Rob, I also have the Panther soldiers photos, dogtag, collar tabs and shoulder flaps as well as decorations and some of his Marine HJ photos (I have attached a photo of some of these items). No one in his family was interested in it and he gave it to me before it would be thrown away. I was just at the recent Pz Rgt 24 meeting last week in Nieder Moos and there were unfortunately very few former members there. One Panther soldier from Würzburg and a Pz IV Funker as well as a former Oberleutnant were there to name a few but it could be the last meeting.
Jeff, I still have a few more and then can go to Stug as I am running out of Panzer to show!
Initially with 13 (Infanterie Geschütz) Kompanie of various Infantry Regiments, 1943 he trasferred to Panzer Abteilung 301 and 302, also time with Panzer Versorgungs und Ersatz Abteilung 300 (Funklenk), the Armoured Supply and Replacement Battalion for all radio controlled Tank units.
Both units were army troops and used in the east.
From August 1944 with überschweres (ss) MG-Bataillon 802 later Festungs Infanterie Fla Bataillon 802 an army troops unit in Saarpfalz (Landau).
Rob, I also have the Panther soldiers photos, dogtag, collar tabs and shoulder flaps as well as decorations and some of his Marine HJ photos (I have attached a photo of some of these items). No one in his family was interested in it and he gave it to me before it would be thrown away. I was just at the recent Pz Rgt 24 meeting last week in Nieder Moos and there were unfortunately very few former members there. One Panther soldier from Würzburg and a Pz IV Funker as well as a former Oberleutnant were there to name a few but it could be the last meeting.
Amazing... Thanks for the additional image of the rest of his effects and the story, Jim. From a "collector" standpoint I find it mind boggling that anyone would want to throw these items away, but from a personal and sentimental view the fact that families in Germany do not what to keep of their relative's effects from the war is so much more upsetting. I understand the general attitude towards the war and how these items are considered "evil" and reminders of bad times, but these items are part of their father's/uncles/grandfather's etc. military career and to think that people have absolutely no interest in these things is just sad. I guess maybe it's just an opinion from the "other side of the pond" as I cannot relate to having grown up in post-war Germany. Still, even if my Grandparents had served on another side, I still could never even comprehend throwing away anything of theirs which was passed down to me.
Yes, vets from all countries are dying off at an alarming rate. Soon there will be just a handful left With them they take so much undocumented history and first hand accounts of the war which, sadly, will be lost forever as they pass.
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