River Crossing Training

Gebirgsjäger-Regiment 137, April 1940: A river crossing with dinghies is practiced on the Moselle near Treis. They were scheduled to fight against France, but then had to go to Norway. The picture was taken by the member of 6.Kompanie, Rudi Margreiter.

Source :
https://www.flickr.com/photos/arkivinordland/albums/72157627291840604

Paul Dickopf as a Soldier of the Wehrmacht

 

Paul Dickopf as a soldier of the Wehrmacht in June 1935. The picture was taken by Wilhelm Doff.

Paul (Paulinus) Dickopf (June 9, 1910 – September 19, 1973) was a member of the NSDAP and SS in the Security Service (SD) and a secret agent in Switzerland, who became a member of the German Federal Criminal Police Office (BKA). Between 1965 and 1971, he was the 4th president of the BKA and a paid "unilateral agent" of the CIA.

Under the Nazi government of Adolf Hitler, he was a member of the Sturmabteilung and the Schutzstaffel. Dickopf, before and during World War II had been an active Nazi officer in the Schutzstaffel (SS) with SS number 337259. Dickopf's SS personnel file reveals that he became a member in 1935 of the National Socialist German Students' League (Nationalsozialistischer Deutscher Studentenbund; abbreviated NSDStB) having the same status and membership requirements of the official Nazi Party, the Nationalsozialistische Deutsche Arbeiterpartei (NSDAP).

After voluntary army service (1934-1935) he began his police career in 1937 at the Kriminal-Polizei ('Kripo'- Criminal Police) as a criminal commissar candidate serving the last three months in the Sicherheitsdienst des Reichsführers-SS. In 1938 he volunteered for the Führerschule (leadership school) of 'Sipo' (Sicherheits-Polizei - Security Police). Fifteen SS officers of the rank of lieutenant upwards sponsored him. Dickopf was recommended for officer rank by the commandant of the SD school and graduated as an SS Untersturmführer (Lieutenant) became a criminal commissar and member of the SD. Dickopf later enrolled in the general SS in 1939, however, any record of his war activities are obscure since his SS file for that period is incomplete.

Dickopf was elected as the president of Interpol in 1968. While his former Nazi connections were known, he maintained his post until 1972.

Throughout his tenure as president of Interpol he was regarded as a conscientious and diligent professional, always stressing the organization's political neutrality. He was praised for his work by Hans-Dietrich Genscher as a "role model for the German police".

Dickopf died from a brief but fatal illness on September 19, 1973 in Bonn, Germany.

On June 25, 2012, the "Paul-Dickopf-Straße", a street in Meckenheim, seat of the BKA, bearing Dickopf's name as a remembrance for his presidency of the BKA, was renamed "Gerhard-Boeden-Straße" as a symbolic act following the revelations about Dickopf's masterminding the recruiting of former Nazi officials into the BKA.

After his death it was revealed that Dickopf had made the Federal Criminal Police a safe haven for former Nazi and SS officials, a large number of them war criminals. Under his leadership some concepts of National Socialism were still upheld and practised, for example in the way members of Sinti and Roma were treated.

According to documents in the National Archives in Washington, which were released in 2007, the CIA made payments to Dickopf from 1965 to 1971, while he was president of the BKA. He is categorized in the files as a "unilateral agent". One note about Dickopf by the then head of the CIA says: '"Our relationship with Mr Dickopf is mainly of a secret nature, the official contacts being used as a cover up for meetings". Dickopf passed on to the CIA information on leading officials as well as on internal affairs of the BKA and other authorities.

 

Source :
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paul_Dickopf

Bio of Generalmajor Fritz Salitter (1882-1963)

Fritz Salitter (19 April 1882 - 6 May 1963) joined the Royal Prussian Army on November 12, 1897. The son of a postman, he went to Unteroffiziersvorschule Bartenstein. On October 17, 1899, he was transferred to the Unteroffiziersvorschule in Potsdam. On October 1, 1901, he was transferred to the 4th Baden Field Artillery Regiment No. 66. On June 1, 1906, he was appointed a fireworker. On November 1, 1907, he was promoted to Zeugfeldwebel. On March 31, 1913, he retired from the army. He went to the police in Wiesbaden after this. From October 1, 1914 to November 22, 1918, he took part in the First World War. On June 1, 1915, he was promoted to Zeugleutnant. In 1915 he was awarded the Iron Cross 2nd Class. On April 1, 1921, he was transferred as a police major with the seniority of July 26, 1905 to the Erfurt Security Police. In 1933 he was appointed commander of the Wahn shooting range near Cologne. On October 1, 1933, he was promoted to lieutenant colonel in the police force. On April 1, 1936, he was promoted to police colonel. On the same day he was accepted into the army as a colonel. His seniority was set on the same day. He was assigned to the Artillery Regiment 16. But he continued to serve as the commander of the Wahn exercise area. Later, his place was also referred to as the Wahn military training area. Even at the beginning of World War II in the summer of 1939 he kept his command. On April 1, 1940, he was given the character of major general. In the summer of 1940 he gave his command to Colonel Max Ber. On August 1, 1940, he was then appointed commander of the southern military training area. As such, he was promoted to major general on April 1, 1941. On March 20, 1943, he married Anne Eichler for the second time. On May 5, 1943, he was appointed commander of the field command 768 (FK 768). With this he was used in the southern section of the eastern front. On November 15, 1943, he gave up his command. He was then transferred to the Führerreserve. He already wore both classes of the War Merit Cross with swords. On April 30, 1944, he was retired from active service in the Wehrmacht.

