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The parents or wives of German military service members who died in the War printed death cards (Sterbebilder). This was also the case in World War I. But until the final months of the war when everything falling apart they the loved ones prited these death cards with some basic information. We had thought these cards were sent by the military to loved ones. This was not the case. These cards were ordered by loved ones, usully parents, and printed privately. This one was for 20 year old Ludwig Pichler von Egglkofen.
Pichler was killed by mounted Cossak calvlry (August 2, 1942). This was part of Operation Blue. Hitler made the disaterous mistake of spliting his forces. The southern prong went south toward the oil fields of the cossocks. The Sixth Army went west into Stalingrad. Hitler corrected assessed that the NAZI war machine needed the vital oil supplies it had been reciving from the Soviet Union. The failure of Barbarossa to destroy the Red Army in 1941, meant that he would have to seize the Soviet oil fields in 1942. Befiote Barbarossa, Stalin as part of his alliwnce wuth Hitler, was shipping huge quantities og oil to the Germand. Of course after Brbarossa, this supplyof oil ceased. Pichler was killed as partb of the drive on Maikop. This was the only oil field the Germans managed to seize. Stalin ordered that any field thev Germans were approaching be destroyed. Ans Stalin's commanders understood this very clearly. Maikop was destriyed so thoroughly that the Germans got almost no oil out of it. (Compare this to the Dutch and British oil fields the Japanse over ran in the British Bornro and the Dutch East Indies the same year.) They were up and running after only a month or two.) Stalin's commandrs knew what would hppen to them if the Germans were able to restart production. The German drive went furtherm bu this woukd be the only oil field they mnaged to seize. They were stopped by the Redarmy abnd Caucus Mountains even before the Red Army perfectly executed Operation Uranus cutting off the German Suxth Army in Stalingrad (November 1942).
Pilcher is listed on the German Volksbund website as follows: Ludwig Pichler, hunter, born in Egglkofen on July 10, 1922, killed in action 12 kilometers southwest of Kushchevskaya on August 2, 1942, still buried in Kushchevskaya. We are not sure what 'hunter'meant. The von in his mame meant the family was part of the German nobility. Notice that while he was 20, he just turned 20 less than a monyh before he was killed.
Kushchyovskaya (Кущёвская) is a rural locality -- stanitsa. It was in the Caucuses of southern Russia north of the Maikop oil fields. A stanitsa historical administrative unit of a Cossack host, meaningb a Cossack polity that existed in the Russian Empire and contnues to exist in modern Russia. The modern translation is station, locality, or district. Kushchyovskaya is known today as the site of a terrible massacre (November 10, 2010). It was the brutal murder of 12 people including four children. They were an ethnic Tatar family --a wealthy local farmer Serever Ametov. He was targeted and stabbed to death, along with together with visiting friends and a uninvolved bystander. The incident shocked Russia, not only beause if the brutality, but because thre were links between a criminal gang and corrupt goverrrnment officials. The perpetrators were members of a criminal gang who was paying protection money to the authorities. as aresult thaey had been operating with impunity in the community. .
The text on the firstb death card read: "In memory of Ludwig Pichler von Egglkofen, who was killed on the Field of Honour in the fight against Bolshevism, a mountain trooper in an infantry regiment, who died a hero's death on August 2, 1942 at the age of 20 in a victorious pursuit of Soviet horsemen and thus shared the same fate of his brother Andreas, who died on August 2, 1941" Further text reads "Dear parents and siblings, I am not returning home to you. When I died in enemy territory, no one reached out to me, but my last thought, my last glance rushed back to you. Jesus, good Savior, grant him eternal rest!"
The second card us a prayer (figurev1). It reads "O Lord and God! It was with a sorrowful heart that we received the sad news of the heroic death of our dear, unforgettable son and brother. He lies buried far away from home and disgraceful enemy soil covers his youthful body but you, O Lord, be close to him with your love! Forgive the hero his offenses, reward his martyrdom for the fatherland with eternal life and give us all the joy of reunion in heaven. Through Christ our Lord, Amen. Our Father, Hail Mary" This of course means that they were a Catholic family.
Ludwig's brother Andreas is also listed on the German Volksbund website as follows: Andreas Pichler, Private, born November 24, 1919, died in the, Baltutino field hospital 268 on August 2, 1941. Andreas Pichler rests at the war cemetery in Duchowschtschina. Final grave location: Block 21 Row 17 Grave 989." Baltutino is a small town in Kaluga Oblast, meaning that his unit was on the way to Smolensk, part of the frive to Moscow. The German achieved huge successes in sweeping Panzer encirclement actions. But eve with these suucesses, He Red Arny cotinued to resist. As a result these were the first major casualties that the Germans experienced since Hitler launched the War. And the German successes and speed of advanved began to slow as they got deeper into the Soviet Union.
We note references to "the fight against Bolshevism" and "disgraceful enemy soil covers his youthful body". This suggests that the family suported the war, including the invasion of the Siviet Union, despite losing two sons. Yhis seems ous as mrec han a perfunctory wording.
A German reader writes, "1942 I was 7 years old. Yes, this was in Germany in 1942, I remember
these times and situations. State terrorism and ethic murder (Jews and others), you cant forget it.
The family of the death soldier wanted to tell relatives and friends what happened to their son, both sons. Yes, the words had to be chosen carefully in the Nazi-dictatorship. After the war I grow up in peaceful times, hopefully, before the Cold War really started. My generation believed in the UN-organisation, the good will of
many good states in the world. I grew up in the American military sector and I am still thankful how the US Army and the US people helped to make (West-)Germany an acceptable state in the (good part of the) world."
German Volksbund.
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