Help Translating German WW1 Passport

[BKK]

Garrett,

Yes you are right on the timing that your family left, and after that book you realize how critical that was. My grandmother had taken a trip over to germany in the summer of 1944 to preposition some things. So I guess she already had the plan hatched. She, being a single parent now, worked as a telephone operator, and in the post office. I was told that she was privy to hearing how poor the war was going in the east.

My father distinctly remembers leaving on 15 January 1945, because that was his birthday, and he said it was the coldest winter. Ironically, 15 Jan is the same day his Dad was born, and the very same day that his father died in 1937! They left town in a post office truck, since my grandmother knew the workers. At some point they were dropped off in the middle of nowhere, and sought refuge in some abandoned house. My father told me that they got on a train at some point, and were lucky to get on the heated part of the train. He said that by the time they got to Berlin, many of the people on the un-heated part froze to death. He said that once they were in Berlin they were getting bombed, and spent a lot of time in the shelters. They were able to get out of berlin and head to Fulda, where an aunt (Fathers Sister) lived. He told me that Fulda was a german garrison town, and now they were coming under artillery fire from the Americans, and that uncle was killed. That still was a bitter in pill in his mind. I wish I would have talked to him more about all the details of that journey, but at least I got some. As I mentioned before, they stayed in Fulda till 1947 when they were lucky enough to go to the USA. We actually have some letters that were sent from his teacher in Fulda. Very nice.

On the building. We were lucky to re-claim it when we did. Poland passed a law a couple years ago making that option not possible anymore. Czech Republic for example had put a deadline on that in the late 40s. America and many western countries were strongly opposed to Poland changing that law. Primarily with Holocost victims in mind. However, even when we did it, we were told we were lucky, since there were many properties in the similar situation all over town.

I am glad you read that Fall of Berlin book. It is a real great one. I think now you are ready for German boy, to understand how much life sucked in Germany till at least 1949.

 

[German IR 169]

Hi Garrett, My friend Pete vectored me into this chat.   While I haven't been on the forum for some time now, it's always a pleasure to learn of other descendants of IR 169 veterans.  As Pete noted, it is interesting that we share not only grandfathers who served in WW I, but also that we are both US Army veterans.  Also like Pete, I had the opportunity to visit most of 169's battlefields in 2019, which was an incredible experience and highly recommended to all who wish to get a feel for these remarkable sites.  I hope my book, Imperial Germany's Iron Regiment of the First World War; History of IR 169 (www.ironregiment169.com) has been helpful in providing information on your great-grandfather's service in IR 169, and also that of the regiment's sister unit, IR 111.   By the last year of the war, the three regiments of the 52nd Division were so heavily reduced by losses that the entire division functioned at the strength of a pre/early war regiment-sized unit.   As such, the story lines of IRs 169, IR 111 and 170 were very similar during that period.

I look forward to hearing more from you and best wishes as you seek to learn more about your family's history.

Best regards,   John Rieth