Deathcards German.
During the war, many soldiers died, and to commemorate these soldiers, deathcards, often called "bidpentjes" in Dutch or "sterbebilder" in German, were printed. Both on the Dutch side, shortly after May 1940, and on the German side, these deathcards were used.
The deathcards often mentioned the name of the deceased soldier, the date and place of death, and sometimes the cause of death. They also frequently included the soldier's rank, any medals they had received, and their final resting place. For German soldiers, the final resting place was often the place where they died, while Dutch soldiers were often buried in their hometowns.
Obergefreiter Leopold Kreuzer.
The deathcard shown above belongs to Obergefreiter Leopold Kreuzer. Kreuzer was born on August 15, 1911, and was 33 years old when he fell on October 14, 1944. He was part of 8230-Fl.Ausb.Btl.12. The cause of his death was a severe injury, though it remains unknown—at least, there is no known record of how exactly he sustained it. One possibility is that Obergefreiter Kreuzer was among the German soldiers wounded when the Zwijndrecht Bridge was accidentally blown up by German forces in September 1944. Perhaps he initially survived the accident but succumbed to his injuries later. Another possibility is that he was transferred from a nearby front to a hospital in Dordrecht, where he eventually passed away.
Gefreiter Kreuzer was first buried in Row 20, Grave 45 in the German section of the general cemetery in Dordrecht, but on August 13, 1947, he was moved to the German War Cemetery in Ysselsteyn, Limburg. His grave is located in Block CO - Row 10 - Grave 238. *1
Possibly, there are people who may have more information about the nature of Obergefreiter Kreuzer's injury.
Obergefreiter Alois Pflugmacher.
The prayer card above is of Obergefreiter Alois Pflugmacher. It is strange that Mr. Pflugmacher cannot be found in the online archives of the Deutsche Volksbund für Deutsche Kriegsgräberfürsorge.*1 Further search in the casualty register of the Dordtse 40-45 museum also does not yield any results.*2 However, it is noteworthy that the register contains 14 other casualties who died on the same date without a known location of death. This raises several questions. The prayer card states that Obergefreiter Pflugmacher was killed in action on the Hollandsche Diep and was part of a FLAK unit (Flieger abwehr kanone - antiaircraft). It is possible that he was part of the FLAK air defense guarding the Moerdijk bridges and died during an Allied air raid.
However, there is another possibility. Further internet research has shown that on November 4th, there was an Allied air attack on the village of Zevenbergen.*3 This resulted in many casualties. It strongly suggests that Obergefreiter Pflugmacher was one of those killed. In that case, it is still peculiar that the Hollandsche Diep is listed as the location of death.
If we search the data from the Dordtse 40-45 museum in the search engine of the Deutsche Volksbund für Kriegsgräberfürsorge, we come to the following conclusion: Out of the 14 casualties on November 4, 1944, that we find in the casualty lists of the Dordtse museum, 6 cannot be traced in the register of the Volksbund für Deutsche Kriegsgräberfürsorge. For only one soldier (Ernst Amrhein), the Volksbund has a known location of death, namely Dordrecht. The remaining 8 casualties are listed in the casualty register of the Volksbund, but their exact location of death is unknown.
Ernst Amrhein: Location of death Dordrecht / Listed in Volksbund register.
Willi Behnke: Unknown location of death / Not listed in Volksbund register.
Otto Dietrich: Unknown location of death / Listed in Volksbund register.
Walter Eitelbus: Unknown location of death / Not listed in Volksbund register.
Josef führmann: Unknown location of death / Not listed in Volksbund register.
Karl van de Kamp: Unknown location of death / Not listed in Volksbund register.
Johannes Koenig: Unknown location of death / Not listed in Volksbund register.
Konrad Kühbauch: Unknown location of death / Listed in Volksbund register.
Alfred Merle: Unknown location of death / Listed in Volksbund register.
Walter Reichle: Unknown location of death / Listed in Volksbund register.
