Hello fellow collectors,
I want to show one of my groupings, including wehrpass, photo album and KIA letter. The wehrpass is quite empty one and do not provide enough information for a interesting story. Despite of the emptiness of the wehrpass, this grouping touched me. The photo album contains around the 200 pictures and a tagebuch of his rekrutenzeit. Combined with the wehrpass and really personal death letter of Hauptfeldwebel Martin Gotzeus, brings it all a live for me. I hope with this post you can feel a little bit the same as I do.
Hubert Franzen was raised and born in a Catholic family in the city of Mönchengladbach. Franzen learned for metalworker (schlosser) and become one. Franzen was called up for duty on the 29th of October. He joined IR 19 in Munchen. For Hubert his duty time was a special time, If I may believe his tagenbuch. He had to leave his Heimat where all his relatives lived. It was especially hard to leave his girlfriend Else (future wife) in M.Gladbach while he was in Munchen. Some days later Franzen had to take the oath on the Führer. If you look closely to the picture there is a cross visible above his head. He wrote with a lot of joy about his rekrutenzeit. He was really happy with his zug and all the contests they won. For Franzen the time he spend in the Adolf Hitler Kazerne was a time of brotherhood and friendship. Overall if I look his photobook Hubert was a happy and funny guy. His fellow soldiers laugh with and about him. He was also a bit vain. His appearance seems important for him, he is often busy with his hair. In 1937 he left the army after his military duty was finished.
After the start of the war Franzen was called up again. He was detached to the 227 Radfahr-Abteilung part of the 227 Infanterie Divison a division how was part of the third wave. The 227 Radfahr-abt was a Aufklärungs-Abteilung/ Schnelle Truppe. The war for this Division and Franzen started in the early morning of 10. Mai 1940 by crossing the Dutch border. The goal of his unit (schnelle gruppe mitte) was to conquer the Dutch city of Zutphen and cross the river Ijssel (see picture). After the conquering of Zutphen they go further to the city of Amesfoort and the grebbelinie. Historians has analyzed the 227ID during 10-15 Mai, in comparing them with the 207ID (how operated in the same section) the 227 looks unprepared. Especially they lacked materials to build bridges, it cost the division more than one day to cross the Apeldoornse Kanaal (canal). The resistance of the Dutch was weak despite that it costs more than three days to make the division prepared of storming the grebbelinie. The 207ID completed there goal after one day. Also the attack the 13th of May failed, the 227 used three regiments against a weak enemy. The next day the 277th Divison again attacked the Dutch defense, this time they succeed. The Dutch had already left behind there bunkers and defense the night before, the 227 do not even notice it! After the failure of the Dutch campaign the Division was active in Belgium more precise in the area of Gent (lyer river). After Belgium the Division had the task to defense/ protect (Sicherung) the area between St. Valéry and Le Havre. In October the 227 ID was replaced to Wolchow , North of Leningrad. Despite the division had some fight experience, this experience where from another level. Hubert Franzen died within a month by the city of Gajtolowo (03.011.1941). I own three other wehrpässe of 227ID soldiers all those soldiers died within 2 months within a circle of 10km. The 227ID must have suffer terrible losses during the November 41 and January 42.
Maybe I’m a bit romantic, but for me the letter from Martin Gotzeus to Else Franzen isn’t only propaganda. If I look through his album and see al the pictures, I really think he was a beloved soldier (Zug Führer) and that his humor was an important part of his beloved image. If I read his tagenbuch he was a men for how brotherhood was really important. For me it would not be a surprise if the explanation would be correct, that he was killed during the help of a wounded soldier.
I want to show one of my groupings, including wehrpass, photo album and KIA letter. The wehrpass is quite empty one and do not provide enough information for a interesting story. Despite of the emptiness of the wehrpass, this grouping touched me. The photo album contains around the 200 pictures and a tagebuch of his rekrutenzeit. Combined with the wehrpass and really personal death letter of Hauptfeldwebel Martin Gotzeus, brings it all a live for me. I hope with this post you can feel a little bit the same as I do.
Hubert Franzen was raised and born in a Catholic family in the city of Mönchengladbach. Franzen learned for metalworker (schlosser) and become one. Franzen was called up for duty on the 29th of October. He joined IR 19 in Munchen. For Hubert his duty time was a special time, If I may believe his tagenbuch. He had to leave his Heimat where all his relatives lived. It was especially hard to leave his girlfriend Else (future wife) in M.Gladbach while he was in Munchen. Some days later Franzen had to take the oath on the Führer. If you look closely to the picture there is a cross visible above his head. He wrote with a lot of joy about his rekrutenzeit. He was really happy with his zug and all the contests they won. For Franzen the time he spend in the Adolf Hitler Kazerne was a time of brotherhood and friendship. Overall if I look his photobook Hubert was a happy and funny guy. His fellow soldiers laugh with and about him. He was also a bit vain. His appearance seems important for him, he is often busy with his hair. In 1937 he left the army after his military duty was finished.
After the start of the war Franzen was called up again. He was detached to the 227 Radfahr-Abteilung part of the 227 Infanterie Divison a division how was part of the third wave. The 227 Radfahr-abt was a Aufklärungs-Abteilung/ Schnelle Truppe. The war for this Division and Franzen started in the early morning of 10. Mai 1940 by crossing the Dutch border. The goal of his unit (schnelle gruppe mitte) was to conquer the Dutch city of Zutphen and cross the river Ijssel (see picture). After the conquering of Zutphen they go further to the city of Amesfoort and the grebbelinie. Historians has analyzed the 227ID during 10-15 Mai, in comparing them with the 207ID (how operated in the same section) the 227 looks unprepared. Especially they lacked materials to build bridges, it cost the division more than one day to cross the Apeldoornse Kanaal (canal). The resistance of the Dutch was weak despite that it costs more than three days to make the division prepared of storming the grebbelinie. The 207ID completed there goal after one day. Also the attack the 13th of May failed, the 227 used three regiments against a weak enemy. The next day the 277th Divison again attacked the Dutch defense, this time they succeed. The Dutch had already left behind there bunkers and defense the night before, the 227 do not even notice it! After the failure of the Dutch campaign the Division was active in Belgium more precise in the area of Gent (lyer river). After Belgium the Division had the task to defense/ protect (Sicherung) the area between St. Valéry and Le Havre. In October the 227 ID was replaced to Wolchow , North of Leningrad. Despite the division had some fight experience, this experience where from another level. Hubert Franzen died within a month by the city of Gajtolowo (03.011.1941). I own three other wehrpässe of 227ID soldiers all those soldiers died within 2 months within a circle of 10km. The 227ID must have suffer terrible losses during the November 41 and January 42.
Maybe I’m a bit romantic, but for me the letter from Martin Gotzeus to Else Franzen isn’t only propaganda. If I look through his album and see al the pictures, I really think he was a beloved soldier (Zug Führer) and that his humor was an important part of his beloved image. If I read his tagenbuch he was a men for how brotherhood was really important. For me it would not be a surprise if the explanation would be correct, that he was killed during the help of a wounded soldier.
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