6. Fallschirmjäger graves between the Zanddijk and the Tweede Tol in Dordrecht during the Second World War.

Another photograph of German paratrooper graves between the Zanddijk and the Tweede Tol. These are the same graves as in the previous photos. Several names are still clearly legible. From right to left: – Oberjäger Arthur Schwarz of 4./FJR 1, who was likely killed while serving in patrols and outposts sent towards the Kil to secure the area. Oberjäger Schwarz was killed on 10 May 1940 at the age of 21. – Unteroffizier Albert Fürstenberg, part of 7./FJR 1 (medical half‑company). He was severely wounded by an abdominal gunshot on 10 May 1940 near the Zeedijk and died from his injuries at the age of 23. In this photograph he is listed as Oberjäger. – Oberjäger Heinz Morawietz, killed at the age of 22 during the capture of the barracks camp at the Tweede Tol. The names on the remaining four graves are unfortunately no longer readable. They may be some of the Oberjägers who were killed at Amstelwijck. The grave next to that of Oberjäger Morawietz appears to be the grave of Oberjäger Josef Geiersberger, who was killed at Amstelwijck.¹

The graves were created on Sunday, 12 May 1940, according to the testimony of Lenie de Jong, who lived at the Berkenhof farm during those May days.

She writes about this:
“On that same day we saw a few flat farm wagons passing by on the dike, carrying several bodies of German soldiers. The wagons came from the direction of the Schenkeldijk and travelled westward, pulled by two horses. It turned out that these dead Germans were being buried on a piece of land belonging to my father, which we called ‘de Kes’—a plot that had probably once been a terp, and on which a very old house had stood a few years earlier before my father demolished it. Apparently, the Germans considered this elevated piece of land a suitable burial site and gave their fallen a temporary resting place there. We believe that the remains were exhumed again after about six weeks, and during that time each grave had a cross (with a name and date of birth + date of death).”

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