Edmund Risler: Unknown location of death / Listed in Volksbund register.
Franz Scheckenbach: Unknown location of death / Listed in Volksbund register.
Bruno Schmidt: Unknown location of death / Listed in Volksbund register.
Engelbert Teil: Unknown location of death / Not listed in Volksbund register.
In the later years of the war, the quality of casualty registration deteriorated. Due to chaotic battles and rapid retreats, German soldiers often remained on the battlefield and the Allies naturally made less effort to identify the German dead compared to the Germans themselves. The author of this website suspects that Obergefreiter Alois Pflugmacher most likely had a hasty and makeshift burial, possibly in an assumed field grave, if there was any burial at all. Afterwards, the remains were presumably transferred to Ysselsteyn, where he was buried as an unknown soldier along with the six others who are also not listed in the Volksbund register.
Obergefreiter Alois Pflugmacher was killed at the age of 24 near the Hollandsche Diep. We are very curious if someone can provide further information about his person.
Oberfeldwebel Hans Pickert.
Oberfeldwebel Hans Pickert was born on January 8, 1944, in Nagel. He was part of 8./eisenb.Pi.Rgt 6 and fell on September 20, 1944, in Dordrecht.
On September 20, 1944, the Zwijndrecht railway bridge was being prepared for demolition. Just a few days earlier, on September 17, the Allies had launched Operation Market Garden. Suddenly, an explosive charge detonated, causing the bridge to partially and unintentionally collapse. Three German soldiers who were on the bridge lost their lives, and Oberfeldwebel Hans Pickert was one of them. He was initially buried in Row 18, Grave 2 in the German section of the general cemetery in Dordrecht. On July 16, 1947, he was reburied at the German military cemetery in Ysselsteyn, where he now rests in Block CP - Row 1 - Grave 24. *4
Oberjäger Josef Geiersberger.
Josef Geiersberger was part of 2./FJR 1 (2nd Company of Fallschirmjäger Regiment 1), which landed by parachute in the polder east of Wieldrecht on May 10, 1940. The company was soon ordered to secure the area around Rijksstraatweg, advancing towards Dordrecht. Near Gravestein, the company engaged in combat with the 1st Section of 2-III-34 RI, a battle that 2./FJR 1 quickly won. They then pressed forward to Villapark Amstelwijck, where the command post of I-28 RI, under Major Van Hoek, was located alongside a bunker complex. *5 A new confrontation ensued between the Dutch troops stationed there and Leutnant Graf von den Blücher, the commander of 2./FJR 1, who led his men in a daring assault on the command post and its bunkers. Supported by the rest of the 2nd Company and elements of 4./FJR 1, the Dutch forces stationed at the command post and bunker complex were completely overwhelmed. Although 2./FJR 1 emerged victorious, the fighting was not without casualties. Oberjäger Geiersberger was one of the paratroopers who fell during the battles around the command post and bunker park Amstelwijck.
He was initially buried in Row 1, Grave 8 in the German section of the general cemetery in Dordrecht. On August 4, 1947, he was reburied at the German military cemetery in Ysselsteyn, where he now rests in Block CP - Row 7 - Grave 172. *6
Stabsfeldwebel Martin Ulrich.
Stabsfeldwebel Martin Ulrich was born on October 20, 1908, in Ketterhausen. In May 1940, he was stationed in the Netherlands as part of 2/FeldgenAbt (Feldgendarmerie Abteilung) 682. An interesting detail is that his deathcard lists his date of death as May 18, 1940, in Rotterdam, yet it also states that he was buried in Dordrecht. Meanwhile, the website www.grebbeberg.nl records his death in Dordrecht due to injuries on the same date. The discrepancy between these locations is notable. It is likely that Stabsfeldwebel Ulrich was wounded during May 1940 in either Dordrecht or Rotterdam and later passed away in a medical facility in Dordrecht on May 18, 1940. He was initially buried in Row 6, Grave 12 in the German section of the general cemetery in Dordrecht. After the war, his grave was relocated to the German military cemetery in Ysselsteyn, where he was reburied on July 31, 1947. He remains there to this day, resting in Block CP - Row 6 - Grave 127. *7 *8
Unteroffizier Friendrich Schrems.
