Researching a missing SS soldier for family, help appreciated!

[Discostu]

Hi all,

I am doing some research for a friend who's SS relative disappeared sometime in 1943, and would like to find out what happened to him. I have been provided with a picture of a letter he sent as well as well as a modern German (and more readable) copy. The family is still trying to find a photo of him wearing his uniform with a specific insignia that would make it easy to identify his unit, but I am still waiting for that. The family isn't quite sure what happened to him, and they were contacted after the war by the U.S. government and might have had to change their name!


The SS soldiers name was Helmut Grotius, and I was told he was from the
" Kompanie Ersatz SS-Pionier-Batallion (4. Kompanie SS-Panzer-Grenadier-Regiment "Germania"


Here is the bad part. My friends cousin, who has done some research on the soldier, is "a tad crazy" , and he can't contact the cousin for obvious reasons.

If anyone could help me with research, suggest someone I could possibly pay for information or gather information at a specific archive I would be very grateful. I was also wondering if finding his gravestone (if there was one) would be possible.



Many thanks!

[Johnny R]

He is in the German War graves website but his specific burial site is not known.

http://www.volksbund.de/graebersuche.html

Nachname:Grotius
Vorname:Helmut
Dienstgrad:Unterscharführer
Geburtsdatum:17.09.1919
Geburtsort:Wittgendorf
Todes-/Vermisstendatum:10.01.1943
Todes-/Vermisstenort: Kursmojarski bei Simoniki-Kaukasus

The family can request information on him here-

http://www.dd-wast.de/

[Discostu]

Help!

Many thanks for the info Johnny!


Here is a photo of Helmut, as well as some other documents, including what I think is a burial map- these were given to my friend from the family member he does not like to talk to, and he is suspicious of the information though it all looks official, there are also a few other documents I am waiting for:


Could anyone identify his uniform? When they say his graveside is unidentified, does that mean it was never marked, or that it is there but not yet put on the records?


I would be willing to pay a researcher for any additional information! If someone had a unit photo album ( I know, near impossible) with a photo of him in it that would make the family very happy!


Cheers!

[Johnny R]

If you speak German I would send the map to the German War Graves site and inform them. They may have additional information. The letter says he was buried in a "Heldenfriedhof" which in this case probably means a small cemetery near a unit HQ or a field hospital but it could be a lone grave where he fell or a small group of unmarked graves dug after a battle etc. With marked graves, the Soviets usually removed grave markers and the cemeteries grew over with age but local people probably will know where it is.

If you do not speak German I can send this to them for you. There probably is someone who speak English there as well by now. Where is the burial location on the maps?

[Discostu]

Hi Johnny,

Again thank you for the information, anything helps really. I do not speak German though I would love to!

The 3 locations on the map in German read: Trubezkaja, Carpant, SALSK.

I don't even know if these are graves or perhaps battles? Can anyone identify the collar-tab?

Many thanks!\


EDIT: Just received these documents from the friend, though he would like more information I am not sure if there is any left to find. The name of his relative is blocked out of course, but neither he nor I can read German so not too sure what it says.

[MJC]

There is a single card entry to Grotius in the main SS personnel files at the US National Archives. There may be additional data in subsequent collections, but that will require some effort.

From what WASt provided to your friend, I am assuming their files contain the same card entry and little else.

Good luck with the project. Mike

[Ian Hulley]

Can anyone identify the collar-tab?

It's the standard runic 'SS2' 'Germania' tab used pre-war and at the start of hostilities.

Ian

[Discostu]

Hi guys,

Many, many thanks for the help- the family will be quite happy with the information. Thanks Ian for the SS identification and thanks MJC for the picture of the card, very useful!!

If anyone has any suggestions for hiring a private researcher I am all ears, I might make a trip down next year to the gravesite, and though I doubt the marker still exists its worth a chance.

There may be additional data in subsequent collections, but that will require some effort.

What collections would these be?

[MJC]

Additional biographic research can be made in the NSDAP collections to confirm Partei membership and activity, and in several smaller SS personnel collections. At best, this will probably yield small amounts of data.

Unit research including War Diaries can add specific historical context to the units actions that led to his death.

[Ian Hulley]

Here's a fake example of the same tab ...



Ian

[Johnny R]

I did not read it word for word but in short- There is no grave marker for him at his grave in Salsk, they are not sure where the burials are only the general location of the hospital cemetery. There is probably nothing there to see, as I said before locals probably can tell you the general location but that is about it. They have placed a large number of the unknown burials that they could find in the last 20 years etc. from the general region in a collective cemetery near Apsheronsk with his name on remembrance monument. If you would like a picture of the name there maybe someone to help you (2008 letter). As a side note, Russia in general and especially rural remote areas in that part of Russia will be tough for you to get around in without local language skills and probably not particularly safe either. I would try to contact local people through the internet before heading over there unaware of what conditions are going to be etc.