9. / Fallschirm.Jg.Rgt. 3

[John Hodgin]

My god, this is unbelievable!

Indeed it is, and wonderful as well!

[GTA1000]

Am i the only one, who don´t like the ID-Tag?
I mean, the holes, the stamping, the wrong side...
I also have a few ID Tags, made of Alu and they are also Dugfounds but they look different to me...

[fox-terier]

For me Sergey dog tag looks OK. This is stainless steel dog tag - this is very resilience material - after long time in ground still looks like new. This type of dog tag is corect for mid-war FJ dog tags. The pre-war and early war FJ dog tags were made from aluminium, but during the war were made of steel (mid-war) and zinc (late-war), too. Big holes are correct for LW / FJ mid-war / late war dogs, too.
Regards,
Piotr

[Sergey K.]

Hi Sergey,
that sounds so unbelievable - awesome. The ID tag looks so new after 60 years under the earth. Can you tell me on which cemetary he burried.
For which organisation do you work and why you don't gave the informations to the german organisation Volksbund Deutsche Kriegsgräberfürsorge.
They are searching also for german MIA's and KIA's in this area.

Please can you show me some pictures from you trips.

Regards
Kurt1922

Kurt , ID tag is made of stainless steel ( as Piotr already noticed ) so it can lay in ground more than 100 years without any damages .
I work together with some Russian organizations ( it's my hobby but not a business , i spent a lot of own money and all free time there ) we are search for Russian fallen soldiers and finally bury them . As i said before we gave remains of your uncle to WASt ( it's the same organization you ask of !)But they don't search for MIAs , their main aim is rebury soldiers from small cemetries to the one large in the area and do this everywhere in Russia . I think they have thousands of germans for bury and they not hurry inform relatives in such case as i see...You uncle should be bury last autumn . I'm trying to call with man who can say where your uncle now but still hav't connected..Below is the paper which they gave to me after took Kurt Jeschke . I think i should tell a whole story about battle there ...

[Sergey K.]

It was 20 of March 43 ...
German paras already held their lines within 3+ months and this was only the time of patrols...nothing was bad before this date ,but in this day Russian offensive operation has begun . More than 10.000 artillery shells fell on FJ trenches and bunkers destroying most of them and finally infantry broke through German's lines /

There were positions of 3./FJR4. This unit held two small hill which called Knobloch and Vorberg ( lately united in one - KNOBLOCH)
As they wrote in poor war diary mostly of unit soldiers were killed or heavily wounded during artillery fire , the most strenght impact was made to the sector of 12 kompanie ( Captain Knobloch ) . This unit lost 90-95 % of men and a lot o weapon . This hill has been taken many times from hands to hands within 5 days but finally on the 25 of March it was in Russian hands.

Here is a view directly from the first german line on the top of the hill to the russian positions . Red Army begun it's offencive operation from the opposite hills and had heavy casaulties before took the german positions . The cross is the monument for whese Russian soldiers who was killed there . More than 1000 men were died there ..

[Sergey K.]

...when I visit this place in the first time it was already dug up by previos diggers , and it was very hard to understand where we can dig....but some experience help us to make a true decision .
Firstly we found 4 Russian MIAs burried in destroyed german bunker and then on the floor of the bunker i saw this ...
sorry for watermarks but i already tired of men who print my pix in their books ..

[Sergey K.]

That was the first day on this hill , then on the next morning when i came back dig this bunker to the end i could't believe in another find

[tinus]

Nice find sturm!!!!!!

[Sergey K.]

Thanks Martin ,sorry have some troubles with comp - can't post pix ! i will show more very soon ....

[kurt1922]

Hi Sergey,
thank you very much for your pictures. Have you more pictures, I would be very glad.
Regards
Kurt1922

[HILL192]

Hello very nice discoveryvery difficult battle
thanks for your works
Hill192

[Homer Hodge]

An amazing example of historical forensics.

[Sergey K.]

Guys, thank you for comments , I just came home and will post many pix tomorrow morning .
To Kurt 1922 - to be true- your unckle ID tag in my hands and i will give it to you if you want ( i'm sure You Do )
I kept it as rememberance but it very important to you so you will have it ....

[dragnet]

Bravo

[besslein]

fantastic story.