Digging in KURLAND

**GasMasksUK** · 07-12-2010, 11:44 AM

The guns were thrown in the river?

I'm guessing thats because of some stupid law that things battlefield dug firearms are dangerous?

Very impressive finds, pity about them having to be thrown away

Thanks

Danny

**kindzjal** · 07-12-2010, 07:57 PM

by big ned

Maybe it belonged to a camp guard?

Most probably it belonged to one of the camp "kapo's".

Bestreg.

kindzjal

**Inf Div 121** · 07-12-2010, 08:06 PM

What mean kapo?

Regards,
Andris

**kindzjal** · 07-12-2010, 08:14 PM

A Kapo was a prisoner who worked inside German Nazi concentration camps during World War II in certain lower administrative positions. The official Nazi word was Funktionshäftling, or "prisoner functionary", but the Nazis commonly referred to them as kapos.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kapo_(concentration_camp)

**Inf Div 121** · 07-12-2010, 08:20 PM

by kindzjal

A Kapo was a prisoner who worked inside German Nazi concentration camps during World War II in certain lower administrative positions. The official Nazi word was Funktionshäftling, or "prisoner functionary", but the Nazis commonly referred to them as kapos.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kapo_(concentration_camp)

But could he be in Kurland if the Stalag Ia is in Prusia.

**kindzjal** · 07-12-2010, 08:30 PM

Yes ! Those guys (mostly Soviet citizens) were detached by the Germans for several other tasks outside the camps (often for propaganda purposes) and many of them joined all kind of "Freiwillige" units.
I do have some of those EKM's in my collection (from other Stalags).
Here an example:

**Vonforhud** · 07-13-2010, 08:04 AM

In the later stages of the war boths Kapos and guards were sent to the front, when the camps were evacuated.

**kindzjal** · 07-13-2010, 11:19 AM

That's correct !

**Inf Div 121** · 07-13-2010, 11:44 AM

But I can't understand why to move Stalag Ia guards by sea from Prusia to Kurland, too dangerous and no need.

P. S. Here is map of frontline october 1944 Kurland (Army Grop North) separeted from Army Group Center in Königsberg area.

**Vonforhud** · 07-13-2010, 12:08 PM

As you can see in the Karelia thread the soldiers kept their EKs (dogtags) even when transferring units.

That is why you can find a Leibstandarte EK at a place in Croatia where Leibstandarte never served, or Das Reich EKs at the West front where Das Reich never served, but if a soldier transferred from Das Reich to Hitlerjugend, he would keep his dogtag. Maybe somthing similiar happened here.