Interesting 12th SS Document Grouping Vet Bring Back

[lambstew]

Hey Forum Members,

I'm new to the forum and felt motivated to share a document grouping I have had for over 20 years now. The documents themselves are nothing incredibly special but the history of how and from whom they were obtained from is. Over the years my collecting interests have marched on but I have never been able to bring myself to part with this little document grouping. Anyhow, here is the scoop.

The items in the following pictures were obtained from a Pte. Aungus Munro who was a member of the 100th Battery of the 4th LAA Regt. (4th Light Anti-Aircraft), which was a part of the 3rd Canadian Infantry Division which landed on D-Day. Mr. Munro removed the documents, wallet and ring from the body of SS Schutze Walter Mayer after he was killed.

According to Mr. Munro, Mayer was "one tough little buggar!" Munro's unit was using their ack-ack guns in support of the Canadian Infantry attacks on Carpiquet Airfield on July 7th, 8th, and 9th, 1944. Mayer was using a 50 gallon oil drum as a fox hole which had been sunk into the ground around the perimeter of the airfield and Aungus said that he just couldn't be dislodged. Finally after a long while someone managed to get close enough to roll a grenade into his oil drum and Mayer was killed. Mayer's spirited and determined defense won him the respect of those who were fighting against him.

Through a contact in the HIAG or SS Veterans Association, I was given the contact information for Mayer's younger brother and I had the chance to tell his family the story of a brother he barely remembered. Photocopies of all the documents were sent to the family as well.

Anyhow, we all collect things for different reasons but for me whenever possible, the personal history of an artifact is just as interesting as the piece itself.

Makes me wonder if Mayer had his Soldbuch on him or was it back with the unit?? OR did someone else souvenir it??

Regards,

Konrad

<img src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v133/lambstew/waltermayer.jpg">

<img src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v133/lambstew/waltermayer2.jpg">

<img src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v133/lambstew/mayerring.jpg">

[Simon O.]

what a way to celebrate your 18th birthday.

I note he isn't in the volksbund database. He should be, he was clearly identifiable...at least until the looters got to him. Or maybe he still lies out there in an unmarked grave, perhaps the foxhole he died in also became his tomb.

So, either he was completely stripped of anything to identify him, which means his dogtags and SB were also taken by looters or his grave was never marked.

[lambstew]

Hi Simon, thanks for your feedback..

what a way to celebrate your 18th birthday.

I note he isn't in the volksbund database. He should be, he was clearly identifiable...at least until the looters got to him. Or maybe he still lies out there in an unmarked grave, perhaps the foxhole he died in also became his tomb.

So, either he was completely stripped of anything to identify him, which means his dogtags and SB were also taken by looters or his grave was never marked.

..your comments are correct but I see from the German War Graves site that they do have him listed but his birthday has been incorrectly stated. Here is what they have:

Nachname: Mayer
Vorname: Walter
Dienstgrad: Schütze
Geburtsdatum: 07.06.1926
Geburtsort:
Todes-/Vermisstendatum: 18.10.1944
Todesort:


Walter Mayer ruht auf der Kriegsgräberstätte in Andilly (Frankreich) .
Endgrablage: Block 17 Reihe 8 Grab 576

The correct date of his Birthday should be 07.07.26. Further proof that this is indeed the right Walter Mayer is that they have his rank listed as Schuetze which he was.

I beleive at the time I contacted the HIAG, the whereabouts of his grave was in question but it appears that this has since been mostly corrected.

It was sad that he was likely stripped of everything but it seems it was more out of respect for the fight they gave Mr. Munro and his comrades rather than a blatant pillage of his belongings. Anyhow, Walter Mayer's story is not uncommon and at least I had a hand in letting the HIAG and family know the story so that his demise has at least now been documented.

Regards,

Konrad

[Simon O.]

Wrong date of birth, wrong date of death and buried way over in Eastern France not too far from Nancy, but where you would expect someone to be buried if they'd died in october of '44 on that part of the front. Walter Mayer isn't an uncommon name and Schütze not an uncommon rank for either Heer or SS


but, you're right. Contacting HIAG and getting in touch with the family was a nice gesture indeed.

[lambstew]

Hi Simon, thanks for the input...

Wrong date of birth, wrong date of death and buried way over in Eastern France not too far from Nancy, but where you would expect someone to be buried if they'd died in october of '44 on that part of the front. Walter Mayer isn't an uncommon name and Schütze not an uncommon rank for either Heer or SS


but, you're right. Contacting HIAG and getting in touch with the family was a nice gesture indeed.

You are probably right. I never did learn the end result of all this. I should perhaps contact Munin and see what their records are on Walter Mayer now. They obviously had the information in the first place and knew enough about the family to locate his brother. What do you suggest? It would be proper to at least have Mayer's name put on an unknown marker even if there is in fact no grave which now seems to be the case.

Regards,

Konrad

[Simon O.]

I'm not to sure, perhaps contacting the volksbund, telling them the story and showing them IDs could be an idea. If he is indeed one of the unknowns perhaps it would be enough info for them to add his name to a list of those with no known grave at the appropriate cemetery, i think it would be La Cambe in Normandy?

http://www.volksbund.de/

[Gary T]

..your comments are correct but I see from the German War Graves site that they do have him listed but his birthday has been incorrectly stated. Here is what they have:

Nachname: Mayer
Vorname: Walter
Dienstgrad: Schütze
Geburtsdatum: 07.06.1926
Geburtsort:
Todes-/Vermisstendatum: 18.10.1944
Todesort:


Walter Mayer ruht auf der Kriegsgräberstätte in Andilly (Frankreich) .
Endgrablage: Block 17 Reihe 8 Grab 576

The correct date of his Birthday should be 07.07.26. Further proof that this is indeed the right Walter Mayer is that they have his rank listed as Schuetze which he was.

