Hi everyone,
This information and these photographs have been fitted together in honor of Wilhelm Dertinger, a Stalingrad survivor and a Gulag victim. The photos are in a mixmatched order which by majority depict Dertinger's role prewar and very early war, but some do display his service in Russia. All of this information and these photographs have been provided to me by my friend Jurgen B, who happens to be Dertinger's grandson. Forgive me if parts of the information do not seem clear or do not add up, because I was told this by my friend who only was told it by his grandmother, so bits and peices of this may be slightly
changed and imbelished/exagerated, but I'll try my best. I'll also try to list the photos in the best chronological order possible, but the photo album scans will not be listed that way because it is a post war album and all of the photos are mixed together date-wise. I hope this makes sense to you. Also, I've marked Dertinger in group shots that I've spotted him in, so he'll stand out easier.
The story goes as thus:
Wilhelm Dertinger was in the Pimpfe, RAD, Wehrmacht, and within the Wehrmacht, the infantry and the pioneers. He served in Poland and France, and sometime inbetween, was switched to the pionier, probably with his background in the RAD, and was later sent to Russia, where he was later sent to Stalingrad. One of the letters to his wife stated "We can see the lights of Stalingrad now, but we'll never take the city". Dertinger also wrote to his wife in a postcard that he had a ticket to get out of Stalingrad, but he said the ships (He says ships, so since there was no naval evacuation, I presume he means aircraft. Another possibility is that he came to Stalingrad around the Crimean area, because there was a naval evacuation there.) were packed and people were literally holding onto the railings. He gave up his ticket because he believed in "We are the pioniere, we are the first ones in and the last ones out". His wife never heard from him again. Sometime in the early 1950's, a friend of Dertinger who had been released from a Soviet Gulag knocked on the door of Dertinger's wife's home. He explained to her that he and Dertinger went to the same Gulag, and that Dertinger died of Yellow Fever and was finished off by a meathook, which the NKVD guards used to drag him to a mass grave, still presumadely alive. Before his demise Dertinger had givin his friend his wedding band, and this ring was givin to Dertinger's wife during her conversation with Dertinger's friend. Ironically it seems as if his friend was switched with him from the infantry to the pioniere which you will possibly discover shortly.
That is basically the entire story, and if you have any questions you can PM me if you wish.
Pimpfe in 1933. Note the boy standing at the far left.
Pimpfe again.
RAD and WH Infantry Portrait Photos.
WH Infantry Portrait Photos.
Prewar Barracks. Note the number of men with facial hair.
Prewar or very early war barracks photo. Note the man remaining in the torn photo below.
Upper left, preparing for parade in Karlsbad. Lower left, train. Right, Dertinger prewar.
Karlsbad Parade, 1940. Both photos have been turned into postcards. The back one of the photos states: "Zur Erinnerung an den Einmarsch am 5. August 1940 in Karlsbad."
Upper left, Dertinger and other infantrymen. Lower left, Dertinger with comrades in drill uniforms. Upper right, Weinsberg where either Dertinger or his wife are from. Lower right, Dertinger with a comrade.
Dertinger's daughter and wife, as well as a pionier barracks group photo.
Upper left, Dertinger with other pioniers, early war. Lower left, I have no clue. Upper right, I have no clue either, RAD? Lower right, RAD group photo.
Dertinger as a pionier. Photo either taken or developed in Erlangen, Germany.
Dertinger as an Unteroffizier walking away from a grave in what looks to be a Rachel within a steppe in Russia. He has the EKII. *NOTE: Someone once mentioned to me that the landscape looks more like Crimea, so is it possible that he went through Crimea and then up to the South of Stalingrad?
Dertinger as an Unteroffizier on parade with comrades. Note the man standing to Dertinger's right.
Dertinger as an Unteroffizier in Russia.
The last photo of taken of Dertinger as a Feldwebel standing before an anti-tank ditch in what may be the outskirts of Stalingrad. Beyond is what seems to be alot of shelled earth and barbed wire emplacements. At his feet is an unfinished barbed wire obstacle.
Here are some random things that were in Dertinger and his wife's possesion. MG34 and PAK Postcard.
Now, I'd like you to take a look at the man I kept telling you to take note of. Looks like the same guy? Ironic? Maybe this is the man that went to the Gulag with Dertinger?
This is said to be the IAB that was awarded to Dertinger when he was an infantryman. I'm not sure if it is bronze or silver. It is marked on the back as S.H.u.Co. 41. It has suffered some zincpest which I have cured to my extent with vasiline.
I would like to thank Chris Pittman and jugendkrieger as well as NZMark for helping me out with this.
*UPDATE: There is a very strong possibility that he was sent through Crimea to the southern front of Stalingrad as reenforcments. Research is still undergoing. I'll keep updating this.
