Fallschirmjäger display

[hookahiko]

Greetings all!

I thought I'd share a display that I've just had made.

In 2002 I met a Fallschirmjäger veteran in Stuttgart.
His name was Wilhelm and he is in the the lower right photo. He lost his left arm at Anzio serving with 2.kp.Fallsch.Jg.Rgt.10. Those are his badges on the right.

The individual in the top two photos was his brother, Georg, who was killed at El Alamein in 1942. These photos were taken at Panzerkaserne in Böblingen. In the right one, Georg is standing in front of what is now the Marine Forces Europe HQ building. I've attached a photo of me standing in the same spot in 2002.

The other photo of Georg leaning against the tank was taken at what is now (or was in 2002) the auto hobby shop. Note that his friend in the turret is sticking out his tongue

Hope you enjoy the display!

Cheers,
JD

[hookahiko]

more pics

[floriskok]

Hi JD, very nice display and research

[Remco]

Nice made display JD.
Interesting research also

[greg1878]

Very nice and interesting. Thanks for sharing.
Cheers - Greg

[hookahiko]

More displays...

Thanks for the feedback guys.

I'm working on a couple more WWII German displays at the moment.


Meanwhile, you may be interested int these Soviet displays that I recently completed:
http://dev.wehrmacht-awards.com/foru...22#post5426022

Cheers,
JD

[Husme]

Nice composition and interesting history that you explane.

[martin hall]

Great looking display ,and intresting story, been looking forward to seeing it John thanks for posting martin.

[hookahiko]

Great looking display ,and intresting story, been looking forward to seeing it John thanks for posting martin.

Hi Martin,
Thanks for the feedback, and thank you for making the Splinter B available!
JD

[Ludwig]

[petopoint]

Para terror

Very informative and well displayed items in relation. I can see why he most certainly is eligible for that gold wound badge.

[hookahiko]

Meeting the vet...

Very informative and well displayed items in relation. I can see why he most certainly is eligible for that gold wound badge.

Thanks for the comment.

I might as well tell the story of how I met Wilhelm...

I was at the Charlottenplatz Market in Stuttgart, looking through some Wehrmacht portraits at someone's table, when this guy standing behind me asked why I was interested in WWII photos.

It was a hot day, and he had a jacket draped over his shoulder.

I told him that I was in the US Military (at the time), interested in history, that my family was German, etc. He then pulled his wallet out of the jacket and, using his thumb, pushed out the photo of him in uniform. It was only then I realised he wasn't carrying a jacket over this shoulder, but that it was instead pinned to his shirt to hide the missing arm.

He was originally from Silesia (the town of Oderwinkel, which is now in Poland), and still talked like a National-socialist. He was very proud and didn't think much of the American military, "because they didn't go to war against Russia" (and no doubt because they were involved in the loss of his arm...). But he softened up quite a bit over the time that I knew him, and before I left he said he respected me because I was a Marine. In reality, I think getting to know an American military person from any service, and who was interested in his history, probably served as some kind of closure for him.

Cheers,
JD

[-Ray-]

J.D.

Nice display there. They just don't get any better than direct from the Vet!

I was stationed at Panzer Kaserne with the 10th SF Group 97-00. I remember the Marine bldg right as soon as you enter the gate on the right.

There's also a monument to one of the Panzer Soldier that gave all during the Poland invasion toward the back of the Kaserne by our barracks, have you seen that?

http://dev.wehrmacht-awards.com/foru...panzer+kaserne

-Ray-

[hookahiko]

Greetings Ray,

Thanks for posting that link. Great photos there.
The subject of my next display is a DAK vet who went Panzer Communicator school on Panzerkaserne. He lives right down the road from the base, but his first time back was when I brought him aboard to visit our unit and have a look around.
He served in Rommel's HQ element in N Africa and spent the rest of the war in two different POW camps in the States, but not in Alabama.
He just had his 92nd birthday last month!

I never saw that memorial on Panzerkaserne. I would have liked to!
Do you have any more photos from Böblingen?

Cheers,
JD