Soldbuch issued to Adolf Edelkraut born in Duisburg in 1907. Reserve Grenadier Batl 57 As part of the 159 Reserve Division they were stationed near Bordeaux France. On January 8, 1944, the division was deployed to southern France and deployed to protect the Atlantic coast. After the Allied landings in southern France, the division withdrew to Belfort, suffering heavy losses. Edelkraut was wounded with a Grenade Splinter (Soldbuch Code 31b) and delivered to hospital in Dax, France. Grenadier Regiment 74 – 19 Volks Grenadier Division In Early 1945, after healing he was deployed once again. January 3, 1945, the division was suffering heavy losses. The following weeks were characterized by hard fighting and hesitant resistance. On January 13, the division still had a combat strength of 1,500 to 2,000 men. After the costly retreat, the divisions of the XIII SS Army Corps were in the defense between Saarbrücken and Bitsch. No decisive fighting took place until the end of January 1945. Priority was given to the development of field positions and the reinforcement of the West Wall. On February 6, 1945, the US troops began a local attack against the right wing of the already severely weakened 19th Volksgrenadier Division. During these attacks, the US troops were able to capture the Blies Heights near the town of Saarguemines. The division was able to hold the remaining positions in front of the West Wall, but shrank to the strength of a weak divisional combat group. On March 15, the main attack by the American forces took place on a broad front against the West Wall. The defensive strength of the 19th Volksgrenadier Division declined rapidly, and the division was thrown back to the West Wall. On March 19, the division received orders to disengage from the front line with the remaining remnants and return to the Kaiserslautern area. In the following days, the remnants of the division were again dispersed. On March 24, it still had a strength of 400 men. On March 26, 1945, the division was officially disbanded. All that remained was the division headquarters. The remaining elements were combined into a combat group and assigned to the 2nd Mountain Division. At the beginning of April 1945, the remnants of the combat group were south of Dörzbach on the Jagst River. On April 21, the remnants of the combat group withdrew from the Crailsheim area toward Dinkelsbühl. From here, they continued toward Gingen an der Brenz. Here, their trail ends. More info: As the Allied counter-offensive against Operation Nordwind gained ground they were pushed by the US 44th Infantry Division. They fought alongside in February, then absorbed in March, the 340. Volksgrenadierdivision. The division was disbanded on 26 March 1945 in Waldangelloch, Bavaria, Germany and units were parcelled out to reinforce other units. It seems he was captured by US Forces, was badly wounded with a bullet wound in the stomach. He was quarantined due to the fact he had Typhus, and another bout of Malaria which he already had in 1943. As well as a back injury.   He was released in the summer of 1946 and told to return home according to the Doctors Papers. His brother was killed in Normandy in 1944  – Wilhelm Edelkraut.

Soldbuch issued in August 1943 to Kanonier Heinrich Helmecke. He was serving with – Schwere Flak Ersatz Abtlg 36  In 1944 his unit was stationed in Berlin: Schwere / Flak-Ersatz-Abteilung 12 1941/42 converted to schwere Flak-Ersatz-Abteilung 12. In 6.42 divided into: Flak-Ersatz-Abteilung 12 in Berlin-Lankwitz Flak-Ausbildungs-Abteilung 12 in Berlin-Lankwitz Service: 8.39 – 9.40 in Berlin-Lankwitz under Luftgau-Kommando III 9.40 – 8.41 in Berlin-Lankwitz under Kommandeur der Flakersatzabteilungen beim Luftgau III 8.41 – 5.45 in Berlin-Lankwitz It would seem this Soldbuch was outside for sometime, is it that he was KIA or Lost it? I was unable to find any definitive answer to this. 

