Burgenland-kroate(Croat) in Wehrmacht, Gradišćanski hrvat u Wehrmacht-u

 Burgenland Croats settled in todays Austria almost 500 years ago. Estimated 100 000 people arrived there as refugees from Turkish conquest. They survived there until today  with a consciousness of being Croats. Today they number around 35 000 people. Burgenland Croats were always loyal to Austria and men served in its armies during history. In World War 2 , they served loyally in Wehrmacht on all fronts with some even in the Waffen-SS. Mostly they served on the Balkan front, as they speak arhaic Croatian laguage that can be understood by people in the Balkan. It is known that they were used as translators in the Kroatische Ausbildung Brigade. Some 17,500 Burgenland Croats died fighting in the Wehrmacht. 

Some time ago I aquired a collection of letters written by a Burgenland Croat man serving in the Werhmacht.  His name was Thomas Simon, he was from the village Kleinmutschen (croat.Pervane) near Unterpullendorf (croat.Dolnje Pulje), still today these villages are populated by Burgenland Croats. When Thomas writes home to his Simon family he writes in Burgenland Croatian, I was able to read it with some minor problems.

His story in Wehrmacht seen through his mail follows:

21.12.1941 Thomas Christmas card in German mailed home from Troppau(today Opava Czech republic), still civilan on his way to R.A.D unit.

27.12.1941 letter in Croatian without cover, from Gratz uber Troppau(today Hradec nad Moravicí, Czech republic), all letters start with 'Dragi Starlji', dear parents. From R.A.D.

04.01.1942 letter home,text in Croatian, from RAD abteilung K 6/381 from Gratz uber Troppau

01.04.1942 Thomas joined Wehrmacht , cover marked as Feldpost, text in Croatian. Postal cancel Mahrich-Ostrau, Deutsche Dienstpost - Bohmen und Mahren,and big red cancel: Durch Deutsche Dienstpost Bohmen und Mahren. Units cancel Schutzen-Ersatz-bataillon 10/Briefstempel. Thomas adds on the cover  1.kompanie in Frankenstadt, Protektorat.

09.04.1942 letter home, all markings same as above

19.07.1942 letter in Croatian without cover. Place of writing Dillingen, there are no clues in the text what was he doing there. 

02.11.1942 Mahrich Weißkirchen/Hranica(in Czech republic today) to home, text in Croatian. Applied are Postal cancel and units cancel: Pz.Gren.Ers.Btl.2(Panzer Grenadire Ersatz Bataillon 2.) Marschkompanie.

25.11.1942 Mahrich Weißkirchen/Hranica to home. Text in Croatian, he writes he is laeving this place  with marchkompanie, and thinks he is not going to Russian front. Cancels same as above.

26.11.1942 Frankfurt an Oder to home, cover in bad condition. Postal cancel and purple cancel Bahnhofs offizier/ Briefstempel are present. Thomas writes he is travelling to Frankfurt an Oder, probably written on a train.

29.11.1943 (date in text) ,mail via civilian post office to home. Thomas writes that his unit will be transfered to France after training completes. Civilian cancel Zielenzig(today Sulecin in Poland), he writes adress Wandern bei Frankfurt an oder,Lager Narvik

30.11.1942 letter to home with postal cancel Wandern Narvik Lager uber Zielenzig. Truppenübungsplatz Wandern was a  military training camp ,today village Wedrzyn in western Poland.

21.12.1942 letter home from 4.komp. Bau Pionire Ersatz Ausbildungs Bataillon 17 in Engerau ND. (today part of Bratislava,Slovakia). Thomas writes he will be moving to France after Christams

09.05.1943 Feldpost letter from Fp.06224 C - Grenadier Regiment 8. Regiment was formed on 01.03.1943 in France in Pyrenees region. It was part of 3.PANZERGRENADIER DIVISION. In July 1943 division moved from Lyon area in France to Italy, north of Rome. After Italian capitulation division moved south of Rome and was involved in defensive fighting against Americans around Volturno river. This letter writen in Croatian was mailed from France.

18.10.1943 Fp.06224 C to home. Text in Croatian, note on top "Italien 16.10.1943.", at the time 3.Pz.Grenad. divison was fighting on Volturno line.

22.10.1943 letter from home to Thomas on Fp.06224 C . Postal cancel Unter Pullendorf. In red pencil and black cancel noted: "Zuruck"-  back(return) ,  "Neue Anschrift abwarten" -wait for new adress. 

04.11.1943 cover only without content, sent from Thomas Fp.06224 C to home . During this time 3.Pz.Grenad.divison was holding defensive positions on Barbara line.  Battle for this line was fought from 01-09.11.1943 , when German forces retreated to next defensive lines: Bernhard and Gustav lines.

04.11.1943, mail date same as letter above but mailed in opposite direction, from home to Thomas. Postal cancel Unter Pullendorf. In red pencil and black cancel noted: "Zuruck"-  back(return) ,  "Neue Anschrift abwarten" -wait for new adress. Most likely undelivered due to fighting on the front

11.11.1943 last letter from Thomas mailed home. He writtes that soldiers cant sleep during a day or night as Americans can come to their positions. He sends usual greetings home.

19.11.1943 last letter in collection. Mailed from home to Thomas.  Letter was never delivered to Thomas, in red ink is written "Zurück - Empfänger gefallen für Großdeutschland." , (return)back - Receiver fallen for Greater Germany. It seems Thomas died on the Italian front fighting Americans, far from his Gradišće. This is the only letter in collection that was censored.