Germany : Fritz Limbach - letters from the front - 1915

[JWK]

Loader, we can’t be absolutely sure that there is a connection between Captain Kilby and Musketeer Fritz Limbach, because …..

But that is to follow, first the question of the camera:

“What happened to Fritz’s camera?” you may ask.

99 years ago the Limbach family had that very same question, so they wrote to Feldwebel Scheffel.

Otto Mertens (Fritz’s best friend in the trenches) wrote the Limbach family a letter on 20 October 1915:

“Sehr geehrte familie Limbach,

From Feldwebel Scheffel I understood that you have written about the photographic apparatus.

I have retained that and will send it to you as soon as I have taken pictures of the graves of my friend Fritz and Heinz Mais. I think you, as well as the Mais family, would like to have a picture of the last restingplace of your dearest son.

I have lost a lot in Fritz. You cannot believe how much alike we were, and while I am on very good terms with the other comrades, Fritz is irreplaceable.

Fritz was loved by everyone, without exception, which unfortunately not everyone can say of himself.

He really was too good for life “im Felde”, always forthcoming to his comrades, and I was often furious at him when he had “been done” by someone again.

But that is as it always is: the best fall first, and the thugs get through unharmed. “

Edited 27 September , 2014 by JWK

[Martin Feledziak]

I hope all the links are right and we have connected the right people to the right places, I would have to say that it does all looks right

and fits on the timeline.

And if this is so, It is amazing that the defenders recognised the bravery of Kilby and his men and even marked the spot with a cross. Fritz always said they had constructed a very strong defensive fortification.

He was confident that it would hold.

Even the allied attackers knew that the odds of success in that sector were low.

From a purely selfish point of view - we lost a top WW1 front line reporter who appears to have been a sensitive chap,

with a great sense of humour who liked to write, smoke, paint signs, press flowers, eat lobster and had a camera.

He never appears to have done any harm apart from shooting rats killing lice and taking out the odd British trench periscope.

Just my view..

- Jan I have just noticed your post 126.That bottom line is crack on..The best are lost first ..Thugs do get through.

Edited 27 September , 2014 by Martin Feledziak

[ph0ebus]

This thread has been amazing, and a representation of the members of this forum at their best. Well done!

Daniel

[fritz]

Is there a picture of his last resting place?

[JWK]

It took Otto Mertens quite some time to send a picture of Fritz’s grave to the family.

On 7 december 1915 he sends it from his new posting at Sennelager. He has been promoted apparently: he is now a Gefreiter (one step up from Private), and gives his address as “11 Kompagnie Lehrkursus fuer Offizier-Aspiranten, Sennelager”, so he’s enrolled in an officers trainingcourse.

About the picture he writes

“Unfortunately it did not quite turn out well, but I can’t change that anymore, so you’ll have to do with what little is there” (Bit harsh, isn’t it?)

And he was not wrong about “did not quite turn out well” !:

With a bit of fiddling I managed to get a close-up of Fritz’s grave:

Shortly after the war Douvrin cemetery was closed, and the burials removed to the German Cemetery at Lens-Sallaumines where he now rests in Block 4 Grave 536.

I haven’t been to Lens-Sallaumines yet, so no picture of that grave I’m afraid.

And attentive sleuths may have noticed something very odd, but more about that later.

Edited 20 August , 2022 by JWK

[nigelcave]

'I haven’t been to Lens-Sallaumines yet, so no picture of that grave I’m afraid.'

Good luck on that one! I have memories of going around in circles (not a good place to be doing that, I can tell you), in the rain and near rush hour in search of this elusive cemetery - no luck, even with the aid of a decent scale map. Oh well, it was the end of a long day.

[Martin Feledziak]

I am thinking it has 26th Sept 1915 in the centre of the cross- I would have expected to see 25th.

I am confused by the description of "MassGrave" to me this means many buried in the same plot with just 1 marker with many names

but Fritz does get a cross.

This could be where Fritz is now finally at rest. ( This appears to be block 6 )

with Fritz in block 4 it could be a huge site.

http://www.panoramio.com/photo/108659136?source=wapi&referrer=kh.google.com

[trajan]

'I haven’t been to Lens-Sallaumines yet, so no picture of that grave I’m afraid.'

Good luck on that one! I have memories of going around in circles (not a good place to be doing that, I can tell you), in the rain and near rush hour in search of this elusive cemetery - no luck, even with the aid of a decent scale map. Oh well, it was the end of a long day.

Just in case, Jan - and any others - check http://www.volksbund.de/kriegsgraeberstaette/lens-sallaumines.html

[JWK]

'I haven’t been to Lens-Sallaumines yet, so no picture of that grave I’m afraid.'

Good luck on that one! I have memories of going around in circles (not a good place to be doing that, I can tell you), in the rain and near rush hour in search of this elusive cemetery - no luck, even with the aid of a decent scale map. Oh well, it was the end of a long day.

Nigel,

I have been looking on Google streetview, and yes it seems there is no easy way to get there.

And when you then get there there is no parking (at least not in Google streetview) .

Finding that elusive cemetery (and finding a place to park my car) will be my little project for next month.

