Can anyone help me understand the regiment? Fallschirmjäger at Cassino.

Discussion in 'Axis Units' started by Eallen1968, Apr 8, 2021.

  1. AB64

    AB64 Senior Member

    I managed to lose my photos from 2019 in a laptop crash, but I didn't have many from the German cemetery, when I entered I was a bit put off as they have signs warning that there are snakes in the grounds so enter at your own risk so I was a bit distracted - I should add I saw lots of lizards but no snakes (I did see one in the Commonwealth cemetery).

    If things are back to normal(ish) by October I may be paying another visit and if I do I'll look him out - another trip to Point 593 is on the cards.
     
    Eallen1968 and Owen like this.
  2. Owen

    Owen -- --- -.. MOD

    I'm daft , I just noticed you already said that in post #3.
    I thought it had been mentioned but when scanning through thread I missed it completely. Doh.
     
  3. Eallen1968

    Eallen1968 Member

    Thanks yes he's sent me the website details for next year.
    I also looked at the link for the cemetery but couldn't see anything but going to try later on my laptop its easier than using a phone

    Thanks again chaps
     
  4. Sheldrake

    Sheldrake All over the place....

    There is a book in the building at the entrance, this holds the details of the graves. Contact the Volksbund and explain your interest. They may be collecting of individual Germans troops themselves. The late professor Richard Holmes once made the point that the best form of Remembrance is to understand what the fallen did and why they did it. Even thought the Fallschirmjaeger ethos reflects the Nazi regime that created them, his story is part of German history as well as your family heritage.

    There are some stories of the men in the information centre illustrated with photographs and letters. Your relative's story is about a man who fell on the vital ground at the turning point in the battle. The next time I guide a tour there I plan to mention your relative.
     
    Eallen1968 likes this.
  5. Eallen1968

    Eallen1968 Member

    Thanks Sheldrake if I get any more info on him I'll update you. And thanks for taking the time to reply to me. Its only as I've got older I realise what's missing from my side of the family and without sounding cheesy this really is a total journey.
     
  6. ltdan

    ltdan Nietenzähler

    A short extract from the book "Monte Cassino", by Rudolf Boehmler, 1956, E. Mittler Verlag, pg 476:

    The Polish losses in front of Colle S. Angelo were terrible. They forced Anders to take the 5th Division back to its initial positions on the evening of 12 May. The Carpathian fighters were just as finished as their comrades from the 5th Division. Their attack against Albaneta and Hill 593 had collapsed with very heavy losses. The II Battalion of the 15th Carpathian Brigade, however, had succeeded in taking Calvary in a hand-strike and in establishing itself on the northern slope of Hill 569. This was a remarkable initial success. The 1st Company of F.J.R. 3, deployed on Hill 593, lost more than half of its men. Immediately the II Battalion helped and sent the newly formed 7. Company to the counterattack. It failed, and the company commander, Lieutenant Freitag, was killed. The reserves of the I. and II. battalions stormed the lost positions four times. Four times they were repulsed by the Poles. The Carpathian fighters fought back desperately. Their losses were also heavy. Dead and wounded piled up in mountains. Around noon, the Polish garrison of Calvary still consisted of one officer and seven men. Their situation improved temporarily when they were reinforced by the reserve company of their battalion.In the evening, the German paratroopers made the fifth and final attempt. This time they succeeded. Oberfeldwebel Schmidt, the leader of the regimental reserve assembled from the 14th Company, stormed the blood-soaked mountain with a strong assault force and finally took possession of it again. As dusk fell over the battlefield, General Anders also withdrew the Carpathian fighters. A hot day was drawing to a close. The Poles had not gained a single metre of ground in spite of overwhelming superiority, heavy drum fire and constant fogging. They had fought bravely, but the paratroopers had completely spoiled their concept. With just 700 men, they had defied the onslaught of two strong divisions and successfully fought one of the most dramatic and bloody battles of all the Cassino battles. Major Veth, the leader of II F.J.R. 3, wrote in his diary that day: ". . Polish regiment attacks 593 and surprises our 1st Company. Four counterattacks fail. Fifth counterattack successful. Enemy 130 dead. Large number of casualties in the battalion command post, which is housed in a cave. On 13 and 14 May, the Poles attacked Calvary four more times. In vain. Death again reaped a rich harvest. The situation of the defenders also became increasingly difficult. Major Veth noted during these days: "Transport of wounded impossible - Enemy fires fog all the time - Many dead in front of the heights - Stench - No water - No sleep for three days - Amputations in the command post. . Again the fog forced the paratroopers under their gas masks, and the smell of corpses became unbearable in the hot days of May.

    https://ulis-buecherecke.ch/pdf_der_krieg/monte_cassino_bericht.pdf
     
    Guy Hudson, davidbfpo, Owen and 3 others like this.
  7. minden1759

    minden1759 Senior Member

    Elizabeth.

    If you ever decide to visit Point 593, I will happily explain all the features mentioned in Boehmler’s book.

    Point 593 was protected by a series of mutually supporting heights all around it. Machine guns from one height, like Point 569, could fire on to Point 593 and vice versa. It was an almost impenetrable wall of fire - which is why the Poles lost so many men.

    The trick to unlocking Point 593 was to attack every height at the same time so that each was so busy looking after itself that it could not fire in support of anyone else. To do this, the Poles committed two entire Infantry Divisions and finally succeeded on the night of 17-18 May 44.

