Photo album of RKT Major Klaus Düwell

[jmark]

Nice album, Larry! One of my favourite divisions

I'll try transcribing some of the captions for you.

#1 Ib - Gef.Stand Solarolo 305.I.D. Okt./Nov. 44
#2 Beim Rückzug nach der 3. Cassinoschlacht
#3 Toni Schneider und ich. Galeata
#4 Solarolo. General Hauck b.d. [Ver???ung] mit Panzerfaust. (PS. I am in contact with Hauck's sons and have looked through many of his photos. I've never seen this one before.)
#8 Besuch das General-, Generalgruppen-, Armeen-, durch [ins???] bei [Verwaltungstruppen?] 305.I.D.

Hopefully Gerdan can correct my mistakes.
Jason

[WEISNER]

Very nice Larry thanks for showing these photos! interestingly I think that in the photo in the second post the negative was flipped when originally developed, as it looks like the RK swastika rotates backwards? am I right or are my eyes that bad?

Best of luck with your caption translation Larry and thanks again for sharing!

Kevin

[Larrister]

Hi Jason,

Thanks very much for the translations. It has helped a lot.

Thanks Kevin. You are right, the negative was reversed when the photo was developed.

Cheers,
Larry

[piw]

Superb kubelwagen photo.

[Bryant U.]

Wonderful album Larry. Thanks for sharing.

Bryant

[Elwyn]

Dieter Zinke at AHF suggested besuch das Heers-, Heeresgruppen, Armee-, Korpsintendanten bei Verwaltungstruppen 305 I.D. I too thought it was "general" from my un-trained Anglo Saxon eyes but I think he was right as it was a curly Sütterlein "S" at the end of a word and not an "l".

Over the years I had a number of candidates for Josef Vichytil. He was kmdrt z WM bevollmächtigter in Italien and then Hohen Kmdr d Nachschub in Northern Italy. I thought of the two generals visiting 305 ID, the one without glasses could be a contender. But I had my reservation when I saw this on Ebay primarily because the other general wearing glasses looked like a GenLt from his epaulette. Vichytil was only a GenMj and the body language was odd that "Vichytil" could be walking in front of a GenLt. Now that you have a close-up, the shoulder board of the general with glasses seem to have the serpent insignia of a Sanitätsgeneral and not a GenLt. So I am almost sure he was Vichytil -- he looks like the same man in Hans Houterman's site.

Larry, one more man we could identify, which you don't have here, was in what was being offered there was one with a caption "ObstLt i.G. Schuster". That was ObstLt i.G. Wilhelm Schuster, firstly Ia 305 I.D. then bumped up to Ia AOK 14.

Cheers
Elwyn

[Larrister]

Thanks very much guys.

Elwyn, I have compared my photo with the photo of Vichytil on Hans Houterman's site. I agree with you, it is a very close resemblence.

The other General remains a mystery at this stage. I had a close look at his shoulder board and where you may have seen a serpent insignia looks to me to be where some of his braid has lifted.

The board looks to be that for a Generalmajor.

Here is the photo which accompanied the text "ObstLt i.G. Schuster". Is that him in the back of the car?

Cheers,
Larry

[Larrister]

Another from the album.

[Larrister]

What does W.u. G. stand for?

[Larrister]

2.

[Larrister]

Major's boards?

[jmark]

What does W.u. G. stand for?

Waffen und Gerät

[Elwyn]

That's the problem... no idea who was who.


WuG, I think, is Waffen und Gerät Offizier at the Division Stab level. Ok Jason just beat me to it. You guys are about to go to bed. I just got up!

Cheers
Elwyn

[mufasa]

also for me 305 is a special division .... really great pictures! expecially that of Galeata and the nr. "avviso ai partigiani" (Notice to partisan)...

[Larrister]

Thanks to Jason and Elwyn for the translation.
Also to mufasa. I noticed that sign on the wall but didn't know its significance.
Thanks for the translation.

There seems to be a lot of rail bridge photos in the album. Were these bridges on the 305 ID's retreat route? The rail bridge near Selva del Bocchetto has been heavily damaged, repaired and damaged again.

Another couple of bridge related photos.

Cheers,
Larry