A German lad in 1945 living in Hamburg wishes permission.

Hello

I sent the following message to this sites WEBMASTER only to have it returned as Google could not deliver it. So I hope this will obtain the result I am looking for!
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Searching the Internet for pictures of Polish Guards in black uniforms I came across your site. I really would like to use the following photo in my book "Farewell to Hamburg" to illustrate as the Polish Guards looked to us, young German boys living across the road from the Hanseaten Kaserne in Hamburg Fuhlsbuettel in 1945 onward. I believe the picture I refer to is the property of Mr Lucian J. Holc and I would be very glad if Mr Holc would give me his permission to use the photograph. I would be happy to mention the photo is shown with his permission.



Unfortunately I have not found out how to insert an image! Can someone help? The iamge I wish to use illustrates three people of the same family, father in the centre.
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I was a young lad in Hamburg, the son of a German Officer who was stationed in the above mentioned "Kaserne" prior to going off to France and then Russia where he was reported lost and presumed dead in 1943.

I hope to publish my book in 2012 so would appreciate an early reply.

Hi Rudolph,

Sorry 1945 was before my time, but I went Hamburg in 1951 and 1952 for a few days each time
I was with a bridge inspection team Royal Engineers.

Something you may be able to help me with, if you remember all of the Kasernen in Hamburg
We stayed in a Kaserne, not far from city centre; and on the other side of the road was a large complex, may be a religous monestry / convent or a hospital? memory not clear so long ago

Do you know which kaserne this was, not very many kasernen in Hamburg I think

Regards
Tony in Australia

Hello Tony

Glad to hear from you and this is a long shot, but opposite the KASERNE that I lived by was a large complex (Factory) named the Roentgen Works (this meaning X-Rays). Now it is still there but a Philips factory.

Please let me have your e-mail address and I will send you a couple of photos, albeit they were taken in 1998 by me. I can also advise you that the KASERNE I lived by was on the road from the city centre to the main Hamburg airport.

Sounds like you have good memories of my home city. You would never recognise it now Tony, it is once more a great city.

Hope to be able to help! Have you studied all the Hamburg Barracks on this site? They are refferred to by British names but the old names and some addresses are shown.

Best regards

Dieter Rudolph - retired in Spain

Hummel, Hummel Dieter

A very interesting question

Steve and I are attempting to develop an outline framework of the British Army in Germany in the late 1940s with assistance from other contributors to this site with a fair amount of success.

I am the lead on Schleswig Holstein and Hansastadt Hamburg. We know that Hamburg and its surrounds was the final objective of the British 12 Corps in the first few days of May 1945. 53 (WELSH) Infantry Division captured the City, the famous 7th Armoured Division bypased the city to the north in their drive to the Kiel (Ostsee) Canal at Brundesbuttel. I have a detailed location statement for 53 Division for early May which shows they occupied the majority of the city with their Headquarters in one of the prestige hotel buildings on the Alster Platz. They definitely were not in Fuhlsbuttel.

However 22 Armoured Brigade of 7 Armoured Division were briefly based in the north west suburbs of Hamburg in May 1945 as well as 101 Anti Aircraft Brigade Royal Artillery. One of these units could have been based in Fuhlsbuttell From Autumn 1945 the British Army created a major logistic base in the Hamburg area and a German Google site confirms that Hansa Kaserne Fuhlsbuttel was used by the British Army till 1956 but unfortunately does not name units.It was subsequently renamed Boehn Kaserne.

Slightly puzzled by your statement about Polish soldiers. In Summer 1945 the Polish Armoured Division under command the 2nd Canadian Corps captured the naval port of Wilhelmshaven and then took up occupation duties in Friesland/Emsland as part of the British 30 Corps. Steve and I have yet to identify a Polish Army unit based in Hamburg

However many Polish soldiers, along with other East Europeans such as those from the Baltic States, Czechoslovakia and Yugoslavia refused to return to their now Communist homelands and joined the British controlled Mixed Services Organisation (MSO) prior to settling permanently in West Germany or emigrating to Australia, Canada or the USA. They wore dark blue not black uniforms and there were a number of Polish MSO units stationed in the Hamburg area in the late 1940s/early 1950s. I wonder if this is what you remember?

I shal be visiting the National Archives in Kew (London) in the New Year. I shall add 7 Armoured Division and 101 Anti Aircraft Brigade to my priority shopping list of documents to be examined

I hope this is of interest to you

I too would like to have sight of the photos and will contact you privately

Sadly, I have nothing to add to this. However, the topic is very interesting.

This truly is a wonderful Website and, apart from the banter, is a mine of information that must be preserved at whatever cost.

This is getting more interesting by the hour, I know for certain that the REME was stationed at the barracks in Fuhlsbuettel as my mother married a Welshman based there. A Raymond Reeves who worked in the kitchen, thus we did not go as hungry as others.

I eventually had in my posession a South Wales Borderers lapel badge that I seem to recall was given me by said Raymond Reeves.

I have some photos taken during the period 1939 - 1945 of said barracks, also some I took in 1998.

I look forward to more input and in particualr how I can obtain the use of a photo owned by Mr Lucian J. Holc.

I accept the Polish uniforms could well have been dark blue, they were the guards that covered the perimeter steel fence. It seems they could well have been memebers of the MSO.

The contents of my book when published will bring some memories back to many British soldiers as we sure had fun, sometimes at their expense, however they all behaved kindly to us lads.

Dieter, return to the page where you saw the MSO photographs submitted by Mr Lucian J. Holc and pm him - it's a long shot but worth a try.




Or you could try this email:- LHolc@Access1.net

Dieter

Headquarters 2nd Battalion South Wales Borderers was established in Altona Rathaus in early May 45 but the Battalion stayed in Hamburg only briefly and left with the rest of 53 Division for the Ruhr in mid June.

More to follow after Christmas

There used to be loads of these MSO types who used to drive the 10 tonners and also some of our buses.

Most seemed to be 'Polish' and we knew them as being displaced persons/DPs from WW2 and colloquially as MOJOs.

They used to live in their cabs and drink 'mucho' vodka and eat raw fish.

Took a few weeks of my retirement and went to Hamburg. The Hanseaten Kaserne in Fuhlsbuettel is being demolished! Apparently a lot of living accomodation, Hamburg is short of this, can be better built on the whole site.

I also visited the main library and the Hamburg City Archives but was not able to obtain a photos of the era I am interested in. Apparently I was told, the Brits took most of the archives to England and they were never returned. Wonder were they are lying covered in dust.

So, Kaserne most likely gone by now as my visit was three weeks ago.

Hope the peace lasts!

Hi D.Rudolph, I was on a wireless operator's course at a barracks near Blankanese. Cannot remember the name of the barracks. The year was 1953.

Hi Dieter, I was born in BMH Hamburg in '48 see

http://baor-locations.co.uk/BMHHamburg.aspx