Unteroffizier Friedrich Schrems was born on December 5, 1925, in Zell an der Mosel, Germany. He was part of 324-12/Fl.Ausb.Rgt 53, a unit that was converted in June 1944 into the Luftgau-Feld-Regiment-Belgien-Nordfrankreich. On September 9, 1944, this unit was disbanded, and its remaining forces were absorbed into Fallschirmjäger divisions.*9
The exact circumstances of his death remain unknown, but his memorial card states that he died at the age of 19 from injuries sustained on the Western Front. It is likely that, as a young soldier, he was part of a Fallschirmjäger division, was wounded, and was then taken to a military hospital in Dordrecht, where he succumbed to his injuries. He was initially buried in Row 19, Grave 13 in the German section of the general cemetery in Dordrecht. On July 15, 1947, he was reburied at the German military cemetery in Ysselsteyn, where he now rests in Block CP - Row 1 - Grave 13.*10
Obergefreiter Ferdinand Mitterer.
Obergefreiter Ferdinand Mitterer was born on June 13, 1912, in Lochen, Germany. He was part of 861-1./N.E.A. (Nachrichten Ersatz Abteilung).
On May 5, 1945, he lost his life in a confrontation with members of the Dutch resistance in Oud-Alblas. His body was found in the farmhouse of Klaas Baan, which was subsequently set on fire by remaining German forces as retaliation. Obergefreiter Mitterer was initially buried in Row 26, Grave 100 in the German section of the general cemetery in Dordrecht. On August 27, 1947, he was relocated to the German military cemetery in Ysselsteyn, where he now rests in Block CN - Row 3 - Grave 64. *11
Gefreiter Fritz Hellauer.
Gefreiter Fritz Hellauer was a weaver by profession and came from Hartmannsreuth. He was born on November 11, 1908. He served in an infantry regiment. According to the memorial card, he died on January 21, 1945, in Dordrecht. However, he is not registered in the Volksbund Für Deutsche Kriegsgräberfürsorge (German War Graves Commission). This is not uncommon, though. He is also not mentioned in the casualty lists of the Museum 1940-1945 in Dordrecht. What is noteworthy is that his date of death is one day before the January bombing of Dordrecht. Since the recording of German military casualties was particularly chaotic in the last months of the war, it is possible that Gefreiter Hellauer perished in that bombing, and the date on his memorial card may be incorrect. This is a theory. It is also possible that Gefreiter Hellauer died in one of the hospitals in Dordrecht. It is unknown where Fritz Hellauer was buried, and whether he ever received a grave. The memorial card is shrouded in mystery.
Gefreiter Walter Hallweger.
Gefreiter Walter Hallweger was born on January 19, 1924, in Bergen (Affing), Landkreis Aichach-Friedberg, Bavaria. He served in 386-2/St.Kp.Grenadier.Ersatz.Batalion.163, though this was likely the unit he was assigned to upon enlistment and the one recorded on his Erkennungsmarke (identification tag). On October 18, 1944, Gefreiter Hallweger fell in Dordrecht at the age of twenty. He was initially buried in Row 20, Grave 64 in the German section of the general cemetery in Dordrecht. On August 14, 1947, he was reburied at the German military cemetery in Ysselsteyn, where he now rests in Block CP - Row 10 - Grave 232 *13
Sterbebrief (Death letter) Obergefreiter Paul Petrup.
