Timeline

[JOHN JONES]

I bid high on the below picture, and paid $31 for a 2" x 3" peice of
100 gsm card with a 2 micron inmage laid upon it.
Advertised as Para Graves in Russia, the Para link bumped the price up,
but its not in Russia.
The key is the grave on the left with the M35 atop, it links with one I
already have.
It is in fact a grave site in the NARVIK area, part of a now deleted thread,
Simon Orchard came up with some great info, that I will try to cut and paste.
I seem to remember another member adding a shot taken from the left.

My question is, did the German Army have grave registration units? or was
this dealt with by the often mentioned ' baggage train ' which folllowed the
units.
Fritz wild grave in my second shot, is recently laid an the brush is quite high
at the back. By the time of the 2nd shot, the mound has been sided and the
helmet is now atop and a gravel design laid in, and the brush cut back.
Fritz even has the unusual oval signwriters made plaque, whilst apart from
the other silver birch cross, the others have any old wood. Of course
date of death, does not mean date of burial.

CHEERS.
John.

[JOHN JONES]

Here is the original picture.
And the info Simon is below.
The first picture is from the e-bay sale, as I have yet to get the
item in the mail.

When it arrives I will scan the graves that look like details
can be read.

Cheers.
John.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
On the 28th May 2 large attacks were mounted by the allies, the first was along the peninsular South of Narvik, called Ankenes, by the Poles against II./GJR 139. This attacked pushed the German off the peninsular and inland. The second was by French and Norwegian forces to the North of Narvik and was an amphibious assault which had as it's aim the recapture of Narvik town itself, which the allies succeeded in doing. Also on this day the Germans flew in a Do26 (that was a typo in the previous post) with one mountain gun early in the day, well late at night actually but there's permanent daylight at this time of year. Later in the day, at 19:30 two Do26 seaplanes landed with one mountain gun a piece, whilst offloading the guns they were spotted by British fighters which promptly attacked and destroyed both. The Germans managed to get one of the guns ashore safely but one man was killed and several others wounded. Perhaps this is the grave of the soldier who died.

[Gerdan]

I had a look in the list of the Voksbund and there is a Fritz Wild,
* 7 Dec 1916 in Kapfenberg + 28 May 1940 near Forsnat /Norway

His grave is now : cemetery Narvik Block 8, Row A, Grave 1

This could be your Fritz Wild.

Gerdan

[JOHN JONES]

Hello Gerdan,
Thanks for the info, it certainly seems to be the same
guy. Being a longtime occupied country, I presume a formal cemetary
was later established.

I got the pic this morning, and I hope you can confirm the same for the
readable graves.
Firstly a very basic marker, no unit or D.O.D.

UNBECK DANT..?

cheers.
John

[Gerdan]

Indeed: an unknown soldier's grave.

Unbekannt ... für Gross - Deutschland" is the text I can read. Unknown (died)

for Greater Germany.

Gerdan

[JOHN JONES]

Thanks Gerd .................
Sad really, a family never knows....

2nd Pic GEFR JOHANN GRUBLER

II / Gerbjager Regt 137.

Died the same day as fritz, I have a theory.
Arty unit lost 3 of 4 guns and killed and wounded. left out of the line, so
time for decent burial of their single KIA.

Grubler and unknown, fighting the poles on the same day, bodies probably
not recovered till battle was won, thus the later burial.
The design of last 4 pretty much the same, earthen bank and old tiles laid
as decoration, markers are whatever was to hand.

Cheers,
John.

[Gerdan]

Hi John,

I think you know it:

the today grave of Hans Grubler is also situated on the cemetery in Narvik:

Block 8, Reihe A, Grave 3 - close to his companion Fritz Wild.

Gerdan

[JOHN JONES]

Many thanks for that Gerdan.
One Grave apart in 1940, one Grave apart forever now.

Hope one day to visit and get a picture and lay the copy photo.

Cheers,
John.

[JOHN JONES]

Narvik railway station during the war.
Do any recent visitors know if it has changed much?

CHEERS.
John.

[Simon O.]

We can really narrow things down now.

The marker doesn't says II./GJR 137 but 11./GJR137. ie. the 11 company which belonged the III Btl. Now, the two composite companies from the regiment were formed from the I and III Btl. We also know who commanded the company from the III Btl. Oberleutnant Erich Schwaiger who was also killed that same day, 28th May 1940 (you'll find him listed on the volksbund database).
This company was acting as an alarm unit and when the Germans realised the allies were attempting an amphibious landing on the North side of Narvik (2 French Foreign Legion btls. and a Norwegian Btl. supported by tanks, Royal Navy fire support, artillery and air) the company was rushed down the rail line from the Bjørnfjell area to put in a counterattack. This counterattack came under naval artillery fire and the company suffered heavy casualties. The lack of name on the one marker was quite likely because there wasn't enough left to identify the man.

This amphibious assault was, i believe the first of it's kind during the war, mirroring the landings of later years it included the use of landing craft, an opposed beach landing, naval gunfire support and air support. This allied victory which resulted in the recapture of Narvik town is forgotten due to the greater events happening in France which were also to be the cause of the allies decision to pull out of North Norway just 10 days later.


If you use google earth you will find photos of the Narvik train station as it looks today.

[JOHN JONES]

Hello Simon,
Many thanks for the ID correction..
And needless to say I am impressed by the additional information,
its nice to put some detail behind the events of so long ago, that
relate to the photo.

A the risk of turning it into a trainspotters forum , some of the station
to follow, suspect the old buildings have gone or been altered to reflect
modern transport needs.

Cheers,
John.

Main building today..................

[JOHN JONES]

2.

[JOHN JONES]

Rear of the buildings in my wartime shot, this being 1930's

[JOHN JONES]

War damage ...........