Soldbuch Grouping to Family Haarhaus Soldbuch Issued on December 1939 – to Adolf Haarhaus from Wuppertal. Served in the following units on the frontline: Stellungsbau-Pionier-Bataillon 722 The Stellungsbau-Pionier-Bataillon 722 was established on 8 September 1943 at the Truppenübungsplatz Hammerstein, in Wehrkreis II. The battalion was raised as a Heerestruppe with 4 companies. After its formation, the battalion was transferred to the East. There, the battalion was deployed in southern Russia. On 30 May 1944, the battalion was renamed Baupionier-Bataillon 722. In the summer of 1944, the battalion served with Heeresgruppe A in northern Ukraine. In November 1944, the battalion, under Heeresgruppe A, formed the II. Bataillon of Heeres-Baupionier-Brigade 686. Heeres-Baupionier-Brigade 686 The Heeres-Baupionier-Brigade 686 was formed in July 1944. The brigade was established with Heeresgruppe A as a Heerestruppe. The staff of the brigade was formed from Pionier-Regimentsstab z.b.V. 686. In November 1944, the Bau-Pionier-Bataillone 402, 722, and 726 became the I. through III. Bataillon of the brigade. After its formation, the brigade was deployed in Galicia with Heeresgruppe A. Later, at the end of 1944, the brigade was employed in Poland. By the end of the war, the brigade was in action in Silesia.  In January of 1945 he was sent to the hospital in Bad Tölz for a code 34 (Accident) likely to his foot given the hospital was specialised in Orthopaedic treatment. In 1945 he was with his replacement unit, Baupionier-Ersatz- und Ausbildungs-Bataillon 4 according to Tessin they were sent into action as, Bau-Pionier-Bataillon 4. Awarded the following medals: Eastern Front Medal in August 1942, Krim Shield 11.1943 under order of Generalfeldmarschall von Manstein. According to the documents along with the Soldbuch, it would seem he kept a diary of where he was in a leather pouch. Along with some letters, and his release papers from a POW camp in Berlin 1945. He was released and given the documents to return home. Although, it would seem his son was Missing in Action after the war ended for some time until declared as Killed in Action. See below for the letters and translations. Son – Panzer Grenadier Adolf Günther Haarhaus – Kampfgruppe Becker  Letter to mother dated 8 March 1945 Raesfeld, 8.2.45 My dear Mother! I received your letter today; it was from 26.1.45. I was very happy to finally get mail from you again, since I have already been here in Raesfeld for five weeks. First of all, dear Mother, I want to give you my heartfelt thanks for your letter. I was especially pleased to hear that you and Father are still in good health. As for me, dear Mother, I am doing quite well, apart from a little homesickness, which is understandable. Otherwise, I am fine. Then, dear Mother, you wrote in your letter about whether I had received the Christmas parcel from Pfiff. Unfortunately, dear Mother, I have not received it yet, but maybe it will still arrive. Many thanks to Pfiff for sending it. I am just sorry that I cannot thank him directly. Your letter especially pleased me. Hopefully, I will soon receive another letter from you. Dear Mother, you asked whether I had already been in action. Yes, I already have. We were deployed once near Bochum in heavy combat and had to endure air raids there. I was also on a mission in the Ruhr area, where I experienced heavy bombing. But otherwise, everything is still bearable. The English and Americans are attacking us more and more, but our troops are still holding out bravely. How things will continue, we will see. Dear Mother, have you already received my soldier’s book? If so, please keep it carefully. Should I fall in service, it will be useful for the pension rights. Otherwise, dear Mother, I don’t know much more to write. Please don’t worry too much about me. I am always under God’s protection. Your loving son, Adolf Günter … Letter from Father requesting his sons death certificate.  Herewith I request the service office to send me the death certificate of my son, the Panzer-Grenadier Adolf Günter Haarhaus, born on 14 May 1924 in Bremen. According to the notifications I have received, he fell as a result of a head injury. To provide confirmation of his death and of his burial in their records, the authorities are asking me to present the official death certificate. I therefore respectfully request that the Service Office issue and send me the death certificate of my son. As this matter is very urgent for me, I kindly ask for prompt handling and dispatch. I thank you in advance for your efforts and remain respectfully yours, hoping that I will soon be able to receive the requested certificate. —– Letter from Panzer-Grenadier Adolf Günter Haarhaus to his Mr Eck dated 21st Feb 1945 in Raesfeld.  **Note this Letter was enclosed in the Feldpost, was later taken from his body and forwarded in 1948! ** See Below  Dear Mr. Eck You probably did not expect to hear from me again. As you may have heard from the Diecaster, I was drafted into a new group. I am now with the … [text partly crossed out] Kampfgruppe Becker. How are you doing? Are you still with the staff? How is your work going? How are Schopft and Vollmer doing, and where are they? Is Winter still in the RAD? Well, Mr. Ehl, I will close for today and hope you will write me a few lines in return. I would be very happy about that. Many warm greetings to you, also to all comrades. … Letter from Mayor of Lembeck to Mr Eck Lembeck, 13 February 1946 To Mr. Fritz Eck c/o Fa. Grmeier Wuppertal-Barmen Früher Strasse der Alten Garde 99–103 On 23 March 1945, Panzergrenadier Adolf Günter Haarhaus fell here a hero’s death. On the body were found only a breast pouch containing 20 Reichsmarks, the identity disc, and the enclosed card. I must apologize that the card is only being forwarded to you today. The belongings of…