Karlheinz Wilhelm Weisenfeld

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NSDAP
In the Bundesarchiv in Berlin (BArch) in the holdings of the former Berlin Document Center (BDC), membership of the NSDAP could be established for all Weisenfeld family members.

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Education
According to the personnel file of Karlheinz Weisenfeld, he attended the following schools:

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According to the assessment of 04.07.1944, Karlheinz Weisenfeld was a career soldier.

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The information is compiled from the personnel file (BArch) of Karlheinz Weisenfeld and the career record
produced by the Deutsche Dienststelle in Berlin.

Karlheinz Weisenfeld participated in the following campaigns or other military operations.

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Assessment
The personnel file of Karlheinz Weisenfeld contains only one assessment. Namely that of the 16th Officer Cadet Course from 28.03.1944 – 04.07.1944, School VII for Officer Cadets of the Infantry / Training Group I: 1st Inspectorate in Milowitz/Prague.

At that time he was, according to the promotion details, an Officer Cadet of the intermediate year 43 (O.B.).

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The Deutsche Dienststelle in Berlin holds no records of hospital stays.

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The family history

The family emigrated to America around 1923 and returned in the early 1930s. In 1936 Wilhelm Weisenfeld was, according to registration records from Dortmund, an insurance employee by profession. In his son’s personnel file however the occupation of Reich employee of the Luftwaffe is given. The father of Karlheinz Weisenfeld, Wilhelm Weisenfeld, was taken into French captivity in May 1945; he did not return home until early April 1947.
The spelling of Karlheinz Weisenfeld’s first name differs here from the spelling in the literature. In the personnel file of Karlheinz Weisenfeld, held at the Military Archive in Freiburg, the given name and surname were left in handwriting. It may be assumed that Karlheinz Weisenfeld is the correct spelling. On the passenger lists found, only the first name Karl was given. It may be that he was only called Karl as a child. A further spelling, Charles William Weisenfeld, arises from the fact that the name Charles is the English form of Karl. The second name (Wilhelm or in English William) refers back to his father, Wilhelm Weisenfeld. When the name Wiesenfeld appeared this seemed only to be attributable to a transposition of “ei”. This transposition appears among other places in the death sentence (see Bronny). But we shall be better informed. More on this later.
On the cross of his grave at the German Military Cemetery in Lommel the date of death given is 23.12.1944. Here too the explanation is simple: it is the date he was reported missing. Karlheinz Weisenfeld was listed as missing until the 1950s; the actual date of death only became known when he was already resting at the German Military Cemetery in Lommel. For the circumstances of his death as we know them today were known to nobody at the time. It is also not to be assumed that the error will ever be corrected, since the Kriegsgräberfürsorge has difficulty correcting errors on grave inscriptions. On the grave cross of Erhard Miegel the name has been misspelled for decades — Migel instead of Miegel. Although the family reported the error, it has not been corrected to this day.

City Archive Hanau

In 1954 the death was entered under number 201 in the death register at the registry office of Hanau. The death was reported at the time by the Deutsche Dienststelle Berlin.

