My Great Grandfather

[415]

Here's a display I made to honour the memory of my Great Grandfather. How ever I'm still missing a couple things that I would like to add to the display. I'm looking for a Reichsbahn rapid travel vehicle driver badge (Reichsbahn fahrer der schnellreisenwagon Fachabzeichen) and a Kw.Kol collar tab that has the unit numbers on it. If anyone has any of these I would most definitely would be interested in acquiring them.

Regards,

Chris

[Marc Garlasco]

GREAT display - can we see a closeup of him? Some history/backstory perhaps?

[415]

I have posted this picture before. He joined the Reichbahn in Braunschweig in 1939. Then on 28/02/1940 his unit became Kw.Kol 914. Then in 1941 his unit was put on busses and bussed to Belgium to pick up some captured enemy vehicles to drive back to Germany. Once they completed their mission the Wehrmacht requested that his unit be transferred under them. So then he was in the Wehrmacht. While in the Reichsbahn he spent most of his time in Western Europe, France, Belgium and the Netherlands. Once his unit was under the Wehrmacht he spent most of his time in Russia, Belarus and Poland. He went to Stalingrad, Minsk, Smolensk and other places in Eastern Europe. He did go to France as well, that picture was taken in Rouen France just before he left for some R&R. He also went to Paris and LeHarve. He also took part in the Ardennes offensive. He was finally captured by Americans on 3.3.1945 near the town of Zülpich in North Rhine-Westphalia. He was released from the POW camp on 20.5.1946. That is the short version of his time in the Reichbahn/Werhmacht.

Regards,

Chris

[redline09]

was he sent to POW camp in Canada?

[415]

No he was in a POW camp in France, I'm not sure where though. They didn't treat them to well. They didn't give them any food or shelter. They had to eat the grass that everybody walked on and some times the locals would through food over the fence and then they'd eat that as well. He figures the only reason why he survived the camp was because he became a driver for a US Colonel. Then they were looking for fit workers to rebuild some mines, so when it was his turn to do the physical, he took his false teeth out and made him self look old and sick. Then he was classified as un-fit and released. He said not to many people returned from the mines. That's all I know about his time as a POW.

Regards,

Chris

[Rob E.]

Wow his breast eagle is on the wrong side (or did I miss something)?

Thanks for sharing.

[415]

I was told by other form members that it's on the left side because he was being loaned to the Wehrmacht. He was in the Wehrmacht but was still with the Reichsbahn, so to signify this they put the eagle on the left side. Now if I'm wrong about this some one please correct me.

[Marc Garlasco]

Very interesting - Thanks!

[415]

Yea he certainly lived a very interesting life. For him during the war, it was like an adventure. He had a lot of interesting stories as well.

[Bob Hartman]

Very interesting thread. Is he still alive? I too wondered about the eagle. Thanks for posting.

[415]

Unfortunately he passed away on 25.07. 1999. My Dads Uncle and my Opa always tell stories about him. He had some interesting experience during the war. His wife, my Great Grandma just passed away last January at the age of 96. She still lived on her own in her own apartment.

Regards,

Chris

[415]

I do have his photo album , do you guys want me to post some other pictures?

Chris

[general1900]

Yes 415 that whould be very nice.

[415]

Here are a few of the more interesting photos. He apparently he had a lot more, but my Great Grandmother burned them when the American's were coming because she didn't know what the Americans would do if they found out her husband was in the Wehrmacht.

This picture was taken in 1929 during wanderschaft (trade school)

[415]

This picture is taken sometime between 1933-34 when he was in the F.A.D.