"Rediscovered" German Cemetery at Gradsko

[apwright]

Following on from Alan Wakefield's posts and photos HERE (posts #9, #10 & #11), we visited the cemetery again a couple of weeks ago with the Salonika Campaign Society and photographed the gravestones. The local community is doing a sterling job clearing the site, but we could only see about 30 stones (although Alan's "local chap" had said 80).

Many of the stones are broken, worn away and some still half buried, so they are difficult to read, but I am posting the details here in case any of our German Pals can help fill in some of the blanks or suggest further avenues of research. Volksbund has been notified of the site, but as yet none of the names appear on their website.

Utffz.[?]

Alfred _INIA

1.Bat[l.]St___Reg.5

+20[?].Aug.191_

Fahrer

Fritz BACHMANN

Geb.Bttr.9

+6.Okt.1917

Gefr.

Felix BARTZ

Artl.Mun.Kol.508[?]

+21.Nov.1917

Trainfahrer

Max CWIKLINSKI

Fuhrpark-Kol.835

+14.Mai 1918

Pionier

Otto HACKER

Feldb.Betr.Abt.36

+19.Aug.1917

Wehrmann

Albin HAHN

1./Ldst.Inf.Batl.XI/32

+16.April 1918

(Died of malaria, from Gräfenhain, Thüringen, according to denkmalprojekt.org)

Gefr.[?]

Wilhelm HAMMER

Wirtschafts-Kp.328

+11.Sept.1918

Kanonier

Otto HASS

4.Bttr.Feldart.Rgt.201

+29.Aug.1918

Ldst.

Emil HELLNER

4./Ldst.Inf.Batl.XIX/28[?]

+22.Sept.1917

Ober-Gendarm

Oskar HILSE

Feld-Gendarm-Trupp

Et.Insp.9 [Etappen-Inspektion 9]

+5.März 1917

Gefr.[?]

Felix HÜTTNER

5./I.R.146

+18.Sept.1917

Pionier

Johann JANISZEWSKI

Res.Eisenb.Baukp.36

+7.Mai[?] 1918[?]

Arm.Soldat

Otto KLOSE

4./Arm.Batl.82

+21.Sept.1917

Ldst.

Otto KRAUSE

1./Arm.Batl.82

+6.Juli 1918

Gefr.

Richard LÜSENBRING

Scheinwerferzug 274[?]

+22.Sept.1916

Inf.

Konst. [=Konstantinos] Alekos MASTRAPAS [Greek name!]

Bes.?Transp.f.rum-türk. Detachement [?Special Transport for Rumelian-Turkish Detachment]

Sh[?]/ATK[?].II

+4.Juni 1917

Utffz.

Friedrich RAMIN

Eisenb.Baukp.__

+2.Febr.1916

(possibly from Zehdenick, if he's the one listed on denkmalprojekt.org)

Pionier

Johann REINDL

Bayer.Pion.Park-Kp.9

+5.Febr.1918

Musketier

Wilhelm SALEWSKI

4./I.R.146

+24.Okt.1916

Pionier[?]

Rudolf SCHULZE

Feldb.Betr.Abt __

+21.Sept.191_

Pionier

Friedrich SCHUMANN

Feldb.Betr.Abt.36

+21[?].Sept.1917

Arm.Soldat

Willy STENZEL

3./Arm.Batl.82

+15.Sept.1916

Arm.Soldat

Richard STEPHAN

4./Arm.Batl.82

+6.Juli 1916

Arm.Soldat

Max WALDHUTTER

Bayer.Straßenbau-Kp.?2

+7.Mai 1916

(Died as result of accident, from Thundorf, Bavaria, according to weltkriegsopfer.de)

Ldst.

Richard WEHNER

2./Ldst.Inf.Batl.XIX/28

+1.Okt.1917

Gefr.[?]

___ WEHRLE

Geb.Battr.9 ("Geb." is illegible, but stone has badge of Mountain Battery!)

[date illegible]

Arm.Soldat

Gustav ZURNER [or ZÜRNER]

2./Arm.Batl.82

+22.Aug.1917

[rank illegible]

Otto ___

Feldb.Betr.Abt.__

+4.Sept.1917

[name, rank & unit missing]

+_.März 1918[?]

All assistance, comments & suggestions welcome! Does anyone have a detailed orbat of the German forces that says exactly when and where the above Armierungsbataillone, Feldbahn-Betriebs-Kompanien, Eisenbahn-Baukompanien etc. were stationed in the area? Any unit histories? Anyone know what the rumelisch-türkisches Detachement was?