[JWK]

Martin, I also don’t quite understand that “massgrave” thing. Maybe he meant one big grave in which all 9 casualties were buried side by side?

Do note however that all the crosses bear two names.

Then to when Fritz actually died :

The date on the cross is indeed 26 September 1915 (as spotted by eagle-eyed Martin)

Leutnant Breunig, Feldwebel Scheffel and Otto Mertens are all unanimous : 25 September 1915 (early in the morning) is when Fritz died.

The Regimental History of the 16’ers puts Fritz’s death on 24 September 1915, and it’s not a typo as all casualties of 6 Komp. have that same date, 24 september.

Also www.volksbund.de (the German CWGC) puts Fritz’s date of death on 24 September 1915 (No doubt recycling info gathered from the Regiment)

So we’re left with:

Cause of death :

Bullet to the head – Leutnant Breunig and Otto Mertens

Died in handgrenade explosion – Feldwebel Scheffel

Date of death:

24 September 1915 – Regimental History and Volksbund

25 september 1915 – Leutnant Breunig, Otto Mertens and Feldwebel Scheffel

26 September 1915 – Cross on grave

Who to believe ?

[trajan]

Nigel,

I have been looking on Google streetview, and yes it seems there is no easy way to get there.

And when you then get there there is no parking (at least not in Google streetview) .

Finding that elusive cemetery (and finding a place to park my car) will be my little project for next month.

Did you try the link I posted above - http://www.volksbund...allaumines.html and click on their google image and then click on the "Weiterlesen In Route einplanen" for the route there.

[Martin Feledziak]

Taking into account all that we have been given,

I would say he died just after the gas cloud on the 25th and there is a very good chance it was as a result of The Captain and his men on the canal tow path.

It could have been a combination of grenades and bullets.

In any event no good came out of it just much misery and grief for the men and all the families.

[JWK]

Martin, I too think that Saturday 25 September 1915 early in the morning was Fritz’s hour.

And a combination of handgrenades and bullets could also well be it, hadn’t thought of that.

Whether or not Captain Kilby played a part in it, I simply do not know.

That’s for the more advanced scholars to determine.

But whatever the date and whatever the cause of death, or the circumstances, it is all sad, véry véry sad.

And Fritz is just one of countless casualties on both sides…..

Did some snooping around in the casualty-lists of the Regiment, and I *think* I have found the

“9 casualties” that Leutnant Breunig talked about (or at least 7 of them):

Res. Wilhelm Altenbach † 24-9-1915

buried 1st Douvrin, 2nd Lens-Sallaumines, block 4 grave 537

(In Douvrin he shared the same cross as Fritz)

Musk. Paul Budde † 24-9-1915

buried 1st Douvrin, 2nd Lens-Sallaumines, block 4 grave 539

Einj. Fritz Limbach † 24-9-1915

buried 1st Douvrin, 2nd Lens-Sallaumines, block 4 grave 536

Musk. Karl Romberg † 24-9-1915

buried 1st Douvrin, 2nd Lens-Sallaumines, block 4 grave 508

Musk. Eduard Siesskind † 24-9-1915

Buried 1st Douvrin, 2nd Lens-Sallaumines, block 4 grave 507

Musk. Emil Emde † 24-9-1915 of wounds

Buried Bauvin, block 3 grave 48

(Could he be the guy in picture # 2 "a guy from Schwelm"? Emil was from Schwelm)

Musk. Eugen Schuh (5 Komp.) † 24-9-1915

Couldn’t find any burialrecord on Eugen unfortunately

And two possibles, both 6 Komp.

Gefreiter Hermann Gumpertz † 29-9-1915 of wounds

Buried Seclin, block 3 grave 54

Picture 13 is of him, but alas I don’t have a print and I haven’t found it yet on the internet.

Fritz described Hermann as : “The very poetic editor of our “Schützen Zeitung”, trader in cigars and cigarettes, and a chatterbox First Class”

Musk Wilhelm Hundertmark 28-9-1915 of wounds

Buried Bauvin, block 3 grave 5

[Loader]

I go with the 25th, all those actually present agree that is the date & they'd know best. paperwork often does not tally with the actual events so even the German efficiency can be wrong at times. I alos think Capt. Kilby's unit was the cause of it. 99 yrs on we'll never know for sure but ceretainly seems likely. A sad day for all involved.

[Martin Feledziak]

Those 9 names all appear on the verlustlisten casualty reports for 27th October 1915

for us English readers it takes a while to understand just the basic Old German Type characters as they are very similar.

We have no chance with the handwritten documents.

I have added a notation to the right of their entries but the upload file size makes it even harder to read..

[JWK]

And that concludes the story of

Fritz Limbach, from Unter-Barmen.

One-year-volunteer in the Infanterie-Regiment Freiherr von Sparr (3. Westfälisches) Nr 16 .

He started his army-life on 7 January 1915 at Kevelaer.

He died 25 september 1915, in the first hours of the Battle of Loos, at the Prellbock Stellung next to the Canal d’Aire de la Bassée, Auchy-lez-la-Bassée (Since 1926: Auchy-les-Mines) , Dept. Pas de Calais, France. 19 or 20 years old.

