Tuesday 17 December 2019

Kampfgruppe Engelbrecht - German units training Croatian forces inside NDH

Feldpost card 23.01.1945 to Reich from Fp.02873B which is schwere Kompanie Kampfgruppe Engelbrecht,
  
Fp.02873 :
 (1.8.1943-23.3.1944) 21.12.1943 Stab u. 1.-4. Kompanie Deutsches Ausbildungs-Bataillon 1 bei 1. Kroat. Jäger-Brigade,
(7.11.1944-Kriegsende) 17.1.1945 Regimentsstab u. schwere Kompanie Kampfgruppe Engelbrecht, 





Kampfgruppe Engelbrecht  was formed at the end of 1944 or beginning of 1945 from German forces that were training Croatian army in NDH , it had stab and 3 batallions and fought in NDH :

Stab from   Deutsches Ausbildungs-Bataillon 1 bei 1. Kroat. Jäger-Brigade,
 Fp: 02873 Regimentsstab u. schwere Kompanie Kampfgruppe Engelbrecht,

I. batallion from Deutsches Ausbildungs-Bataillon. 4. der 4. kroat.Jäger-Brigade.
Fp.04450 Stab I u. 1.-4. Kompanie Kampfgruppe Ingelbrecht
 
II. batallion from Deutsches Ausbildungs-Bataillon. 4. der 4.kroat.Gebirgs-Brig.;
Fp 05173 Stab II u. 5.-8. Kompanie Kampfgruppe Ingelbrecht.

III.batallion from Deutsches Ausbildungs-Bataillon. 3. der 3.kroat.Jäger-Brigade
Fp 07571 Stab III u. 9.-12. Kompanie Kampfgruppe Engelbrecht

  It is possible that  Sturm-Brigade Südost  is formed in  3-4/1945 from  Kampfgruppe Engelbracht. (or  maybe gruppe Fischer? at the end of the war a lot of "ad-hoc" fighting groups were formed that are poorly documented and it is impossible to reconstruct their origins completly)




Monday 16 December 2019

ORG. TODT SARAJEVO

An interesting item mailed by feldpost to Vicenza Italy on 31.10.1943 
Feldpost number Fp. 05386
(27.1.1942-14.7.1942) OT-Leitstelle Sarajewo,
(24.3.1944-6.11.1944) 12.7.1944 OT-Oberbauleitung Mostar.

Following Italian capitulation Italian  soldiers in NDH had 3 options, a) to go on collaborating  with German forces (around 10% did so and almost all of Blackshirts),  b) become prisoners - and  become forced labor in Reich or  c) join Partisans.
There were around 430 000 Italian soldiers stationed in  Balkans , a large part of it was in NDH.
Most of them choose to become prisoners, some joined Germans and very few joined Partisans.
This letter is probably from an  Italian man who joined Germans and worked in Org.Todt. Letistell Sarajevo , NDH
German and Italian  censorship visible








Wednesday 4 December 2019

Polizei-Panzer- Kompanie 16.



22.1.1945 cover mailed to Reich from Fp.23769 - Polizei-Panzer- Kompanie 16.

16.Polizei-Panzer company was formed in 06.1944 in Croatia and  stayed there until the end of War.
Iz was stationed in Samobor near Zagreb and unlike other Polizei panzer kompaines  it was manned mostly by Croats under German command staff.
Kompanie was made up of  3 platoons.
1.platoon had 2 tanks  Panzer 35 or 38 type and 2 Italian L6 tanks.  
2. and 3. platoon each had  4  Italian L3 tankette 


Sunday 1 December 2019

verstärkte Infanterie-Bataillon 939





07.08.1943 card to Zagreb NDH from Fp.57538 verstärkte Infanterie-Bataillon 939, 

Battalion was formed on  25.06.1943 in Stockerau to serve under  "Befehlshaber der Deutsches Truppen in Kroatien" . 

On 17.08.1943 batallion was disbanded and soldiers  added to 392. inf .div.(kroat.). 

Extremly rare Feldpost card as unit was active less then 2 months ( 52 days)


German Feldpost to NDH -pics 3




11.1941 letter to  Zagreb from Fp.06109 Stab Korps-Nachrichten-Abteilung 451, part of Korpstruppen of LI (51.) corps   







2.1942 letter from Fp.07764E , 9.Kompanie, II-Batallion , Gebirgsjäger-Regiment 137. 2.Gebirgs Division in Lappland, sent  Poste Restante to  Kaptol, near Požega Slavonia , NDH . Arrival cancel at the back .Letter was not collected and  after 7 days it was forwarded  from Kaptol,(cancel at the front )  to Reich.





