Deutsches Rotes Kreuz (DRK) - German Red Cross

[Richard T Eger]

It has been suggested from time to time that records of combatants in WW II might be found at the German Red Cross. Bernd Müller at 12 O'Clock High! has kindly provided their website address:

http://www.drk.de/

The site is in German and it is not exactly clear to me where to navigate to find anything pertaining to WW II, but at least the address is a start for those inclined to search further.

Regards,
Richard

[Richard T Eger]

From 12 O'Clock High!:

Leo Raida
Unnamed Airmans Graves
Fri Oct 19 15:00:17 2001


The Erkennungsmarken 69646/4 and 69644/37 relate to unnamed graves in the UK.
I am unable to get any help from the WASt, can anyone put names to these numbers, I think they are possibly from KG2.

[Richard T Eger]

From TOCH!:

tomcat (Bernd Müller)
Re: Unnamed Airmans Graves
Fri Oct 19 15:55:38 2001


hello,

if wast could not helps, did you take the chance to ask "volksbund deutsche kriegsgräberfürsorge" (wargrave commission, www.volksbund.de (http://www.volksbund.de) ) or german red cross search service ("suchdienst", over www.drk.de (http://www.drk.de) ) ?

maybe they have documents the wast has not (?).

regards, tomcat

[Richard T Eger]

From TOCH!:

John Manrho
No EM info at VDK or DRK
Fri Oct 19 17:40:18 2001


The offices of the VDK or DRK-Suchdienst do not hold the EM-lists. They are at Berlin. What I don't understand is that the WASt couldn't help. Did they not have the lists or didn't they want to help?. Please consider that there are thousands of graves with known EM-Numbers of which the dead could not be indentified. A huge number of EM Lists did not survive the war. Mainly SS though.

[Richard T Eger]

From within a thread on 12 O'Clock High!:

Christian Möller
German Red Cross!
Thu Feb 21 13:28:05 2002
217.184.237.52

Hello Mr. Fuller!

As the pilot Schönauer was posted MIA you may try to ask the German Red Cross for the address of any relative:

DRK - Suchdienst
Chiemgaustr. 109
D-81549 München
Germany

Many greetings,
Christian Möller
Germany

[Richard T Eger]

From 12 O'Clock High!:

Rod Mackenzie
Uffz. Rudi Fischer 11./NJG 6
Sat Feb 28 00:48:37 2004
219.89.134.61

I am looking for burial information concerning Uffz. Rudi Fischer, BF to Fw. Emil Weinmann of 11./NJG 6.

Fischer was "lost" on the 25th December 1944, when he prematurely bailed out of Bf 110 2Z+LV, following combat damage while ground straffing. Fw. Weinmann, with Gefr. Ebneter, managed to regain German territory before bailing out themselves.

Supposedly, Fischer was killed but I have been unable to find details.

I have checked the Gräbernachweis des Volksbundes
Deutsche Kriegsgräberfürsorge e.V.site but with no luck.

Does anyone know how Fischer died and where he was buried?

Cheers

Rod

[Richard T Eger]

From TOCH!:

John Manrho
Fischer
Sat Feb 28 09:06:49 2004
81.205.242.244

A Rudi Fischer, born 13.2.1923 is listed in the lists (Bildlisten) of the German Red Cross. I would assume it is very likely that he is still listed as MIA.

[Richard T Eger]

From TOCH!:

Rod Mackenzie
Rudi Fischer
Sat Feb 28 09:25:54 2004
219.89.135.37

Hi John,

thanks for the response.

Emil Weinmann and crew were strafing an American convoy near Euskirchen on the night of the 25th December.

During one such strafing run, when around 100 m. from the ground, their Bf 110 was hit just as Weinmann begun to pull up.

Control was lost and the intercom was momentarily knocked out. Although climbing, the Bf 110 was turning steeply to port and begun to nosedive towards the ground.

Weinmann regained control and tried the intercom again, yelling at the crew not to bail out. He got in contact with the FF, Gefr. Ebneter, who had reset the intercom fuses. Ebneter had tried to exit the aircraft during the nosedive but had been trapped by centrifugal forces.

However, the BF, Uffz Rudi Fischer had already left the aircraft and apparently, as you confirm, has never been seen again....

Cheers

Rod

[Richard T Eger]

From within a thread on 12 O'Clock High!:

Steve W.
Re: Flakscheinw.Abt. 360(v)
Wed Aug 25, 2004 16:44
205.188.116.80

I sure don't. You will have to evaluate the two sources on their own merits. Tessin paints with a very broad brush and may have simply assumed that it was disbanded in France. I just don't have any additional information. I checked the DRK Suchdienst Vermisstenbildliste (Band LD) and there are no entries for this Abteilung. I had hoped it might show some missing personnel in Normandy to confirm your hypothesis. Sorry.

Steve W.

(I wrote to Steve W. to ask for further information on the DRK Suchdienst Vermisstenbildlist. Steve wrote:

'"DRK Suchdienst Vermisstenbildliste" (Deutsches Rotes Kreuz = German Red Cross) Tracing Service, "Photo Listing of the Missing". These are not archive records or files, but rather a 176-volume publication that appeared in 1955-56. The Luftwaffe portion is about 28 volumes. I don't know how many copies of the work were published by DRK Suchdienst München, but it was very small, perhaps in the 100-150 range. The set was compiled and published for the use of official government and quasi-government organizations and was NOT for sale to the public. I believe there are sets available to the public in the reference sections of several German libraries and the U.S. Library of Congress may have a set. The 176-volume work is organized by unit, so the reseacher must know an individual's unit to be able to use it. Each entry gives a thumbnail photo of the individual, rank, unit, date and place reported missing, date and place of birth plus the individual's civilian profession (if any).

DRK Suchdienst München has a set (probably several) as most certainly do DRK regional offices in Berlin, Hamburg, Frankfurt, etc. I would imagine DRK Suchdienst in München would answer an e-mail inquiry, provided there was some justification for it. Their address can be found by searching Google (keyword: "DRK Suchdienst").'

Thanks, Steve.

Regards,
Richard)

[Richard T Eger]

From within a thread on 12 O'Clock High!:

Matti Salonen
Valentin Werth
Fri Aug 27, 2004 17:21
212.246.227.148

Uffz Valentin Werth from 5./KG 40 was MIA in 23.1.1944 in He 177A-3, WNr 535447, F8+EN. Location Bucht von Anzio. His DOB was 5.1.1915.
He is still a MIA case (ref page 522 in DRK Suchdienst Vermisstenbildliste, band LH)

Maybe this is what you are looking for?

Best regards

Matti Salonen

(I wrote to Matti and asked for more information on the "DRK Suchdienst Vermisstenbildliste". Matti wrote back on 6 Sept. 2004:

"Look at the following site:

http://www.drk-suchdienst.org/english/e_geschichte/e_geschichte03.html

Those books, which contain Luftwaffe flying personnel are Volumes III LH and III LI.

I don't know where these books are available outside DRK Munich office. I have helped them with my database and have received the two books as a compliment. Maybe you should contact DRK and ask where else the books could be found.

Best regards,

Matti Salonen"

Thanks, Matti

Regards,
Richard)