Anyone with access to a Suchdienst Missing POWs, Stalingrad

[PaulR]

Hello,

I am looking for the initial owner of a jacket, who's unit was destroyed at Stalingrad. I was informed that only 36 or so people from this unit escaped. The odds are that the man named below did not.

If someone has a copy of the Suchdienst Missing POWs I would be most appreciative if someone could look him up.

Regards
Paul

[PaulR]

Here is the jacket!

[PaulR]

Here is what I was able to find on his unit, using Lexikon.

Here is what I was able to find on Lexikon



Set up on the 26 August 1939 in Mannheim. The unit was designated also as a Flakgruppe Mannheim. The unit was subordinate the 21st Flak-division and led in March 1944 the heavy Flak-department 491, the heavy Flak-department 492, the heavy Flak-department 636, the heavy Flak-department 701, that 5. / heavy Flak-department 903, the Light Flak-department 776, the light Flak-department 977, the light Flak-department 980, the Lsp. 107 as well as the Flak-batteries z. b. V. 6229, 6230 and 6238.

Commanding Officers:

26. August 1939 Oberst Eduard Muhr
20. Juni 1940 Oberstleutnant Wilhelm Werner
27. Juli 1941 Oberst Adolf Wolf
1. September 1943 Oberst Max Hecht
11. Februar 1944 Oberst Bernhard Brickwedde



Set up on the 1 October 1937 in Mannheim out of that 1ST / Flak-regiment 18 with five batteries. The department was subordinate the higher commander of the Flakartillerie in the airgau IV, as of February 1938 to the Luftgaukommando XII. The department lay as of September 1939 at the west rampart. The department under major Runge supported the associations of the XXVI out of the room Kleve. Battalion. In the Maas-dike, the department shot 10 bunkers together and accompanied the corps through Holland and Belgium then into the beach Dünkirchen. The department captured an amount in Hollandof 4 cm Flak Bofors with ample ammunition and placed after out of the large prey by Dünkirchen the motor vehicle-equipment could be completed, a 6th battery under lieutenant block with 4-cm of Flak up. In the second part of the France expedition, the department in the Luftschutz- and earth battle use stood and came after the armistice after Brest. After the end of the west expedition, this additional battery formed the tribe of a new light Flak-department that was used with that 4-cm of Flak to the protection by Berlin. The department the XXVI supported as of May 1940. Battalion during the west expedition. Subsequently the department in France and the canal islands lay lay under the rod of the Flak-regiment 100th in August 1940 it in Ard, as of summer 1941 into the room St. Nazaire and then again after Brest to the protection of the battleships berthed there. Later the unit was transferred after Bordeaux in order to prepare itself for a mobile use Spain - Gibraltar. In July 1942 embarrassed the department into the room Cakais-Dünkirchen, secured then temporarily the breakthrough of the German battle ships in the room Vlissingen in Holland through the canal and came directly after the first air attack on the Renault-works in Paris there to a new use whereby the attack free times was used at the same time to the preparation to the use at the east front. The department transferred in April 1942 to south-Russia where it became imputes the rod of the Flak-regiment 12 in the 17th Flak-division. The department became first of all in the room Isjum - Artemowsk used. In start of the German large attack, it infringed under the responsibility of the Flak-regiment 37 to the 1st tank army and collaborated here above all with the 91st infantry-division. With this division, it became then the XXIV. Tank corps as a part of the 9th Flak-division of the 6th army trains part. In the north bar of Stalingrad, above all in the 16th tank-division, the unit suffered heavy losses and was lost there.

In June 1943 with five batteries in Italy were rebuilt. The department was subordinate in January 1944 the rod of the Flak-regiment 39 in the 3rd Flak-brigade and as of February 1944 in the 22nd Flak-brigade to the responsibility of the Flak-regiment 57. In the same month, the department became the III. / Flak-regiment Hermann Goering.

This unit was a predecesor of a HG unit!!!

[PaulR]

Hello,

Anyone have any additional information on this unit or have access to any way to verify the outcome of this man?

Paul

[Gerdan]

The guy has one of the most wiedespread names in Germany: "Maier".

In the list of the Volksbund you find 32 "Helmut Maier" KIA.
He also had a low rank.

It will be very difficult to identify him.

Gerdan

[PaulR]

Thanks for the reply, Gerdan. The units of these men provided? He would have been an Uffz or higher.

Thank you for helping.

[PaulR]

Here is another look at his tunic, with the correct ribbons for his unit. During his time and unit deployablity record, he would not have gotten the Eastern Front medal(despite being at Stalingrad).

He would have been from the Mannheim area(most likely). Hopefully that narrows things down a little.

[hucks216]

He may of even been WIA before or during Stalingrad and so survived that particular battle and was then posted to another flak unit, or invalided out of the Wehrmacht, or even KIA in the years & months before Stalingrad. There is also an entry for a Helmut Maier in the Volksbund site who was KIA in Italy in Sept 1944 so he may of been used in the rebuilding of the unit, but his rank was Gefreiter.
He may of even been posted to another unit long before Stalingrad and just never changed the name tag. There are many possibilities.
I have just gone through the 32 Helmut Maier's listed on the Volksbund site and of those 32, only 10 match this name in that they are listed either as an Uffz or have no rank listed. None of the 32 mention being KIA or MIA at Stalingrad. The only one that falls into the time frame for the battle was KIA in October 1942 at a place called Schaumjan, but I have no idea where that is.
That is not to say he wasn't at Stalingrad as the Volksbund site is far from complete but the 32 names that they have listed do not match the criteria.
Either way, it is a nice tunic.

[PaulR]

Thank you Hucks. I apologize with the delay in getting back with you on this!

[WARNACH]

Hi
I have all the volumes of the missing POW's in russia.
They are listed under the camps where they were last seen.
The unit they did belong to is not mentionned.
There were many hundreds of camps, in total there are +/- 100.000 names listed in 8 volumes (that's only the soldiers whose fate is unknown !)
So to look up your missing, not knowing the camp, is a week-long job.
P.

Hello,

I am looking for the initial owner of a jacket, who's unit was destroyed at Stalingrad. I was informed that only 36 or so people from this unit escaped. The odds are that the man named below did not.

If someone has a copy of the Suchdienst Missing POWs I would be most appreciative if someone could look him up.

Regards
Paul

[PaulR]

I understand... I just wish I had access to the books.

[Simon H]

FYI. Helmut Maier is not listed as missing among those lost in Stalingrad from Flak Rgt. 49.

Best,
Simon