Help appreciated on handwriting; a friend of a StuG Officer

[Akira Takiguchi]

Here is a picture of an officer named Hader.

<img src="http://www.history.jp/images/Hader.jpg">

And on the back is his dedication to his friend:

<img src="http://www.history.jp/images/Hader-rev.jpg">

It appears to read:

Meinen alten
Jugendfreund und
Kameraden
? Gelferd
zur Erinnerung an
deinen
? Hader
am 1.9.1943

But I can't get the two names... Your help is appreciated!

[Robin Lumsden]

H...ram?

Fred?

[Alexander Zöller]

Guntram. Doesn't match the "G" in Gelferd but it would be a valid first name.

Like Robin I believe the other name is Fred.

[PanzerPeter]

Meinen alten
Jugendfreund und
Kameraden
? Gelferd
zur Erinnerung an
deinen
? Hader
am 1.9.1943

Hallo All!
in my view, and because I'm German speaking:

Meinem alten
Jugendfreund und
Kameraden
Guntram Gelferd
zur Erinnerung an
seinen Fred Hader
am 1.9.1943.

[Akira Takiguchi]

Verdammt, again the same grammatical mistake! My brain does not learn...
Thank you everybody for your help!

The golden rule: "when two appears differently, two are not the same" does not seem to apply this case... Though pretty differently written, the two starting character must be "G".

I have some ~200 photos from a StuG officer, whose name had been unknown to me. When my friend Florian von Aufsess opened his site (http://www.die-sturmartillerie.com/), I learned that Flo also has some from this officer.

http://www.die-sturmartillerie.com/konv189.htm

Now that we see his name, I can tell something more from photos (both I and Flo have no documents at all, unfortunately):

Gelferd (kind of Malcolm McDowell lookalike) started his career in Pz.Rgt.35. Then he was transferred to artillery, first to Art.Lehr.Rgt. "Jüterbog", then to StuG.Abt.185, apparently with Fritz Scherer who would later receive Ritterkreuz with StuG.Abt.189 (Flo's page incorrectly labels Gelferd's unit as 189 perhaps because of this).

There are photos of him with "204" shoulder boards. Maybe at one time he was with short-lived StuG.Abt.204.

Gelferd was transferred to StuG.Abt.244, then... Until today I did not know that...

he was killed in action on September 12, 1943 as Oberleutnant.

From the Volksbund database:

Nachname: Gelferd
Vorname: Guntram
Dienstgrad: Oberleutnant
Geburtsdatum: 02.02.1918
Geburtsort: Hanau/M.
Todes-/Vermisstendatum: 12.09.1943
Todesort: Troitzkoje

[J.N. Houterman]

It appears to read:

Meinen alten
Jugendfreund und
Kameraden
? Gelferd
zur Erinnerung an
deinen
? Hader
am 1.9.1943

But I can't get the two names... Your help is appreciated!

Cant help much

Meinem alten
Jugendfreund und
Kameraden
Guntram Gelferd
zur Erinnerung an
seinem
?[Fred?] Hader [or Heider?]
am 1.9.1943

"Meinem" = indicates "to my"
"seinem" = indicates "from his"

As to the names: one would expect perhaps "Bertram", but I don't think that's written. And as to the second name: the dot above the name could perhaps indicate a "i" somewhere

Sorry, but just didn't notice all the already posted replies.

Cheers,

Hans

[Akira Takiguchi]

Hans, I think you are right about Heider...

I was incorrect about Scherer. The original Biblio RK book talks about 185, but the modified information in Die Sturmartillerie im Bild talks only about 189. Sorry Flo, you were not incorrect!

Therefore, Gelferd fought in: 185 -> 189 -> 244 (at least).

[Akira Takiguchi]

Portrait of Gelferd:

<img src="http://www.history.jp/images/Gelferd1942.jpg">

A Sturmgesch&uuml;tz III from 3 (triangle) Batterie, StuG.Abt.185. Gelferd appears to be to the right:

<img src="http://www.history.jp/images/Gerferd-3-185.jpg">

[D. Löwenhamn]

Nice photos, Akira. Knight''s cross holder and Batterie commander Gottfried Geißler is still alive. I don't know if he replies anymore but I'm sure he would be happy to see these photos. Perhaps you even have photos showing him?

Best regards/ Daniel

[ManuelR]

akira, nice photos! I also have photos from this man but I thought his name was
achim hauber, check kurowski sturmgeschutz vor from the fedamigos.page 233.this man has exactly the same hair and very similar face! what do you think? regards manuel
check the photo against flos page opening photo.
by the way if anyone knows where I can get the biblio rk stug book please let me know! a long time looking for it!

[Akira Takiguchi]

Daniel, as you know Herr Geißler was the Batterieführer of 3. Batterie, so most probably he knows Gelferd well... There is no photo of Geißler in Gelferd's estate, but I have photo of him in Reval from an album of 291.Infanterie-Division.

Recently I encountered a problem with the Batterie insignia of 185. Geißler was seen in Riga and Reval (with RK this time). But StuGs in Riga had triangle insignia and StuGs in Reval had rectangle insignia. As far as I know there is no information regarding Geißler's transfer (or temporary position change).

Manuel, there is no doubt about him being Guntram Gelferd. Other writings confirms it.