Official thread for my German ancestors research

[HPL2008]

Thanks for sharing the files provided by Westmoreland.

Still, allow me to remark that there are several errors in the interpretation of these documents:

1 November 1932 is not the promotion date to SA-Sturmführer, but the date on which Mr. Kasinger joined the SA and the NSDAP.

He was never "posted to Alpenland"; Ergänzungsstelle [Replacement Office] Alpenland (XVIII) was simply the Waffen-SS office that accepted and processed his application as a W-SS volunteer. Ergänzungsstelle Alpenland was in charge due to his place of residence at the time: Innsbruck.

He was not "trained in espionage". The document in question is simply confirmation of him having received a standard lecture on espionage/counter-espionage, secrecy and conduct in wartime, which was given to every single soldier in every branch of the armed forces.

Also, I see no reference to a punishment unit anywhere in these documents. Perhaps this conclusion was drawn from the "Strafregister" documents, but this is simply paperwork relating to the background screening for any SS applicant's criminal record.

[WillC]

Thanks for sharing the files provided by Westmoreland.

Still, allow me to remark that there are several errors in the interpretation of these documents:

1 November 1932 is not the promotion date to SA-Sturmführer, but the date on which Mr. Kasinger joined the SA and the NSDAP.

He was never "posted to Alpenland"; Ergänzungsstelle [Replacement Office] Alpenland (XVIII) was simply the Waffen-SS office that accepted and processed his application as a W-SS volunteer. Ergänzungsstelle Alpenland was in charge due to his place of residence at the time: Innsbruck.

He was not "trained in espionage". The document in question is simply confirmation of him having received a standard lecture on espionage/counter-espionage, secrecy and conduct in wartime, which was given to every single soldier in every branch of the armed forces.

Also, I see no reference to a punishment unit anywhere in these documents. Perhaps this conclusion was drawn from the "Strafregister" documents, but this is simply paperwork relating to the background screening for any SS applicant's criminal record.

Thank you for correcting this!

[HPL2008]

Here's a timeline based on the data from the SS personnel files found by Westmoreland, with a few bits from documents posted in earlier threads.

(All dates written in the German format DD/MM/YYYY.)

• 18.03.1906: Born in Salzburg, Austria as the son of the dairy man Paul Kasinger and his wife Anna Kasinger
• XX.XX.19XX - XX.XX.19XX: Attended 5 years of grade school and 3 years of trade school at Salzburg, trained as a shoemaker
• XX.XX.1926 - XX.XX.19XX: Worked in his father's business
• XX.XX.19XX - XX.XX.19XX: Worked as a salesman for various companies
• 01.11.1932: Joined the NSDAP and the SA
• 18.07.1933 - 04.05.1938: After fleeing from Austria to Germany, served with the the Hilfswerk Nord-West / Österreichische Legion. During his time with the Legion, had infantry training and attended the Verwaltungsschule [Administrative School] at Aurich.
• 20. or 21.09.1935 (contradictory data): Married Olga Reisacher at Kolbermoor in Upper Bavaria
• 18.10.1935: Took on German citizenship
• XX.07.1937: Was appointed as administrative NCO with Wirtschaftstrupp 1/NW7 at camp Oberach, in charge of payment matters and equipment and uniforms
• 05.05.1938: Took up employment as an employee with the labor administration
• XX.XX.193X: Returned to now-annexed former Austria, eventually worked at the labor office at Innsbruck
• 09.11.1941: After additional training and examinations, was appointed as an official with the labor administration with the "rank" of Regierungsinspektor
• 20.01.1942: Submitted an application for acceptance as a volunteer in the Waffen-SS to the Ergänzungsamt der Waffen-SS, Ergänzungsstelle Alpenland XVIII at Salzburg
• 26.01.1942: Signed up for Waffen-SS duty for the duration of the war, submitted an affidavit of Aryan ancestry
• 21.02.1942: Underwent W-SS medical examination, was found fit for duty, categorized as garnisonsverwendungsfähig Heimat [fit for garrison duty in the homeland]
• 21.02.1942: Ergänzungsstelle Alpenland confirmed acceptance as a Waffen-SS volunteer with call-up to be undertaken as soon as possible
• 16.03.1942: Called up for military service with the Waffen-SS. Joined 2./SS-Kraftahr-Ersatz-Abteilung [2nd Company, SS Motor Vehicle Replacement Detachment] at Berlin-Lichterfelde, where he underwent infantry training and qualified with the Gewehr 98 rifle and with hand grenades
• 31.03.1942: Was lectured on espionage/counter-espionage, secrecy and conduct in wartime at Berlin-Lichterfelde
• 20.04.1942: Took his oath of allegiance
• 14.08.1942: Made a written application to the CO of 2./SS-Kraftahr-Ersatz-Abteilung to be re-assigned to an administrative posting. Cites health reasons (injury to the right heel following infantry training leading to an inflammation requiring three weeks in a military hospital; flat foot) and qualification for an administrative role due to his training and job experience both with the Austrian Legion and the labor administration
• 19.08.1942: Passed the test for the SS' military driver's license Class II (trucks) at Berlin-Lichterfelde, was lectured on speed limits
• 19.08.1942: Made a written application to the CO of 2./SS-Kraftahr-Ersatz-Abteilung for home leave. Cites urgent family matters (search for a larger appartment for his family)
• 29.08.1942 - 07.09.1942: On home leave to Innsbruck
• 11.09.1942: Transferred to SS-Nachrichten-Ersatzabteilung [SS Signals Replacement Detachment] at Nuremberg
• 12.10.1942: Transferred to SS-Korps-Nachrichten-Abteilung [SS Corps Signals Detachment]
• XX.XX.194X: Transferred to the staff of the 21. Waffen-Gebirgs-Division der SS „Skanderbeg“ (albanische Nr. 1)
• 12.09.1944: Killed in action at the Lettai (Letaj) Pass in Yugoslavia
• 15.09.1944: Death notice sent by his unit to his widow
• 01.12.1947: Legally declared dead by Austrian authorities following an application submitted by the widow and based on the aforementioned death notification

