Description
This is a very rare SS – EWZ card for a SS member named Reinhold Rieger, born on 9 december 1924 in Fridensfeld in Odessa (!). He was originally a “Landwirstssohn” (Farmers sohn). In the late stages of the war he joined the Waffen SS in july 1944. At this time the SS had lost a lot of men due to the course of war and accepted people from foreign descent. Rieger was although born and living in Russia, originally of German decent through his father, and could then ultimately join the Waffen SS.
Explanaition:
An EWZ card is a card from an “Einwandererzentralstelle”, with an “Einwanderer” [German] being an immigrant, so Rieger was an immigrant of Russian/German descent, from Kreis Odessa II in the UDSSR (Union der Sozialistischen Sowjetrepubliken). Reinhold was according to the card although living in Russia, for 100% of German descent (class A) and was also of full health.
Before joining the Waffen SS in july 1944, he worked “Im Kollektiv, Fridensfeld Landarbeit” (the Fridensfeld farmers labor collective).
Rieger then went to: Lager SS-Werder Ausbildung und Ersatz Abteilung Lübbinchen (South-east of Berlin, near the Polish border).
In Lübbinchen, in the South-Ost area of the TrÜbPl. (SS-Truppenübungsplatz Kurmark -> see: https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/SS-Truppen%C3%BCbungsplatz_Kurmark), were mainly members and (new) recruits of the SS Werfer stationed -> SS-Werfer-AuE-Abt und Batterien verschiedener aktiver SS-Werfer-Abteilungen. This was to regain strenght and rebuilt SS units that suffered large casualties due to the war’s course.
More info see here:
https://www.lexikon-der-wehrmacht.de/Karte/TruppenubungsplatzeSS/TruppenubungsplatzeSSKurmark-R.htm
and:
https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/SS-Truppen%C3%BCbungsplatz_Kurmark
This is a very rare card that shows how the SS in the last year of the war found new recruits. Very hard to find!
In good condition.
