ID help : very nice panzer RKT

[WJW]

A little note from an album identifies him as
Ed. Hollitzer from Komotau
His shoulder boards bear three numbers 13?
Dated 1945 as POW in Bad Reichenhall.

[jacquesf]

Interesting picture, have you noticed that his wrap does not have collar tabs or eagle . He has propably removed them as not to be identified as possible SS. Stange that he still has his awards. Maybe you should post it in the uniform section. Jacques

[WJW]

You are right. I hadn't noticed that to be honest.
Probably the panzer death heads were indeed not a good insignia to wear as a POW.

Nobody any idea who this RKT might be?

[DonC]

The Allied Control Commission mandated thatt he national emblem bearing the swastika had to be removed. It's a good bet as others have said that he did not want to be confused with the SS and thus got rid of the tabs.

Don

[Dave Kane]

Looks like an Iron Cross 2nd as stand-in for a Knight's Cross!

[phild]

Great example of a laquered pressed paper visor on a crusher cap.

[Simon O.]

There's no RKT by the name of Hollitzer. If the numbers on the boards are definitely 13* then the chances are it's 130, Panzer Lehr division.

[Federico Perez]

What is interesting is that the "national simbol" that was the eagle is not removed from the cap, also the type of picture and "pose" of the officer is to studio like, I have understand that POW photos should be with out cap or helmet for easy identification, also the swastika is present in the awards he have on the uniform. In almost every picture of POW the eagles are removed in every form.

It's a very interesting photo indeed as an POW.

Fred

[NickG]

To me he looks like a Leibstandarte tanker (Waffen SS) with LAH cyphers on the boards.
These cyphers appear to be way too big for numerical cyphers!! The collar appears to be silver piped, more common among SS tank officers, Heer would be pink colored...
The cut of the panzer wrapper also appears to be SS, with the front going straight down... This might explain the lack of breast eagle? Why remove the eagle from the tunic and not from the hat? The hat is obviously wehrmacht, so could it be a waffen SS tanker in disguise (who removed his SS collar tabs...why remove the entire tab if you can just remove the Heer pzr skulls if this was a Heer officer?) and wearing a Wehrmacht cap to complete the impression? (as a POW in 1945)?

Just a thought...I might be completely wrong, but still a cool picture and interesting theory!!!

[Simon O.]

On the subject of what they might or might not have worn as a 'POW' (actually strictly speaking there was no such thing as a German POW in 1945, they were all disarmed enemy personnel or disarmed former enemy personnel).

Things with swastikas that were easily taken on and off you will find in portrait type photos. Soldiers with very late war decorations often wanted a formal shot of themselves with all their medals if they didn't have one.

Here's an example, Oberstleutnant Franz Pöschl, last commander of GJR 143, photo taken ca.July 1945. Note the absence of the breast eagle

[WJW]

Indeed, there is no RKT with the name Hollitzer.
On the back the soldier dedicated the photo and signed his first name abbreviated as Ed. which I believe stands for Eduard.
However when one does a querry for Eduard in the RKT dbase there is none with a last name which comes even close to Hollitzer and there is no Eduard whose unit starts with 13x.

So for the moment I still haven't been able to ID him.

[LRRPS]

Ernst Alois Anton Hollitzer from Komotau is listed on volksbund.de. Died in '41, as Sturmmann.

So the family name Hollitzer have some connection to the city of Komotau.