington DC, and do not speak fluent German, although took German classes for 2 years in college, so I can manage somewhat for the basics (i.e. I understand sentence structure and the wonderful words they construct). My mother (died in 2000) also was fluent and came to the US in 1951, but she married my father (an American), so we did not speak it at home .

I was able to locate the contacts list on Feldgrau.com, thank you again for pointing me in the right direction. I have located the website for WASt and have already submitted an inquiry. I realize I may need to try regular mail if it does not work out well. I will systematically try the other places you recommended and promise to keep you updated on anything I may find. Also understanding that this quest may take many months or even years: there are 3 people I wish to search--my grandfather (Horst), great-uncle (Georg), and another great-uncle (Edi) who was my Godfather and a pilot in the Luftwaffe. He survived the war and became a dentist in Hamburg, but died in early 1990's.

Thank you again so very much for reaching out and your help. I wish there was some way to reimburse you; perhaps I will donate to this site.

best,
Cassandra

[Hans]

No thanks required Cassandra, All I want is for you to find what you are looking for.

- Hans

PS. Sometimes it is better to write a letter rather than send an e-mail. From my own experience e-mails tend not to be taken as seriously as letters and may find themselves on the bottom of some bodies in-tray. Just a thought.