tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6768259291370607121.comments2023-03-29T23:36:52.482+02:00The war diaries of Dieter Finzen in both world warsDieter Finzenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06564917834898528473noreply@blogger.comBlogger377125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6768259291370607121.post-22787050915238183422014-11-23T13:00:25.191+01:002014-11-23T13:00:25.191+01:00Hallo,
leider scheint das Denkmal nun entgültig v...Hallo,<br /><br />leider scheint das Denkmal nun entgültig verschwunden zu sein. Der Flensburger Stadtarchivar Dr. Broder Schwensen und das Technischen Betriebszentrum (TBZ) der Stadt können keine Auskunft zu seinem Verbleib geben. <br /><br />Nachzulesen in der MoinMoin Flensburg, Nr. 42, Mittwoch, 15. Oktober 2014, 4 S.<br />http://www.moinmoin.de/fileadmin/onlineausgaben/ausgaben/2014/42/pdf/fl_1.pdfAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6768259291370607121.post-71566423748689051322013-11-15T09:14:41.624+01:002013-11-15T09:14:41.624+01:00Wow. This is it, then. This comes very suddenly.
...Wow. This is it, then. This comes very suddenly. <br /><br />Thanks to you Dieter for all those years of interesting lectures. You definitely created a very interesting new factet to the way the past is seen, especially the first world war. <br /><br />Thanks a lot for sharing the diary and all the good work!Thomasnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6768259291370607121.post-45281861833848891382013-11-05T16:28:26.854+01:002013-11-05T16:28:26.854+01:00So when should I start checking back to see new po...So when should I start checking back to see new posts? Without something to keep the readers 'plugged in' to the story I (and I would guess most) readers will quit checking the blog and likely then miss the most exiting part of the story.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6768259291370607121.post-49945535506918853172013-10-23T14:06:34.250+02:002013-10-23T14:06:34.250+02:00so, will this be the last post for Dieter?
As we ...so, will this be the last post for Dieter?<br /><br />As we saw in the past, Dieter only notes down events during his active military days. No entries for any vacation or other stuff. Consequently, I would expect this one to be the last entry, unless he gets drafted again. And, if so, he might not have anymore the will to note down anything. Things would get much worse than they used to be in 1940.Thomasnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6768259291370607121.post-40654470274996843452013-10-01T12:57:09.878+02:002013-10-01T12:57:09.878+02:00Poor Dieter. Now he really is in danger of missing...Poor Dieter. Now he really is in danger of missing out the nice new war. What a pity. I am really sorry for him. I mean, he actually should have a slight idea on what may lay ahead. Can he really be such an idiot?<br />OR is it just disappointment with the feeling that he had to "educate" all those young guys throughout the last months and then is sent away without a proper word of thanks?<br /><br />Anyway, history teaches us that he definitely will get his chance to fight, since even grandpas had been drafted in '44/'45 to the Volkssturm. There will be no escape.Thomasnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6768259291370607121.post-10417099359793241072013-09-08T21:22:06.155+02:002013-09-08T21:22:06.155+02:00A better translation than "The 225th Cycle In...A better translation than "The 225th Cycle Intelligence Division" might be the 225th Bicycle Reconnaissance Battalion.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6768259291370607121.post-22460860864450784892013-06-04T09:43:25.767+02:002013-06-04T09:43:25.767+02:00That Dieter still is very strange to me. Just like...That Dieter still is very strange to me. Just like in WW1, he never questions the whole story. HE never complains about being away from home. Compared to the young Belgian's diary this is like night and day. We found, that Dieter has wife and children meanwhile, but he never writes that he misses them or something similar. IT still is a factual list of places and events. He sometimes feels compassion with the poor guys the got hit, but his emotional involvement at least does not find its way into his diary. Maybe he wants to separate these things.Thomasnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6768259291370607121.post-60627715283043048232013-05-28T08:34:52.671+02:002013-05-28T08:34:52.671+02:00Danke für die Aufklärung!
