Grandfather schaetz

[familyties]

I'm new to this so forgive me if i am doing this wrong....Does anyone know where i could get any info about my Grandfather, He was a Sudeten german and was in the German army. I have a photo of him in his uniform, It is a balck & white photo, But his coller is darker then his jacket and has a white strip on each side, He has no medals but a black oblong piece of material over his left pocket and a eagle with a swastika on his right pocket. on his hat he has a black soutache with a little square and a white round with a dot in the middle. His shoulder straps are the same colour as his jacket. He was born in 1902 and died somewhere in Germany in 1943. He only has one daughter left and she doesn't remember anything. They fled Czechovslovakia abt 1942/3 He was already in the army by then so my Grandmother and 8 children had to travel alone into Germany. They settled in Ansbach, My mother went to England in 1948. Sadly she is gone now. As soon as my scanner works i will put his photo on here. I would like to know where he died and if i could get his records.

Yours sincerly familyties

[Annelie]

Everyone at the forum is very friendly and will give advice/help.

You could start here

http://www.dd-wast.de/

[HeinrichFrey]

Yes, indeed. And a photo would be very helpful. I´m quite curious...

[familyties]

Thankyou for your replies...I have submitted a request to WAST and hopefully they can find him in their records. I will get the Photo of him on here in a couple of days..Who knows i might strike lucky and get more info on him and his unit.. My Mother was only 13 when he died so she didn't remember much, The only thing I found out after she died was that i had the same Birthday as him, except i wasn't born in 1902 lol, That made me feel quite special even tho i didn't know him. I must say that i have been going through this site and it is Amazing, Very informative and extremly interesting. Still have lots to see and read but I am so glad to have found it. And yes you are very nice people, thankyou Sylvia

[HeinrichFrey]

Hello Sylvia,
I`m really confident that You will get answers to Your questions. Even a single photo hides a lot of informations regarded by an expert. And I think there are a lot in this forum.
Good luck!

[Alex Dekker]

Also, you can check for his (war)grave @ www.volksbund.de. If he got one, ofcourse.

[familyties]

this is the photo i was talking about..Hoping it will work, I was thinking about his age, as i said he was born in 1902 and died in 1943, so he would have been late 30's early 40's when he wore this uniform, wouldn't he have been abit old to fight? maybe he was in something else. I have no idea but even if i don't find out i hope you enjoy this photo...Sorry its not in too good a condition..Regards Sylvia

grandfather schaetz

grandad.jpg (72.31 KiB) Viewed 5447 times

[HeinrichFrey]

Hello Sylvia!
I would say rank Schütze and Infantry. The award on his right breast I can`t identify. Never seen. Maybe he was drafted in the thirties with the reintroduction of the general conscribtion. As enlisted man he had to serve in case of war till the age of 45. NCO`s and Officers even longer. If he died in Ansbach in 43 this could not have been combat related. Ansbach is situated in Franconia 40 km southwest of Nuremberg. But the time of allied air raids had still begun.

[Alex Dekker]

One thing about the WASt, it took them about four months to gather information about my grandfather. WHen I adressed them a second time, it took them five months. But I've heard it can take up to nine to twelve months before you get something. Also, I spoke a veteran, het got what he wanted within the month!

In the end, it's worth waiting.

[familyties]

Thanks for getting back to me, He actually didn't die in Ansbach that's where the rest of the family moved...I remember an Aunt telling me when i was over there on holiday that he died at a Train station, but which one i don't know...I too am wondering what the award is on his right breast... I have seen uniforms like he is wearing but not with that on...What does the arrow strip on his cap mean...Interested to know, I thought it meant he was an Engineer but as i don't who alot about these things i am probably wrong. Thanks for the info you gave me, gives me abit more to go on and i will keep on at WASt.

Regards Sylvia

[HeinrichFrey]

Black, dark blue or darkgreen? The "Soutachewinkel" (Your arrow) is in the "colour" of the arms. I hope this is correct. I guess it was black and grandpa had been "Pionier". Each Infantry-Division had a Pi.Btl.. As the sidecap had been introduced
in 1935 in the Wehrmacht the photo should have been taken nearby that time. The man on the foto must have been about thirty. Perhaps the black sign on the breast is related to his function. I guess he had the rank of a corporal or sergeant as he died. There had been several railway stations in or near Stalingrad or Voronesh area.

[pak]

I ran this photograph by a friend who is "into" uniforms. And he says that:

The jacket is a 1936 model with "shiny" buttons, which indicates pre-war production, but that is not certain.
The collar-tabs looks like they are of the "einheits"-type, of a model seen mostly mid and late war. But they were authorised in may 1940.
The shoulderboards is also of the "einheits"-type, and therefore also produced after May 1940.
The breasteagle seems to be of the later BEVO-type on a lighter background (if not very faded).
The medal is the Anscluss-medal, given to those who participated in the annection of Austria.
The cap has soutache, ordered to be removed in july 1942, but not always adhered to.
The capeagle has standard darkgreen background.
The colour of arms is black, ie pioneer.
My friend assumes that the either the jacket was new ca. late 1940 or later, and that he kept the cap.
Or that the jacket is old and that new emblembs is sewn on.

[HeinrichFrey]

What a deed! Great, PAK!!! If Ludwig Schätz had the Anschlussmedaille he must have been German, because Checkoslovakia had been annected later. Or born in Western Bohemia and volunteer in the Wehrmacht. Maybe German and he met his wife during the invasion of the Sudetenland. I`m very curious on the response of the WASt.

[familyties]

WOW...FANTASTIC...thankyou So very Much Pak for doing that...It helps us get closer not only to find his unit but where he came from, and maybe where he died. I still have to absorb what you and Matthias wrote as i am so very new to the uniforms and units of the german armies. But i am learning so much i'll soon be the envy of my cousins Only because of the time and effort that you are all showing...Thankyou so much

Best regards A very happy Sylvia

[familyties]

Just adding some information that might shed some light as to what unit he was in.. His name was Ludwig Schaetz and he was born on 30-11-1902...And died 25-1-1943. where not known, and i don't know where he was born but he and my Grandmother born 1899 lived in St Katarina, near Neuern. Now Nyrsko. very near the Czech/German border. The first child was born in 1926... The writing on the back of the photo says..Ludwig Schatz with 2 things over the A. Bistritz 72
Post Neuern
Bohmerwald
Sudetengau
My Mother did say that they were Sudeten germans and although it was put down on her alian papers in England that she was born (Sudeten German)in Czechovslovakia she was adament that she was born in sudetenland and that it was once Bohemia. The region should mean that there was only so many units he could have been in? He also worked in Nuremberg and came home evry so often. Hope this helps narrow down the unit if anyone can help.
regards Sylvia