KP 505

joerookery

joerookery

Well-known member
KP505_1.jpg

This weekend I got a photo album of really fine photos from KP 505 in Palestine. I believe that this is Kraftfahrt Park 505. Which again, I believe is some sort of a divisional formation. I read what Cron had to say and as usual, am either confused or left empty by it. Can someone help me by explaining what KP 505 really was?

It seems as though these pictures belonged to a Captain named Axster. Randy said there are three Axsters listed in the rank lists.
One. Emil Axster although 35th Fusilier Regiment. A lieutenant of the reserves.
Two. Oberleutnant Axster a landwehr officer in the fifth grenadier regiment z.F.
Three. Johannes Axster, a lieutenant reserve officer also of the 35th Fusilier Regiment.

Which one is at, if any of these? The pictures clearly call this guy Captain, and one picture shows a change of command. Between Axster and another Captain. Loads of cool pictures. These are bigger than postcard size and quite clear. There is an original German caption to each picture, and on some pictures, a former English-speaking collector typed a poorly translated version of the caption.

KP505_2.jpg
 
Bob,

wartime postings of reserve officers can be quite problematical. I am not sure which list Randy is looking at but there are only two Axsters listed in the 6 May 1914 edition of the Prussian Rangliste - the two brothers Hans and Emil Axster. Both by then had attained Landwehr status and as such were no longer affiliated to Füsilier-Regiment Nr. 35.

The senior of the two, Hans, originally commissioned on the 16 Nov 1898 was promoted to Hauptmann der Landwehr on the 18 Jul 1914. He was some five years senior in rank as a Leutnant to Emil who did not reach Oberleutnant until 1912/13. Depending on the date of your photographs I am inclined to think that Hptm. d.L. Hans Axster is your man.

Regards
Glenn
 
Joe,

this chap only appears to be a Leutnant with the cipher "K" on his shoulder board.

Regards
Glenn
 
Joe,

Very nice photos.

Unfortunately, the only information on the various formations of the Kraftfahrtruppen is to be found in unit and theater histories. The great chroniclers of the war never got around to compiling the equivalent to orders-of-battle for the many second line units.

I onced asked Major Hans-Rudolf von Stein, who did much of this work, if he had any information on the Kraftfahr and Train formations and he said that though this information was in the archives, he had spent his career working on the "fechtenden Truppen".

Chip
 
OK Chip and Otto, That is enough of that, I cann't help it if I was born ugly.
Zaphod
 
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