To my fellow historians,
I've struggled with how I would open this new thread, as for me the following information has shed light into an area of grief and misery which is almost incomprehensible, yet we all know it happened. Here you will meet one of the men who allowed it all to happen, only to die safely in his own bed 29 years later without suffering the fate that he should have.
In sharing this Soldbuch I believe this post will give historians/collectors more facts that will allow history to fill in some of the missing gaps, as it relates to who commanded Polizei Regiment 17 "Lettland", as well as the operations they were involved in, including their guilt in the murder of tens of thousands of people throughout the Eastern territories under their control.
To begin, in 2002 or 2003 I purchased these two documents. Each document belonged to "Dr." Major Egon Erzum of the Schutzpolizei. Erzum's official wartime and post-war documents claim he was born on September 22, 1906, in a town located on the Eastern border of Prussia/Russia, and that as an adult he held a PhD making his title one of "Doctor".
When I first acquired these documents the internet was still quite young and my research into Erzum produced no information on him. Within a few days of acquiring Erzum's Soldbuch, and not being able to find anything out about him, I sold it to a friend who had to have it simply due to the awards listed as won by him. I then forgot all about it.
Now, nearly 15 years later, I'm visiting with my friend (July 2018) and I see the Soldbuch again while admiring his collection. I ask him if I can research it once more, seeing as how much time has passed and he agrees. My first search parameters, done in English, provide me with very little information, but that all changes once I switch to German (which I am quite fluent in). Immediatly I find an old photo of him, along with a description, while he served as a deputy Minister of the Bavarian Landrat during the 1950's, so I've just learned that he did indeed survive the war. I then learn that he was the co-founder of a newly established post-war political party catering to those Germans who were from the Eastern territories, but displaced after the war once the Soviets reclaimed them for themselves. Seeing that most of the members of this new party were primarily all ex-Nazi party members/sympathizers the faction did not last long, so Erzum switched over to the Christian Socialist Union (CSU) in 1958.
After Erzum's stint in the Bavarian Parliment he set his sights on becoming the Mayor of his newly adopted hometown, the city of Leutershausen, which is located in south western Frankonia, yet still a part of northern Bavaria. It is here that his post-war troubles began.
One of the local townsfolk recognizes Erzum and knowing of his sordid past speaks to the German national magazine "Der Spiegel" regarding him. Three expose articles are written about him by "Der Spiegel" in 1965 through 1966. Because of the questions and accusations regarding his wartime actions, as well as the validity of his claims as to who he really was and what he really did during the war, it's learned that important aspects of his identity had been made up, ever since his student days well before the war.
While under state investigation it is learned that Erzum was born in 1904, not 1906, nor does he hold a PhD. Things get so bad that he's charged and convicted of always having had a false identity (including throughout the entirety of the Third Reich), which include his claims to the title of "Doctor".
Due to this new information, he is found guilty of living under a false identity and forced to step down as the Burgermeister of Leutershausen, while the Federal Republic of Germany fines him DM 500.00 as partial punishment for his false claims. 500.00 Deutsche Mark in the 1960's was a good chunk of change, but because of his cronie connections he's able to strike a deal whereby he is allowed to pay his fine off over time at just .5 cents per payment! He is also placed into an asylum, instead of a prison, for a very short period. Once released, and with the help and power of the prior Gauleiter of his district, he is again elected to serve as the town mayor. He immediately gets into trouble for the use of the outlawed saying, "Und Wir haben doch gesiegt"!
One of the things Erzum always claimed was that during the war he was only an instructor at a Police academy, while in reality he was a favored officer serving under SS Generals Deluge, Friedrich Jeckeln, von dem Bach-Zelewski, and von Gottburg. His war crimes, while the Commanding Officer of SS Polizei Regiment 17 "Lettland", garnered him a conviction of crimes against humanity by the Soviets and a sentence, in absentia, to death by hanging. His section of "Mitgemachte Gefechte" in this Soldbuch is simply a smorgasbord of crimes committed in the east.
I have exhausted all other areas of research, even having purchased the original "Der Spiegel" magazines with the articles regarding Burgermeister Erzum, and now turn to you. I hope to learn even more since repurchasing the Soldbuch and being able to openly share it here. As this thread progresses I'll add more of what I've learned, but only as we get to it, or as questions require.
I would like to ask that everyone refrain from any response/comments until after I get all my photographs, etc., posted. I'll let you know when I have posted everything.
Thank you.
