Pionier Officer Cap - Double EREL - Named/Unit Marked - Need Sutterlin Translation

[Colorado]

This Double EREL Pioneer ventilated visor cap is about a size 57 or 58 (7 1/4). The cap is in great shape other than some moth nips on the top of the visor and some nips unseen under the flap at the top of the band.

I went to the Volksbund site to research the name "Wellsin", and nothing. I went Google.de for the name "Wellsin", but nothing. So, am I reading the name incorrectly? Looks like "H. Hans Wellsin", what do you see on the name tag?

Does it look like he is from Engineer Abteilung, 530 Infantry (Reserve)? Thanks in advance.

[Colorado]

Inside

[Colorado]

3

[BaselA]

Pionier Officer Cap - Double EREL - Named/Unit Marked - Need Sutterlin Transl...

Piping looks medical blue on my screen. Great cap!!!

[nonameno]

Hello Jeff,
Lovely visor cap indeed. In my opinion though, it is more likely cornflower blue piping for Medical staff. I also think the script says Laz (Lazarett - or medical) abt. Possibly saying Oberstabartz for the rank, and Kommanduer Division lazarett abt.....
Thank you for sharing,
Curtiss

[Colorado]

Thanks Gentlemen glad you like the cap. Of course what you say makes more sense and is course a pleasant surprise.

What is sad is my eyes now have trouble differentiating black from blue.

[DJenkins]

IMO the tag reads:

Oberstarzt Dr. Hans Wellein
Kdr. der Kr. Laz. Abt. 530 (R)

(Kommandeur der Kriegslazarett-Abteilung 530)
http://www.lexikon-der-wehrmacht.de/.../Sanitaets.htm

Nice hat!
Dave

[oldpainless]

nice cap!

[DonC]

Jeff, it's a very nice medical visor!

Don

[Colorado]

Thanks for the comments.

Dave, I appreciate you translating. Good show

[PaulChep]

In the 1939 Army Ranklist there is a Ob.Feld-A.(E) Dr. Wellein listed with the 4th Panzer Division, 5th Panzerbrigade. His unit was Medical Company 40 and he was based in Bad Kissingen which was in Bayern. I also find a Dr. Hans Wellein with WWI service.

He is not listed in the 1944/5 Ranklist so I assume he is dead. His service record maybe available at the U.S. Archive in College Park, Maryland.

[Colorado]

Paul - Thanks for posting that. It's amazing the amount information that is readily available when something surfaces today.

If he was deceased by war's end, perhaps by natural causes since he is not listed among the war dead and he was a WWI Vet.

[Mark_K]

Hi Jeff,

One thing to bear in mind is that the Volksbund database is not a complete list of German war dead. They do their best to document the location of war graves, but in many cases - particularly in the East - tracing graves can be very difficult. Many soldiers on both sides were buried where they fell, in a hurry, and even those who were properly buried can now be untraceable because Stalin decreed that all traces of foreign invaders should be removed. Along with the removal of wrecked tanks, etc, this meant that German military cemeteries had their markers removed. In Stalingrad, the victorious Russians removed the markers in the main German cemetery and used it as a soccer pitch.

I have looked up soldiers for whom I have 'death cards' (the little memorial cards circulated by the family when a soldier fell), and several have not appeared in searches on the Volksbund site. Some do, some don't. And on a happier note, maybe Dr. Wellein was captured, which might also explain his absence from the 1944/45 list of serving officers. You might be able to get details of his service record from the official German archives, but from what I have read in this forum, (1) you have to pay, and (2) you will only get fairly basic details unless you are a relative of the soldier you are researching. I'm sure other members here can advise you if you want to go that route.

You have a very nice cap there, and it's great to be able to identify the guy who once wore it.

All the best,

Mark

[PaulChep]

The best hope of getting additional information on him is from the US Archives in College Park, MD. They have on microfilm the service record of many German Army officers. Since this guy was regular army there is a reasonable chance his record is there. It may cost a couple of hundred dollars to get his record but it is well worth it to compliment the cap. I can reccommend Westmoreland Research to you. I know Mike and he knows the ins and outs of the archive.