Welcome to the WWII Forums! Log in or Sign up to interact with the community.

Photo Album for Fallschirmjager Oberjager Fritzt Kuschich

Discussion in 'Photographs and Documents' started by Jba45ww2, Jan 22, 2019.

  1. Jba45ww2

    Jba45ww2 Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    Dec 10, 2018
    Messages:
    381
    Likes Received:
    264
    Location:
    New Jersey
    Oberjager Fritz Kuschich was killed in action on 12/20/43 in Italy. His girlfriend Susanne had been keeping a scrapbook from his service time with the RAD through his time in the Fallschirmjager. He jumped on Malames-Chania, Crete and also served on the Eastern Front where he was first wounded. After recovering from his wounds he was then transferred to Italy where he was killed on 12/20/43. There are two binders full of private pictures and letters between the two. Always interested to hear your feedback and comments
    f1.jpg f2.jpg
    f3.jpg
    f4.jpg
    f5.jpg This group actually contains the Edelweiss flower that he obtained from Zugspitze


    f7.jpg
    f8.jpg
    f9.jpg
    f10.jpg f11.jpg
     
    PzJgr and Owen like this.
  2. Jba45ww2

    Jba45ww2 Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    Dec 10, 2018
    Messages:
    381
    Likes Received:
    264
    Location:
    New Jersey
    A few more photos
    f6.jpg
    f12.jpg
    f13.jpg
    f14.jpg
     
  3. Otto

    Otto Spambot Nemesis Staff Member WW2|ORG Editor

    Joined:
    Jan 1, 2000
    Messages:
    9,781
    Likes Received:
    1,818
    Location:
    DFW, Texas
    Your collection continues to deliver impressive insights.

    If you are willing, I'd love to gather some of your collections and create bios on some of your subjects. There is so much photographic and other info available we can probably do a deep dive into these soldiers.
     
    Tipnring likes this.
  4. Jba45ww2

    Jba45ww2 Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    Dec 10, 2018
    Messages:
    381
    Likes Received:
    264
    Location:
    New Jersey
    Otto, sounds like a great idea. I am sure with all of the expertise and knowledge on the Forum there could be some great information brought out.
     
  5. Otto

    Otto Spambot Nemesis Staff Member WW2|ORG Editor

    Joined:
    Jan 1, 2000
    Messages:
    9,781
    Likes Received:
    1,818
    Location:
    DFW, Texas
    Jba45ww2 likes this.
  6. Jba45ww2

    Jba45ww2 Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    Dec 10, 2018
    Messages:
    381
    Likes Received:
    264
    Location:
    New Jersey
    I will begin to scan more photos and documents from the grouping. There is also a letter from his commander explaining the circumstances of his death in Italy. In the scrapbook there are also pictures of the burial services in Italy.
     
    Otto likes this.
  7. harolds

    harolds Member

    Joined:
    Aug 9, 2011
    Messages:
    1,898
    Likes Received:
    372
    Impressive! Where do you get these things??? This was probably a memorial put together by his family after his death.

    I wonder if that statue of the diving eagle (Fallschirm cemetary?) is still in Crete or has it been removed/destroyed.
     
  8. LRusso216

    LRusso216 Graybeard Staff Member

    Joined:
    Jan 5, 2009
    Messages:
    14,288
    Likes Received:
    2,605
    Location:
    Pennsylvania
    Amazing stuff. Is your collection from auctions? I like Otto's idea. Not only will the photos be preserved, but we can learn more about the lives of these people.
     
    Otto likes this.
  9. Otto

    Otto Spambot Nemesis Staff Member WW2|ORG Editor

    Joined:
    Jan 1, 2000
    Messages:
    9,781
    Likes Received:
    1,818
    Location:
    DFW, Texas
    WW2.org was created to store well researched, well structured info, covering all things WWII and focusing on biographies. Any/all personnel are viable topics.

    More info is coming on this as we develop the site, but when I saw this thread I couldn't help but jump the gun a little.
     
  10. Jba45ww2

    Jba45ww2 Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    Dec 10, 2018
    Messages:
    381
    Likes Received:
    264
    Location:
    New Jersey
    I collected my first item when I was in my teens at a small flea market. They were two pocket size AH booklets (still have them) and I thought I had discovered gold from the Aztecs. Fortunately through my life I have had the opportunity to travel and have made friendships with people who have introduced me to collecting. I have stayed away from auctions and always looked for things that for me I just liked. I also believed that the items should be protected and treated with respect no mater which side they came from. My father gave his life in WW2 and my sisters and I were tagged war orphans by the VA. Not sure these pictures belong on this thread but this is the result of all of those years of collection. As always feedback and questions always welcomed.


    rm1.JPG

    rm2.JPG
     
    Tipnring and Otto like this.
  11. LRusso216

    LRusso216 Graybeard Staff Member

    Joined:
    Jan 5, 2009
    Messages:
    14,288
    Likes Received:
    2,605
    Location:
    Pennsylvania
    Holy smokes! That is quite a collection. Each of these areas deserves a separate post; uniforms, caps, pictures, etc. Well preserved and nicely displayed.
     