Thanks for your time,
-Brendan
This information and these photographs have been fitted together in honor of Wilhelm Dertinger, a Stalingrad survivor and a Gulag victim. The photos are in a mixmatched order which by majority depict Dertinger's role prewar and very early war, but some do display his service in Russia. All of this information and these photographs have been provided to me by my friend Jurgen B, who happens to be Dertinger's grandson. Forgive me if parts of the information do not seem clear or do not add up, because I was told this by my friend who only was told it by his grandmother, so bits and peices of this may be slightly
changed and imbelished/exagerated, but I'll try my best. I'll also try to list the photos in the best chronological order possible, but the photo album scans will not be listed that way because it is a post war album and all of the photos are mixed together date-wise. I hope this makes sense to you. Also, I've marked Dertinger in group shots that I've spotted him in, so he'll stand out easier.
The story goes as thus:
Wilhelm Dertinger was in the Pimpfe, RAD, Wehrmacht, and within the Wehrmacht, the infantry and the pioneers. He served in Poland and France, and sometime inbetween, was switched to the pionier, probably with his background in the RAD, and was later sent to Russia, where he was later sent to Stalingrad. One of the letters to his wife stated "We can see the lights of Stalingrad now, but we'll never take the city". Dertinger also wrote to his wife in a postcard that he had a ticket to get out of Stalingrad, but he said the ships (He says ships, so since there was no naval evacuation, I presume he means aircraft. Another possibility is that he came to Stalingrad around the Crimean area, because there was a naval evacuation there.) were packed and people were literally holding onto the railings. He gave up his ticket because he believed in "We are the pioniere, we are the first ones in and the last ones out". His wife never heard from him again. Sometime in the early 1950's, a friend of Dertinger who had been released from a Soviet Gulag knocked on the door of Dertinger's wife's home. He explained to her that he and Dertinger went to the same Gulag, and that Dertinger died of Yellow Fever and was finished off by a meathook, which the NKVD guards used to drag him to a mass grave, still presumadely alive. Before his demise Dertinger had givin his friend his wedding band, and this ring was givin to Dertinger's wife during her conversation with Dertinger's friend. Ironically it seems as if his friend was switched with him from the infantry to the pioniere which you will possibly discover shortly.
That is basically the entire story, and if you have any questions you can PM me if you wish.
Pimpfe in 1933. Note the boy standing at the far left.
Pimpfe again.
RAD and WH Infantry Portrait Photos.
WH Infantry Portrait Photos.
Prewar Barracks. Note the number of men with facial hair.
Prewar or very early war barracks photo. Note the man remaining in the torn photo below.
Upper left, preparing for parade in Karlsbad. Lower left, train. Right, Dertinger prewar.
Karlsbad Parade, 1940. Both photos have been turned into postcards. The back one of the photos states: "Zur Erinnerung an den Einmarsch am 5. August 1940 in Karlsbad."
Upper left, Dertinger and other infantrymen. Lower left, Dertinger with comrades in drill uniforms. Upper right, Weinsberg where either Dertinger or his wife are from. Lower right, Dertinger with a comrade.
Dertinger's daughter and wife, as well as a pionier barracks group photo.
Upper left, Dertinger with other pioniers, early war. Lower left, I have no clue. Upper right, I have no clue either, RAD? Lower right, RAD group photo.
Dertinger as a pionier. Photo either taken or developed in Erlangen, Germany.
Dertinger as an Unteroffizier walking away from a grave in what looks to be a Rachel within a steppe in Russia. He has the EKII. *NOTE: Someone once mentioned to me that the landscape looks more like Crimea, so is it possible that he went through Crimea and then up to the South of Stalingrad?
Dertinger as an Unteroffizier on parade with comrades. Note the man standing to Dertinger's right.
Dertinger as an Unteroffizier in Russia.
The last photo of taken of Dertinger as a Feldwebel standing before an anti-tank ditch in what may be the outskirts of Stalingrad. Beyond is what seems to be alot of shelled earth and barbed wire emplacements. At his feet is an unfinished barbed wire obstacle.
Here are some random things that were in Dertinger and his wife's possesion. MG34 and PAK Postcard.
Now, I'd like you to take a look at the man I kept telling you to take note of. Looks like the same guy? Ironic? Maybe this is the man that went to the Gulag with Dertinger?
This is said to be the IAB that was awarded to Dertinger when he was an infantryman. I'm not sure if it is bronze or silver. It is marked on the back as S.H.u.Co. 41. It has suffered some zincpest which I have cured to my extent with vasiline.
I would like to thank Chris Pittman and jugendkrieger as well as NZMark for helping me out with this.
*UPDATE: There is a very strong possibility that he was sent through Crimea to the southern front of Stalingrad as reenforcments. Research is still undergoing. I'll keep updating this.
Thanks for your time,
-Brendan
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