ph0ebus Posted 9 March , 2008 Share Posted 9 March , 2008 Hi all, I am trying to figure out what unit a relative of mine was in during the Great War. All I know is he sent his sister a postcard portrait of himself in uniform from Nowo Alexandrowsk, Russia on June 7th, 1918. You can view his picture and the inscription on the reverse of the card here: http://ph0ebus13.googlepages.com/home Thanks, -Daniel Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ph0ebus Posted 11 August , 2009 Author Share Posted 11 August , 2009 Hi all, I am bumping this up in the hope that some fresh set of eyes might be able to shed some light on what unit Julius was in. I have dug through the 'Stern Family Archives' and have found no other material from Julius that might help. I have found mention of action there by unnamed Prussian troops in September 1916, but not in 1918. Per 'Histories', the 77th Reserve Division was in the vicinity as late as 1917, but then pulled up stakes and went to France. -Daniel Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Prussian Posted 16 August , 2009 Share Posted 16 August , 2009 Hi Danny! As far as I know, the area around Kowno (Nowo-Alexandrowsk is near Kowno), was occupied by the 10.Army. The 10.army was: Gen.Kdo.III.Res.Korps: 14.Ldw.Div (was sent to France and came back late june)., 16.Ldw.Div.(stood near Charkov), 18.Ldw.Div.(Orcha region), 46.Ldw.Div.(Minsk) Gen.Kdo.57: 11.Ldw.Div.((near Kiev), 21.Ldw.Div.(sent to France), 93.Inf.Div.(near Kiev), 94.Inf.Div.(sent to France-came back in sepzember) Gen.Kdo.67: 17.Ldw.Div.(Polotsk-Vitebsk), 226.Inf.Div.,(dissolved in june) 9.Ldw.Brig.(?), 85.Ldw.Div.(Polotsk) Stab Leibhusaren-Brig.: Rgt.Garde du corps, Leibhus.Rgt.1 Gen.Kdo.Ldw.Korps: 3.Ldw.Div., 4.Ldw.Div.(Kiev) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ph0ebus Posted 17 August , 2009 Author Share Posted 17 August , 2009 Hi Danny! As far as I know, the area around Kowno (Nowo-Alexandrowsk is near Kowno), was occupied by the 10.Army. The 10.army was: Gen.Kdo.III.Res.Korps: 14.Ldw.Div (was sent to France and came back late june)., 16.Ldw.Div.(stood near Charkov), 18.Ldw.Div.(Orcha region), 46.Ldw.Div.(Minsk) Gen.Kdo.57: 11.Ldw.Div.((near Kiev), 21.Ldw.Div.(sent to France), 93.Inf.Div.(near Kiev), 94.Inf.Div.(sent to France-came back in sepzember) Gen.Kdo.67: 17.Ldw.Div.(Polotsk-Vitebsk), 226.Inf.Div.,(dissolved in june) 9.Ldw.Brig.(?), 85.Ldw.Div.(Polotsk) Stab Leibhusaren-Brig.: Rgt.Garde du corps, Leibhus.Rgt.1 Gen.Kdo.Ldw.Korps: 3.Ldw.Div., 4.Ldw.Div.(Kiev) Hi Andy, Great to hear from you! Does my picture give you any clue as to which part Julius might have been attached to? Thanks, -Daniel Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Prussian Posted 17 August , 2009 Share Posted 17 August , 2009 Hi Danny! No, unfortunately not. He wears the "Feldbluse M15" (the worst uniform to indicate anything...) The only thing, I can say is, that he served in an infantry unit. That´s indicated by the white pipings around the shoulder straps. Do you have more infos? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ph0ebus Posted 17 August , 2009 Author Share Posted 17 August , 2009 Hi Andy, I am sorry to say that this one photo is all I have and know about Julius' stint in the army. You have an eagle eye, as I did not make out the piping and have looked at this picture many times! I guess until LAGeSo resumes taking research requests I am out of luck. Thanks, -Dan Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Prussian Posted 18 August , 2009 Share Posted 18 August , 2009 Hi Danny! Because of my firts research for the 10th army, I´m not quite sure, it this was right, because all of the Landwehr units weren´t in the Kowno area. I´ll start another search, but I do´t have too many infos about the activities after Brest-Litowsk. