My great-grandfather, Feldpost # 20693

[ShannonNolan]

Hi-- I see other guys have had some luck with finding units via feldpost numbers. I'm a history major that has done tons of research in my time, but the field of German units is new, daunting and HUGE. I've submitted a search form to the Deutsche Dienststelle, but I'm impatient, and was hoping someone out there could give me a leg up on finding my great grandfather's unit. I was hoping it could give me an idea of where he was when he died. Here's what little info I have:
Stabsfeldwebel Karl Friedrich Kilian, born 1899 in Aschaffenburg, Feldpost nummer 20693. I have a document from the Landsberg courthouse dated 1952 with a deposition from one of his captured men that saw him gunned down by Russians while trying to surrender, I think in Feb of 1945. I'm trying to get an idea of where in Russian he was killed.

Here's a photo from 1941 of him and his sons. My wife and I are going to visit the uncle in the HJ uniform in Bavaria next October. Any help is appreciated guys!

Also, I'm looking for a pair of original Stabs boards and a ribbon bar like the one in the photo-- WWI EKII, Hindenburg Cross w/ Swords, and Austrian Anchluss. He also has another bar with the KVK w/ Swords between the EKII and Hindenburg. If you can help, let me know.

[Adrian Stevenson]

Hi, here are the details for the number you asked about:


20693

(Mobilmachung-1.1.1940) 1. kleine Kraftwagen-Kolonne Korps-Kolonne 412,
(28.4.1940-14.9.1940) kleine Kraftwagen-Kolonne 881,
(10.2.1943-23.8.1943) gestrichen,
(6.4.1944-9.11.1944) 5.7.1944 3. Kompanie Landesschützen-Bataillon 531,
(6.4.1944-9.11.1944) 27.10.1944 Armee-Gefangenen-Sammelstelle 32,
(10.11.1944-Kriegsende) 12.2.1945 3. Kompanie Landesschützen-Bataillon 531,

Cheers, Ade.

[Simon O.]

I think it's a safe bet then that he belonged to 3 Komp. Landesschützen Btl.531, a POW guard unit recruiting from Bavaria. According to what i read the unit was assigned to army group North and was renamed sicherungs bataillon 531 in january 1945 ending up in the Kurland pocket.

[ShannonNolan]

SWEET! This is fantastic info, and I think you're dead on with your evalutation Simon, as the document I have lists the exact dates mentioned for that unit. His daughter thought he died in 1942, since they saw him last at Christmas of 1941. It's starting to seem that the ugly truth is that he fought for over three years without seeing his family again. Many, many thanks gentlemen. You've given me the boost I needed!

[Larry deZeng]

Shannon -


If you are interested and up to it, the Zentrale Stelle der Landesjustizverwaltungen zur Aufklarung von NS-Verbrechen, Ludwigsburg, has extensive files on the German units that guarded Soviet P/Ws. You would have to go there in person after contacting them and making an appointment. Ludwigsburg is on the north side of Stuttgart. As a fellow historian, you might want to give it some thought. At the very least, it could help you with the details of his service from 1944-45 while serving in 3./Ldssch.Btl. 531.

--Larry

[ShannonNolan]

Thanks very much for the info, Larry. That will have to be a side trip for me when the wife and I go to Germany next year.