Named German items can also be researched, example from Stalingrad

[Jean-Loup]

Last year while visiting Volgograd/Stalingrad, I bought this German cup from a local digger friend. As can be seen, there is an inscription on it. The finder unfortunately did not remember the exact location of discovery, because it was only long after finding it that he noticed the inscription. It had however been found within the limits of the Stalingrad Pocket, in a former German dug out, with any body associated with it.

It is common to find named American fieldgear, that is very easy to research as numerous online databases are availlable and each soldier had a unique serial number. German field gear is less often named, and since only names of killed soldiers can be found online and there was no unique serial number, research usualy yiealds no results. If one is lucky and the name is rare or the context of discovery is known, research can also be successfull however (for example http://dev.wehrmacht-awards.com/foru...ghlight=sputek ). Considering the very large percentage of soldiers involved at Stalingrad who died, it is however particularly likely that items found there can be matched with names of casualties.

The case of this cup at first seemed rather hopeless to me as the inscription looked very difficult to read. With a bit of concentration I figured that it must be: JohLöwenstädt 2206?.
So the name must have been Johann Löwenstädt. As for the numbers, 2206?, it was perhaps 22 June 1941, the day of the invasion of Russia,? But the 41 seemed very unclear, looking more like a 7. My next idea was that it may be a Feldpostnummer, and after checking it indeed turned out that Feldpostnummer 22067 correspondes to 1st Company of Panzergrenadier Regiment 26, of the 24th Panzer Division, that was destroyed at Stalingrad.

[Jean-Loup]

Next I checked the database of killed soldiers of the Volksbund. It turned out that out of the millions of casualties of both World Wars, only one Johann Löwenstädt is listed. He was born in Herbram, and is listed as having died in field hospital 8/533 on October 1st 1942. A Google search revealed that casualties of the fighting in Stalingrad were known to have been evacuated to and treated in Field Hospital 8/533, in eastern Ukrain.

Another Google search showed a list of names on forum.panzer-archiv.de that lists this exact Johann Löwenstädt from Herbram as having been a member of Panzergrenadier Regiment 26, where he was awarded the EKII, and apparently also the EKI.

So for now I on the one hand had a cup found in the Stalingrad area named to a Joh Löwenstädt, with the Feldpostnummer of Panzergrenadier Regiment 26.
On the other hand I had evidence that Johann Löwenstädt was an extremely uncommon name, but that one man of that name had been a member of Panzergrenadier Regiment 26, and that he had died in a field hospital that was used to treat Stalingrad battle casualties.
It would be difficult to find a more perfect match.

[Lutfen]

A very satisfying piece of research that makes this cup pretty special!

Michael

[chrischa]

Well done.

[Jean-Loup]

The next step was to get in touch with the town of Herbram to see what information they may be able to turn up on Johann Löwenstädt.
By luck, the letter that had been sent announcing Johann Löwenstädt's death still existed, as well as a photo of him. He had been enlisted in May 1940, and was severely wounded by shrapnel in the left chest in Stalingrad on 28 September 1942. The letter from his commanding officer stated:

"In the field, 10 November 1942.
Dear Löwenstädt family

Through the hospital, I have received word that your beloved son, Obergefreiter Joahnnes Löwenstädt, died from the wound he received in Stalingrad. You will probably have received the sad news from the hospital in the meantime. Your son was one of the old members of the squadron and was liked and appreciated by both his comrades and his superiors. He was a brave soldier have gave the utmost for his belief in the Führer, the people and the fatherland. (...)

Lt Bölhlhoff"

Lt Bölhloff was himself reported missing in the Stalingrad Pocket a few months later, and remains so to this day.
As for Löwenstädt, he was buried near the field hospital in eastern Ukrain, and his grave has not been located so far. His brother Josef, was also killed in Russia a few months after him, also by a fragment wound in the chest.

Below: Johann Löwenstädt.

[Jean-Loup]

Sometimes on a calm sunny day, a small piece of wreckage washes up on the beach, the only remain of a tragedy that occurred at sea in the previous months. This cup is one such item, a silent reminder of a generation that was sacrificed at Stalingrad, and who for the most part do not even have a known grave to this day.

For those interested to know more about the search for missing soldiers in the Stalingrad region, I invite you to watch this video I filmed during my visit there: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xiRYAXDbyzk


Jean-Loup

[Ironcrown]

Very intriguing story, and a great search, well done
You did a very good job, but of course you was also very lucky because of that uncommon name. With other names it could be impossible. For example, Otto Schmidt has more than 1000 exact matches on the Graebersuche-Online!

[IanC]

Thank you Jean-Loup for posting one of the most interesting threads I have read this year.

[herrzark]

very interesting.Thank you

[Jean-Loup]

"With other names it could be impossible. For example, Otto Schmidt has more than 1000 exact matches on the Graebersuche-Online! "

Indeed, having a rare name makes research much easier. However, with a Feldpostnummer and the information that the man was in Stalingrad, even an Otto Schmidt may be researchable.<!-- / message -->

[Ironcrown]

Right, the feldpost was of great help to avoid multiple matches!
Years ago I found on the Gothic line a mess kit part with a name scratched on it: E. Moritz.
Not Stalingrad, so much less soldiers involved, but I found an Emil Moritz (27.10.44), two Erhard Moritz (both 1.10.44), all fallen in Italy, in the same a period and burried at Futa Pass! As for the two Erhard's the place of death was entered (it happens very rarely on Volksbund site!), I'm confident that the owner of the mess kit could be Emil.
Of course, only if the owner was not another E. Moritz who survived the war!
The mess kit part is this one. Please note the battle damages!

[Ironcrown]

You can read Jg (Jaeger) E. Moritz. He very probably belonged to FJR11.

In the tombstone the rank is Obergefreiter; but who knows, the man could have scratched the mess kit a couple of years earlier, before being promoted!!

[stgeorge64]

Jean-Loup

Excellent and very interesting item you have, backed up with the positive identification is simply remarkable!

Just watched the video clip, well worth watching for anyone even remotely interested the the Stalingrad battle.

Just a thought however, do human remains and artefacts turn up within Volgagrad itself at all?

Regards Richard.

[Jean-Loup]

Ironcrown, the location of death of each soldier is supposed to be written on the Volksbund website. When this is not the case, you can always send the Volksbund an email to ask them where these three Moritz's died. But if you found three possible mathces, it means it is a common name, and probably 15 or more other E Moritz's were in the area but were not killed.

"Just a thought however, do human remains and artefacts turn up within Volgagrad itself at all?"

It is supposed to be forbidden to dig within the town itself, but things are still found of course. There was a huge grave with almost 1000 Russian bodies found during construction a few years ago, and I hard about a russian rifle being found on Mamaev last summer by reenactors.

JL

[Marcel Banziger]

Once again excellent research....and again a rather common item is being brought to life by giving it a name and face making this a great piece of history!