Disappeared: Dutch NSKK-Mann in Italy

[Alex Dekker]

Hello all,

I'm trying to trace a Dutch NSKK-volunteer in Italy. His last sign of life is from 22th July 1944. He was in a Lazarett in Riva di Trento. He wrote to his parents he would soon return home and would quit his services for the NSKK (Speer). He never came home. Instead, the NSKK Speer Groningen (Netherlands) wrote to his parents a somewhat other story:
'Bedauere ihnen mitteilen zu mussen,dass ihr Man seit dem 25.8.1944 von seiner Einheit fluchtig ist.' The WASt stated the same. The man never returned home. His son thinks his father was killed during fightings.

So according to this, the man was in a Lazarett and disappeared within two months. His parents were allowed to get extra food rations and keep their radio. These were, in fact, privilages which were given to parents who's son was working or fighting for the Germans. I do know the NSKK Speer saw different battles against partizans in Italy. A few columns were activily against them, with or without SD personel.

My questions are the next: Is there a possibility to write to an Italian organisation to get some extra information about this man? Like organisations of former partizans or veterans. Does anyone have any information about partizanactivity around Riva di Trento between July and August 1944? Is there any chance to find this NSKK-man?

Thanks in advance,

Alex

[Simon H]

Hi Alex,
It's a very intriguing story. The note from Groningen/WaSt implies that he has deserted his unit. If that were so then his outlook would be dire, if caught by Gendarmerie or by Partisans whilst still in uniform. Have you tried the International Red Cross for assistance?

Best Wishes,
Simon.

[Alex Dekker]

His son, on his behalf I'm searching (again), did contact Bad Arolsen and the WASt too. That's the reason I want to check for Italian adresses. The story continues!

[panzermahn]

One of the less-known aspects of foreign volunteers were those who were in German paramilitary organizations that were involved in combats during WW2. There are scant references to them here and there but in English, it's mostly from David Littlejohn's The Patriotic Traitors and the Foreign Legions of the Third Reich series during the late 70s and 80s.

I know that some German paramilitary organizations such as NSKK, NSFK, TeNo, OT, RAD, Wasserschutz, Postschutz, Zollgrenschutz and even the Landwehr units had their own Jagdkommando (hunter detachments for anti-partisan and security operations) units that were located at the rear of the front, but were involved in combat if there are any partisan threat or ambush

If you're looking for Dutch NSKK volunteers, I think the best bet would be Jan Vincx multivolume series on Dutch volunteers in German Armed Forces and paramilitary organization.

[Alex Dekker]

Thanks Panzermahn.

I might add I got the books of Vincx. It contains some info about Dutch men serving in the NSKK, but in the end it isn't much. My own book about Dutchmen in the NSKK did it better . My problem is that I didn't find much about Dutch volunteers who served in Italy or the Südfront. All I got is I know they did. I've seen and read files about Dutch on the Eastern and Western Front, but for Italy...

[Roger Bartlett]

The inquiry about the number and type of German units in that part of Italy (the former "Alpenvorland") is a relatively recent development of historical research, and is especially related to the will to know more about the presence of Italians in German service, not just in Organisation Todt, but in combat units also: the die-hard fascists, those willing to carry on the fight against the Allies, and also those who were forcibly drafted.

You might want to contact the authors of this site: http://www.museostorico.tn.it/index.php/Chi-siamo. It is the Trentino Historical Museum. They could provide some useful information or readdress you to other local bodies. English is generally spoken in Italy, so the language barrier is not a problem.

Good Luck.
Roger

[Alex Dekker]

Thanks a lot Roger! I have e-mailed to and from the son of the missing NSKK-man, he considered his father as gone, nowhere to be found. But! I will contact this museum. Let us see what we might find!

[Roger Bartlett]

You're welcome. Please keep me posted.
He might even be buried in a local cemetery. This is the case of Italian soldiers who were killed in skirmishes with the Germans who were trying to disarm them and were still "missing" for their families.

Cheers
R.

[Alex Dekker]

[lee380826]

Hello all,

I'm trying to trace a Dutch NSKK-volunteer in Italy. His last sign of life is from 22th July 1944. He was in a Lazarett in Riva di Trento. He wrote to his parents he would soon return home and would quit his services for the NSKK (Speer). He never came home. Instead, the NSKK Speer Groningen (Netherlands) wrote to his parents a somewhat other story:
'Bedauere ihnen mitteilen zu mussen,dass ihr Man seit dem 25.8.1944 von seiner Einheit fluchtig ist.' The WASt stated the same. The man never returned home. His son thinks his father was killed during fightings.

So according to this, the man was in a Lazarett and disappeared within two months. His parents were allowed to get extra food rations and keep their radio. These were, in fact, privilages which were given to parents who's son was working or fighting for the Germans. I do know the NSKK Speer saw different battles against partizans in Italy. A few columns were activily against them, with or without SD personel.

My questions are the next: Is there a possibility to write to an Italian organisation to get some extra information about this man? Like organisations of former partizans or veterans. Does anyone have any information about partizanactivity around Riva di Trento between July and August 1944? Is there any chance to find this NSKK-man?

Thanks in advance,

Alex

Hi Alex

A friend of mine in HultschinerSoldatenProjekt, 'Ortsbetreuer für Italien' told me that this man was in Riva where there was nearby a Luftwaffe feldlazarett, full of Fallschirmjäger and partisans there were but only for raids.

Then Trentino had the Corppo di Sicurezza as police and war arrived at Riva only in the last days of April 1945. Surely partisans killed some Germans but mostly in italian area or Slovenia. Here is a unique case and a NSKK was probably ambushed.

Other NSKK men died due air attacks. You should look also at unit's losses or German losses in the area for that period

There is a museo storico " Trentino 900" but i have doubts if they have infos on a Dutch

This italian friend told me that partisans had Wehrmacht deserters in their ranks but were killed if captured or falling without dogtags, foreign partisans as russians fled from Ostbataillonen were buried nameless in local cemeteries, citing Roger's 2017 post

Imo, he was seen deserting or proofs of his decision and got killed or executed if captured. Germans rarely judged so openly missing. In 1943 in italy a lot were killed but supposed deserters due their disappearance but this was an offense to fallen so Nazi authorities were then too careful on judgment

[Alex Dekker]

Thanks a lot! You got me thinking about this. I will look for KTB's from this region, maybe something is mentioned about losses, the use of NSKK-men as anti-partizan unit or so, maybe I can find a new lead.