Looking for info. on 1/Flak Ers. Abt. 7, Magdeburg

[Michael Kasper]

Greetings,
I am hoping someone can help me with a Luftwaffe Flak soldier named Hildebram Dietrich Reichenbecher who was assigned in Feb. 1941 to 1/ Flak Ers. Abt. 7 or 1 Flak Ausb. Abt. 7 that trained in Magdeburg, Germany. Any info. on the unit history is also appreciated.

Thanks,
Mike

[Larry deZeng]

Greetings,
I am hoping someone can help me with a Luftwaffe Flak soldier named Hildebram Dietrich Reichenbecher who was assigned in Feb. 1941 to 1/ Flak Ers. Abt. 7 or 1 Flak Ausb. Abt. 7 that trained in Magdeburg, Germany. Any info. on the unit history is also appreciated.
Thanks,
Mike

Mike -

"Ers." = Ersatz (replacement)
"Ausb." = Ausbildungs- (training)
"Abt." = Abteilung (detachment of undefined size ranging from c.300 all the way up to 1,300 and sometimes translated as Battalion).

Flak-Ers.Abt. 7 was at Magdeburg-Prester from 1939-45 and Flak-Ausb.Abt. 7 was in Magdeburg for its entire existence from approx. June 1942 to May 1943.

Your man would have only been in 1. Battr./Flak-Ers.Abt. 7 for a few weeks up to a few months before being shipped out to a permanent unit. It was just a replacement unit - a place where personnel were temporarily "parked" until their next assignment.

--Larry

[Michael Kasper]

Thanks Larry! I have a great id'd labeled photo album from him from the beginning of training in Feb. 1941 to Aug. 1941. The last dates are May 42 where he has printed 1. Flak, Ausb, Abt. 7 in Magdeburg. Is there any way to research the soldier?

[Gerdan]

Hi Mike,

could it be that the first name of this guy is Hildebrand ?

Gerdan

[Gerdan]

Today there is only one intry "Reichenbecher" in the recent German phone

book of Magdeburg : Ronald Reichenbecher.


All together today you will find 61 Reichenbecher in the german phone book.


Gerdan

[Michael Kasper]

Hi Gerdan,

Yes, I believe it looks like Hildebrand! His name is a bit hard to read from the script. Thanks for the information!

[Larry deZeng]

Hi Mike -

Regarding the researching of individual enlisted soldiers, that has become quite difficult for non-family members since 1988 when Germany pass a Privacy Act type law similar to the one we have here that protects personal data and medical records. You would have to go through WASt in Berlin and show cause for meeting the criteria to be given the information. Then, if you get it, you will be very disappointed because all they will give you are a few tidbits listing some of his units with dates and dates and place of any hospitalization. They won't dig any deeper than that. There is a great deal of discussion on WAF and a number of other sites on this subject if you want to search for it.

--Larry