Source :
https://forum.axishistory.com/viewtopic.php?p=2365160#p2365160
https://www.lexikon-der-wehrmacht.de/Personenregister/S/SalitterFritz.htm

Trip to the Zoo

German Heer soldier visiting zoo with his woman. He may have soon learned that camels spit - but what man among us wouldn’t do almost anything to impress such a a lovely and well-dressed Fräulein!

Source :
https://www.wehrmacht-awards.com/forums/forum/wehrmacht-era-militaria/photos-and-paper-items-forum/12559428-trip-to-the-zoo

Reichswehr Sport Festival

 

Sports festival of the German Reichswehr at Berlin-Moabit Kaserne (barrack), 1934. Soldier with baggage during an exercise on the horizontal bar. The picture was taken by Georg Pahl.

Source :
Bundesarchiv Bild 102-04255

Bio of Generalleutnant René de l'Homme de Courbière

Generalleutnant René de l'Homme de Courbière
Born: 24 Jan 1887 in Sanskow, District Stolp, Pomerania (Pommern)
Died: 07 May 1946 in Wildeshausen, Oldenburg

Promotions:
Fähnrich (18 Nov 1904); Leutnant (18 Jun 1905); Oberleutnant (05 Jun 1914); Hauptmann (16 Jun 1915); Major (01 Apr 1928); Oberstleutnant (01 Feb 1933); Oberst (01 Mar 1935); Generalmajor (01 Apr 1938); Generalleutnant (01 Jun 1940)

Career:
Entered Army Service (14 Apr 1904)
Fahnenjunker in the 9th Grenadier-Regiment (14 Apr 1904-10 Dec 1915)
Detached to MG-Training-Course (01 Jan 1913-31 Mar 1913)
Company-Leader with the Infantry Replacement Troops in Warsaw (10 Dec 1915-27 Mar 1916)
Company-Leader with the MG-Instruction-Course in Döberitz (27 Mar 1916-24 Oct 1916)
Hauptmann with the Staff of the 9th Grenadier-Regiment (24 Oct 1916-31 Jul 1917)
Staff-Officer with the Staff of the 9th Grenadier-Regiment (31 Jul 1917-14 Jan 1919)
Company-Leader in the 9th Grenadier-Regiment (14 Jan 1919-01 Oct 1919)
Transferred into the 3rd Reichswehr-Infantry-Regiment (01 Oct 1919-01 Oct 1920)
Company-Chief in the 4th Infantry-Regiment (01 Oct 1920-01 Jun 1926)
Hauptmann with the Staff of I. Battalion of the 4th Infantry-Regiment (01 Jun 1926-01 Apr 1927)
Transferred to the Staff of the 2nd Division (01 Apr 1927-01 May 1927)
Transferred to the Staff of the Training-Battalion of the 4th Infantry-Regiment (01 May 1927-01 May 1928)
Company-Chief in the 4th Infantry-Regiment (01 May 1928-01 Oct 1928)
Transferred to the Staff of the 4th Infantry-Regiment (01 Oct 1928-01 Mar 1929)
Transferred to the Staff of the 2nd Division (01 Mar 1929-04 Mar 1932)
Detached to Course for Infantry Arms (28 May 1929-21 Jun 1929)
Commander of the Training-Battalion of the 5th Infantry-Regiment (04 Mar 1932-01 Oct 1934)
Transferred to the Staff of Artillery-Leader I (01 Oct 1934-15 Oct 1935)
Transferred to the Staff of the 1st Division (15 Oct 1935-06 Oct 1936)
Commander of the 96th Infantry-Regiment (06 Oct 1936-10 Nov 1938)
Landwehr-Commander Glogau (10 Nov 1938-26 Aug 1939)
Commander of the 213th Infantry-Division (26 Aug 1939-15 Mar 1940)
Commander of the 213th Security-Division (15 Mar 1940-12 Aug 1942)
Commander of the 153rd Field-Training-Division (15 Jan 1943-08 Jun 1943)
Führer-Reserve OKH (08 Jun 1943-08 Sep 1943)
Delegated with the Temporary Leadership of Division 432 (08 Sep 1943-15 Oct 1943)
Führer-Reserve OKH (15 Oct 1943-01 Nov 1943)
Commander of Landesschützen-Division 410 (01 Nov 1943-20 Dec 1943)
Führer-Reserve OKH (20 Dec 1943-10 Jan 1944)
Commander of the 338th Infantry-Division (10 Jan 1944-18 Sep 1944)
Führer-Reserve OKH (18 Sep 1944-19 Jan 1945)
Commander of the Catch-Staff in Military-District VIII (19 Jan 1945-05 Mar 1945)
Commander of the Catch-Staff with Army High Command 4 (05 Mar 1945-29 Mar 1945)
Taken ill, in Hospital (29 Mar 1945-00 Jan 1946)
In Captivity (00 Jan 1946-24 Feb 1946)
Released (24 Feb 1946)

Awards & Decorations:
- Deutsches Kreuz in Gold: am 23.11.1944 als Generalleutnant und Kommandeur der 338. Infanterie-Division
- 1914 EK I
- 1914 EK II
- Kgl. Bayer. Militär-Verdienstorden IV. Klasse mit Schwertern
- Hamburgisches Hanseatenkreuz
- Fürstl. Lippisches Kriegsverdienstkreuz
- Verwundetenabzeichen, 1918 in Schwarz
- Ehrenritter des Kgl. Preuss. Johanniter-Orden
- Ehrenkreuz für Frontkämpfer
- Wehrmacht-Dienstauszeichnung IV. bis I. Klasse
- Spange zum EK II
- Spange zum EK I

Source :
Bundesarchiv B 206 Bild-GD-07
http://www.geocities.ws/orion47.geo/WEHRMACHT/HEER/Generalleutnant/HOMME_RENE.html