Help me figure this one out! Was Thed Sachau in the SS or not?

[Monuir]

I recently bought a bit lot of feldpost and the seller claimed that more then half of it was from the SS. When i checked the feldpost numbers here on the forums none of the units had any resamblance with the SS. Now, one piece of the lot is about 30 letters from a Thed Sachau. One of the letters from him has a glued over blue paper, and under it there is a SS stamp! The seller claims he thinks Thed Sachau was in the SS and says that the glued over blue papers was often used to "cover the ss stamp as it had to be removed by regulation". He also says that "some ss units had to use normal feldpost numbers and it was forbidden to use the rangs". I'm new to collecting Feldpost so i have no idea, what do you guys think? Here is some of the feldpost letters, stamps and a picture, it might help to figure this one out! All feldpost is from Thed to a Fräulinen Margit Schlünsen (later Frau Margit Koenig). Mannsteinstr 36 bei. Schluensen Hamburg 20.

This is Theds first feldpost to Margit. I guess he was stationed in Athens because it contains a little book with a picture of Acropolis. Here is a picture.
Feldpostnumber 20825 A. Date 25.11.43
Attachment 170548

Theds second feldpost. Location: Im Süden (In the south). I wonder where he is? Maybe africa? Here is a picture of the feldpost stamp.
Feldpostnumber 20825 A. Date 04.1.44
Attachment 170547

Now the next feldpost from Thed is different. It's sent more then 3 months later and he's feldpostnumber has now changed from 20825 A to 22949. From now on there is also only 1 feldpost stamp on each letter showing the date, not any feldpost stamp showing the feldpost number. The feldpost number is stamped on the back of the letters together with rank and last name of the soldier. Location: O.U. (Anyone know what it means?). Here is a picture of the stamp on the back.
Feldpost number 22949. Date 06.3.44
Attachment 170550

In the next feldpost letter (a little bit more then 1 month later) i guess Thed was promoted because the stamp has now been changed from soldat Sachau to Gefreiter Sachau. Location: O.U. Here is a picture of the stamp in the back of the feldpost.
Feldpost number 22949. Date 13.4.44
Attachment 170542

Then there is a bunch of feldpost from Thed all with the same stamp and same feldpostnumber (22949).
Dates:
17.4.44 - Location: Anf. Kreta.
18.4.44 - Location: O.U
01.5.44 - Location: Im Süden
13.5.44 - Location: Im Süden
22.5.44 - Location: O.U
27.5.44 - Location: O.U

Now here comes a strange feldpost. Location is O.U but in the letter, instead of wrinting the date right next to location, Thed writes something like "Ofingsbomtag" (anyone knows what it means? Might be a little bit different, it is hard to read.) It got the normal round "date" feldpost stamp on the front and the "Rank, name and felpostnumber" on the back but has a "glued over" almost in the color pink, paper on it, with 2 feldpost stamps and the text "Geöffnet" (opened) and "Fp Nr 35099". Here is some pictures.
Feldpost number 22949. Date 29.5.44
Attachment 170538
Attachment 170549

Then there is a bunch of more feldpost from Thed all with the same stamp and same feldpostnumber. (22949).
Dates:
12.6.44 - Location: Anf. Kreta.
24.6.44 - Location: Anf. Kreta.
25.6.44 - Location: Anf. Kreta.
06.7.44 - Location: Anf. Kreta.
18.7.44 - Location: Anf. Kreta.

Now here comes a strange feldpost from Thed. Location: Anf. Kreta. It had a glued blue paper over it with the feldpostnumber 22949 and the name Sachau. The feldpost date stamp says 29.7.44. But under the glued on blue paper the date stamp says 06.7.44-16 and on the edge there is something i think is a name and a feldpost number (3322, and then a number or letter i can't read). Also on the back is the same pink glued over paper as before, with 2 feldpost stamps and the text "geöffnet". Here is some pictures.
Feldpostnumber 22949. Date 29.7.44
Attachment 170544
Attachment 170540
Attachment 170543
Attachment 170541

Then there is a normal feldpost from Thed. Location: Anf Kreta.
Feldpostnumber 22949. Date 18.8.44

