KWG Paris Soldbuch & WP (the one with the Colt pistol entry)

[Peter U]

Hello,

This is the compleet Soldbuch from this thread:

http://www.k98kforum.com/showthread.php?615-Colt-serialnumber-question&p=3869#post3869


The Soldbuch belonged to Friedrich Bartholomä in 1944 a 55 year old salesman from Gürtweil in Baden.
On January 31 1944 this WW1 veteran was called back in to service, he joined the Stammkompanie Grenadier Ersatz Btl 111 (a basic training unit) as a Unteroffizier (sergeant), his old WW1 rank.
In the spring of 1944 he is transfered to the Kriegswehrmachtgefängenis in Paris (the WH prison in Paris) to work their as a jailer.
- In every major town in occupied Europe the German army (Wehrmacht) had their own prison, usually an existing prison from which the German army simply confiscated a wing; in these prison detained the suspects arrested by the Feldgendarmerie, GFP (Geheime Feld Polizei) and Sipo/SD, this were not only members of the resistance but also common criminals, black marketeers, smugglers and German soldiers.
He remained with the KWG Paris until at least September 12 1944, that is several weeks after the liberation of Paris; I presume he kept working as a guard when the inmates of KWG Paris were deported to prisons in the German occupied zone.
In October 1944 he is transfered Landesschützenbataillion 424, a unit that guarded POW's in Wehrkreis V (Baden) in Germany.
Intresting detail is that he was armed with a Colt pistol and a French rifle, also in November 1944 he gets an 8 day leave to help with the harvest.

[Peter U]

This is a Wehrpass from the same guard unit:

Wilhelm Hils from Karlsruhe (°1897) was also a WW1 veteran that was called back to service.
He served from April 1916 till the end of WW1 in MG companies of IR170 (52ID) & IR249 (75 Reserve ID), both units fought on the Westernfront, in 1916 he gets WIA during the famous battle of the Somme. He is awarded an EKII, Badische Verdienste medal (Baden merite medal) and a wounded badge in black.
On the day of the big mobilization in Europe, August 26 1939, he is called back in to service, he is assigned to the 13th companie of Landesschützen btl 404, a unit that guards POW's in Wehrkreis V (Rastatt).
In January 1943 he is promoted to sergeant and transfered to the Kriegswehrmachtgefängenis in Paris to work as a jailer, in July 1944 he is promoted to Feldwebel.
He remains with this guardunit until it is disbanded, afterwards he joins the basictraining unit of his old Landesschützen unit.

In the Wp you can see the signature of Major Kreyse, the warden of KWG Paris, the same signature can be seen in the Soldbuch.

[Hambone]

Great stuff Peter! German with a MAS: