Got a pic of my ggd help identify

[HPL2008]

Can you delete all of my older post about him that I did in the past week?

You should send a PM to one of the moderators/administrators requesting to merge the threads and delete the redundant material.

[WillC]

My grandma found a ton of photos from her relatives in the war. In fact 3 of them where all stationed in Paris! Here's a amazing quality picture of Walter. With a not so amazing camera.

[sandgroper]

Both photographs show him as a JNCO with the Waffen-SS, with no distinctive unit insignia seen in either image.
Basically, and slightly simplified, SS rune collar patches were worn by (most) German/Germanic W-SS formations, while (most) ethnic/foreign/volunteer formations wore special collar patches (or blank ones, if a distinctive collar patch had not or not yet been authorized). German cadre personnel serving with foreign units were to wear those units' collar patches, but often retained the runic ones. If he really was with Skanderbeg (as mentioned in another thread), this practice was to be expected, all the more so as the special collar patch for that division - while definitely authorized and manufactured - is generally believed to have remained unissued.

His rank in the second photograph is Unterscharführer, the lowest NCO rank.
He is wearing the Ehrenwinkel für alte Kämpfer [Honor chevron for old fighters] on his right sleeve. This indicated membership in the Nazi party or one of its organizations (such as the HJ, SA, SS etc.) prior to the Nazis' seizure of power in 1933, or, for Austrians, prior to the Austrian annexation in 1938. (We have found out in another thread that he was Austrian.)

The first photo was apparently taken later. Rank is still Unterscharführer, but the twin Tresse rings on his sleeves show that he now holds the duty position (not rank) colloquially known as Spieß.
The official SS designation for this duty position was Stabsscharführer if held by one of the two highest NCO ranks and Stabsscharführerdiensttuer [i.e. acting Stabsscharführer] if held by a lower rank such as in this case.
Added to his right sleeve is now the mountain troops' Edelweiß badge.

Finally, a word of advice: You keep starting new threads about your great-grandfather. It would make much more sense to keep all the material and requests for information in a single thread.

A "Thanks mate" for all this fantastic info wouldn't go astray either.

[Woolgar]

A "Thanks mate" for all this fantastic info wouldn't go astray either.

I agree, come on Will, a few thanks for the guys who are helping you out here

Nick

[KMMorris]

maybe just keep all these posts under your first " my relatives in ww2" one you started a while back....

[WillC]

I thought the thank for post was used for thanking for the post...

[WillC]

Thanks for all the help and info guys. I appreciate it so much.

[Paul D]

What is interesting is depite his age , Ehrenwinkel für alte Kämpfer , Spiess tresses he wears no general or combat awards !!

[Paul D]

Will research is about facts and not assumptions and jumping to the wrong conclusions , i suggest you start one thread on your Great Grandfather which includes his photos and all the information you have learned about him from the members here ( not family rumours and your own assumptions etc ) and use that one thread to carry out any further discussions instead of numerous threads !

cheers

paul

[HPL2008]

Alright, using the scattered documents and photographs from the previous threads, let me scrape together what hard, solid facts we have at this point:

Josef Paul Kasinger was an Austrian (later German) citizen born on 18th March 1906 at Salzburg. On 21st September 1935 he was married at Kolbermoor, Upper Bavaria, to his wife Olga Rosa Kasinger, neé Reisacher. His last recorded civilian occupation was as an official of the Innsbruck labor office and his last recorded civilian place of residence was Innsbruck. He was no church member.

For an unkown period of time, but definitely at the time of his wedding, he was a member of the SA. At the time of his wedding, he held the rank of SA-Scharführer. He was later promoted at least to the rank of SA-Truppführer. He had also qualified for the SA-Sportabzeichen.

At an unknown date, he joined the Waffen-SS, where he became an NCO and, serving with the mountain troops branch, was deployed to the Balkans.

While still a JNCO ranked Unterscharführer, he was appointed to the duty position of Stabsscharführerdiensttuer. Thanks to his early Nazi organization membership, he was entitled to wear the Ehrenwinkel für alte Kämpfer on his SS uniform.

His final rank at the time of his death was the SNCO rank of SS-Oberscharführer, serving with the staff of the 21. Waffen-Gebirgs-Division der SS „Skanderbeg“ (albanische Nr. 1). (His serving with the divisional staff is evident from the field post number.)

He was KIA on 12th September 1944 at the Lettai (Letaj) Pass in Yugoslavia. On 15th September 1944, his unit sent a death notification to his widow, who would survive the war and still lived at Innsbruck, Austria in 1947.

Acting on an application submitted by the widow and based on the aforementioned death notification, the Austrian civilian authorities legally declared him dead on 1st December 1947.