Grabenmaxx
Active member
I wanted to post this Sterbebild (death card) I recently bought but didn't really find a fitting category, so I'll try this subforum.
I have a few death cards of Germans who died during the third battle of Ypres. This one was not technically killed during that huge offensive, but in the very succesful (from the allied perspective) battle of Messines ridge. On June 7th 1917, around 10.000 mostly Bavarian soldiers were blown to pieces when 19 huge mines blew up simultaneously. Alfons Bender was not a Bavarian but from Neckarsulm, in Württemberg. Belonging to Inf.Reg.413, he died on June 5th during the heavy bombardments, leading up to the offensive itself.
I recently discovered the amazing website with the German Verlustlisten and two Alfons Benders are listed there.
However this one has a death date in August. Can it be that he was missing on June 5th and declared dead by August 25th and for some reason that became the officiel day of death?
He doesn't turn up on any graveyard nor the Volksbund or the Namenliste of the IFF museum, so his body was indeed never recovered and not much seems to be known.
I have a few death cards of Germans who died during the third battle of Ypres. This one was not technically killed during that huge offensive, but in the very succesful (from the allied perspective) battle of Messines ridge. On June 7th 1917, around 10.000 mostly Bavarian soldiers were blown to pieces when 19 huge mines blew up simultaneously. Alfons Bender was not a Bavarian but from Neckarsulm, in Württemberg. Belonging to Inf.Reg.413, he died on June 5th during the heavy bombardments, leading up to the offensive itself.
I recently discovered the amazing website with the German Verlustlisten and two Alfons Benders are listed there.
However this one has a death date in August. Can it be that he was missing on June 5th and declared dead by August 25th and for some reason that became the officiel day of death?
He doesn't turn up on any graveyard nor the Volksbund or the Namenliste of the IFF museum, so his body was indeed never recovered and not much seems to be known.