11.1942 letter from Zagreb to Borovo, from Passierscheinstelle Sud-ost 1. des Oberkommando des Heeres .Ausenstell Agram . Letter is marked Dienstsache -official but was not exempt from charges by Croatian post  and Porto was charged at Borovo, see stamps. Recipient is Croatian Volksdeutsche , maybe going to work to Reich.In 7.1943 around 4500 Volksdeutsche from Croatia were working in Reich   




7.1943 letter to Beška  in Srijem , NDH  from 2.komp. SS-Gebirgsjäger-Ausbildungs- und Ersatz-Batallion 6   (10.5.43 formed in Hallein / Salzburg). I  also have letter from this Volksdeutsche soldier sent from 13. Waffen-Gebirgs-Division der SS Handschar (kroatische Nr. 1)..This letter is from training and formation period of 13.SS division.









8.1943 letter written in Croatian from SS Pionire Ersatz Batallion 1 , Dresden to Osijek ,NDH. In text soldier writes he was in Croatian army and transferred to train for SS-Pionire  , probably to serve in 13.SS Division as it was only unit where Croats could serve as SS-Pionire in 8.1943.







8.1944 Cover sent by civilan post from Varaždin to Fp.40043H Deutscher General in Agram,via Fp.58496 -Feldkommandantur 1038 ,(Varaždin)






2.1945 Letter written in Croatian ,to Zagreb from Fp.04858  Kraftfahr-Schule 105 (V. SS-Korps).  V.SS korps is in NDH  from its formation in 01.07.1943  until 2.1945 and had many Volksdeutsche soldiers . When korps was  transfererd to Reich, this Volksdeutsche soldier went with korps from NDH to the defence of Berlin.




German Feldpost from NDH - pics.2


23.12.1943 Christmas card ro Reich sent  by Croatian ciliv postal service, cancel Slavonski Brod. with Feldpost mark Fp.43370 - Truppen-Übungsplatz-Kommandantur Slav.Brod    







Interesting cover without date , but before Italian capitulation as it has Italian censorship.
German cancel: Erholungsheim Hotel Regina Abbazia. Meaning: Rest place Hotel Regina.
Hotel was opened in 1885 as Hotel Princess Stephanie renamed Hotel Regina by Italians after 1918 , it  is still opened today - Hotel Imperial ,Opatija ,  Croatia







10.1943 official registered letter from Fp.44733D  3.Komp. Reserve-Bataillon II./133,  187. Reserve-Division , mailed via Fp.48500 Kommando 187. Reserve-Division . Kenn number in R-sticker and feldpost cancel  is 182 - which means letter was taken for registration by FeldpostAmt-114, of 114 Jager-Division which had branch from 1943 that uses Kenn 182, primary Kenn number  being K-418 .  187 division did not have own FeldpostAmt ,it used mostly FpAmt 530 Kenn 176 or in this case neighbouring units Fp.Amt.   






6.1943 official registered letter from Fp.44733,  Reserve-Bataillon II./133,  187. Reserve-Division,  Kenn 176  , latter was mailed via FpAmt 530 located in Zagreb.
  187 division did not have own FeldpostAmt
 








1.1945 letter from Fp.36811E 4.Kompanie Landesschützen-Bataillon 925.Battalion was in NDH 1941-1945 , based in Zagreb and mostly did railway guard duty. 












9.1943 letter from Fp.34531E -12.Kompanie SS-Grenadier-Regiment Danmark
11.SS-Freiwilligen-Panzergrenad.-Div. "Nordland"  in  NDH:08/1943-11/1943
  





Letter from Fp.30420G - which is  6. Kompanie Wehrmacht-Wirtschafts-Sicherungs-Bataillon Kroatien.  Cancel date is unclear , but Battalion had 6th kompanie from 22.10.1943 till 01.02.1944 when 6th kompanie gets own Fp.number.Fp.56567 - 1.2.1944  6. Kompanie Wehrmacht-Wirtschafts-Sicherungs-Bataillon Kroatien. 29.1.1945 gestrichen




7.1944 letter from Fp.40963F ,  5. Kompanie I.Battalion  Jäger-Regiment 738,
118.Jager division in NDH