Unknown tank killer not unknown anymore?

[naxos]

http://de.metapedia.org/wiki/Treptau,_Heinz_Adalbert

This is not good research just propaganda for your investment

[naxos]

Is Treptau is making this up, stretching the truth in his photo album?

This is not 1944, and he never commanded a tank.

In May - June 1944 the commander of Feld-Ersatz Btl 200 was Hauptmann Wilhelm von Braucke - Major Adolf Sommer commanded Feld-Ersatz Btl 200 not until late in 1944

[germanmedals]

Yes this is the article. The author was relaying on the pictures i have send to him in first emails and connected them with some facts from literature. How and where did he get all the facts he wrote i'm not sure and we havent gotten threw the article jet for corrections. This is the first version and not jet corrected cause i have send him more pictures to deal with them.

The second part of album is suposed to be completed after war. How this was done or actualy from who, i have no idea. Today i received the message from the previous owner that the picker who got this set for him doesnt want to reveal the family's name. The set was examined many times from other collectors in person, and they all liked it as many from the pictures here in the first thread, but as said before, the newly collected information doesnt jet fully connect right with the pictures shown.

Again, I invite all the "quiet" observers to share their minds what logical possibilities can be put next to this story....i will post more pictures in next days cause I'm away.

[Lionel H.]

Heinz-Adalbert CHEATER

100% agree with Naxos. All serious "Normandy-Collector" will if you tell them these Pics have been taken in Normandy..... and for course a "x" over a Soldier too far to been idenbtified is an old Trick.

So, once more - and very quietly - this Guy was probably the greatest Cheater from the postwar Germany.

For me there is no more mystery at all and follow to "feed" this Thread is giving to much importance at this Cheater, and even an offense for all Soldiers who risked their Lives for their Country, regardless of Nationality.

As a Collector, I would NEVER keep the littlest Thing concerning this Cheater, which is IMO by far less interesting as a Group than the littlest Soldbuch + EK.II award document REALLY won in the HKL (Hauptkampflinie)

[germanmedals]

Some pictures, expecialy from the may 44 on are mixed and not cronicaly arranged,...there is also one of a surending british general amongs them. Also many last pictures are notoriginal photographs, but like photocopys on certain themes, mostly panzer.

Again,...howw the hell is possible that there is nothing to be found on this soldier after may 1944????

Here is a request,...can somebody find the date of death of Heinz Adalbert Treptau?

[naxos]

...howw the hell is possible that there is nothing to be found on this soldier after may 1944????

That is the best question yet!

.

Here is a logical explanation, hidden in your research:

"Die Deutsche Dienststelle (WASt) hatte Oberleutnant Heinz Treptau als Angehörigen des Feldersatz-Bataillons 200, der 21. Panzer-Division unterstellt, die südlich der Stadt Caen lag, ... am 1. August 1944 als „vermißt im Einsatzraum Normandie“ verzeichnet>"

On August 1, 1944 the Wehrmacht officially listed Treptau as missing on the invasion front in Normandy (MIA) and nothing was recorded or heard of him until he returned home, a year later, in August 1945

- It seems that he was captured in August 1944 and spent the rest of the war in a POW camp.

The private family pictures were taken after his return, during Summer 1945 and back dated to Christmas 1944.
(The child in the picture looks more like 1 and a half year, then 10 month old)

This scenario is much less of a stretch to explain this mystery and actually plausible.

If he was an American POW there must be a file on him somewhere - I would look for that.

.

[germanmedals]

At NARA they cant help me cause files of POW were supposed to be destroyed,...any other place to ask?

[jmark]

It seems that he was captured in August 1944 and spent the rest of the war in a POW camp.

The private family pictures were taken after his return, during Summer 1945 and back dated to Christmas 1944.
(The child in the picture looks more like 1 and a half year, then 10 month old)

This scenario is much less of a stretch to explain this mystery and actually plausible.

I completely agree with this assessment. Treptau probably felt hard done by (not being awarded the 3 TDB), so he awarded them to himself upon his return from captivity. He may have also felt he deserved the CCC and RK. I may be reading too much into it, but his character assessment in his PA shows him to be an ambitious, driven soldier, so adding some tinsel to his CV just after the war – awards he felt he'd earned – is not much of a stretch of the imagination.

Are there any photos in the album showing him wearing his RK while amongst other soldiers? The only ones seen are with his family or standing alone in front of a map.

Lionel, this is a interesting case of a guy glorifying himself (known as a "Walter Mitty" in English). With other Walter Mittys, we normally see just a single photo of a guy plastered with medals – like he's covered himself in glue and rolled around in a trough of medals – but in this case, there's quite an extensive paper trail.

