In recent threads about PoW camps in Germany, I found considerable interest from various pals in the Koeln-Wahn PoW camp. As I work on the grounds of the former PoW camp since October , I took some pictures of this hidden piece of tranquility today. These are rare pictures because the area is not accessible for the public. Today it is part of Wahn AFB and is restricted area.
In the middle of today's Cologne-Wahn AFB there is a nice, well maintained PoW cemetery with mostly dead from nearby former Great War PoW camp Wahn. There are French, Russian known and unknown marked graves and also quite a few German ones. Even today, after so many years, each Remembrance Day (Volkstrauertag) a delegation of Luftwaffe-soldiers of all ranks gather on the grounds of the cemetery and pay tribute to the dead and lay the wreaths. The military catholic priest and Lutheran pastor each hold a speech and prayer as does the base commander.
I suspect that the British PoW dead have been relocated at a later point in time to Koeln-Sued cemetery.

When I took the pictures today I was surprised of the fresh wreaths and flower bouquets, although Volkstrauertag is only to come in November. For you the foreign friends- this serves as an outstanding example how Germany honors the dead of former hostile countries in dignity. Even without any civilian guests visiting the graves, they are not forgotten by us and are remembered by German Armed Forces personnel.

For orientation please see this sat pic

View towards the cemetery within Wahn AFB

Wide angle view

Memorial plaque and memorial with engraved names of French PoWs

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The Russian memorial with plaque, depicting the Czar crest. Ukrainian and Russian crape on flower bouquet

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German translation of Russian text

The next set of pics are from High Cross overviewing the PoW cemetery

the single flower bouquets representing the colours of the PoWs nationality

On the right side the wreath from Chief German Air Force with official crape

Breathtaking power of flowers

The wreath of the society of German Armed Forces aviators honors the dead

Society of former Starfighter (F-104) squadrons

...PoWs...

French Army of Occupation dead?

A Russian grave, most likely forgotten to the world. But we will remember!

Snapshot of French, German and Russian (1945) grave of unknown soldiers

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And this is something very special: the memorial for the two main mutineers of the 1918 sailor's mutiny in Kiel on ships of the Imperial High Sea's Fleet. They had been sentenced to death here and shot at dawn after their trial:
Reichpietsch, Max, * 24.10.1894 Charlottenburg, + 5.9.1917 Wahn near Köln, Matrose, Revolutionary; he served on the battleship "Friedrich der Große" and acted as leading agitator and organizer of the High Sea Fleet’s sailor/seaman revolutionary movement in summer 1917; together with Albin Köbis he prepared the mutiny

25. August: A Wilhelmshaven based war tribunal imposed 5 death penalties against mutineers and against several others multiyear prison terms. The CiC of the fleet pardoned 3 death candidates; 23 years old Oberheizer Max Reichpietsch and 25years old Heizer Albin Köbis were shot at dawn at Wahn/Wahnerheide,

27./29. October 1918: Begin of the mutiny on ships of the High Sea Fleet

Thanks for sharing those with us Egbert

Mark

Thank you Mark!
Yesterday I thought it would be somehow appreciated to post actual pics from PoW Wahn, as there was lots of interest in another thread about Wahn. But I am proofed wrong! The dissapointing lack of interest is not worth to continue with the time consuming pic- resizing, -cropping etc work. I will not continue posting pics and GWF postcards of Wahn PoW here.

Well I, for one, am interested, Egbert! I've only just spotted the thread - give it a few days and it might grow yet. There are a number of fascinating snippets, like the mutineers and the WW2 unknowns, here that I was unaware of. Thankfully my grandfather isn't there, or I wouldn't be here.

Adrian

Phantastic Pictures Egbert !


I wonder why so less people are interested or give any comment


Yours sincerely


Malte

Malte very simple: because there are no British graves.......

Well I appreciated it, so many thanks for posting Egbert.

Phil

Egbert,

Die fotos waren sehr interessant fur jemanden, der deutsch sprecht. Bitte zeigen Sie noch mehr!

Mark

Egbert,
Many thanks for posting these great pictures, interesting thread, thanks again.

Andy

Was the memorial to the Kiel mutineers erected to honour their stand. If so, when?

Many thanks, Egbert, for giving us a privileged 'virtual tour' of the cemetery at Köln-Wahn. It looks very tranquil now. The floral tributes are splendid and obviously freshly laid — do they commemorate a particular anniversary or occasion?

Regarding your disappointment at the apparent level of interest in this gallery, I think you are perhaps being a bit hasty — for myself, I'm only recently back on line after losing my broadband connection and landline to a lightning strike earlier this week (real 'Donner und Blitzen', and I was actually on the phone to Germany at the time it struck), and I've only just caught up with your thread.

Thanks again for sharing this with us.

Mick

Thanx guys for your recent comments!!!
I see the well known "clients" who usually participate in the "enemy" threads.

