I just wrapped up a research project which lasted some 6 months and wanted to share the highlights here. Hope u enjoy
I. Research process: The search for Karl´s father
The information gathered from the engraving on the dagger´s crossguard was simply: “R. Plange to his dear son Karl” (“R. Plange s.l. Sohn Karl”). I was, therefore, looking for a Heer officer named Karl Plange, whose father´s first initial was R. The name Plange was very rare during the war years, as evidenced in the published ranglisten (no matches), and the KIA/MIA online database of the Volksbund (4 matches for Plange, in a database of 4 million names)
Though the dealer who sold me this piece had not done any research on the inscription, I immediately found a Karl Plange listed among the recipients of the Deustche Kreuz in Gold, an Oberleutnant who served in an anti tank unit of the elite Grossdeutschland Regiment. That was my starting point, and I wrote the Bundesarchiv Militararchiv (BA-MA) for copies of any extant documents on this Oblt. Karl Plange. Shortly after I received copies of the Karteikarte (from the reserve officer files) and the DKiG award card of Karl Plange. Key data provided by these documents were:
- Karteikarte: Date of birth 4.9.1914
- DKiG award card: Place of birth Wilhelmshafen; Next of kin: Mother, Hana Plange of Soest, Westf., with an address.
The information I was hoping to obtain, that is, the first name of his father, was not provided. I proceeded, therefore, to contact the Wilhelmshaven Stadarchiv and requested the information providing them with Karl´s date of bith. A month or so later they replied that they could not locate this name among the records of individuals born on that date. As a last attempt to achieve certainly on this piece, I contacted the Soest Stadtarchiv, as Soest was the place of residence of Karl´s mother during the war. In parallel, I heard from a previous owner of this dagger, that he believed this was in fact the right Karl Plange, a member of the famous Georg Plange flour and baked goods dynasty (Diamant Mühle Hamburg GmbH), which he had done business with in Germany. He believed there was in fact a Karl among their ancestors. The breakthrough, however, came a few weeks later from one of the employees of the Soest archive. This Karl Plange´s father was named Wilhelm Karl, no R initial. I concluded I had reached a dead end.
I proceeded to ask BA-MA if they could search again the full set of officer card file systems for any other matches for Heer officers named “Karl Plange.” There was another such individual, another Oberleutnant der Reserve, and his full personalakte was available. Once the CD arrived from BA-MA subcontractor Selke, I began to eagerly scan the 20+ documents looking for the “nächste angehörigen” (next of kin”) information nearly always found in these files. First two references were in the Kriegstammrolle of his unit, and it merely said: Vater: Dr. Plange. I feared I would never close the loop on this. Finally, on page two of the Wehrstammmbuch was written: “nächste angehörigen: Rudolf Plange, Düsseldorf, and street address. Perseverance had paid off. I began to plow through a wonderfully detailed treasure trove of information on the “real” Karl Plange. No photo, unfortunately, but just about everything else I could have hoped for.
II. Oberleutnant d. R. Karl Plange, Defender of Dieppe
Information gathered from his HPA file
Documents include Polizei Dresden file, Kriegstammrolle, Wehrstammbuch, etc
Karl Ernst Wilhelm Otto Plange, born in Düsseldorf 3.9.1914. Evangelical, single, a businessman by profession (“Kaufmann”) like his father Dr. Rudolf Plange, family residence on Weissermühlenstrasse 36, Düsseldorf
Highlights of his period in France (1940-1942)
1940, fighting along the Maginot Line
7.4.41 to Jan 43: Kustenschutz Atlantikuste Frankreich. Coastal artillery, French Atlantic coast.
His documentation mentions “Urlaub” holidays: 4-19 Jan 1940; 14-29 April 1940; 16. Aug to 7 Sept 1940.
From 12.1.42 to 7.2.42 Lehrgang at Kompanie Führer Schule Sisonne, France.
19.8.42 British landing Dieppe. His role at Dieppe is stated in two separate documents, and the same formula is used: 'Zerschlagung des brit.[ischen] Landungsversuchs bei Dieppe' Crushing their British landing attempt at Dieppe.
The Ostfront.
