Need help researching commander of a POW Bau-und-Arbeits Bataillons

[WWII researcher]

Hey guys,

I would greatly appreciate any assistance in my research of the Kommandeur of Kreigsgefangenen Bau-und-Arbeits Bataillon VI (6), located in Koeln-Wahn, Wehrkreis VI, as of Nov 1940. The Bataillon was a Landschuetzen unit, formed from Landwehr/Reserve officers, which has made the research difficult. The POWs were French. I am just looking for the commander's name at this point, from which I can do further research.

I have done extensive research in the US Archives, German Military Archives (in Freiburg), and with the WASt. Surprisingly, there do not seem to be any records reflecting the names of the commanders of those types of units. I believe that information must exist somewhere!! (Perhaps the French investigated the commanders of French POW units after the war ended? Has anyone ever looked into those kind of records?)

Any assistance or suggestions would be greatly appreciated!

Thanks,
Bob

[Gerdan]

Bob

did you ask the local Cologne archive (Stadtarchiv Köln) ?

Gerdan

[WWII researcher]

Gerdan,

Yes and no. The Koeln city government runs an archive dedicated to labor camp and labor unit history for that area. They provided me with some very basic information about the site where B.u.A.B. VI most likely operated in 1940/41/42. But they did not have information about the name of the commander.

If you have conducted research with city archives in Germany, is there a particular branch of the city archive that you think would be useful toward this research?

Thanks
Bob

[juoneen]

The german government is famous for being unhelpful for ww2 research done by outsiders. Dont expect help from them, youll get more help from records here in the usa, but you will spendmuch time finding the answer unless someone here happens to know, but maybe a german collector may know.(by chance)

[Gerdan]

Bob
as I know that the Koeln City runs this special archive for labor camp and TR I wanted that you ask them.
The problem is always that the files and documents of most of these organizations have been burned at the end of WW2.

Gerdan

[WWII researcher]

Thanks for the suggestions and recommendations guys. I've had mixed experiences with the archives in Germany. Some of the staff have been very helpful, and others not at all. Same in the US. Also, as Gerdan noted, many of the records in major German cities were destroyed during the war. In this case, even if some correspondence or other records survived with the Kommandeur's signature, they might be buried so deep in other files that an archivist wouldn't know where to look.

I was hoping that someone on the forum might have the "magic bullet" of where to find information on this type of unit. But it's not looking too hopeful at the moment.

Thanks!
Bob