I can post some more photos, if anyone is interested.

Adrian

P.S. I'm not 100% certain I got photos of all the gravestones (camera was playing up), so if any fellow survivors of the tour happen to read this and find they have photos of any names not listed above, please drop me a line!

[SALONIKA]

Adrian

Thank you for highlights of this cemetery and memorial. The local municipality looking for funding a project for restoration of the cemetery and memorial.

Check: http://www.salonikabattlefieldtour.com/gallery.html cemeteries and memorials and tour photos.

Soon I will attach photos: WW1 German cemetery and memorial in Prilep.

[Jonathan Saunders]

P.S. I'm not 100% certain I got photos of all the gravestones (camera was playing up), so if any fellow survivors of the tour happen to read this and find they have photos of any names not listed above, please drop me a line!

Adrian,

I seem to recall there was one Turkish forces burial as well.

Regards,

Jonathan S

[apwright]

Hi Jonathan,

I think you're referring to MASTRAPAS above. He was in a Turkish unit and had a crescent badge on his gravestone (see Alan's photo in post #10 of the thread I linked to), although his name is Greek.

I may be wrong - often am! - but I don't recall any other graves with the crescent badge. Do you?

Regards,

Adrian

[MartinWills]

Adrian,

Not sure if there was a letter (T or F) before the R ...

Pionier

Johann REINDL

Bayer.Pion.Park-Kp.9

+5.Febr.1918

What does your pic show?

Martin

[Jonathan Saunders]

I think you're referring to MASTRAPAS above. He was in a Turkish unit and had a crescent badge on his gravestone (see Alan's photo in post #10 of the thread I linked to), although his name is Greek.

I may be wrong - often am! - but I don't recall any other graves with the crescent badge. Do you?

Adrian,

You're right. Apologies as I missed MASTRAPAS when I looked this morning.

Regards,

Jonathan S

[apwright]

Hi Martin,

Pretty sure it says JOHANN REINDL, tho' the space between the two words is very small!

This is actually one of the easier stones to read, but looking at it again, maybe it's not a "9" at the end of the 3rd line. But if it's not a "9", then what is it? It almost looks like a "7" corrected to "9".

Adrian

P.S. Hope Kate's foot is better!

[SALONIKA]

Recently restored German Military cemetery in Prilep. Photos here: http://www.salonikabattlefieldtour.com/news.php?lang=

[awakefield]

Adrian

Just to let you know that the Volksbund stated in their letter to me that 30 germans are buried at Gradsko. I think the local fella was getting a little carried away re the numbers! The Volksbund also stated that the 30 men at Grandsko would be commemorated on the new memorial located at Prilep. Perhaps none of those commemorated on the new memorial have been added to their online database.

I'm about to contact the Volksbund for a second time re the work of Gradsko's mayor.

ALAN

[egbert]

It says: 5 February (Feb) 1918

[apwright]

Hi Egbert,

Thanks, but I meant the line above that: Bayer.Pion.Park-Kp.??

Gruß,

Adrian

[egbert]

Ups,

Bayer(ische)- Pion(ier)- Park- Kp(Kompanie)9 (or depending on a better res picture that shows the very end a "4")

[apwright]

Now that Ancestry has at last loaded up the records for Bavarian support formations, I can add a bit of info for these two Bavarians:

Pionier

Johann REINDL

Bayer.Pion.Park-Kp.9

+5.Febr.1918

...

Arm.Soldat

Max WALDHUTTER

Bayer.Straßenbau-Kp.?2

+7.Mai 1916

(Died as result of accident, from Thundorf, Bavaria, according to weltkriegsopfer.de)

Pionier Johann Baptist REINDL

Bayer. Pionier-Park-Kompanie Nr.9

Carpenter and shopkeeper resident in Hörbering, born in Grafing on 14 July 1878, married to Susanna (nee HAHNREITER), parents deceased.

05/02/18 at 2pm, died of pneumonia (both lungs) at the Ortskrankenstube (town medical hut) in Gradsko.

Landsturmmann Max WALDHUTTER

Bayer. Straßenbau-Kompanie Nr.25

Farmer resident in Thundorf, born in Thundorf on 4 December 1895, unmarried, son of Max and Fanny WALDHUTTER of Thundorf.

07/05/16 at 10:40am, drowned while bathing in the Crna River near Palikura.

