A litte invitation ......

[Danmark]

I have a shoebox full of bits of German paperwork and "stuff " - it ranges from ration stamp sheets to immunisation certificates, death notices from newspapers, rent agreements, feldpost letters and all sorts of things - all interesting but most I cannot decipher!!!

This scrap of paper is an invitation to a Dr Vollmer to attend a function at the agricultural college in Woroschilowsk, Russia. The event was to be held on the 31st October 1942. ...... so what Dan, I hear you say..... well, this city is about 200km west of Stalingrad and is in the last real bit of southern Russia that the Germans took ( June / July '42 ) before the Stalingrad winter and ultimate reversal of fortunes and defeat. I can imagine that if this function went ahead, how the propagandists would have extolled the victories of the German Army gruppe south as they crossed the Volga when only 12 weeks later this very town would fall back into Russian hands.

All this in a scrap of paper!!
Dan

[sandgroper]

Fascinating stuff Dan, that sort of thing really captures the imagination!

[MD Helmets]

What might have been....

[HPL2008]

Sorry, but there is no way a German has typed this, as it is full of errors:

It should be:

[ "im Kaukaus" (not "in") *) ]
"Eröffnung" (not "Erofenung")
"31. Oktober" (not "31 Oktober")
"Räumen" (not "Raumen")


*) Edit: This one is actually not an error, the "IN" being an abbreviation, not the preposition "in". See post # 7.

[Danmark]

That explains why i had trouble translating it. Maybe it was done by a local person or a non german working for them? It is certainly old paper with writing on the back. I will scan that too , it may explain more
Thanks, Dan

[bigmacglenn]

"Die Chefgruppe La Der Wi" Should probably be "Die Chefgruppe der LaWi," LaWi being an abbreviation for Landwirtschaft (Agriculture)...I agree that this was not written by a German.
cheers, Glenn

[HPL2008]

"Die Chefgruppe La Der Wi" Should probably be "Die Chefgruppe der LaWi," LaWi being an abbreviation for Landwirtschaft (Agriculture)...

Well, no actually: "Chefgruppe La der Wi In Kaukasus" stands for "Chefgruppe Landwirtschaft der Wirtschaftsinspektion Kaukasus".

I have to correct my initial post (# 4) in this respect, too: I have since found that "Wi In" really was the abbreviation for "Wirtschaftsinspektion". I had mistaken the "IN" for the preposition "in".

See:
Axis History Forum • View topic - Wirtschaftsinspektion Süd and Ost
Wirtschaftsorganisation Ost (German language)

So, apologies for any confusion. (The "Erofenung", "31 Oktober" and "Raumen" are still misspelt, though.)

[bigmacglenn]

Thank you for the correction and additional information!
Glenn

[Danmark]

Thank you BOTH for the translations - much appreciated that there are folk who can help out us linguistically challenged!

Here is the scan of the reverse - maybe this is too hard to read but I believe it proves it is a period piece.
It is therefore interesting that the person who made the invitation 'form' ( done on a gestetner duplicator probably ) had poor grammar and no-one corrected it. I work with a dyslexic person and I KNOW they can write / spell like this!!! ( I am sure all types of individuals including locals were 'drafted' into service of the German army )

I am still intrigued by the absolute irony of a planning event about economics and agriculture in southern Russia and Germany's new conquests when 3 months later it was all over! .......

Dan

[HPL2008]

Here is the scan of the reverse - maybe this is too hard to read but I believe it proves it is a period piece.

Not 100% sure about the two names in the first and last lines, but it says:

"Herrn Dr. Stachler [?]
Sie möchten daran teilnehmen
u. [= und] Dr. Volmer bei Kp.Chef [= Kompaniechef]
Dreger [?] entschuldigen!"

...i.e.:

"To Dr. Stachler [?]
You are requested to attend this
and ask Company Commander Dreger [?]
to excuse Dr. Volmer's absence"

(The name "Vol(l)mer" is spelt with one "l" on the reverse and with two on the obverse of the card.)