  12. harolds

    harolds Member

    Joined:
    Aug 9, 2011
    Messages:
    1,898
    Likes Received:
    372
    Indeed! You are a museum curator. What you have IS a museum! Hats off to you!
     
  13. Jba45ww2

    Jba45ww2 Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    Dec 10, 2018
    Messages:
    381
    Likes Received:
    264
    Location:
    New Jersey
    Some more information regarding Oberjager Kuschick- The scrapbook was put together by his girlfriend and the grouping came directly from a family in Dresden
    He joined the RAD in April of 1939. He was transferred to the 4th Construction Company and from August 26 to November 20th of 1939 he performed construction work in the rear with the 10th Army in the Campaign against Poland. He also spent some time with the Infantry Replacement Regiment 4 in Dresden. He started his Fallschirmjarer training at Wittstock School on June 19th. Once he graduated he was assigned to Regiment 6 which he remained until his death.
    His girlfriend also cut out clippings connected to the Fallschirmjager and are part of the scrapbook.

    Promotions
    Gefreiter - 1 November 1940
    Obergefreiter - 1 November 1941
    Oberjager - 1 December 1942

    Awards
    Iron Cross Second Class - Awarded on the island of Kreta
    Ground Combat Badge Of the Luftwaffe 1 October 1942
    Wound Badge in Black- 1 October 1942
    Iron Cross 1st Class 28th January 1944 Posthumous award
    Paratrooper Badge

    a1.jpg
    a2.jpg
    a3.jpg
    a5.jpg
    a6.jpg
    a7.jpg
    a10.jpg a11.jpg a12.jpg a13.jpg
     
  14. Jba45ww2

    Jba45ww2 Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    Dec 10, 2018
    Messages:
    381
    Likes Received:
    264
    Location:
    New Jersey
    A few more
    a14.jpg a15.jpg
     
  15. Owen

    Owen O

    Joined:
    May 14, 2006
    Messages:
    2,765
    Likes Received:
    760
    see here Fallschirmjäger memorial - Wikipedia
     
    ColHessler likes this.
  16. RRA227

    RRA227 Member

    Joined:
    May 26, 2011
    Messages:
    1,684
    Likes Received:
    515
    Great post. Rich A. in pa.
     
  17. harolds

    harolds Member

    Joined:
    Aug 9, 2011
    Messages:
    1,898
    Likes Received:
    372
  18. von Poop

    von Poop Waspish

    Joined:
    Apr 21, 2006
    Messages:
    6,300
    Likes Received:
    1,919
    Location:
    Perfidious Albion
    Definitely Interesting to see the FJ memorial on Crete presumably immediately after construction.
    It's often vandalised (for, I think, understandable local reasons). Was chatting to someone studying 'Kreta' today who's also intrigued that it wasn't taken down the day after liberation.
    Some Twitterer's were recently getting a bit excited about it's 'neglect'. The infamous pictures from Kondomari then induced a bit of a web silence.

    More great stuff, JBA.
    Always like a bit of Pith helmet action too, no matter the side or period.
    That Tank painting - looks like a flamethrower. (Not immediately sure what it's supposed to represent. Reminiscent of something captured & converted, or Neubaufahrzeug ). Is it a separate propaganda postcard, or an original painting in the album?
     
  19. von Poop

    von Poop Waspish

    Joined:
    Apr 21, 2006
    Messages:
    6,300
    Likes Received:
    1,919
    Location:
    Perfidious Albion
    It's definitely a Neubaufahrzeug, the Rheinmetall one I think, though blurred by the artist's choices. Chassis, yes, but turret Krupp-y?

    Always interested in representations of it. In many ways a propaganda machine. 1941 a pretty late depiction as they'd moved on from the much-photographed-but-not-much-actual-fighting Norway images by then. Presumably an earlier postcard as by that point they could field other more standard 'impressive' machines in such images.
    Now going 'hmmm' about possible flamethrower tests beyond artistic license.
     
  20. Otto

    Otto Spambot Nemesis Staff Member WW2|ORG Editor

    Joined:
    Jan 1, 2000
    Messages:
    9,781
    Likes Received:
    1,818
    Location:
    DFW, Texas
    The photo of the FJ memorial is really quite good. I think the fact that it's a memorial and not a monument to the victory prevented it's immediate removal.

    This particular image and the location has got me thinking Google Earth/Maps. I've really not been able to dig into a project in this area, but I wonder if we could have a large G.Earth file with relevant locations, all tied to images of the market locations. Mental gears grinding away right now.

    @Jba45ww2 Does the image of th ememorial have a date stamp of something similar on the back? I'm wondering if we can pin down a specific date (or a close estimate) of when the image was taken.
     

Share This Page