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ph0ebus Posted 30 September , 2009 Author Share Posted 30 September , 2009 Hi Andy, all, A bit of good news, I just located where Julius Strauss is buried: in Norma, New Jersey, USA. I plan on visiting his grave this fall, and will update this thread then, unless I get some more information in the intereim. -Daniel Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ph0ebus Posted 25 November , 2011 Author Share Posted 25 November , 2011 Hi all, I am sorry to report two years of effort have produced almost no new information about my great uncle's Prussian Army service. I have, however, found his death notice: Sadly, I have not had the opportunity to visit his grave yet either. The cemetery is pretty far from here, and I just have not had the chance to go as of yet. -Daniel Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ph0ebus Posted 13 March , 2013 Author Share Posted 13 March , 2013 Well...got an unexpected opportunity to to the New York Public Library and used the time going through Ancestry looking for the proverbial needle in the VL haystack, and struck out. Plenty of Julius Strauss entries, mind you, just none of them were my great uncle. I started this thread more than five years ago and have made zero progress...I really think I will never find what I am seeking. -Daniel Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Karsten Posted 14 March , 2013 Share Posted 14 March , 2013 Daniel, was Julius Strauss perhaps from Bavaria or Württemberg? Then we might find him perhaps in the archives of Munich or Stuttgart. Just a try. Greetings Karsten Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tom W. Posted 14 March , 2013 Share Posted 14 March , 2013 Spelling might be an issue. Here are several alternative spellings I've found: Novo Aleksandrovsk Nowo Alexandrowsk Novo-Aleksandrovsk Nowo-Alexandrowsk Novoaleksandrovsk Nowo-Aleksandrowsk Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Karsten Posted 14 March , 2013 Share Posted 14 March , 2013 In the Hauptstaatsarchiv Stuttgart are the service records of two Julius Strauss. One born 29th September 1875, the other 8th August 1890. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ph0ebus Posted 14 March , 2013 Author Share Posted 14 March , 2013 Hi Tom and Karsten, Julius was born November 7, 1897 in Gemünden (Hunsrück). I have been through every scrap of paper I inherited from Julius and his wife (a substantial paper hoard, I might add) and the only thing I have (which, make no mistake, I am thrilled to have) relating to his service is the picture above. Here's the reverse, which shows the way he wrote it: On the website for the Synagogue for Gemünden, Julius' father gets a mention, and I have a few other vital records that confirm his birthplace. His mother and brother are buried in the Jewish cemetery there (his brother Moritz, killed in action, merited his own thread here on the GWF, here). The synagogue site: Die Synagogue in Gemünden Given this picture was taken so late in the war and in the absence of a ribbon or any VL entry (that I can find) I can only assume he was lucky enough to escape any sort of injury, which was great for Julius but is making progress difficult for me. None of the VLs I have found have a birth date for them and I would assume (perhaps erroneously on my part) that they would have listed his correct birthplace in any entry of his, which is why I have ruled them all out. I also looked under the name variations Strauss and Strauß, with and without first names, with and without years of birth (both exact and fuzzy). I also looked under just Gemünden and Gemuenden and Gemunden. I have written to Krankenbuchlager and every other place I can think of and gotten either no reply or a response of 'we cannot help you'. I have even written to the archivist in Gemünden (even the mayor!) and gotten no response. My inability to read German of course is not helping, but I do not have access to the Unit Histories that Andy was kind enough to reference way back in 2009, so that angle I guess still remains, but it in effect a dead end for me until I can get access to the books have a look at them. I have tried Ancestry, My Heritage, Geni, and of course the great and powerful Google to no avail. If I am missing something i would love to hear about it, but Julius' branch of the family ended when his sister died five years ago, so there isn't even anyone living anymore to even ask, on the odd chance they knew or heard something that might be helpful. At this point, I'll even take the longest long shot if there's the slightest chance of even a baby step forward. -Daniel Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Karsten Posted 14 March , 2013 Share Posted 14 March , 2013 (edited) Daniel, ok. Let's see what we can figure out. First of all, I think we talk about Nowo Alexandrowsk (German spelling) in Lithuania, which is now named Zarasai. There is a second Nowo Alexandrowsk just North of the Caucasus but