I've struggled with how I would open this new thread, as for me the following information has shed light into an area of grief and misery which is almost incomprehensible, yet we all know it happened. Here you will meet one of the men who allowed it all to happen, only to die safely in his own bed 29 years later without suffering the fate that he should have.
In sharing this Soldbuch I believe this post will give historians/collectors more facts that will allow history to fill in some of the missing gaps, as it relates to who commanded Polizei Regiment 17 "Lettland", as well as the operations they were involved in, including their guilt in the murder of tens of thousands of people throughout the Eastern territories under their control.
To begin, in 2002 or 2003 I purchased these two documents. Each document belonged to "Dr." Major Egon Erzum of the Schutzpolizei. Erzum's official wartime and post-war documents claim he was born on September 22, 1906, in a town located on the Eastern border of Prussia/Russia, and that as an adult he held a PhD making his title one of "Doctor".
When I first acquired these documents the internet was still quite young and my research into Erzum produced no information on him. Within a few days of acquiring Erzum's Soldbuch, and not being able to find anything out about him, I sold it to a friend who had to have it simply due to the awards listed as won by him. I then forgot all about it.
Now, nearly 15 years later, I'm visiting with my friend (July 2018) and I see the Soldbuch again while admiring his collection. I ask him if I can research it once more, seeing as how much time has passed and he agrees. My first search parameters, done in English, provide me with very little information, but that all changes once I switch to German (which I am quite fluent in). Immediatly I find an old photo of him, along with a description, while he served as a deputy Minister of the Bavarian Landrat during the 1950's, so I've just learned that he did indeed survive the war. I then learn that he was the co-founder of a newly established post-war political party catering to those Germans who were from the Eastern territories, but displaced after the war once the Soviets reclaimed them for themselves. Seeing that most of the members of this new party were primarily all ex-Nazi party members/sympathizers the faction did not last long, so Erzum switched over to the Christian Socialist Union (CSU) in 1958.
After Erzum's stint in the Bavarian Parliment he set his sights on becoming the Mayor of his newly adopted hometown, the city of Leutershausen, which is located in south western Frankonia, yet still a part of northern Bavaria. It is here that his post-war troubles began.
One of the local townsfolk recognizes Erzum and knowing of his sordid past speaks to the German national magazine "Der Spiegel" regarding him. Three expose articles are written about him by "Der Spiegel" in 1965 through 1966. Because of the questions and accusations regarding his wartime actions, as well as the validity of his claims as to who he really was and what he really did during the war, it's learned that important aspects of his identity had been made up, ever since his student days well before the war.
While under state investigation it is learned that Erzum was born in 1904, not 1906, nor does he hold a PhD. Things get so bad that he's charged and convicted of always having had a false identity (including throughout the entirety of the Third Reich), which include his claims to the title of "Doctor".
Due to this new information, he is found guilty of living under a false identity and forced to step down as the Burgermeister of Leutershausen, while the Federal Republic of Germany fines him DM 500.00 as partial punishment for his false claims. 500.00 Deutsche Mark in the 1960's was a good chunk of change, but because of his cronie connections he's able to strike a deal whereby he is allowed to pay his fine off over time at just .5 cents per payment! He is also placed into an asylum, instead of a prison, for a very short period. Once released, and with the help and power of the prior Gauleiter of his district, he is again elected to serve as the town mayor. He immediately gets into trouble for the use of the outlawed saying, "Und Wir haben doch gesiegt"!
One of the things Erzum always claimed was that during the war he was only an instructor at a Police academy, while in reality he was a favored officer serving under SS Generals Deluge, Friedrich Jeckeln, von dem Bach-Zelewski, and von Gottburg. His war crimes, while the Commanding Officer of SS Polizei Regiment 17 "Lettland", garnered him a conviction of crimes against humanity by the Soviets and a sentence, in absentia, to death by hanging. His section of "Mitgemachte Gefechte" in this Soldbuch is simply a smorgasbord of crimes committed in the east.
I have exhausted all other areas of research, even having purchased the original "Der Spiegel" magazines with the articles regarding Burgermeister Erzum, and now turn to you. I hope to learn even more since repurchasing the Soldbuch and being able to openly share it here. As this thread progresses I'll add more of what I've learned, but only as we get to it, or as questions require.
I would like to ask that everyone refrain from any response/comments until after I get all my photographs, etc., posted. I'll let you know when I have posted everything.
Thank you.
Thank's Ian!
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