In April 1918 his grave was removed to Kriegerfriedhof Gradsko, grave no.26.

Adrian

[Guest arjan]

I allready informed Alan as my account was not validated yet but I found this information:

Firstly I found one of the burials:

BARTZ Felix Autres informations : Combattant, Caporal, Mort du paludisme au poste de regroupement des malades, transcription de l'acte de décès à Oeting le 4 janvier 1918, né le 16 octobre 1885 à Ippling (57) de père inconnu et de Madelaine BARTZ. http://www.memorialgenweb.org/memorial3/html/fr/resultcommune.php?insee=57521&dpt=57&idsource=5125&table=bp01 So he died of sickness/malaria. It is a French website but the town he is from used to be in Germany.

I also found this guy who is not on the headstones:

Jünger Leonhard am 30.06.1918 wegen Erkrankung der Krankensammelstelle Gradsko des Kriegs-Lazaretts 54a überwiesen Fieberhafter Darmkatharr am 27.05.1919 um 5.00 Uhr vormittags an offener Lungentuberkulose gestorben http://www.kriegstote.org/cgi-bin/baseportal.pl?htx=/Kriegsopfer/details_kriegstote_aktuell&Id=78939 He also died of sickness but we now know that FieldHospital 54a might have been in Gradsko. This might help in finding more information.

[keithmroberts]

It was very sad to see the cemetery again overgrown by weeks, and even worse that one grave had been broken open presumably by someone hoping to find something of value with the remains. This small cemetery is not even signposted. Alan Wakefield on behalf of the SCS, and I am sure some others of us who visited last week will be following this up.

Keith

[egbert]

It was very sad to see the cemetery again overgrown by weeks, and even worse that one grave had been broken open presumably by someone hoping to find something of value with the remains. This small cemetery is not even signposted. Alan Wakefield on behalf of the SCS, and I am sure some others of us who visited last week will be following this up.

Keith

Did you already report the fact to VdK with reference to this thread?

[keithmroberts]

Egbert - No. I have only just returned home. can you post an email address for the VDK please, although they seem to have demonstrated little interest in the past as the comments above indicate.. The tidying up a few years ago was arranged through the3 local mayor and funded by a member of the salonika Campaign Society. I think it might end up being more effective to approach Ministers.

Keith

[keithmroberts]

here's a photograph taken in the cemetery on Saturday showing how overgrown it now is. I didn't photograph the desecrated grave, but others did so and will send these to the appropriate authorities.

[keithmroberts]

A second image with some of the graves still visible.

[egbert]

Egbert - No. I have only just returned home. can you post an email address for the VDK please, although they seem to have demonstrated little interest in the past as the comments above indicate.. The tidying up a few years ago was arranged through the3 local mayor and funded by a member of the salonika Campaign Society. I think it might end up being more effective to approach Ministers.

Keith

I have send you a PM. I think I have a signature email address of a VdK caretaker. Will inquire at VdK asap....email to VdK is already in progress, awaiting your input.

[ph0ebus]

What a shame this is...I hope some good news in regards to this situation will be forthcoming.

Daniel

[egbert]

Received Keith's info and have sent an email to the respective VdK officials. I will keep you informed when any news from VdK.

[bierast]

I've just noticed this topic, and the wonderful information contained in it. The headstones from Saxon 11. Landsturm-Infanterie-Bataillon Leipzig XIX.28 confirm our long-held supposition that the 'Landsturm-Bataillon Leipzig' which was used as a front-line combat unit against the Serbs near Gradsko in September 1918 was this one. There were a total of twelve Landsturm infantry battalions from Leipzig plus an ersatz battalion (XIX.6) so our conclusion was based on a process of deduction. These poor men were completely unfit to conduct an arduous fighting retreat in the Macedonian climate, but that is what was demanded of them - just being Germans made them among the most reliable and effective troops in the immediate area.

This fighting is described in detail in the Reichsarchiv 'Schlachten des Weltkrieges' series in volume 11, Weltkriegsende an der mazedonischen Front. Here is the order of battle from that volume, listing German troops in this theatre in autumn 1918.

(tbc in next post)

[bierast]

Here's the rest of the list:

[bierast]

Here is my only photo (and the only one I've ever seen) from 11. Landsturm-Infanterie-Bataillon Leipzig XIX.28. This veteran's sunburnt complexion and haunted expression strongly suggest to me that this was taken on leave or upon his return from this theatre.