Interesting early para wehrpass from Rgt."GG"

[Eric Queen]

OK, lets try this again.

Here is a wehrpass I find a bit interesting ( even odd ) in a couple of ways. There are some things that I cannot easily explain about it. Was hoping that JYN, Ian , Gary T or someone could help me understand it better.

Here is the photo page. Nice shot of Ohmstede wearing the white tabs.

[Eric Queen]

Here is where it starts to get interesting ( odd ). Notice that he started out with 14./RGG in early 1936, then was with 15./( F )
RGG from Oct.37, then is part of 5./FJR1 from April 01, 1938.



1. as far as I know, 5./FJR 1 did not exist in April of 1938 ( someone please correct me if I am wrong ) It was my understanding that this designation did not exist until ( at the very earliest ) AUG 1938 when the FIB was made part of the 7th Flieger Division under FJR1 as II./FJR 1 ( 5./ , 6./ , 7./ , 8./ FJR1 )
They were of course transferred to the Luftwaffe under these same designations on 1.1.39.

2. If Ohmstede really was with 5./FJR 1 , I wonder how this worked, because that was at that time a separate army unit which still wore army uniforms, etc. I thought about the possibility that he had some type of specail skill or training that the army needed, thus he was "on loan" to them, but I cannot find any evidence of that in the wehrpass.

On 28.10.38 his time was up and he got out of the service ( for about 10 months )

[Eric Queen]

Here is the other strange thing. Notice that on the battle page it states that Ohmstede made the 10.5.40 jump in Holland at
"Flugplatz Waalhaven". It was III./FJR1 who jumped at Waalhaven. At that time Ohmstede was will 3./FJR2. But, the month after the Holland operations, in June of 1940, he was transferred to 12./FJR1 ( which was part of III./FJR1 and did make the jump at Waalhaven ). Notice also that we can tell from the writing style that the person who wrote this notation was a clerk from 1./FJR3 which Ohmstede joined in April 1941. So, the notation about Holland in the Wehrpass was not made until almost a year after the fact. Could this clerk from 1./FJR3 mistakenly thought that Ohmstede was with 12./FJR1 prior to June 1940 and thus made the Waalhaven jump?





No doubt in my mind the book is real and has never been messed with, but I find some of these questions interesting. Would really appreciate any thoughts you guys might have.

Thanks,

Eric

[JYN]

Eric,

As I could read, the photo is stamped 5./RGG.
On the 1st September 1937 the I.(Jäger) Bataillon RGG became the IV./(Fallsch.) RGG. I will be not surprised if this gentleman joined the IV. Bataillon and probably after that and by 1938 in the I./FJR 1. (I wrote that before your second post !)
I am sending (again) this RGG license which was belonging to
W.Rakebrandt. This is what he wrote me in 1997 about his dates :
1939 : Landespolizei GG
02.10.36 : Pionierzug I.(Jäger) Btl. RGG
16.03-14.05.37 : Fallschirmschützen Lehrgang Stendal
13.08.37 : Pionierzug-Kompanie RGG
then 15.(Fallsch.)./RGG at Velten
Mai 1938 : 5./FJR 1 - Stendal
06.06.39 1./FJR 1 - Stendal
Holland 40 - Stab../FJR 1.

As I could read the end of your thread now, I am going to think about it...

[Ian Jewison]

Hi Eric,
Is the photo actually wearing white tabs? It looks like the stamp is 5 Kompanie, Fallschirmjäger Regiment 1...Looking at the Kriegsstammrollen F36/67 there is no doubt that he remained in the same unit as it changed it's designation,....but this doesn't seem to correspond with what you are saying!

To me it looks like the Wehrpaß was probably issued after he had joined 5/Fj.Rgt.1 and that they simpy got it wrong......when was it issued?

It is not particularly uncommon for the unit designation to be incorrect if being filled in at a later date...I can't quite make it out but are they all filled in in the same hand for RGG and Fj.Rgt. 1?
It could well be that this was filled in after August 1938 when it received the new designation....I have some reference upstairs that I will dig around in.....

I have a similar case with a fighter pilot, he was with IV/JG1 which became I/JG 5....he was transferred to JG 5 but to another Gruppe according to his Wehrpaß...however he did served with I Gruppe for 5 days....obviously the Clerk did not think it worth while making the entry for this short time!!!

I do have a group to a member of RGG that went through the same reformation....I will check this as I was puzzled at the time of buying it!!

/Ian

[Ian Jewison]

Here it is again...which you already know!

[Ian Jewison]

Regarding the entry for combat actions etc. If he did not take part in the action it should not have been entered! Similar ones that I have, have had the entry scored out...
In this case he should have been there for the action!!!

Is it not a little unusual that he was with so many units?
Fj.Rgt. 1 > Fj.Rgt. 2 > Fj.Rgt. 3?

He could have been transferred to Fj.Rgt. 3 as a replacement for the losses in Crete....but he joined the unit 2 days after the start of Crete so the losses were still small! Obviously he didn't take part or there should be the corresponding entry on page 32 also...

/Ian

[JYN]

Eric,
For a long time I was thinking that the German Military Administration was perfect. But there is a limit and I am finding more and more evidences of clerks inefficiency.
Who already found some units or decorations entries which are missing in the Soldbuch but are present in the Wehrpass
and vice-versa.
Ohmstede was in the 3./FJR 2 by August 1939 which was sent in September to Poland near Deblin-Irena.
1. There is a lack of information in this document as there is no end date except an another entry on 20.06.40.
2. The 3./FJR 2 was in combat by the Haag in 1940 and the II./FJR 2 landed by Waalhaven.
3. The best for you is to find a roster of the 12./FJR 1 for 1940.
4. My point of you is that he was transferred on X date in the 12./FJR 1.

Jean-Yves

[Eric Queen]

Ian and Jean-Yves,

Thank you for the information and the help. I really appreciate it.
Yes, this book is a little strange, surely due to a single or multiple errors on the part of the clerk(s) entering the information.

Jean-Yves brings up a very good point. There is no ending date for the stay with 3./FJR2, so, it is at least possible that the beginning date of 6/40 with 12./FJR1 could be a mistake. If he joined that unit 6 weeks earlier he could have made the jump at Waalhaven.

Ian, to answer your question the book was issued on 25.8.38

I am still not completely understanding the connection to 5./FJR1 but I am sure there must be an explaination for it.

Thanks again and if I find out anything else I will post it.

Eric