Now here comes the interesting one! Location is Anf. Kreta. This one is also has a blue glued over paper on it. It has Gefr. Sachaus name on it and he's feldpostnumber 22949. The feldpost date stamp says 29.8.44. But under the glued over blue paper the date stamp says 20.6.44-18 and there is a SS stamp and also it says "feldpost number: 22 949". On the back of the letter i can se some of the "senders adress". It is "ttf. Konrad Ostländer - SS-FHA. In 6 /pz. gr - Berlin . Wilmersdorf - Kaiserallee 188." Why is this? Have they used a "used envelope" for hes letter or is this hes real name and unit? Wery strange.. The Senders name is typed with typemachine, just like the "feldpostnumber 22949" which is "Thed Sachaus" feldpostnumers. Here is some pictures.
Feldpostnumber 22949. Date 29.8.44
Attachment 170536
Attachment 170537
Attachment 170546

Next one might shed some light on it all. Location: .... - Here "Thed" sends a picture of him. I think that on the back of the picture it says "Dein Thed. Anf Kreta, Iarepetra 1944." Can someone confirm this? I was there 1 month ago an i think i regognice where he is sitting! I think it is one of the huge bunkers i found on the coast line! For pictures on the bunker see my precious thread "Backpacking trough europe - War memorials + more". Here is the picture on him, reading a book and having a smoke.
Feldpostnumber 22949. Date 3.9.44
Attachment 170539
Attachment 170545
Attachment 170535

And a bunch of feldpost from Thed , none out of the ordinary.
Feldpostnumber 22949, and dates:
14.9.44 - Location: O.U
14.10.44 - Location not given
22.10.44 - Location not given
23.10.44 - Location: Im Felde (In the field)
2.12.44 - Location: O.U
26.12.44 - Location: O.U
11.1.45 - Location: O.U

The last one is without any date (feldpost stamp ripped of) and no location.

So, i hope you enjoyed my report.. If you need pictures please let me know! Please share your thought about this to me, was "Thed Sachau" in the SS or not?

[hucks216]

The man in the photo seems to be wearing an Army tunic, not SS, judging by the lack of eagle on the sleeve and the collar litzen.

"The seller claims he thinks Thed Sachau was in the SS and says that the glued over blue papers was often used to "cover the ss stamp as it had to be removed by regulation". He also says that "some ss units had to use normal feldpost numbers and it was forbidden to use the rangs". - this sounds like a seller trying to pass off something he knows is untrue/false. I don't collect Feldpost but if the Einsatzgruppen had Feldpost Numbers than 'normal' SS units had them as well. If a unit of the SS was forbidden to use Feldpost Numbers how would the Feldpost system know where to send the mail for that unit? It doesn't make sense I'm afraid.

As for the additional numbers...
The one that starts 3322 looks like 33227 which is a Kriegsmarine number for the time period shown on the envelope...
(Mobilmachung-1.1.1940) 3. Kompanie Infanterie-Regiment 466,
(2.1.1940-27.4.1940) gestrichen, wurde Fp.Nr. 30839 D,
(28.4.1940-19.9.1940) B.d.U., dann Vorposten-Flottille Cherbourg,
(1.10.1940-27.2.1941) 20. Vorposten-Flottille, dann 20. Vorposten-Flottillen-Kommando.

But would they re-use old envelopes - it is possible I suppose but I will let those with more knowledge of Feldpost confirm/dispel that.

And 35099 is...
(28.2.1941-29.7.1941) Feldpostprüfstelle AOK 12,
(8.9.1942-11.3.1943) Feldpostprüfstelle d. Oberbefehlshabers Südost (Oberkommando Heeresgruppe E).

When the soldier refers to 'Im Süden' I would assume tha the is refering to the Italy/Greece/Crete area as the Germans surrendered in Africa in May 1943. Heeresgruppe E (from the Feldpost Number above) covered the Balkans area so that would fit.

Hopefully members with more knowledge of Feldpost can help you.

[HPL2008]

No; he was not in the SS.

Feldpost-No. 22949 identified a Wehrmacht unit, the Staff of Panzerabwehr-Abteilung 22/Panzerjäger-Abteilung 22; the ranks of "Soldat" and "Gefreiter" are also Wehrmacht, not SS ranks.