Jason

[shunt]

Treptau with his family.

My name is Patrick Treptau and I am the grandson of Heinz Treptau and I can confirm from the pictures and handwriting that this is my grandfather. The child in the picture is my dad, Peter Treptau, born Nov 1943 and my grandma, Hermine Treptau, maiden name Schmid.

I didn't know anything about my grandpa's past in WW2 at all, but I did know that he was born in Memel, former East Prussia, and later settled in Munich. He was president of the local 1860 football club and then retired near the Austrian border. He passed away a few years ago.

If you need more infos, please let me know.

[shunt]

Some pictures, expecialy from the may 44 on are mixed and not cronicaly arranged,...there is also one of a surending british general amongs them. Also many last pictures are notoriginal photographs, but like photocopys on certain themes, mostly panzer.

Again,...howw the hell is possible that there is nothing to be found on this soldier after may 1944????

Here is a request,...can somebody find the date of death of Heinz Adalbert Treptau?

I have to ask my aunt for the exact date, but his year of death was 2010. His birthdate was July 2nd 1917.

[shunt]

Is Treptau is making this up, stretching the truth in his photo album?

This is not 1944, and he never commanded a tank.

In May - June 1944 the commander of Feld-Ersatz Btl 200 was Hauptmann Wilhelm von Braucke - Major Adolf Sommer commanded Feld-Ersatz Btl 200 not until late in 1944

My grandfather, Heinz Treptau, was known to stretch the truth quite a little bit. For example, I know that he posed in front of a mountain for a picture claiming that he climbed the mountain by himself, but I know from my grandma that he didn't. He was a bit of a poser, so I would not be surprised, if this is all made up.

[Ludwig]

Very interesting and honest information, Patrick!
Not everyone would admit that Opa was a Spinner!

[Lionel H.]

Hi Patrick. Great and definitive addition to this Thread Patrick, vielen Dank dafür.
Without knowing the Identity of this Soldier, I clearly said at the very beginning of another Thread to the same subject that a KC Holder with 3 TDB's that none of the Specialists may name was just a "Märchen".
Your contribution is precious and stops the endless speculations "Seller telling Stories and buyers happy to believe them". As - if I remember well - this Pic was the main element to attest the Authenticity of a Tunic shown elsewhere on the Forum, the Tunic is also a joke, IMO just good to fit an hollywoodian Actor for the 2nd Opus of "Inglorious Bastard".

[shunt]

Hi Patrick. Great and definitive addition to this Thread Patrick, vielen Dank dafür.
Without knowing the Identity of this Soldier, I clearly said at the very beginning of another Thread to the same subject that a KC Holder with 3 TDB's that none of the Specialists may name was just a "Märchen".
Your contribution is precious and stops the endless speculations "Seller telling Stories and buyers happy to believe them". As - if I remember well - this Pic was the main element to attest the Authenticity of a Tunic shown elsewhere on the Forum, the Tunic is also a joke, IMO just good to fit an hollywoodian Actor for the 2nd Opus of "Inglorious Bastard".

Oh, yes and he had two kids: Heinz-Peter Treptau (my dad, born Nov 2nd 1945, deceased 1985) and Annelies Treptau (born, I believe 1947, still alive), so....wait....I just noticed something. My dad died at the age of 40 in Nov 1985, he must have been born Nov 2 1945 (not 1943!!!!), so this picture in the uniform must have been taken 1946-1947! Wow. I am speechless...

If you let me know, what a "KC" and "TDB" is, I'll try to find out, but I wouldn't be surprised at all, if a lot of this is made up. It's just how he was. My aunt showed me stacks of photo albums with ridiculous made up stuff, which on one hand made me chuckle, but on the other hand I found quite disturbing, if he really took those fairytales seriously and not as a silly joke.

All I can attest is that this is my grandpa in the pics and the notes are his handwriting. I would not rule out that the pics of Normandy were staged, that the coat and medal(s) were borrowed or aquired elsewhere and that the tank stories are made up. I do know that he was a driver, but nothing really apart from that. If he was indeed a WW2 "hero", I am sure I would have heard about it, but, then again, I may not, because I don't think it would be very glorious to talk about German WW2 heroism in the post-war years. My other grandpa never really talked about his WW2 past either. So, who knows?

Anyway: Great thread about my family and a lot great research done for my geneology tree.

Patrick Treptau

[germanmedals]

Hello Patrick. Thank you for your response here and on the email. I hope we will finally get to the bottom of this research with your help and everything that might still be out there.

Heinz Treptau military file from march 1944 states of him having a son,...so your father must have been born in nov. 1943 and not later.