Michael Good, The Search for Major Plagge (New York: Fordham, 2005)
Too bad the book is only a couple of days´ read...really wonderful
The book is the account of Michael Good´s search for the Heer Major whose courage and determination to do what is right saved the lives of hundreds of Jews in Vilnius, Lithuania, including his mother.
A couple of chapters are devoted to the research and search for Major Plage, Kommandeur of Heeres Kraftfahr Park 562 in Vinius until the summer of 1944. Michael Good began his research with several requests to archives in the US, including NARA.
Mr. Good´s first request to NARA turned up only a possible match, a Hans Plagge who was both NSDAP and SS member. Then a contact at MIT suggested to him to start with a book, the 1944-45 Heer Rangliste. The book was located at a Harvard University library, and the librarian there was kind enough to seach for him, only to find no Plagges listed.
Then he wrote to WASt in Berlin and received no answer (surprise surprise). just browsing their website Good came to the correct conclusion: "One is not given access to these records unless you are identified as someone that the archival staff thinks has a right to know". back to NARA who found NO officer named Plagge in their records. Then on to Bundesarchiv Aachen, in German, and still nothing.
Good´s breakthrough came only when a retired Bundeswehr Oberst, a friend of a friend, volunteered to write the Bundesarchiv for him.
Interestingly, Major Plagge turned out to be a Major der Reserve Karl Plagge. As we have discussed here, I personally dont think Reserve officer Karteikarten are at NARA at all.
Anyway, if you havent read the book, I highly recomment it. http://www.searchformajorplagge.com/
Too bad the book is only a couple of days´ read...really wonderful
The book is the account of Michael Good´s search for the Heer Major whose courage and determination to do what is right saved the lives of hundreds of Jews in Vilnius, Lithuania, including his mother.
A couple of chapters are devoted to the research and search for Major Plage, Kommandeur of Heeres Kraftfahr Park 562 in Vinius until the summer of 1944. Michael Good began his research with several requests to archives in the US, including NARA.
Mr. Good´s first request to NARA turned up only a possible match, a Hans Plagge who was both NSDAP and SS member. Then a contact at MIT suggested to him to start with a book, the 1944-45 Heer Rangliste. The book was located at a Harvard University library, and the librarian there was kind enough to seach for him, only to find no Plagges listed.
Then he wrote to WASt in Berlin and received no answer (surprise surprise). just browsing their website Good came to the correct conclusion: "One is not given access to these records unless you are identified as someone that the archival staff thinks has a right to know". back to NARA who found NO officer named Plagge in their records. Then on to Bundesarchiv Aachen, in German, and still nothing.
Good´s breakthrough came only when a retired Bundeswehr Oberst, a friend of a friend, volunteered to write the Bundesarchiv for him.
Interestingly, Major Plagge turned out to be a Major der Reserve Karl Plagge. As we have discussed here, I personally dont think Reserve officer Karteikarten are at NARA at all.
Anyway, if you havent read the book, I highly recomment it. http://www.searchformajorplagge.com/
Comment