that part of Russia saw no German soldiers in WW I. Second: Lithuania declared its independence from Russia in February 1918 when it still was under German occupation. I do not know for sure but I would assume that German units remained in that area throughout the whole year 1918. But I bet that these weren't first class units but more or less reserve units. Was Gemünden only Julius' place of birth or did he live there until WW I? BTW: I am quite surprised that his death notice is written in German! When did he emigrate to the USA? Greetings Karsten Edited 14 March , 2013 by Karsten Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ph0ebus Posted 14 March , 2013 Author Share Posted 14 March , 2013 Was Gemünden only Julius' place of birth or did he live there until WW I? BTW: I am quite surprised that his death notice is written in German! When did he emigrate to the USA? Greetings Karsten Hi Karsten, Thanks for the clarification on where the photo may have been taken...the pciture gives few details but the ground certainly does not look fought over. He was born and raised there and lived there post-war until the Nazis came on the Night of the Broken Glass and destroyed the synagogue, whereupon he and his father Gustav fled and came to America, in December 1938. The death notice appeared in Aufbau, a German-language newspaper popular with German immigrants and available here in the USA. Daniel Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Karsten Posted 14 March , 2013 Share Posted 14 March , 2013 Hi Daniel, when he lived in Gemünden until 1938, then he left perhaps some traces in his local area: Perhaps he is mentioned in the local newspaper when he returned from war? Perhaps he became a member of the local "Kriegerverein" (if there was one)? In both cases his unit may be mentioned with him. But now it becomes a difficult research with the necessity to go to local archives. There is a "Hunsrücker Heimatverein". Please google it. Perhaps these guys can help you. Good luck! Greetings Karsten Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ph0ebus Posted 14 March , 2013 Author Share Posted 14 March , 2013 Hi Daniel, when he lived in Gemünden until 1938, then he left perhaps some traces in his local area: Perhaps he is mentioned in the local newspaper when he returned from war? Perhaps he became a member of the local "Kriegerverein" (if there was one)? In both cases his unit may be mentioned with him. But now it becomes a difficult research with the necessity to go to local archives. There is a "Hunsrücker Heimatverein". Please google it. Perhaps these guys can help you. Good luck! Greetings Karsten Hi Karsten, I don't believe that (Hunsrücker Heimatverein) is an avenue I have explored before....many thanks! I will try the museum and the paper and see if those bear any fruit. (Crosses fingers) -Daniel Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Karsten Posted 14 March , 2013 Share Posted 14 March , 2013 Sorry, I meant "Hunsrücker Geschichtsverein"! Karsten Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ph0ebus Posted 14 March , 2013 Author Share Posted 14 March , 2013 Sorry, I meant "Hunsrücker Geschichtsverein"! Karsten I'll check this out too! The first suggestion led me to the following site, which may be a viable lead...: http://www.hunsrueck-museum.de/ Email sent... -Daniel Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Karsten Posted 15 March , 2013 Share Posted 15 March , 2013 http://www.hunsrueck-museum.de/ Email sent... -Daniel That sounds good. Please keep us informed! Greetings Karsten Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ph0ebus Posted 30 March , 2013 Author Share Posted 30 March , 2013 So, I received a reply from the Hunsrück-Museum Simmern and they are interested in trying to help! They did, however, say "ich will versuchen, etwas herauszufinden. Es wird aber ein wenig dauern." so I will keep other avenues active while they do whatever it is that they are doing. -Daniel Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ph0ebus Posted 23 August , 2013 Author Share Posted 23 August , 2013 Hi all, An update: after months of waiting, I heard back from the Hunsrück-Museum and in short they have found absolutely nothing. Very disappointing but not terribly surprising. Back to square one... Daniel Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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