    Regards

    Frank
     
    Eallen1968, Osborne2 and Tricky Dicky like this.
  8. Osborne2

    Osborne2 Well-Known Member

    Do you know which POW Camp Grandad was in? If so, ether let us know here, or post in the UK POW Camps sub section. Most British POW personal records for German POWs were given up to the German government post war, but a very few camp commandant diaries exist (TNA WO 166/.... file numbers) A large number of visit reports to check on the 're-education' of POWs, (not as 1984 as it sounds), in TNA FO 939/.... exist for many, but not all camps, and the boredom or enthusiasm of the file weeders is clearly on view in what is left. The bored ones just looked at it and put a label on the front, the enthusiasts flung paper out like there was no tomorrow.

    There is a list of most, but not all camps, at Prisoner of War Camps (1939 - 1948) | Historic England
    BUT. For every numbered main camp, there were about five or six satellite hostels located away from the main camp, but administered from the main camp. Second BUT when repatriation occurred camps and hostels were merged and numbers changed.

    Comrie in Scotland changed from a main camp to a hostel, and also changed number. Tarporley in Cheshire was another. When a main camp changed status the main camp number was adopted by everyone of its hostels. Some people therefore have misidentified the status of the site. By 1947 many hostels probably only had one or two guards, likely to be old and unlikely to have any ammunition.

    It doesn't help that some camps changed number at least three if not four times from memory. Camp 2 had a tour around the UK as far as I can see, which is difficult when you use ICRC reports which only carried the number, but not the location. I only identified one wartime site because ICRC report said (in French) it was in a former mill and that was the clue.

    You might be fantastically lucky to find your camp in this link to a website run by Martin J Hughes, a regular contributor in the UK POW threads.

    https://www.systonimages.co.uk/f162439760
     
    Eallen1968 likes this.
  9. Eallen1968

    Eallen1968 Member

    Hi those diaries look amazing! No unfortunately I have no idea where he was POW I know when he married my gran in 1949 in Glasgow he was recorded as being a labourer at Tererran farm in Moniaive in Scotland. He had a German friend who had a farm in Dumfries after the war too.
     
  10. Eallen1968

    Eallen1968 Member

    Minden: Definitely looking to visit i think its very necessary now
     
  11. AB64

    AB64 Senior Member

    Just tidying up some other things and found this, the Volksbund leaflet for Italy that I picked up at the little visitor centre across the road from the Cassino cemetery, it doesn't add much but does show the blocks

    IMG_20210411_0001.jpg IMG_20210411_0002.jpg IMG_20210411_0003.jpg
     
  12. minden1759

    minden1759 Senior Member

    Elizabeth.

    If you look at one of the gravestones, you will see three names. On the back are another three names - 20,100 in all.

    Regards

    Frank
     
    Eallen1968 likes this.
  13. Eallen1968

    Eallen1968 Member

    I checked with Volksbund he is indeed buried there in block 25 grave 119. I feel quite emotional about it sorry guys!
     

    Attached Files:

    minden1759, JimHerriot and Owen like this.
  14. Eileen Stahl

    Eileen Stahl New Member

    Hi Eallen (?)


    I have a similar background to you: German Luftwaffe father captured in Monte Cassino and taken to USA, then east Scotland where he met my mother and remained. I've tried the USA archives as I believe he was picking cotton there and the BundesArchiv for his military records but no response there yet.

    I was wondering if you had any success with BundesArchiv or any other leads?

    I've also tried various other researchers but nothing yet.

    Hope you are having more success and any direction would be gratefully received.
     
  15. Uncle Target

    Uncle Target Mist over Dartmoor

    As an aside. Of much interest to me personally, is the 25 pdr Gun on the front slide of the video at #15.
    It appears to be set to upper register in a specially dug pit.
    Cassino was one of many battlefields in Italy where Crest Clearance was a problem. However the range required to fire over the mountains at Cassino left the 25 pdr short changed even with charge super.
    My understanding was that RA also acquired a battery of American 105 howitzers to tackle the problem.

    This is the only example that I have seen at this time in WW2, in any photograph of a gun not belonging to 67th Field Regiment.

    Where might I find further information on this.

    Major DCL Shepherd MC produced a Report with a sketch of the gun pit which was apparently discussed
    and circulated by the RA.
    He produced his report at Anzio in March 1944 there is a draft copy with drawings in their War Diary.
    D Troop constructed the first upper register pit in 1st Div. It became the demonstration pit for many Regiments.
    RA policy was largely compiled from the results of Major Shepherds treatise on the subject (wishful thinking maybe).

    Sorry if this has disturbed your thread.
     
    Last edited: Jun 28, 2022
  16. AB64

    AB64 Senior Member

    For Eallen1968 these are quick phone images, I have better ones on my camera to send on later

    13914C29-9B6F-4FE7-BAC1-ACA08E0615B0.jpeg A1EFCA32-FE07-4DAE-9EAF-D10E00110C81.jpeg 384C2412-BAA3-4133-807A-D0E122B5C8DB.jpeg 3173EE4E-E91A-45C8-920E-E80F99F8D6E2.jpeg C367337B-ECED-4676-A206-211A73093E9F.jpeg
     
    hucks216, 4jonboy and Owen like this.

Share This Page