Volunteer to fight in Russia ?

[PIERRE.H]

Hi all,

I've just bought these items on a flea market in North of France, near Belgium.
The seller told me that the guy on documents was a belgian soldier. Then he was a volunteer to fight with german troops in Russia. He was KIA on East front.
Have you an advice about the photos ( and also this story )
Cheers
Pierre

[PIERRE.H]

Pic1 - Belgian soldiers ?

[PIERRE.H]

Pic 2 - censored letter to her mother

[PIERRE.H]

Pic 3 - Photo and Remembrance card

[PIERRE.H]

Pic4 - annoucement

[Tim DC]

Hello Pierre,
This story makes sense to me.
If so, I think he should have belonged to the "Legion Wallonie": here's a link with some information about that: http://www.geocities.com/narwa44/article1.htm
I think that you should go and ask some other members of this forum who are specialized in Belgian collaboration. Many of them are active in the following thread: http://dev.wehrmacht-awards.com/foru...ad.php?t=26867 ... just go and ask ! I'm sure they will be able to tell you more than I do. Hope this helps.
BR,
Tim

[PIERRE.H]

Thanks a lot for help, Tim !

[Thomas V.]

Pierre,
I'm afraid this man had nothing to do with either Flemish or any other sort of collaboration. Look at the town from which he was from; Manderfeld. Manderfeld is, today, indeed Belgian territory but the inhabitans still speak German as this area is the "Ostkanton". After WWI, Belgium got a piece of Germany for being part of the victors. Manderfeld is located in this small area. After the invasion of May 1940, Germany simply took it back and as such, the inhabitans were subject to possible draft in the Wehrmacht. That's what happened here. So it's a bit complicated to understand perhaps, but as you can see from the name, uniform and place of death he was not related to the concept of "collaboration".

[PIERRE.H]

No trace of this soldier in the volksbund site... Is it because he was not a german guy ?

[Tim DC]

No trace of this soldier in the volksbund site... Is it because he was not a german guy ?

No, I've already seen some Belgian volunteers in the database too.
Probably his body was never burried or he is burried at a cemetary in the East who don't keep records.