Hello and thank you for welcoming me to this forum . My name is Juergen and I live in northern Germany. I have been in possession of a tent tarp for 40 years, which I found as a child on the river Elbe in Germany. It is an olive green tarp, not speckled, with metal ring eyelets. On one corner of the tarp it says RFN J. Pratt C Coy 16237 ??? Hard to read I would want to find this veteran or his family to send her this memento . The place where I found this is in the Lenzen, Wittenberge, Dömitz area. on the river Elbe. During the liberation of Germany, British Army units were on the western bank in May 1945. I hope you can help me and excuse my poor English. Many thanks
Hallo, Herr Nachbar I come from Dannenberg/Elbe In the area of Lenzen/Gorleben area was the 29th US Infantry Division. At the end of the war, they evacuated the remnants of the Division z.V. across the Elbe. All other US units crossed the Elbe further north at Darchau.
Welcome to the forum. You might have a US Army shelter half. Each man carried one and combined it with another man's to make a two man pup tent. My dad told me about them when I was Boy Scout. It might even be his. https://olive-drab.com/od_soldiers_gear_shelter_half.php EDIT: I just remembered that he told me he used his mostly as a ground sheet.
RFN is the abbreviation used for the rank of 'Rifleman' in the rifle regiments of the British and Commonwealth armies. Are you sure that it's an 8-digit number beginning 162 ?
Hi nice to meet you here , I thought the English have arrived above Dömitz on the Elbe or even crossed over
Hi Jürgen, yet another member from Germany. Welcome to the forum and good luck with your research. Stefan.
They have. But Rifleman + Charlie Company suggests US Army: They briefly established a bridgehead at Madgeburg. At Lenzen they crossed with boats to evacuate Division z.V. missile specialists. And finally, at Bleckede, they crossed the Elbe to cover the right flank of the british advance:
British Riflemen (e.g. those of 1st Rifle Brigade, C Coy., 7th Armoured Division) remained in the north of Germany for years after the war had ended. The cover may well have been left behind after some pleasant post-war bathing session (possibly even by a civilian) instead of having been lost during an assault river crossing. Still the fact that it's marked makes it very interesting! Would be nice to see a photo of the name and number.
Theoretically, it can be British as well as American. In April '45, the British Army had handed over the sector between Dömitz to Wittenberge to the US Army (In order to concentrate on the Elbe crossing at Lauenburg) And there, US troops were also active east of the Elbe - since the tarpaulin was found in the area, my guess was American. Otherwise I agree with RB: A picture says more than 1000 words
Broad arrow in second photo, so definitely a British item. Shame part of the army number seems to be missing.
