KIA Casualty card - Obergefreiter. Raimund Gram

[russg]

Hi all, and Happy New Year!

I’ve just received a really nice KIA soldbuch to Obergefreiter Raimund Gram.

The soldbuch was opened on 30 March 1944 with his main/last unit shown as Grenadier-Regiment 1052 (84 ID), a unit which fought in Normandy. The ‘Volksbund’ shows Raimund as being killed on the 19 January 1945 possibly in the vicinity of Kleve.

An interesting document was also included, a message from the 4 Canadian Infantry Brigade which gives the date, time and place of death. Can anyone from the forum translate the co-ordinates ‘MR765535’?

I have found online a similar co-ordinate reference beginning with ‘MR’ but have no idea how to translate it into a map reference (War diaries : T-16719 - Image 1381 - Héritage (canadiana.ca) ). Any help with this is greatly appreciated.

Is there a casualty card?

Many thanks in advance,

Russ

[BlackCat1982]

I used to have a link for converting these co-ordinates but can't find it. Map Reference 765535 is a 6 figure grid reference 76.5 Latitude and 53.5 Longitude. The Second Canadian Div were part of the assault around Kleve etc so very likely the location will confirm that once you have got it. Very interesting Soldbuch, unusual to have such a group well found.

[Witt]

Hello Russ,

I checked and found no casualty card for him on Fold3. I saw on the Volksbund he is buried at the German cemetery in Ysselsteyn- Deutsche Kriegsgräberstätte Ysselsteyn.



I also tried my luck at reading the coordinates and this is what I came up with a tolerance of 1km.
This is the area that the Canadians of 1st Army fought through to reach the Rhine and prepare for Operation Veritable in February. Nijmegen towards Kleve.

Hope this helps, Ben

[russg]

Thank you very much Ben, I really appreciate your help!

Regards,

Russ

[Willmore]

Hi Russ.

I found Raimund on the find a grave website.

Name: Raimund Gram
Birth Date: 30 November 1926
Birth Place: Essen, Stadtkreis Essen, Nordrhein-Westfalen, Germany
Death Date: 19 January1945
Death Place: Bruvik, Osterøy kommune, Hordaland fylke, Norway
Cemetery: Deutscher Soldatenfriedhof Ysselsteyn
Burial or Cremation Place: Ysselsteyn, Venray Municipality, Limburg, Netherlands

-1385-Stamm.Kp.G.E.B.58
Unit: 6.Gren.Rgt.1052
Place of birth: Steele-Essen.
Buried German military cemetery De Stekkenberg, Groesbeek.
Reburied 10/03/1948 Ysselsteyn.

Raimund Gram (1926-1945) - Find a Grave Memorial.

Kind regards,

Will.

[russg]

Thanks for that Will but am I missing something here???

Did he die in Bruvik, Osterøy kommune, Hordaland fylke, Norway and reburied at Ysselsteyn in 1948?

If so, why?

Regards,

Russ

[Willmore]

Hi Russ.

It is very strange and to be honest it is likely a mistake on the part of the find a grave website. After the war it was common that German wartime cemeteries were emptied and the fallen relocated to collective cemeteries, so the reburial in 1948 makes sense. What doesn't make sense is his recorded death place and unfortunately his death place is not recorded on the Volksbund.

The 84. Infanterie Division was in the Netherlands & western Germany (Sep 1944 - May 1945)

84. Infanterie-Division

www.canadiansoldiers.com

Kind regards,

Will.

[russg]

Thanks Will,

But surely his place of death with a clear map reference, the date and even the time of death is quite clearly recorded on the Canadian message form.

Possibly there was a mistake, I would assume he was actually buried at Ysselsteyn in the usual manner and the mistake is with the Volksbund.

Kind regards,

Russ

[Willmore]

Hi Russ.

The war time Canadian map reference would be spot on and as I say, there is no place of death recorded on the Volksbund, but he is definitely buried in the military cemetery in Ysselsteyn - Endgrablage: Block V Reihe 12 Grab 284.

The problem with the find a grave website is that anyone can added information, so that is where the mistakes can occur. For example the chap who added Raimunds information has added over 36079 memorials.

I must say, the Canadian map reference document is great and I have never seen such an item before.

Kind regards,

Will.

[BlackCat1982]

There seems to be more to these items than meets the eye. Very interesting. I would agree that the place of death is most likely a typo and that from his SB the unit would place him in the Netherlands at the time of his death. Fascinating.