Old Home Place-Germany I assume.

Discussion in 'Germany' started by 40th Alabama, Feb 7, 2007.

  1. 40th Alabama

    40th Alabama Member

    These photographs were in my dad's scrapbook and I have no idea why-maybe his unit was lodged there for a night or something. Very nice home place and the old man aparently enjoys his pipe and beer!
     

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    dbf likes this.
  2. 40th Alabama

    40th Alabama Member

    This pack of pictures had some post cards with them and I was able to find out that the address still existed (Dynslakin as I recall).
     

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  3. Kyt

    Kyt Very Senior Member

    Interesting photos - the first lot look pre-WW1 (going by the womens' clothing).
     
  4. Kyt

    Kyt Very Senior Member

    I wonder if the Wilh Herber photographers is the same one that exists in SCHLÜCHTERN now.

    The photographer / album was from Lobberich, near the Dutch border
     
  5. Kyt

    Kyt Very Senior Member

    The woman in uniform in the third and fourth pictures has the Reichsarbeitdienst (RAD) badge:

    [​IMG]

    Reicharbeitdienst
     
  6. Owen

    Owen -- --- -.. MOD

  7. southern geordie

    southern geordie Junior Member

    The airports are a close match for some former 2nd TAF (later RAF Germany) stations. From memory. they were, formerly (and probably) Wildenrath. Geilenkirchen Butzweilerhof Brugen etc. I was stationed nearby when some of these stations were in progress of being built from about 1951 onwards. Just a sponteneous thought.
     
  8. 40th Alabama

    40th Alabama Member

    I haven't been able to really track where he went. He seemed to be in one army one week and another the next. I will try to tie that down this weekend.
     
  9. Harry Ree

    Harry Ree Very Senior Member

    Interesting photos - the first lot look pre-WW1 (going by the womens' clothing).

    I think the house architecture does not look German.

    It has the look of France, particularly the wall and iron fencing.

    These photographs are from a different era to the Nazi regime era photographs
     
  10. Harry Ree

    Harry Ree Very Senior Member

    US forces did not have a presence in this part of Northern Germany as this area was the battle task of the British and Canadian Armies until the Germans surrendered.

    However,the Allied plans for the occupation of Northen Germany included a US enclave to be set up from Bremen and the Weser estuary up to and including Bremerhaven to provided the Americans with a major port and stores area to supply the US occupied zone of Southern Germany.This became effective from 1 May 1945 and evenually on 7 May 1945,the first units of the US 29 Division,entitled 'Task Force Bremen' arrived and stayed until December 1945 when relief of the Division started with the arrival of the US 78 Division, 311 Infantry Regiment.The enclave arrangement existed until the creation of the German Federal Republic.

    During the hectic days of summer 1945,the US 29 Division had the responsibilty of guard duties,manning perimeter check points,countering black market activities and arresting Nazi officials.In addition, between 23 July and 21 November 1945, the Division received and processed over 185.000 German POWs who had been brought from Norway by ship and took care of 8000 displaced persons (DPs), mostly Poles who were housed in four DP camps around Bremen.

    Could the second batch of photographs have been liberated from the German POWs shipped in from Norway?
     
  11. Kitty

    Kitty Very Senior Member

    Going by the womens fashion I would suggest 1890 to 1900 maximum. After this the leg-o-mutton sleeves were going out in favour of the tighter Edwardian styles. I can double check this with a reference book i have if needs be. Hope that helps.
     
  12. Kyt

    Kyt Very Senior Member

    Kitty, you'd need to check it against continental styles - I'm sure these lasted right upto the start of the first war. The bearded man looks Bavarianesque.

    And how sad is this - I've been checking on lawn-mower history (last picture extreme left) and it seems to be similar to one's that were popular from 1900 to the 1930s. (possibly a Greens New Royal)

    [​IMG]
     
  13. Kitty

    Kitty Very Senior Member

    Some of the fashions do look as if they are possible for the 20's at a push, but primarily 1890 -1910. I'd need to take a closer look when I have more time. And find where I put that reference book.
     
  14. Kyt

    Kyt Very Senior Member

    (Dynslakin as I recall).

    Dinslaken - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

    40th, what unit was your dad in?

    There seems to have been a far bit of American activity around Dinslaken:

    Eg:
    79th Infantry Division were there between the 26th to 31st March 1945
    35th Infantry Division 110th Q.M. Regiment moved there on 30th March, 1945
     
  15. Harry Ree

    Harry Ree Very Senior Member

    The woman in uniform in the third and fourth pictures has the Reichsarbeitdienst (RAD) badge:

    [​IMG]

    Reicharbeitdienst

    The article on the RAD does not reveal their infamous behaviour in the destruction of Lidice.The RAD Platoon No 1/385 was responsible for the destruction of the village and then went on to remove all trace of the dead in Lidice cemetery.They plundered 60 vaults,140 large family tombs and about 200 single graves and removed all trace of the being of a cemetery.Gold and medallions were plundered from graves.Gravestones and memorials were then transported to Prague where the RAD used them in the foundations for their barracks at Veleslavin.

    All that was supposed to have an 'educational influence' on the RAD men as Alexander Commichau said in a letter to the Reich RAD Commander; 'A young man from the Reich Working Service sees that the German sword will fall hard and destroy entirely the sources of disturbance not only on the front, but also in the hinterland......'

    They must have been content with their deed by the photographs that were taken.It took all of 1943 to complete the destruction and Lina Heydrich personally attended the ceremony when the Platoon was given the honorary name 'Reinhard Heydrich' in September 1942.
     
  16. 40th Alabama

    40th Alabama Member

    Ok, here is a page of a letter indicating that dad was in north Germany up around the Baltic, town of Schwerin. See bottom of page 3 and top of page 4. This appears to be just a little north and east of Loberich
     

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  17. 40th Alabama

    40th Alabama Member

    187th Engineer Combat Battalion. They ferried the 79th Infantry Division across the Rhine on 24 Mar 1945. They built two bridges across the Rhine Herne Canal-I don't know what unit they were supporting.
     
  18. Kyt

    Kyt Very Senior Member

    Is that to your mother? Did she become a "pistol packing mama" with a Mauser 32 in her purse? :)
     
  19. 40th Alabama

    40th Alabama Member

    I understand that she and dad went to New Orleans when dad got home and the small pistol was stolen from the car. The Luger we still have.
     
  20. 40th Alabama

    40th Alabama Member

    Here are a couple of pictures with the first and second having written on the back, Baltic Sea. I scanned the back of the third where it indicates meeting the Russians. Interesting, note the black captain. I thought we were segregated at that time.
     

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