Paratrooper Monte Cassino

[mufasa]

mufasa

do you think it is possible to trace the first (!) burial place of this soldier in Italy? It must have been near the place where he was KIA.

If you would find this cemetery you had lokated the area where he was killed.

I do not know the system in Italy but normally they should also have an organization like the German Volksbund. And they should have a list of the firsrt burial places.

If not even the Volksbund should know from which local cemetery they brought him to the Futa-Pass Cemetery - if the Volksbund did it.

Saluti

Gerdan

It is not easy Gerdan. All German soldiers burial in the little cemeteries and single graves in September in October 1944 around Rimini, from 1945 to about 1947 have been fixed (by the German soldiers prisoners in the Rimini Enklave) in the German cemetery of Cervia (between Ravenna and Rimini on teh Adriatic Sea), then in the early 60, for an agreement between the German and the Italian Government, all bodies of German soldiers in Cervia were transferred in the big war cemetery cemetery of Futa Pass (30 km south of Bologna on the Apenins mountains) ... I try to find exactly where he was the 6 september 1944 the 3 Reg. of the 1 FJDiv....!

[Gerdan]

I thought it would be possible to find a list with the names of the different local cemeteries

and single graves around Rimini with the graves of the German soldieres there.

This list should have been the base on which the reburial was made to Cervia. Was the

reburial made by the Italien Government or by an organization as the German Volksbund?

Gerdan

[mufasa]

I thought it would be possible to find a list with the names of the different local cemeteries

and single graves around Rimini with the graves of the German soldieres there.

This list should have been the base on which the reburial was made to Cervia. Was the

reburial made by the Italien Government or by an organization as the German Volksbund?

Gerdan

Ciao Gerdan, all documentation of the German prison camp in Rimini, including probabily their work for the identification and removal of the graves of soldiers is kept in Gemany at the Bundesarkiv. It should be the found ZA 7 (a donation from General Dietrich Beelitz, 1987 )..... no other news....

[Gerdan]

Ciao mufasa

thank you very much for that information. I did not know this!

Gerdan

[mufasa]

And in the battle of Rimini paratroopers have always been the drive to the east towards the sea ....
and the front line of 6 September 1944 between a parachute and FalsDiv Canadian, Greek and New Zealand was between Rimini and Riccione to the south of the airport ..... there are exactly six violent clashes with heavy casualties on both sides around the church of San Lorenzo in Strada (about 2 km south of Rimini airport ).... and most likely fell here... a map from a Canadian Perth Regiment site....

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[mufasa]

..................Gerhard is almost certainly fell near this church, the church of San Lorenzo in Strada here in a picture after the battle. On the afternoon of 5 settempre, the Canadian Royal Canadian Regiment, Riccione arrive after crossing in front of the church of San Lorenzo in Strada transformed by parachutists Heidrich in a fortress. Here the Germans did not allow themselves to be surprised and the battle became fierce. The lieutenant of the royal Fisher tries to get his men in the church but is killed by a shot Panzerfaust. Canadians reorganize themselves with reinforcements and the morning of Sept. 6 led by Captain J. Barnie and by all means try to take the church back but to no avail. Paratroopers despite heavy losses opposed a fierce resistance and reject them…………..



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[Gerdan]

Thank you very much for this information. It is not easy to do research on a special soldier and situation after such a long time but - as you can see - sometimes you are successful! Congratulations.

Gerdan

[mufasa]

Thank you very much for this information. It is not easy to do research on a special soldier and situation after such a long time but - as you can see - sometimes you are successful! Congratulations.

Gerdan

many thanks Gerdan for the kind words .... more of those days (the day before,5th september) I have the sterbebild of another young paratrooper fell in the same church of San Lorenzo in Strada...

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and 'very rare in Volksbund is indicated for the German soldiers died in Italy the place ... but here we are lucky ....


Nachname: Bücher
Vorname: Helmut
Dienstgrad: Jäger
Geburtsdatum: 25.12.1926
Geburtsort: Otzenhausen
Todes-/Vermisstendatum: 05.09.1944
Todes-/Vermisstenort: S.Lorenzo



Helmut Bücher ruht auf der Kriegsgräberstätte in Futa-Pass (Italien) .
Endgrablage: Block 25 Grab 627




... S.Lorenzo!!!

[Willi Z.]

Nice Wehrpaß and informative thread.

[EK-collector]

Nice reaserch and wehrpass aswell.

[mufasa]

... I went to Riccione a couple of weeks ago .... the same church of San Lorenzo in Strada of the feldwebel Liebau Gerhrad today, it was rebuilt about ten years ago ... it is absolutely recognizable ....


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[mufasa]

... and a commemorative plaque on the outside wall of the church for Don Giovanni Montali the priest in those days, and for the Royal Canadian Regiment soldiers....

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[Gerdan]

Mufasa

really impressive - specially if you compare the both pics of S. Lorenzo 1944 and today!

Saluti

Gerdan

[mufasa]

..... very impressive history of these men in this small church Gerdan .... Besides these two youngs Fallsmirjager this is the tomb of Lieutenant Fisher of the Royal Canadian Regiment in the british war cemetery of Coriano (3-4 km from Riccione) he died in that day in that that church ....


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[Oberbootsmann]

Hello. Old thread but I also would like to know if a Paratrooper WP / SB to the Monte Cassino battle is that hard to find?
How many Paratroopers have fought in that battle?

Regards