This is the Sterbebrief (death letter) of Obergefreiter Paul Pentrup. The letter was addressed to the Hauloh-Holtkamp family, residing on Wilhelmstraße in Lüdinghausen. Obergefreiter Paul Pentrup was born on March 26, 1910, in Lüdinghausen, Kreis Coesfeld, Nordrhein-Westfalen, Germany. He was part of 294-L.Sch.Btl.676 (Landes Schützen Battalion), a unit stationed in Dordrecht in 1944. After fighting in Normandy and later taking leave in Germany in September, he fell on October 24, 1944, during an Allied bombing raid on Park Merwesteijn. This park housed the headquarters of the German 15th Army, including five bunkers built within the complex. On October 24, 1944, five squadrons of Hawker Typhoons from the Royal Air Force, acting on a request from the Dordrecht resistance, carried out a bombing raid on the headquarters. The destruction was immense. While the Dordrecht resistance claimed that many German soldiers, including generals, were among the casualties, the civilian population suffered the most. The estimated civilian death toll was 69.
Obergefreiter Paul Pentrup was one of the German soldiers killed in the bombing. He was buried with military honors in Row 20, Grave 129 in the German section of the general cemetery in Dordrecht. On August 20, 1947, he was reburied at the German military cemetery in Ysselsteyn, where he remains to this day in Block CP - Row 11 - Grave 272. *12
Obergefreiter August Freisinger.
Obergefreiter August Freisinger was born on August 29, 1904, in Reichentach. He was married to Katharina Freisinger and served in Sicherungs-Regiment 26, specifically in 18-1/Ld.Btl.838. On November 6, 1944, Obergefreiter Freisinger fell during combat near Moerdijk. He was initially buried in Row 26, Grave 41 in the German section of the general cemetery in Dordrecht. On August 25, 1947, he was reburied at the German military cemetery in Ysselsteyn, where he now rests in Block CN - Row 1 - Grave 6. *14
Bootsmaat Ulrich Fuchs.
Bootsmaat Ulrich Fuchs was born on February 22, 1921, in Freyung. He served in the Kriegsmarine and was part of the 1.Flottillenstammregiment 4.Abteilung. He was assigned to the Marinestammregiment Beverloo. On September 6, 1944, Bootsmaat Fuchs was seriously injured during an air raid. He passed away while en route to the Lazaret (military hospital) in Dordrecht. Ulrich Fuchs was 23 years old. He was buried in row 13, grave 20, at the general cemetery in Dordrecht. On July 23, 1947, Bootsmaat Fuchs was reburied at the German military cemetery in Ysselsteyn. He is now buried in Block CP, Row 3, Grave 71. *15
Gefreiter Josef Högerl.
Gefreiter Josef Högerl was born on September 28, 1901, in Prackenbach. He was married to Theresia Högerl. Gefreiter Högerl served in 3792-Krf.Ers.u.A.A.13. He fell on November 5, 1944, presumably passing away in a hospital in Dordrecht. He was 43 years old and was initially buried in row 26 - grave 75 in the German section of the general cemetery in Dordrecht. On August 26, 1947, he was reburied at the German military cemetery in Ysselsteyn, where he rests in Block CN, row 2, grave 40. *16
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*1 Source : Volksbund Deutsche Kriegsgräberfürsorge.
*2 Source: Verlieslijst museum 1940-45 Dordrecht.
*3 Source: Canon van Moerdijk.
*4 Source: The book : 40-45 by Wim van Wijk - Findagrave.com/Hans Pickert
*5 Source: Zuidfrontholland1940 - Vak Wieldrecht 1e fase.
*6 Source: Zuidfrontholland1940 - Josef Geiersberger. - Findagrave.com/Josef Geiersberger
*7 Source: Grebbeberg.nl/gesneuvelden.
*8 Source: Findagrave.com/Martin Ulrich.
*9 Source: Lexikon der Wehrmacht.
*10 Source: Findagrave.com/Friedrich Schrems.
*11 Source: Findagrave.com/Ferdinand Mitterer.
*12 Source: Findagrave.com/Paul Pentrup.
*13 Source: Findagrave.com/Walter Hallweger.
*14 Source: Findagrave.com/August Freisinger.
*15 Source: Findagrave.com/Ulrich Fuchs.
*16 Source: Findagrave.com/Josef Högerl.