I do not believe in the seller's story of using fake Feldpost-Numbers and ranks for reasons of secrecy for a moment.

The presence of SS-Rottenführer (that's what the fragementary "...ttf" stands for: Rttf.) Konrad Ostländer's name on the envelope simply means that he had sent Mr. Sachau a letter, whose envelope Sachau then re-used.
It's same with the other envelope originally used by a Matrosengefreiter (= "Matr.Gefr.") of the Kriegsmarine, whose name I can't make out.

As for the locations:

"O.U." means Ortsunterkunft [Local billets], "Auf Kreta" means, of course, "On Crete". (It's not "Anf") The writing on the back of the photograph actually says: "Auf Kreta, September 1944"

Finally, are you sure that Sachau's first name was "Thed"? The German first name "Theodor" is colloquially/affectionately shortened to "Theo" and sometimes abbreviated as "Theod.", but I have never seen "Thed".
I think the signature on the back of the photo says "Theo" and that the final letter is just an "o" with a pronounced flourish.

[Monuir]

Hi mate and thanks again for the great answers! Why do you think the SS stamp and the SS adress on the back is on that letter? I asked the seller if it might be something that was added to increase the value but he claims that "there was no one adding something, the lot comes direct from an hose clearence from the dead lady". Cheers mate and really thanks (again)!

[Monuir]

No; he was not in the SS.

Feldpost-No. 22949 identified a Wehrmacht unit, the Staff of Panzerabwehr-Abteilung 22/Panzerjäger-Abteilung 22; the ranks of "Soldat" and "Gefreiter" are also Wehrmacht, not SS ranks.

I do not believe in the seller's story of using fake Feldpost-Numbers and ranks for reasons of secrecy for a moment.

The presence of SS-Rottenführer (that's what the fragementary "...ttf" stands for: Rttf.) Konrad Ostländer's name on the envelope simply means that he had sent Mr. Sachau a letter, whose envelope Sachau then re-used.
It's same with the other envelope originally used by a Matrosengefreiter (= "Matr.Gefr.") of the Kriegsmarine, whose name I can't make out.

As for the locations:

"O.U." means Ortsunterkunft [Local billets], "Auf Kreta" means, of course, "On Crete". (It's not "Anf") The writing on the back of the photograph actually says: "Auf Kreta, September 1944"

Finally, are you sure that Sachau's first name was "Thed"? The German first name "Theodor" is colloquially/affectionately shortened to "Theo" and sometimes abbreviated as "Theod.", but I have never seen "Thed".
I think the signature on the back of the photo says "Theo" and that the final letter is just an "o" with a pronounced flourish.

Hi mate and thanks for the answer! Yes it must be Theo, i am having a hard time reading old german and this is why not everything is 100 % correct.

[HPL2008]

Hi mate and thanks again for the great answers! Why do you think the SS stamp and the SS adress on the back is on that letter? I asked the seller if it might be something that was added to increase the value but he claims that "there was no one adding something, the lot comes direct from an hose clearence from the dead lady". Cheers mate and really thanks (again)!

You're welcome, glad I could help.

Like I said, the way it looks to me, SS-Rottenführer Ostländer had sent Sachau a letter and Sachau re-used its envelope by gluing the blue paper cover over it.

The SS rank and stamp were present because they were the original sender's data and Sachau's Fp-No. because he was the original recipient.

[Monuir]

Yes i understand exactly how you mean mate! Obiously i will try to get the seller to pay me back my money, he offered me this lot here on the forums after i created the thread "new feldpost collector". He told me it was a big lot with over 50 SS feldpost letters and 50 other from wermacht officers. All for 260 GBP. It took him 2 months to send me the feldpost after paying, and when i finally get it, it's not even real SS feldpost so i am very dissapointed but I'm happy i know it wasn't any SS in the lot so i can reclaim my money.

[hucks216]

Putting 'New Feldpost Collector' leaves you wide open for sellers to take advantage of your inexperience in the area, hence the seller mentioning the SS link to beef up the price knowing full well that you would have to take his word for it.
Have a look through the threads in this section that relate to Feldpost - there are examples of normal Feldpost envelopes having fake SS stamps put on them as for a dealer SS = $$.