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**Mr.Jerry D** · 07-22-2005, 11:48 PM

Originally posted by andy1230_13

Poor chap....

At least he is remembered, that is what I feel collecting these artifacts is all about.

**Simon O.** · 07-25-2005, 07:07 AM

I just got back from my travels so i didn't pick up on this when originally posted.

To me this is very interesting and historically important, but by no means the only case of executions being carried out after the surrender in North Norway.

I have written about the case of the men of 4./Geb.Art.Rgt.118 murdering their 2 officers then attempting to desert to Sweden the day before the surrender both here and on other forums. This unit, 6./GAR 931 was about a couple of hours drive away from the one i mentioned at a Garrison town called Setermoen and was part of the 9 Gebirgs Division which was forming as the war ended which is why the regiment doesn't appear in any of the standard OOB works such as Tessin. The guns this battery was equipped with is also worthy of note as they were not your usual GJ artillery. This unit was actually equipped with 4 x LG42, the 10.5cm recoilless gun also found in use with FJ units.

Also of note is that other tragedies occured at Setermoen after the surrender. There's the case of a German nurse who formed a relationship with a Soviet POW, for this her countrymen (apparently GJ) lynched her, stoning her to death. She is still buried somewhere at Setermoen in an unmarked grave. A good friend of mine and fellow collector is trying to find her grave so she can be given a decent burial.

As to why he might have deserted at the end of the war i think we can at least make a good guess although it may well be that the paperwork covering the courtsmartial are sitting somewhere in the Norwegian state archives which i know has a lot of un-catalogued German documents. German troops in North Norway were very uncertain as to what would happen to them after the surrender and even feared that the high command in Norway may try and continue the fight. Many also thought they would be handed over to the Russians. Those of Austrian nationality, of which there was a very high proportion here, also protested against those Germans who wanted to carry on fighting when their country had already broken away from the greater German Reich, had become independent again and had given up the war.

From British documents i have in my files it seems that the British troops in Norway, who controlled the disarmament and surrender of the Germans, had a bit of a problem with what to do with deserters serving sentences and asked for guidance from SHEAF in England on what to do. The signal i have, dated 25th May '45 asks what policy they should adopt regarding deserters serving sentences and if any distinction should be made regarding nationality. The reply, dated 27th May states that they should be returned to their own units or other suitable units, that no disitinction should be made on the grounds of nationality but that individuals could be ratained in detention at the discretion of the allies. No mention is made of those condemned to death. The dates of these signals show that it clearly took several weeks for the allies to get proper control over the situation, remember that the Germans far outnumbered the small numbers of allied troops sent to Norway and that it was quite a task to gather together all the Germans spread out along this large country.

**militaria.no** · 07-27-2005, 06:54 PM

Hello Simon!

This is very interesting information about 6./Geb.Art.Rgt.931.

Things I didn`t know and info that makes this little wehrpas-lot even more valuable.

You write that 6./Geb.Art.Rgt 931 was part of the 9 Gebirgsjäger Division which was forming as the war ended. I wonder if you have any more info on this division? And if you need any photos of this lot to a coming publication I will be more than happy to help you out – just let me know

Best regards
Marius

Originally posted by Simon orchard

I just got back from my travels so i didn't pick up on this when originally posted.

To me this is very interesting and historically important, but by no means the only case of executions being carried out after the surrender in North Norway.

I have written about the case of the men of 4./Geb.Art.Rgt.118 murdering their 2 officers then attempting to desert to Sweden the day before the surrender both here and on other forums. This unit, 6./GAR 931 was about a couple of hours drive away from the one i mentioned at a Garrison town called Setermoen and was part of the 9 Gebirgs Division which was forming as the war ended which is why the regiment doesn't appear in any of the standard OOB works such as Tessin. The guns this battery was equipped with is also worthy of note as they were not your usual GJ artillery. This unit was actually equipped with 4 x LG42, the 10.5cm recoilless gun also found in use with FJ units.

Also of note is that other tragedies occured at Setermoen after the surrender. There's the case of a German nurse who formed a relationship with a Soviet POW, for this her countrymen (apparently GJ) lynched her, stoning her to death. She is still buried somewhere at Setermoen in an unmarked grave. A good friend of mine and fellow collector is trying to find her grave so she can be given a decent burial.

As to why he might have deserted at the end of the war i think we can at least make a good guess although it may well be that the paperwork covering the courtsmartial are sitting somewhere in the Norwegian state archives which i know has a lot of un-catalogued German documents. German troops in North Norway were very uncertain as to what would happen to them after the surrender and even feared that the high command in Norway may try and continue the fight. Many also thought they would be handed over to the Russians. Those of Austrian nationality, of which there was a very high proportion here, also protested against those Germans who wanted to carry on fighting when their country had already broken away from the greater German Reich, had become independent again and had given up the war.

From British documents i have in my files it seems that the British troops in Norway, who controlled the disarmament and surrender of the Germans, had a bit of a problem with what to do with deserters serving sentences and asked for guidance from SHEAF in England on what to do. The signal i have, dated 25th May '45 asks what policy they should adopt regarding deserters serving sentences and if any distinction should be made regarding nationality. The reply, dated 27th May states that they should be returned to their own units or other suitable units, that no disitinction should be made on the grounds of nationality but that individuals could be ratained in detention at the discretion of the allies. No mention is made of those condemned to death. The dates of these signals show that it clearly took several weeks for the allies to get proper control over the situation, remember that the Germans far outnumbered the small numbers of allied troops sent to Norway and that it was quite a task to gather together all the Germans spread out along this large country.

**Simon O.** · 07-28-2005, 07:20 AM

PM on it's way Marius

BTW, was this WP also part of the 'cache' held by the Norwegian authorities?

You know, had he not been executed he'd have qualified for the Lappland Shield.

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Wehrpass belonging to soldier executed May 10th. 1945

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