Bundesarchiv Department PA, formerly Deutsche Dienststelle (WASt)
The personnel index cards of the Bundesarchiv which we consulted in March 2021 show how opaque the information situation was at that time. Until now we had assumed that the surname “Wiesenfeld” in the verdict was due to a typing error. After examining the documents, and the big surprise is yet to come, we have reason to believe that there is more behind the “transposition”.
But we want to start at the beginning and build up the suspense slowly.
Report of 24.03.1945: missing since 23.12.1944 in the Malmedy area. Report of 05.11.1949: following a letter from the mother of 09.10.1949, this was communicated to the mother. The mother received the identity disc number and was referred to Nienburg. Why to Nienburg is not known. Report 20.07.1950, a brief note: „Last communication since missing persons report“. Again a puzzle here: what kind of report?
Then there is silence until the report of 29.01.1952. The reinterment date from the cemetery at Henri-Chapelle to Lommel is reported, but with the grave location 433. The error — the grave has the number 423 — is corrected in a report of 20.10.1952. The report also gives the burial date at Henri-Chapelle: 26.12.1944. On the previous report of 29.01.1952, 23.12.1944 was added in handwriting as the date of death. So far not a single word is mentioned about the circumstances in which Karlheinz Weisenfeld met his death. In a brief note added to the report of 30.06.1953: „killed in action 23.12.44.“ This note was apparently added later. The next interesting report dates from 19.01.1954.
A message is sent to the mother. However, there appears to be uncertainty, as it was noted: „To the mother w. conf. death notif.”.
She is informed of the reinterment of Charles Weisenfeld from Henri-Chapelle to Lommel, together with the rank of Second Lieutenant and the unit 150th Panzer Brigade. A report of 20.02.1954 raises the suspicion that a death certificate might exist.
For it states there among other things 150th Pz. Brigade / No estate present.
The father received the communication with a letter of 27.01.1954. He was further informed that report of death was made by name.
The notification of no estate present is also found on the Red Cross death certificates. Then there is silence for several years. Not until 01.08.1960 is there a report whose content demands attention: “26.12.44 date of death”. The grave location at the cemetery in Henri-Chapelle is given. The information comes, according to the report, from a photocopy. And then comes the absolute surprise. Among the index cards of Karlheinz Weisenfeld is a death certificate (old reference B563). The death certificate, with RAD number 95826, issued in the name of Charles William Wiesenfeld. Together with a small slip on which one department (VII/W) of the authority requests from another department (VI/W) the missing details of Charles William Wiesenfeld. On the death certificate only few personal details are given: no date of birth or place of birth. The date of death is given as „26. Dec. 1944“. The certificate gives the grave location at Henri-Chapelle and states that there is no personal estate. The cause of death given is “Musketry”, meaning execution by shooting. At the end the reason for the execution is found: he had operated as a spy in US uniform. With this, everything previously known in this case on the subject of the death certificate becomes moot.
It is not the circumstance that a death certificate exists in the name Wiesenfeld that astonishes. It goes much further. In the death sentence the name Charles William Wiesenfeld was also used. The same spelling error in the surname appearing twice is more than unlikely. It is however to be assumed that both go back to one and the same source. Logically it can only have been Karlheinz Weisenfeld himself. For both documents were drawn up at different times by different people.
But what reason could Lt. Weisenfeld have had to give his surname incorrectly? With the emergence of the death certificate the whole matter has become even more opaque.
Incidentally we would also like to note here that among the index cards of the Bundesarchiv the death certificates of Bronny, Pernass, Pollack, Struller and Wittsack have been archived. From the copies one can see that these sheets must be thin paper. The copies that went to the relatives were considerably sturdier and showed no dog-ears. All certificates and correspondence were kept under the same old reference.

Unit and field postal number

It is hardly possible to establish exactly when the compilation of the personnel index card of Karlheinz Weisenfeld began. Nor are all sources evident. This applies also to the unit named and the field postal number written alongside it. The information on the card was not communicated to me at the time by the Deutsche Dienststelle. And yet it would have been so important, for there it states clearly and legibly: Commando Coy. 150th Panzer Brigade FP. No. 32397. I can add nothing more to this today. With this the number 32397 was assigned to a Greif yet again. This time however from German documents, and for the first time. Whether this field postal number was assigned only to the commando company or to the entire 150th Panzer Brigade is still uncertain. This field postal number was also used only for Christmas mail; after that it was out of service again.
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Stars & Stripes 23.12.1944 (In the article the surname of Walter Staiger is misspelled)

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On the way to interrogation; from r. to l. K.H. Weisenfeld, M. Bronny, H. Reich (barely visible)
and still on the loading platform of the vehicle G. Schulz. Photo, Sgt. Walter J. Staiger

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Information from the International Red Cross (ICRC) in Geneva

(International Committee of the Red Cross, ICRC)

From the correspondence held in the archive of the International Red Cross in Geneva it emerges that the family must have been separated at the latest from 08.05.1945. The father had been in French captivity since May 1945. According to the Deutsche Dienststelle he did not return to Germany until 1947.

Searches were conducted separately for Lt. Karlheinz Weisenfeld.

The father searched for his son on 19.12.1945 from French captivity. As military unit he gave only “Inf. Rgt”. When and where missing the father answered with: “12.12.44 Western Front”.

The mother filed a request on 28.05.1946, in Germany. As the military unit of the person sought she names the 2nd Headquarters Company of Grenadier Replacement Battalion 106. The question of when and where missing is answered as follows: “4.12.44. on the way to the West”.

Noteworthy is an undated search request from another family member. Here the military unit given is “Altneuhaus – Vilseck, Einheit Stielau”. It is stated that the person sought has been missing from 03.12.1944. No location is given here.

In the archive of the Red Cross in Geneva there is no death certificate for Karlheinz W. Weisenfeld.
Now that the death certificate in the name of Charles Wiesenfeld has surfaced at the Bundesarchiv, a further enquiry is being made to the Red Cross in Geneva.

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German Military Cemetery Lommel, Belgium. Photo: © Stichting Oorlogsslachtoffers.