I couldn't agree that this person is conclusively the same as the person in the documents posted.

If it is him not only did they get his date of birth wrong but also his date of death. He was killed in July 1944 and yet the Volksbund has October 1944? The means they only got his name right...even his rank should be prefixed SS-

I know the Volksbund database is sometimes incorrect but it usually a day of two out...it would be very unusual for it to be months out especially in two areas.

On the other hand it could be him - the October 1944 date maybe when his death was confirmed after his being reported missing.
The only way to find out would be to contact WaST - you have the name, adress and birth date - but note that his surname could have been recorded differently - looking at one of his ID cards it is written as Maier on one of them.

[lambstew]

I'm not to sure, perhaps contacting the volksbund, telling them the story and showing them IDs could be an idea. If he is indeed one of the unknowns perhaps it would be enough info for them to add his name to a list of those with no known grave at the appropriate cemetery, i think it would be La Cambe in Normandy?

http://www.volksbund.de/

Hi Simon, ok, I just e-mailed them the story with pics so we will see what happens.

Thanks again for your advice,

regards,

Konrad

[Notebaert David]

I personaly don't think the dates are wrong, it's just an other Walter mayer. This name is verry common in Germany, and even in the Volksbund there are 4 Mayer's born in 1926.
You could inform the Volksbund or the WaST with the information you've got, but you have little proof exept for the doc's. So before they will take your Mayer in their list, they will have to check this firm. Because if they should take every info the got from collectors, I think it would soon be a mess. Not everyone his info would be that correct, if you et my point.
About those SS-prefix, they don't do that in the volksbund.

If this soldier would be left behind afther the battle, it could sure be that he still is in his fieldgrave at the spot, or somewhere in a mass grave as an unknow soldier, sure if all his ID papers were taken from him by common soldiers passing by.

This is just my little thought about this.

David Notebaert

[lambstew]

I personaly don't think the dates are wrong, it's just an other Walter mayer. This name is verry common in Germany, and even in the Volksbund there are 4 Mayer's born in 1926.
You could inform the Volksbund or the WaST with the information you've got, but you have little proof exept for the doc's. So before they will take your Mayer in their list, they will have to check this firm. Because if they should take every info the got from collectors, I think it would soon be a mess. Not everyone his info would be that correct, if you et my point.
About those SS-prefix, they don't do that in the volksbund.

If this soldier would be left behind afther the battle, it could sure be that he still is in his fieldgrave at the spot, or somewhere in a mass grave as an unknow soldier, sure if all his ID papers were taken from him by common soldiers passing by.

This is just my little thought about this.

David Notebaert

Thanks for your input David. I have e-mailed the Volksbund with all the information and pictures and so will wait and see what their response is.

Regards,

Konrad

[lambstew]

The Volksbund just e-mailed me today and are....

..looking into Walter Mayer's situation. Here is a caopy of the e-mail for those with an interest and can read German:

"Sehr geehrter Herr Gunzel,

vielen Dank für die Übermittlung der Ansichten des Hitler-Jugend-Ausweises
und anderer Dokumente. Wir haben unsere Unterlagen eingehend überprüft, zu
unserem Bedauern jedoch feststellen müssen, dass eine namentliche Meldung
über Walter Mayer weder in unserer Zentralgräberkartei noch in der
fraglichen Friedhofskartei verzeichnet ist.

Mit gleicher Post haben wir nun eine Anfrage an die Deutsche Dienststelle
(ehemalige Wehrmachtauskunftstelle - WASt) in Berlin gerichtet, mit der
wir auf dem Gebiet der Erfassung deutscher Kriegstoter eng
zusammenarbeiten. Nach Abschluss der dort zu führenden Ermittlungen
erhalten Sie entweder aus Berlin direkt oder durch unsere Geschäftsstelle
abschließend Nachricht. In Anbetracht des seit längerer Zeit fortdauernd
sehr hohen Posteingangs und damit verbundenen Arbeitsaufwandes auch bei
dieser Dienststelle müssen wir jedoch vorsorglich um Geduld bitten.

Es tut uns leid, dass wir Ihnen vorerst keine bessere Auskunft geben
können.

Freundliche Grüße
Beate Kalbhenn
------------------------------------------------------------------
Volksbund Deutsche Kriegsgräberfürsorge
Werner Hilpert-Str- 2 34112 Kassel
Tel.: 05617009197 Fax : 05617009246
http://www.volksbund.de"

For those who can't speak German, in a nutshell then here is what was said. Basically, the Volksbund does not have any information on this particular Walter Mayer. They are however actioning my request for information and have at the same time contacted WASt to see if they have any information. Both the Volksbund and WASt are extremely busy at the moment with many written in requests for information so an answer will take a while.

Anyhow, this is great news that the ball is rolling with a possible resolution.

Regards,

Konrad

[pete]

ss group

FYI on the cbc canada wesnite www.cbc.ca you can on the archive listen to a report from the opening of the battle in carpiquet. Its interesting!