Voss' gravesite (yes, VOSS'!)

20 January 2002, 12:05 PM

This is from Mike O'Connor's AIRFIELDS AND AIRMEN: YPRES (Leo Cooper, Pen & Sword 'Battleground Series', 2001; page 165):
"Until now it has always been assumed that Voss's grave was lost in later fighting but German War Graves records show that he is buried in the Kameradengrab at Langemark and his name is commemorated on panel number 63 (see the Langemark entry earlier in this chapter and for further reading see WERNER VOSS, by Dennis Hylands, Albatros Publications Ltd 1986)."
This is what O'Connor cites 'earlier', under "Langemark German Cemetery":
"This is a huge cemetery and contains 44,000 fallen, with nearly 25,00 in a mass grave (Kameradengrab) near the entrance. It is the only German cemetery actually situated in the Ypres salient. The reason for this is that in 1954 the Belgian and German governments reached an agreement that the many small German cemeteries would be transferred to the four largest ones at Vladslo, Hooglede, Langemark and Menin. The Kameradengrab contains 24,917 dead of which 7,977 are unknown. The grave is in fact an ossuary in which the bones of the dead are placed and in November 1998 the recently discovered remains of seventeen unknown Germans were brought here. Around it stand 34 stone blocks to which are affixed 68 bronze plaques with the names of the known."
Further on, concerning Erwin Böhme:
"He was buried by the British at Keerselaarhoek, which is very close to the British cemetery at Tyne Cot. In 1955 the German cemetery was cleared and German War Graves records indicate he is buried in the Kameradengrab at Lanemark, though curiously his name is not commemorated on the bronze memorial panels."

Regulus · 21 January 2002, 12:50 AM

Quite Right, Captain Lewis, Voss' names figures on the wall of Langemark.

Next time I ll go through the books of the DKF at the cemetery I will look if they have mentioned also Böhme in it.

Did you visit the place ?

The German cemetery of Vladslo is also quite close to the front, but than in the Diksmuide area. There is also a tremendous number of air personnel burried here.

frontflieger · 21 January 2002, 01:16 AM

Hello,

it's really sad, but I do have to disappoint you! Both, the remains of Werner VOSS and Erwin BOEHME are LOST.

The sector of the front in which Voss had been burried by the British was shelled days or weeks later. Some years ago, somebody said: "But, one has to remember Voss on a cemetery".

Therefore - and that's the only reason *:-[ , one added the name on the plate in Langemark. (normally you should be able to see the plate on my homepage < http://www.frontflieger.de/3-v-f.html > - but there sees to be a problem!)

On though: if any BONE has been found after 1917 it has been brought to Langemark!

I asked the Commonwealth War Grave Commission and they were not able to state, that BOEHME had been burried on a British Cemetary!!

Regulus · 21 January 2002, 06:58 AM

Böhme is certainly not on any of the Commonwealth cemeteries in West Flanders. So that is very correct. This evening I passed at the Langemark Friedhof, and believe it or not, but the books with all burrials in it, were taken to Kassel about a good year ago for an update, and one year later they are still updating at the Deutsche Bund fur Kriegsgraberfursorge. Also the books of Menen, Vladslo and Hooglede Friedhof are also still being updated. I will give a ring to Kassel tomorrow to see if they didn't forget to start on the update. It's very bizar.
In the past we were already confronted with burrials on the cemeteries of aces and others who are in fact burried in Germany.
But of course it's a number one source to find personnel of certain aviation units and their fate.

21 January 2002, 10:06 PM

Apparently some graves of German airmen which at first were laid out by the allies have actually disappeard.
Jürgen von Carlowitz (Jasta 1) was buried on a British graveyard and as his family was officially informed about that.
But nobody knows now where his grave has remaind. His name is neither on a British nor a German list.

Mosen

albatros · 22 January 2002, 01:29 PM

I had heard that many German flyers remains that were interred in France (and hadn't been desecrated by the locals) were reinterred in Germany after the country fell and was occupied in 1940. While it seems that surviving family in the Fatherland were supposedly notified of these tranfers, one might assume that they were not.

frontflieger · 22 January 2002, 02:18 PM

It's really sad. But it seems, that quite a number of aviators got lost in the 50'ties. For example: I know about Walter Lagershausen (Schlasta 2?) who fell in Mai 1917 - got a proper soldiers's grave... and was "lost" some years later. His comrad (and Emil) was not lost?!

Unbelievable.

Rick · 22 January 2002, 03:11 PM

Vzfw. Walter Lagershausen, pilot, and Pion. Johann Weidmann, gunner, of Schusta 25b, were KIA on 4May17 at Courtecon. R.

Regulus · 29 January 2002, 01:25 PM

The Deutsche Volksbund fur Kriegsgraberfursorge is unbelievably silent. No answers on my phone calls and neither on my e-mail. Start to think they lost the damn inventory books of the German cemeteries in Flanders.
If they ever come back I will keep you posted.

wingstrutdotcom · 29 January 2002, 03:54 PM

Speaking of "voss" in that book I need to get in touch with that author. Does he visit these boards? Anyone know an email for him. My intestest is in the other "Voss" he mentions in that book. The pilot, H. Voss of Marine Jasta. Mike send me an email at tmcomeau@i2k.com if you read this. I am working with another author on the Marine units and need some info.