[WillC]

Thank you so much for this timeline HPL!

[WillC]

Got some nice quality scans of some of my photographs of Walter Reisacher and Josef Kasinger.

Dated November 1939


Walter in his service blouse. Unsure on why he doesn't have his medal bar on.


Walter's wedding photo. He has a 4 year service badge and a Sudetenland medal.


Last one is the photo of Josef at the train station with my grandma and her brother.


Walter had two other brothers, Rudy and Karl. I know that Karl served in France and received the wound badge but died later in a pow camp. The only thing I know about Rudy is that he didn't serve in France and that he survived the war. I'm having my grandma talk to his only son pretty soon and hopefully the son will have information on Rudy. I'll post what I find out as soon as my grandma gets back to me.

[WillC]

Some brief information about Rudy I just learned: Rudy worked as a machinist in one of the largest steel factories in Munich. They had several Russian POW's working there as well. He had a couple of them as his helpers so everyday my grandma's Aunt would make sandwiches for Rudy and his Russian POW helpers. This was forbidden and another worker turned him in immediately and he was put in the Wehrmacht and sent to France. My grandma also told me that he played the Violin. I'll have more detailed information soon but this is it for now.

[WillC]

Here's the pictures from Walter and Karl in France.
-These photos were taken on March 29th 1944.



















-Here's a photo of Karl outside of the St. Joan Arc of Parish (Not dated)



-Here's a photo of Karl at the Concorde Square in Paris (Not dated, but whats interesting is that the rifle near him is not a Karbiner 98k)



-Here's a undated photo of Karl next to a bus (In this photo you can see he has a wound badge)

[Richie B]

I think the rifle is a French Berthier Modele 1916 carbine.

[WillC]

I was really baffled by this and I searched forever trying to find out what rifle it was.

[WillC]

Something I just noticed, the picture of Karl at the Concorde Square in Paris is dated as the 7th of May 1944. In the bus photo and the Concorde Square photo I said that it looked like Karl had a wound badge. When I looked closer it looked nothing like that. It looked as if there were three vertical lines in the middle of it with a circle on the bottle left of the badge. Do any of know what badge that might be? I also noticed that the St. Joan of Arc Parish photo and the bus photo showed Karl in a M36 tunic versus the M43 seen in the rest of the photos.