I have to admit: one of the reasons I posted all these pics is:
A hidden, non public accessible PoW cemetery behind barbed wire in a national security zone could allow to neglect the care of the graves of the former enemies. Nobody would be able to see the care-taking/non care-taking of this little jewel.
What you can't see you can't criticise. NO, the contrary is the case. Again, inaccessible, this cemetery is well maintained and more - well supported with thoughts and prayers and dignified wreaths. We, the uniformed services, the former enemy, take care and remember - not only our dead but also yours. These pictures serve as a living example of toady's friendship and common heritage here in Europe.

Ian, i have not the slightest clue as to when the mutiny memorial was erected and by whom. Will research, but takes some time.
And no, i don't know why so many fresh flowers. Usually the wreaths and flowers will be lain in November =Volkstrauertag.

And don't forget, Egbert, the thing that struck me most about your Grandfather's story.

Just over twenty years after an invading German army was pushed off his land, a French farmer saw another one roll back over it. A young German officer asked him about another German officer killed there in the previous conflict.

It would have been very easy for that Frenchman to have told him precisely where he could shove his enquiry - many people would have, many would have agreed with him if he had.

He didn't. Despite the circumstances he showed compassion to another man. And as a result Gottfried has a stone that we can visit. Yes, the Forum getting together to remember him is important, and wonderful. But the circumstances of that frenchman's action make it possible.

I'm rambling rather. But what I am trying to say is humans have humanity, and you have shown us shining examples of it from both sides.

Adrian
(I'd probably better let others have a say now, as I have added rather a lot to your threads - people might think there is something funny going on!)

Hello Egbert

With respect, I think you're being a bit hard on your colleagues. This forum is so diverse that many threads escape us at the start, especially for someone like me who hasn't been a member for long and is still reading in, so to speak. Often it's only when you log on and click on latest posts that something pops up that you weren't aware of.
I was fascinated by your pix of Wahn, and I really appreciate your reasons for posting them. On top of that, you are also a good photographer. Please keep them coming.

cheers Martin B

Schuldig

Mick

Ok one more for peace of mind:
this is a postcard from the 1920s -French Army of occupation - please compare with post #5+7:

Dear Egbert
There may not be any British graves there, but we can still remember them.
Thanks for the pics.
Bruce

Today I visited the small but fine museum that deals with the history of the Wahn proving grounds and firing range as well as the PoW camp.
In essence: if anybody has a specific PoW Wahn question =I am the subject matter expert. I visited the archives and military library and have answers for all kind of questions to include the cemetery.
So if anybody has ancestors to research with respect to Wahn= feel free to contact me as I have full access to all archives here.
Now back to Ian's question where I have the full picture now:
The mutineers were sentenced to death in Wilhelmshaven and shot in Wahnerheide (the proving grounds). Of course such a memorial was not erected by the Armed Forces. Interesting in 1926 a struggle between the communist and the socialdemocratic party started about who inherited the right to demonstrate in front of the graves for their obscure party goals. There were many assemblies with large communist crowds attending. In 1926 a struggle started as to which party was authorised to claim the heritage of the mutineers and the right to erect a memorial. The Rotfrontkaempfer-Bund (ultra communists) finally inaugurated the present memorial on 16 Sep 1928 with a big manifestation.
It was said (but not proven) that in 1933 when the Nazis took power, the "shame" was removed, the corpses buried somewhere in the Wahnerheide and the large memorial stone thrown in the empty pits. Later, after war, it was re-erected as it is seen today.....more?

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Grave stone from 1893 from same cemetery when much larger. BTW, the French memorial stone at the beginning of the thread comprises the names of PoWs from 1870-71 war, the plaque in front of it and the single graves those from 1914-1924 (French PoWs and army of occupation) period.

Burial party

Egbert,

Most interesting thread!

Regards,

Cnock

Map from Then

Hi Egbert,nice photos & thread.
In a photo of a(french)grave,Paul Peyron,his date of death is 23 june 1921.Can you tell me anything about this please?Was he in the camp hospital wounded for all this time after the war or did he stay in Germany as a worker there & get influenza?
Any news welcome & thankyou
David.

David, I have the complete list of all French dead buried on the cemetery. In the time from French Army of occupation 1920 until 17.1.1926, 12 members died , all from influenza and in 1920/21. Besides the soldiers there was a certain Marie Coray with her 3 children buried.

Egbert,nice chatting tonight.If I could have a copy of the French records,I'll buy you a Leffe.No probs,
Dave.

If only my scanner would arrive from Alabama

Egbert
Another wonderful / fascinating thread - nice one.
Glyn

Egbert,

Just stumbled across this thread - very interesting. Another case of 'the more you look, the more you find'! Do you think that the profusion of floral tributes is due to the location being on a military base? (If located in a more usual civilan setting it might not have received quite such attention?)

Ian

Ian, probably it receives more attention due to the fact the cem is on military grounds. I never saw the official wreath of Chief of Staff GAF, nor Squadron- , nor aviation association wreaths on a "civilian" war grave commission cemetery

So 9 Leffe are due Dave:

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