Ich bin sehr gespannt!Danke für die Aufklärung!<br />Ich bin sehr gespannt!Thomasnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6768259291370607121.post-48764086594423968452013-05-28T08:22:42.236+02:002013-05-28T08:22:42.236+02:00Hallo Thomas,
ein Kamerad fand es am 28.05.40 und...Hallo Thomas,<br /><br />ein Kamerad fand es am 28.05.40 und gabe es ihm. Das "Rätsel" wird heute am 28.05. gelöst.<br /><br />Viele GrüsseDieter Finzenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06564917834898528473noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6768259291370607121.post-16369217880067966912013-05-28T08:14:13.748+02:002013-05-28T08:14:13.748+02:00Hallo Dieter:
jetzt habe ich den Schluss dieses Ei...Hallo Dieter:<br />jetzt habe ich den Schluss dieses Eintrags nicht verstanden. Da steht "Dieters Eintragung" und dann wird das Tagebuch erwähnt. Hat Dieter das Tagebuch gefunden? In seinem Eintrag zu diesem Tag steht davon nichts. Ich bin verwirrt. Thomasnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6768259291370607121.post-6532059156376668012013-05-22T22:46:30.243+02:002013-05-22T22:46:30.243+02:00Müsste das nicht Oudenarde heißen? Dann bekäme der...Müsste das nicht Oudenarde heißen? Dann bekäme der Satz "Die Engländer hatten bei Oudenarde versagt" eine ganz neue Ironie. http://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Schlacht_bei_OudenaardeAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6768259291370607121.post-68961448008182873512013-04-02T13:03:22.565+02:002013-04-02T13:03:22.565+02:00nice translation! Getting it translated into rhyme...nice translation! Getting it translated into rhyme form really is a challenge, I never managed to get it done that good.<br /><br />Does the asterisk mean you were unsure there? Sice "hart auf hart" as you assumed in fact means "comes to the crunch". In this case I think there is also a literal meaning of "hard head against hard lantern". Probably it is a wordplay.Thomasnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6768259291370607121.post-1181746542584460642013-04-01T06:22:35.100+02:002013-04-01T06:22:35.100+02:00Organization Todt - in English: http://en.wikipedi...Organization Todt - in English: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Organisation_TodtAnonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03478228623162353535noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6768259291370607121.post-53898464554431825892013-03-10T23:48:28.026+01:002013-03-10T23:48:28.026+01:00Ich bin mir sicher: Das hätte Dieter sich niemals ...Ich bin mir sicher: Das hätte Dieter sich niemals gedacht als er sein Tagebuch führte. Glückwunsch!M. Schmalenstroerhttp://schmalenstroer.netnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6768259291370607121.post-9893028223367681742013-03-05T23:48:11.167+01:002013-03-05T23:48:11.167+01:00Reveille at 5a.m. We are back to winter again. ...Reveille at 5a.m. We are back to winter again. It is very cold, and a foul snowstorm makes everything a struggle. We march by Haupt, Ostland, Delbrück, Rieberg, Neuenkirchen to Druffel.<br />At about 5.30 in the evening we arrive here. I am billetted with the farmer Josef Peitz, who has 8 children. The folk are really nice to us, and the hospitality is outstanding. I sleep in a four-poster bed with Maiwaldt. The village makes a strange impression. The individual farmsteads are set far apart from each other. To get from one house to another you have to cover a considerable distance. vfhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03142326180610474529noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6768259291370607121.post-22994183069765974702013-03-04T23:32:31.408+01:002013-03-04T23:32:31.408+01:00Reveille at 4.45. As the non-commissioned office...Reveille at 4.45. As the non-commissioned officer on duty I have so much to do that I can't get to the lorries at all. Together with a rifleman I am named as rear guard. I have to hand over all the rooms in all 3 blocks. That takes the whole morning. A few things are missing; despite this I come out of the business pretty well. <br />In the afternoon I go into the town and have lunch there. We finally leave Detmold by tram, the town of disappointments and exhausting duties, and go through Lippspringe to Paderborn. In the tram I meet up with Theo Fick and Heinrich Schmidt. From Paderborn we continue by tram to Sennelager. There then follows a march of 6km to Staumühlenlager. The company has meanwhile already arrived. We are accommodated in the barracks. In the canteen in the evening I meet Paul and Hans Schichting Tens and Herrmann. vfhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03142326180610474529noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6768259291370607121.post-14362087947893295192013-03-03T14:41:23.761+01:002013-03-03T14:41:23.761+01:00Sunday. We are now to leave Detmold after all. ...Sunday. We are now to leave Detmold after all. The packing and loading of the lorries starts first thing. At mid-day I am the non-commissioned officer in charge and am busy until 1 a.m.vfhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03142326180610474529noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6768259291370607121.post-72826983031637275882013-03-03T14:33:06.761+01:002013-03-03T14:33:06.761+01:00At half past midnight I arrive in Osnabrück. I g...At half past midnight I arrive in Osnabrück. I go back to the army hostel and sleep for a few hours. At 6 o'clock I travel on to Bünde and from here to Herford. At the station I have a wash, drink coffee in the waiting room and travel on to Detmold. I get abck around 10. The oldies are still there. It is said that the company is to move next Monday. In the evening all the old comrades except 3 go to the Light Column. Now we are just 2 non-commissioned officers and 3 men. vfhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03142326180610474529noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6768259291370607121.post-71672856239481177112013-03-02T23:57:48.870+01:002013-03-02T23:57:48.870+01:00"What doesn't Father State do