The 302 Infanterie Division was shipped frm France to Southern Ukraine in February 1943, and it took positions in Woroschilowgrad (Voroshylovhrad), on the Donets river, where it remained through March. The division began retreating westward, and in October it reached Saporoshje on the banks of the Dnjepr, and Nikopol in January 1944. Karl Plange was wounded in September 1943, when the division was somewhere between Mius and Saporoshje, He was killed in or around Bykovo, on the Northwestern edge of the Krim peninsula, while traveling with a Heer Marsch Bataillon, i.e. a temporary unit of men being returned to the front. (Source: Lexicon der Wehrmacht, Plange file)
I. Research process: The search for Karl´s father
The information gathered from the engraving on the dagger´s crossguard was simply: “R. Plange to his dear son Karl” (“R. Plange s.l. Sohn Karl”). I was, therefore, looking for a Heer officer named Karl Plange, whose father´s first initial was R. The name Plange was very rare during the war years, as evidenced in the published ranglisten (no matches), and the KIA/MIA online database of the Volksbund (4 matches for Plange, in a database of 4 million names)
Though the dealer who sold me this piece had not done any research on the inscription, I immediately found a Karl Plange listed among the recipients of the Deustche Kreuz in Gold, an Oberleutnant who served in an anti tank unit of the elite Grossdeutschland Regiment. That was my starting point, and I wrote the Bundesarchiv Militararchiv (BA-MA) for copies of any extant documents on this Oblt. Karl Plange. Shortly after I received copies of the Karteikarte (from the reserve officer files) and the DKiG award card of Karl Plange. Key data provided by these documents were:
- Karteikarte: Date of birth 4.9.1914
- DKiG award card: Place of birth Wilhelmshafen; Next of kin: Mother, Hana Plange of Soest, Westf., with an address.
The information I was hoping to obtain, that is, the first name of his father, was not provided. I proceeded, therefore, to contact the Wilhelmshaven Stadarchiv and requested the information providing them with Karl´s date of bith. A month or so later they replied that they could not locate this name among the records of individuals born on that date. As a last attempt to achieve certainly on this piece, I contacted the Soest Stadtarchiv, as Soest was the place of residence of Karl´s mother during the war. In parallel, I heard from a previous owner of this dagger, that he believed this was in fact the right Karl Plange, a member of the famous Georg Plange flour and baked goods dynasty (Diamant Mühle Hamburg GmbH), which he had done business with in Germany. He believed there was in fact a Karl among their ancestors. The breakthrough, however, came a few weeks later from one of the employees of the Soest archive. This Karl Plange´s father was named Wilhelm Karl, no R initial. I concluded I had reached a dead end.
I proceeded to ask BA-MA if they could search again the full set of officer card file systems for any other matches for Heer officers named “Karl Plange.” There was another such individual, another Oberleutnant der Reserve, and his full personalakte was available. Once the CD arrived from BA-MA subcontractor Selke, I began to eagerly scan the 20+ documents looking for the “nächste angehörigen” (next of kin”) information nearly always found in these files. First two references were in the Kriegstammrolle of his unit, and it merely said: Vater: Dr. Plange. I feared I would never close the loop on this. Finally, on page two of the Wehrstammmbuch was written: “nächste angehörigen: Rudolf Plange, Düsseldorf, and street address. Perseverance had paid off. I began to plow through a wonderfully detailed treasure trove of information on the “real” Karl Plange. No photo, unfortunately, but just about everything else I could have hoped for.
II. Oberleutnant d. R. Karl Plange, Defender of Dieppe
Information gathered from his HPA file
Documents include Polizei Dresden file, Kriegstammrolle, Wehrstammbuch, etc
Karl Ernst Wilhelm Otto Plange, born in Düsseldorf 3.9.1914. Evangelical, single, a businessman by profession (“Kaufmann”) like his father Dr. Rudolf Plange, family residence on Weissermühlenstrasse 36, Düsseldorf
Highlights of his period in France (1940-1942)
1940, fighting along the Maginot Line
7.4.41 to Jan 43: Kustenschutz Atlantikuste Frankreich. Coastal artillery, French Atlantic coast.
His documentation mentions “Urlaub” holidays: 4-19 Jan 1940; 14-29 April 1940; 16. Aug to 7 Sept 1940.
From 12.1.42 to 7.2.42 Lehrgang at Kompanie Führer Schule Sisonne, France.
19.8.42 British landing Dieppe. His role at Dieppe is stated in two separate documents, and the same formula is used: 'Zerschlagung des brit.[ischen] Landungsversuchs bei Dieppe' Crushing their British landing attempt at Dieppe.
The Ostfront.
The 302 Infanterie Division was shipped frm France to Southern Ukraine in February 1943, and it took positions in Woroschilowgrad (Voroshylovhrad), on the Donets river, where it remained through March. The division began retreating westward, and in October it reached Saporoshje on the banks of the Dnjepr, and Nikopol in January 1944. Karl Plange was wounded in September 1943, when the division was somewhere between Mius and Saporoshje, He was killed in or around Bykovo, on the Northwestern edge of the Krim peninsula, while traveling with a Heer Marsch Bataillon, i.e. a temporary unit of men being returned to the front. (Source: Lexicon der Wehrmacht, Plange file)
I love the notes that Plange did on the margin to add up the hours of the trip
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