Were German missing commemorated?

[Chris_Baker]

I've been in Germany on business again this week (and incidentally seen some very nice village memorials in the area of Lemfoerde, in Niedersachsen), and a thought occurred.

I have seen, as many other users will have seen, the deeply impressive mass graves and German cemeteries on the Western Front. But I can not recall ever seeing or hearing of any commemoration of their missing. There are, of course, graves to unknown soldiers...but was there any lasting record of those who died without a known grave, in Germany or elsewhere?

[Ralph J. Whitehead]

Chris, I believe the German War Graves Commission does hold a vast resource of informnation regarding German War dead but it is not readily available to the public. If you write to them asking for specific details they can provide burial information. I have not come across any details concerning your question of a record of unknown burials. I doubt any one source exists that would provide these details.

Others might have more details on this question but so far nothing has come to my attention in the years of researching the German army. From many inquiries I have seen I believe that few Germans are aware of the service records of their relatives and it is not a popular issue in Germany today. Hopefully others will be able to provide further information regarding this question.

Ralph

[CROONAERT]

I've seen a (regimental) memorial to the missing of the 1870-71 war (complete with bullet holes from a later war!),but not one to the Great War missing. I presume there must be some in existance (somewhere!!!) , even if only to certain regiments.

Dave

[egbert]

Wrong Dave,

you find the WWI and WWII memorials all over. Each village, each town know them, have them, mostly right in the center of the town (marketplace or "Unter der Linde")! They consist of either regimental memorials or just the personalized memorials with all names, data of the fallen sons! See also thread: >>Great War memorials in Germany, Inside factories etc<< in this forum

[zijde26]

It can be very helpful to look at http://www.volksbund.de/ or to write at them.

Gilbert Deraedt

[CROONAERT]

Wrong Dave,

you find the WWI and WWII memorials all over. Each village, each town know them, have them, mostly right in the center of the town (marketplace or "Unter der Linde")! They consist of either regimental memorials or just the personalized memorials with all names, data of the fallen sons! See also thread: >>Great War memorials in Germany, Inside factories etc<< in this forum

I've seen countless German war memorials to the "fallen" , both regimental and otherwise from all 3 of the wars that "Germany" took part in (one of my favourites is located in the (now)Belgian town of Malmedy - this lists those who died fighting with the German Army 1914-18 along side those who died fighting with the Belgian Army 1940-45). What I am saying is that I've never seen a WW1 memorial that is purely to the missing .

The 1870/1 memorial that I mentioned is one such memorial.

Dave

[egbert]

Dave I got you!

Well, the village memorials I mentioned above, usually list those "sons" which did not return from war. In most cases you find the actual names of affected soldiers on these memorials, but without KIA date. So after the war, when these memorials had been erected, the officials did not distinguish MIA, KIA, POW-death etc, but listed all soldiers who did not make it home.

[Christina Holstein]

Egbert -

That's an interesting post, thank you. Most of the German memorials that I've seen are very discreet affairs but there's a stunning one in Gerolstein, Eifel, that represents an equipped infantryman in greatcoat and steel helmet. It's much more than life size, as well as being very sombre. The sons of Gerolstein listed there died between 1914 and 1919. I go to look at it everytime I go through Gerolstein - which is about twice a year.

Christina

[CROONAERT]

Another rather striking German memorial is on the banks of the Rhine near (if memory serves me correctly) Rudesheim. This is best seen from the opposite bank and consists of an Imperial eagle with a golden Iron Cross, hewn out of solid rock.

Dave.

[CROONAERT]

I have seen, as many other users will have seen, the deeply impressive mass graves and German cemeteries on the Western Front. But I can not recall ever seeing or hearing of any commemoration of their missing.

I remember being in Langemark cemetery one late November and hearing the strains of "Ich hat ein Kamerad" (excuse the spelling), being played over the mass grave by a Bundeswehr trumpeter in what seemed to be an official ceremony. The Germans also commemmorated the 70th anniversary of the Somme battle with a ceremony in Fricourt cemetery and one at Thiepval on July 2nd. Are these ceremonies a regular occurance,or were they "one-offs"?

Also, what is "Totensonntag" , this year on November 23rd?

dave.

[egbert]

Ok Dave,

here is another answer: At German Remembrance Day - its called "Volkstrauertag" - Germans remember their dead from both WWs. That includes all military and civilian casualties, as well as the Holocaust victims. For that, ALL Bundeswehr services and branches from ALL the hundreds of posts, send a detachment to nearby local cemeteries, memorials etc (due to partnership), were they do OFFICIAL BUSINESS in 1st class uniform. Together with the locals there is always a wreath laying ceremony, if possible with a trumpeter who plays from a little distance - through the tree lines- the "Ich hatt' einen Kameraden" - that is very touchy I can tell you! What you saw in Bundeswehr "foreign country", is quite normal: Bundeswehr is stationed all over in Europe and across the pond; I personally attended officially 5 times a Remembrance day ceremony in El Paso, Texas, where the German contingent together with their allied colleagues, honor the dead at a former POW cemetery, some 80 war graves. Last year I attended a Remembrance ceremony in Anniston, Alabama: a German military chaplain and an official detachment honored some 40 graves, also POW graves.

Remembrance day is "Volkstrauertag", this year its 16 Nov. "Totensonntag" is mainly a catholic holy Sunday, this year 23 Nov. You can meet me this year for observing Remembrance day with wreath laying ceremony at Ft McClellan, Alabama.

[egbert]

If you like to read the text of "Ich hatt' einen Kameraden" in English, go to:

http://ingeb.org/Lieder/IchHattE.html

if you like to hear it:

http://www.militarygameronline.com/Panzer/...ngichhatte.html

.

[CROONAERT]

Thanks for all that Egbert!

(I don't think I'll be meeting you in Alabama though - it's a hell of a long way to walk from Lancashire!!!! )

Dave

[egbert]

Dave ,

please accept the following added picture with respect to my previous posting from 6 April, concerning official business in foreign countries at the occasion of Remembrance Day. What a small world - I discovered it last weekend in the local Huntsville Times (Alabama!!)