Picture of FJ Graves

[zbv500]

Hi all,

i just got this single pic from a grave of three FJ´s. The grave cross in the middle is written with something which reads like "Ltn. Lütke" or a similar name. At the bottom there is a date build of stones "26.6.41".
I wonder if anybody is able to identify the location or the unit these FJ´s belonged to.

Thanks for looking Jens

[W Petz]

Jens,

Something is telling me that the gravesite is in Russia...white birch in heavly wooded areas..I had wooden plaques made by the soldiers out of the same kind of wood from the Wolchow area. Bill

Hi all,

i just got this single pic from a grave of three FJ´s. The grave cross in the middle is written with something which reads like "Ltn. Lütke" or a similar name. At the bottom there is a date build of stones "26.6.41".
I wonder if anybody is able to identify the location or the unit these FJ´s belonged to.

Thanks for looking Jens

[para03]

Jens,
Here's a repro image I picked up a few years ago from someone in Canada. As you can see, it's the same Paratrooper grave as the one you posted. There were more images from the grouping which I'll be glad to post if your interested. They might help in IDing the unit. Unfortunately, there's no writing on back to any of the images.

[zbv500]

Hi all,

Bill, you are rigth about the woods, it could be well Russia but iam no FJ Guy and dont know wich FJ units were figthing around that date.

Para, iam surprised by your pic. I had never thought that someone has a similar shoot from the same site. Iam very positive my pic is an original. I picked it up together with army pics before some 8 years for very cheap.

I would be highly interested in seeing the rest of the pics you got with that one.

Thanks so far, Jens

[W Petz]

Jens,

I'm going to have to change my guess...to "I'm not so sure now" The 7th Flieger Division was not alerted to go to Russia until 24 September 1941. 7th Flieger Divisions participation in the Crete campaign ended 29 May 1941. The date on the grave is 26 June 1941 and only a small part of 7th Flieger still remained on Crete when July 1941 rolled around. There were no other operations that I can thnk of during this period because they were licking their wounds and filling their ranks caused by the huge amount of losses on Crete. I also believe they were training for the inpending plans to drop on cyprus or the Suez which as you know never happened.
Not so strange to find a picture taken of the same location just that you don't see it posted that often, also many others may have taken pics of the same gravesite. This has been discussed on other threads. By the way didn't you say that you just picked that photo up? your reply to para 03 says you had the photo for around 8 years? - Bill

[para03]

Here are the other scans as promised. They all came from the same group as the grave image. They were reproduced several years ago from the surviving negatives with the exception of the 2 snap shots which were developed during the war. Hope they help a little....

[para03]

Here are a couple of others showing a decorated Para NCO. He's wearing an HJ, Para, Pilot, and Glider badge as well as a first model Luft dagger....These also came from the same group as the grave image

[zbv500]

Hi all,

thanks for posting the additional pics Para. I still wonder which location it could be ?

Bill, sorry for confusion. I originaly got that pic together with some army pics before 8 years. It was the only FJ pic in the lot. Maybe it was taken from an army member how came along these grave site. I wrote that i just got it because i traded the group to a good collector friend of me. Last week i visited him and asked if i can have that pic back. He gave it to me because he spent not to much attention on it. ( The other pics were mostly Eastern front )
Bill, do you think that Ltn. Lütke was a member of the 7. Flieger Division ?

Thanks for the Pics and the comments, Jens

[Mooyman]

Hi Para03,

Nice photos!!

One question about images in #7 post...the collar tabs in this Fliegerbluse are yellows? (They seem so dark to me...)

Regards,

Ricardo.

[para03]

Hello Ricardo. You are right, the collar tabs are a bit dark. I would guess these men belonged to either a Flak or Pioneer unit.

Jens,
Once again, sorry I couldn't help you much as they don't have any writing on back and there's no outstanding landmark that can give us a clue as to where the photos were taken...

[John Hodgin]

Hi Para03,

Nice photos!!

One question about images in #7 post...the collar tabs in this Fliegerbluse are yellows? (They seem so dark to me...)

Regards,

Ricardo.

The tabs of the NCOs in the last photos (post 7) are yellow, and the others could be, this has been discussed before. They photographed dark because of the type film used. If you have JYN's Green Devils, and you look at the studio portraits, you can see the same effect with the tabs in these photos. Especially note the dark lettering of the Kreta title on the top of p.90, in reality the lettering is light yellow but...........

[W Petz]

Hi Jens,

The date of death has me stumped as far as campaigns/Battles go! Kreta was the only campaign going on during that time frame. The 7th Flieger Division took part in that. The next action they saw was in Russia in September of 1941. In between nothing was happening as far as action and battles for the FJ. Ltn Lütke had to be a member of the 7th Flieger Division. The 7th Flieger Division was renamed 1st FJ Division in April 1943 and a The 2nd FJ Division was formed in Jan 1943. The 3rd and 4th FJ Divisions were also formed in 1943.
OK now I understand about the photo you only got it back from you friend recently. Let me know if you ever decide to get rid of it. Thanks - Bill

Hi all,

thanks for posting the additional pics Para. I still wonder which location it could be ?

Bill, sorry for confusion. I originaly got that pic together with some army pics before 8 years. It was the only FJ pic in the lot. Maybe it was taken from an army member how came along these grave site. I wrote that i just got it because i traded the group to a good collector friend of me. Last week i visited him and asked if i can have that pic back. He gave it to me because he spent not to much attention on it. ( The other pics were mostly Eastern front )
Bill, do you think that Ltn. Lütke was a member of the 7. Flieger Division ?

Thanks for the Pics and the comments, Jens

[Wesley's Dad]

Photo location

The date of death has me stumped as far as campaigns/Battles go! Kreta was the only campaign going on during that time frame.

Do you mean campaigns that engaged airborne forces? The date provided is only 4 days after the opening of Operation Barbarossa which started the night of June 22, 1941. During the opening of this operation in June, there were Fallschirmjaeger elements tasked to assist in the capture of key Russian bridges over the Dvina River. This river is located centrally in Latvia and pretty much splits that country in half running into the Baltic sea near Riga. These forces would have been part of Army Group North.This is the earliest reference that I can find that mentions German para forces on the Ostfront.

Mike

[Mooyman]

Thank you Jonh!!!

Regards,

Ricardo.

[Willi Z.]

I too have a copy of the gravesite photo. I bought it on ebay a few years ago.

Mike, I think you are referring to Heer Brandenburg units. I do not think FJs were involved until 7th Flieger Division went to Russia.