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    #1

    The Hunt For Obgf. Töpter

    Hello all,
    I’m enlisting anyone who’s willing or has the resources to help me find anything on Herr Töpter. I recently found a M40 Luftwaffe helmet with the name of Obgf. Töpter penned in on the shell’s skirt. I wish I had more to start on but all I have is a name and service branch. I also know he was in the Luftwaffe before 1942 (the chinstrap on the helmet is dated 1941). Anyone know where to start?
    Any help is greatly appreciated, thank you!


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    #2
    the name is Töpfer

    Obergefreiter Töpfer


    There are 454 KIA and MIA soldiers named Töpfer listed in the German war grave registry.
    Also, a higher number of soldiers by this name survived the war.
    Without a first name or a birth date, i.e. death date it is impossible to identify this man.

    .
    Last edited by naxos; 06-16-2018, 11:46 PM.

    Comment

      #3
      Originally posted by naxos View Post
      the name is Töpfer

      Obergefreiter Töpfer


      There are 454 KIA and MIA soldiers named Töpfer listed in the German war grave registry.
      Also, a higher number of soldiers by this name survived the war.
      Without a first name or a birth date, i.e. death date it is impossible to identify this man.

      .


      Darn, thank you for your help
      Could you link me to he German war registry’s website?
      Thanks again!


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      Comment

        #4
        Originally posted by Stickfigure21 View Post
        Darn, thank you for your help
        Could you link me to he German war registry’s website?
        Thanks again!
        http://www.volksbund.de/graebersuche.html

        Here is a name sample
        Attached Files

        Comment

          #5
          Originally posted by naxos View Post
          http://www.volksbund.de/graebersuche.html



          Here is a name sample


          Thank you!!


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          Comment

            #6
            Further identification

            While seemingly impossible at this time to positively identify this man (without the
            use of DNA, major effort and insane amounts of cash), if you want to, you could narrow it down a bit.

            First, is there a RELIABLE source of information as to who brought
            back the helmet, and any information from the veteran orsurviving relatives?
            If known, what unit was the veteran in? (The veteran could have gotten
            it in a trade, never having left the Quartermaster's Corps in England.)

            Next, sort out all services besides Luftwaffe.
            Next, since the helmet is in the West, it's a fair assumption that
            odds are, it was sent/brought home by a Western Front veteran.

            Sort out all KIA and MIA on the Eastern front.

            Sort out unlikely candidates by rank/date of death/MIA.
            For example, it's unlikely that Obgr. Toepfer was KIA 6 months
            later, having been promoted to Stabsfeldwebel or Leutnant.

            I would be hesitant to assume his Luftwaffe service date
            quite so exactly by the date on the chinstrap, as the
            helmet could have been re-issued. If the standard German practice
            was to mark their helmets when issued in Basic Training (I don't know),
            that might be helpful, especially if the helmet was never repainted
            while in service and there is no evidence of a second name.

            Then there is the hopeful possibility that he was captured, survived
            the war and went on to have a long, happy life. Without DNA, that
            may be as far as you can get with today's resources. You might be
            surprised at how much you can narrow down the pool of most-likely
            candidates of Luftwaffe KIA/MIA, given that the Luftwaffe was not the
            largest service, and Toepfer (sorry, don't know how to type an umlaut)
            is a relatively uncommon name -- as opposed to Bauer, Schneider,
            Schmidt, usw.

            If a list of all Toepfers who SERVED in the Luftwaffe were available, the
            detective work could go further.

            I applaud your interest in the man behind the helmet, and hope you will
            consider further effort, although it seems unlikely we can pin him down
            with today's resources or without a master stroke of luck. (E.g., the veteran
            who brought back the helmet walks up to you and says, "I forgot -- I also
            have his Soldbuch -- would you like to have it?")

            One can dream!
            Best,
            John

            Comment

              #7
              Thank you for your reply John! Now if only I can figure out how this damn war grave website works, I put in the info I’m looking for and then it asks for MY info? Do I need an account? Why does it never show results?


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              Comment

                #8
                The war graves site only includes the dead. In other words a minority of soldiers. The names of soldiers who survived the war are currently off limits, so any research you do is pretty much a waste of time. Even if you find a seemingly perfect match, you will be missing out on 80% of the potential matches.
                If you had a precise history of the helmet or info about the unit you could do more. With the name and rank only, I doubt you could find anything conclusive even if you had full access to the German archives.
                I was able to get a pretty solid match based on initials alone, but that is because it was a ground dug helmet I excavated myself and knew the local history extremely well: http://dev.wehrmacht-awards.com/foru...ghlight=Sputek

                JL

                Comment

                  #9
                  Originally posted by Stickfigure21 View Post
                  Thank you for your reply John! Now if only I can figure out how this damn war grave website works, I put in the info I’m looking for and then it asks for MY info? Do I need an account? Why does it never show results?


                  Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
                  No account needed, just type your infos, tick the "i,agree"-box, and you are in.

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