when the mo..."What doesn't Father State do<br />when the mood demands it.<br />Marriage by proxy is brought in,<br />the union is enacted solely in writing.<br />If the husband then falls for the Fatherland, then the wife has the pension in her hand"<br /><br />The option of marriage by proxy had existed from 4 November 1939 as a principle in civil/marital law. What was necessary was a declaration of consent made by the soldier to the battalion commander, a sworn declaration of "aryan descent" and the marriage permission of the local army commander on behalf of the bride's local registry ofice. When it was necessary to speed things up all the paperwork was set aside and all that was required was a simple written declaration.<br /><br />The marriage in the home registry office was confirmed by two witnesses. This marriage by proxy was commonly called a "steel helmet marriage" or "marriage to the steel helmet", since at the ceremony at the registry office a steel helmet was set at the place which the bridegroom would otherwise occupy.vfhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03142326180610474529noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6768259291370607121.post-76551973329126898402013-03-02T22:08:38.880+01:002013-03-02T22:08:38.880+01:00I go back once agai to Vicht, to the gendarme, but...I go back once agai to Vicht, to the gendarme, but without any more success. the sixth bed is nowhere to be found. I go to the field ofice and enquire there and then returnto the gendarme, who writes me a receipt for the 5 beds in storage. As far as the locals are concerned, I am warmly welcomed everywhere. Everybody wants the Schleswig-Holstein troops to return. So we have left behind a really good impression. Then I go to farmer Henz in Plattenhammer and successfully conclude my business with him. Now I go quickly to the Finks once more in Zweifall. Must joy here too.<br />In the afternoon I take my leave of all my acquaintances in Münsteraue and Jägerfahrt. I go by tram to Vicht. Suddenly I notice that I have left my gas mask behind. I get out quickly and go back to Münsteraue. Then head back to Vicht. Here I get a bus belonging to the Organisation Todt* which takes me to Stolberg. Despite this I have a 20 minute walk to the station but still get there 20 minutes early. The train for men on leave sets of on time. The route takes us through Aachen, München-Gladbach, Krefeld, Duisburg, Wanne-Eickel, Münster to Osnabrück. vfhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03142326180610474529noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6768259291370607121.post-86810081464721195342013-03-02T21:52:19.888+01:002013-03-02T21:52:19.888+01:00I dispatch the bed that I secured by lorry to Vich...I dispatch the bed that I secured by lorry to Vicht to the gendarme with whom I discuss the whole situation. I pursue further enquiries in Vicht and take my enquiries to the troops based there. I also notify the unit based in Münsteraue.vfhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03142326180610474529noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6768259291370607121.post-19040061805184399352013-03-01T23:28:58.227+01:002013-03-01T23:28:58.227+01:00I arrange to be woken at 2am and go to the station...I arrange to be woken at 2am and go to the station. Here everything is blocked off. We can't get through the barrier, since a special train for the army's Supreme Command is at the platform. Once it has gone I take a train for troops on leave through Münster, Duisburg, München-Gladbach, Aachen to Stolberg. At 8.40 I arrive here. I go by tram through Vicht to Jägersfahrt. A warm welcome from the Bungenburg family. A great surprise! Many men billeted in the house. My old room is also occupied. In the afternoon I go to Junkershammer. <br />According to my instructions I am to secure 4 bunk-beds which the company left behind. I manage to locate 3 beds. I stop a lorry on the road and send the beds to Vicht. I cycle after it. Then I get hold of a couple of soldiers who drag the beds to the police station. 2 more beds are supposed to be in Vicht. I find one in the green shed and take it to the police. Further house-to-house searches are fruitless. I go back to Junkershammer and get hold of another bed.vfhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03142326180610474529noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6768259291370607121.post-23643074425111053792013-02-28T08:15:39.548+01:002013-02-28T08:15:39.548+01:00Hi vf,
of course everyone is invited to contribute...Hi vf,<br />of course everyone is invited to contribute. I do learn a lot and enjoy our conversations a lot. Hope you have fun in this for a long time!<br />ThomasThomasnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6768259291370607121.post-91862642027716032422013-02-27T22:18:43.705+01:002013-02-27T22:18:43.705+01:00A mid-day I am suddenly told that I have to visit ...A mid-day I am suddenly told that I have to visit Vicht-Jägersfahrt. I am delighted! At 7.21 p.m. I set off from Detmold through Herford, Bünde, Osnabrück. Here I have a longer stop from 22.40 till 24.00. I go to an army hostel near the station and have a sleep.vfhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03142326180610474529noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6768259291370607121.post-1659709258974824562013-02-27T22:06:48.335+01:002013-02-27T22:06:48.335+01:00In the morning for the first time I am taken off d...In the morning for the first time I am taken off duty. It is a trial loading exercise. In the afternoon from 3-4 I take part in a French class, led by an interpreter (!).vfhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03142326180610474529noreply@blogger.com