Just one of the countless casualties of WW1.

I hope you enjoyed the little journey through a soldier’s life that Fritz took you on.

And when I say “that concludes the story” I mean : I have no more letters to quote from, so for the moment this thread comes to an end.

The story will continue ofcourse, research still to be done on when and where exactly he was born (I’m guessing early/mid october 1895/1896); what happened to his friends and family in the war and in the post-war years; research into which regiments were opposite him, and what were their thoughts of the Germans opposite them; contacting the Gymnasium he went to in Barmen etc etc etc.

Results of which I will post in this thread so don't put it into storage yet.

And when all that is done and dusted I’ll make an appointment with the Wuppertal archives “to hand over custody of my “adopted son” ”, because, silly nerd that I am, I’ve come to love that little guy !

Would be a sad moment to see him go.

[nigelcave]

Did you try the link I posted above - http://www.volksbund...allaumines.html and click on their google image and then click on the "Weiterlesen In Route einplanen" for the route there.

Thanks for that. Of course when I was doing this maybe eight years ago it was without benefit of satnav and working off a map (with a most competent navigator, I might add) that did not indicate one way streets and it was wet and miserable and it was at the end of a long (and otherwise fruitful) day ... So maybe next time, prefeably on an early Sunday morning in the summer, with no impatient commuters and other traffic in a hurry.

[Langdon]

JWK,

Thank you for sharing this story of "my German soldier" - an illuminating and moving history which has helped me (and I'm sure others) to realise this early and particular time of the war.

Best wishes,

Mike

[Martin Feledziak]

Great work Jan.

You have presented a grand account of Fritz and provided a fantastic resource for future researchers.

A most honourable tribute

The one thing I have noticed about this forum is that whenever I look for some info about any WW1 topic and do a "Google" the answer always points

back to 1914-1918 invisionzone. ( This Forum )

So something good goes on here..

Don't go away

[trajan]

Having finally managed to get hold of a copy of Hedin's 'With the Kaiser's Army in 1914', which 'our' Fritz mentions in his letter post 74, I will read this with a much better understanding thanks to all those letters. So, renewed thanks Jan.

Trajan

PS:

Thanks for that. Of course when I was doing this maybe eight years ago it was without benefit of satnav and working off a map (with a most competent navigator, I might add) that did not indicate one way streets and it was wet and miserable and it was at the end of a long (and otherwise fruitful) day ... So maybe next time, prefeably on an early Sunday morning in the summer, with no impatient commuters and other traffic in a hurry.

Yes, this Google thing and sanav have changed things and made life a lot easier! But, there again, the joys of navigating with a map and a compass... I still teach my students this at the start of their Field Surveying course, much to their protests, as they all want to use their i-phones - but i-phones aren't much use in some areas we survey, even in central Turkey, as no coverage!

[Martin Feledziak]

Just dropping this on here.

Taken from the casualty reports 2nd November 1915. Heinrick Mais From Barmen.

Looks like he died in a field hospital.

http://des.genealogy.net/search/show/527641

[Wigwhammer]

I just read this thread in one sitting and found it most moving. Thanks, Mike, for all your hard work and dedication.

Just how Fritz was killed remains, to my mind, an open question - when comrades write to the family of a fallen comrade the death is always described as instantaneous and painless in order to spare feelings and as a form of consolation.

Similarly, I am pretty sure that Fritz, not wanting to increase his family's fears and anxieties for his safety, will have drastically understated what he went through in the trenches and that just taking occasional pot-shots at rats and periscopes with all enemy bombardments missing by a mile was a highly sanitised version.

He comes across as a most likeable fellow and his fate is a perfect illustration of the futility of war.

Cheers

Colin

[Martin Feledziak]

Have a play with this link.

It should be the spot where the war ended for Fritz

If you use the slider it fades the trench map away and leaves the current topography.

http://maps.nls.uk/geo/explore/#zoom=16&lat=50.52065&lon=2.76897&layers=101464729

This is a screen print just for info..

[trajan]

I just read this thread in one sitting and found it most moving. ... He comes across as a most likeable fellow and his fate is a perfect illustration of the futility of war.

It has been a fascinating thread indeed, and like so many others involved in any war, not from their own choosing, he was a normal and very likeable chap.

[JWK]

Have a play with this link.

It should be the spot where the war ended for Fritz

If you use the slider it fades the trench map away and leaves the current topography.

http://maps.nls.uk/geo/explore/#zoom=16&lat=50.52065&lon=2.76897&layers=101464729

This is a screen print just for info.

Thanks for that, Martin. Hadn't found that map yet (was looking for earlier trench-maps)

Fritz's place on the Western Front, and the spot where he died, was on the south bank of the canal, right in front of the "E" of "Embankment Redoubt" - the German "Prellbock Stellung" . (It is marked on a little map somewhere in this thread)

Bit of an inaccessible area at present, or so it seems from looking at Google Earth and Streetview, so next project will be to find an informed guide (a flesh-and-blood one, one you can talk to, one can drive a car) who can guide me around all those places around Auchy.