Pollux5, thank you for your courage in posting this information. Based on my reading of your earlier thread relating to the murder of captured RAF aircrew, I suspect that if anyone can deal with the issue of their Grandfather's past and make sense of it, then you probably can. I hope that there are no more nasty shocks in store for you but based on his apparent enthusiasm for the apparatus of the Nazi machine, I fear that there may well be. It is natural to be interested in one's family history and I'm acutely aware that those of us from the UK can investigate from a generally safe perspective and feel nothing but pride in our ancestors' achievements. I can't quite imagine how it feels when guilt comes into it. I hope that your research will perhaps shed some more light on what the circumstances are that can cause a family man with normal cares, worries and pleasures to commit himself so wholeheartedly to such a monstrous project. It is something that continues to escape me.
Oh how sweet, he talks of becoming a father for the first time, so he must have just received a letter from his wife telling him of the birth of a son... No wonder such a letter was kept. I hope some one can manage a full translation. My Deutsch is sooo ropey.
Keith, according to the typewriting these 'stamps' are obviously 'Beitragsmarken', the proof of having paid the (weekly or monthly) fee to the (NSDAP) party. Aixman
About his crimes I nearly know nothing. I looked after his SS files in the Bundesarchiv but unfortunately the file was empty. I only found a note in his Reichsbahnakte, that he was at the concentration camp Bruttig-Treis, France from March 44 till June 44 but I don´t know if he was there as a guard or as his function as a Reichbahndeputy. His normal function was that as a Reichbahn employer. Pollux, I might explain that Bruttig (today: Bruttig-Fankel) and Treis (today Treis-Karden) are villages in the Cochem Region, some miles lying upstream and downstream at the river Mosel. Cochem is and was a German city, today lying in Rhineland-Palatinate, not France. Aixman
Pollux5, thank you for your courage in posting this information. Based on my reading of your earlier thread relating to the murder of captured RAF aircrew, I suspect that if anyone can deal with the issue of their Grandfather's past and make sense of it, then you probably can. I hope that there are no more nasty shocks in store for you but based on his apparent enthusiasm for the apparatus of the Nazi machine, I fear that there may well be. It is natural to be interested in one's family history and I'm acutely aware that those of us from the UK can investigate from a generally safe perspective and feel nothing but pride in our ancestors' achievements. I can't quite imagine how it feels when guilt comes into it. I hope that your research will perhaps shed some more light on what the circumstances are that can cause a family man with normal cares, worries and pleasures to commit himself so wholeheartedly to such a monstrous project. It is something that continues to escape me. I have to second Rich's comments. Thanks Pollux for posting this. Aixman, Thanks for your help. My German is next to nothing. Keith
Most interesting, and both generous and brave to share such material. While I know some members have reservations, if this site is even vaguely serious we have to see things from a variety of angles, and if we don't agree with them or question them, thats good - it's all part of history. Discussing the SS doesn't mean we worship them; that's the crux of it really for me.
Yes letters were censored for the Germans but at that stage of the war whilst retreating on a large front I guess the usual machinery was breaking down.
Pollux5, Other members have come on to say thank you for posting the very moving circumstance in finding out that your grandfather was a member of the SS. You are to be congratulated for having the courage to share this with us. Welcome to the forum, from Canada
Thanks a lot for the nice comments in this thread. And thanks to you Kate that you helped me with the letter and the translation into english language. You are appreciated very much. If you like I can post more letters, I have a few. I think maybe the letters of the war maybe of interrest for this board. You have such a lot of information about him there to go on. Are you going to do further research? Thanks for sharing these items they are interesting to see. Yes, I will go on researching. Next step is to visit the german armyarchiv in Freiburg. I hope they also have the SS Armyfiles. Can I ask - how did you first feel when you made this discovery? I was really annoyed about my grandmother cause she never told me although I asked quite often about my grandfather. When I learned that he might have been stationed at a concentration camp I was quite distracted. What are the book of stamps in post 4? That are the monthly party contributions. You had to buy them every month at the local partyoffice. In the airmenmurdercase I´m investigating one of the accused tells that he got kicked out of the party cause he was protecting jews and other persecuted people, but when I read his partyfile I learned that he got kicked out cause he didn´t pay his monthly contribution. Oh how sweet, he talks of becoming a father for the first time, so he must have just received a letter from his wife telling him of the birth of a son... No wonder such a letter was kept. The boy he is talking about is my father who was born in 12th February 1945. Infact my grandmother Lieselotte was not his wife. Heinrich was married to another woman living in the same village in Rheinland-Pfalz, but she was unable to get children. He worked lived in the village Edenkoben and was chief of the Reichsbahnstation in Edesheim. During the year of 44 he got in contact to my grandmother. After she got pregnant it was of course a problem and the parents of my grandmother made pressure that he should divorce and marry my grandmother. He maybe did so cause I have a document of his superior that he has to move to the local SS lawyer cause of familyaffairs. His unit was the SS Division Frundsberg. That is the german aritcle 10. SS-Panzer-Division „Frundsberg“ – Wikipedia Don´t know whats wrong with the english wikipediapage, I only have a black screen when I want to open english wikipedia. If someone who knows my familyname wonders cause of the familynames. I got the familyname from the man my grandmother married in the early 50s. I might explain that Bruttig (today: Bruttig-Fankel) and Treis (today Treis-Karden) are villages in the Cochem Region, some miles lying upstream and downstream at the river Mosel. Cochem is and was a German city, today lying in Rhineland-Palatinate, not France. Thanks a lot Aixman, in the nearest time I plan to visit this place.
If you like I can post more letters, I have lot. I think maybe the letters of the war maybe of interrest for this board. Speaking personally with historical interest in the subject I would very much like to read them and I hope you keep posting more information on your Grandfather as you discover it. JB
English Wikipedia is down for a day as a protest. Yes, please keep on posting the letters, they show a personal side of the war. Well done for posting what you have. regards Robert