OPERATION MARKET GARDEN! WWII German Missing soldier Document Group Netherlands Sept 17 1944 Letter & Allied Discharge Document

Exceptional 3-piece original WWII and immediate postwar German document group belonging to Heinrich Ueckermann of Köln, including an especially significant November 15, 1944 military letter concerning his disappearance during combat against Allied airborne troops near Groesbeek, Netherlands, on September 17, 1944.

This date and location are historically important: September 17, 1944 was the opening day of Operation Market Garden, when Allied airborne forces landed throughout the Netherlands. The German letter specifically states that Ueckermann’s unit was engaged in fighting enemy airborne troops in the Groesbeek area.

The group includes:

1. November 15, 1944 Missing Soldier / Airborne Combat Letter

Typed military letter addressed to Josef Ueckermann, Köln-Buchforst, from a Dienststelle using Feldpost Nr. 28283 L.

The letter states that Josef’s son belonged to:

1. Ausbildungskompanie des Landesschützen-Ausbildungs-Bataillons 1/6

and that his company was deployed:

“bei der Bekämpfung feindlicher Luftlandetruppen im Raume von Groesbeek am 17.9.44”

Translation:

“…in fighting enemy airborne troops in the Groesbeek area on September 17, 1944.”

It explains that although several members of the unit returned during the following days, no definite information could be obtained concerning the whereabouts of the remaining comrades.

The letter further states that the company had been unable to notify the families because all of its records had been lost through enemy action, including the addresses of relatives.

Josef Ueckermann is asked to inform the military office if he receives any subsequent news from his son, particularly information concerning his whereabouts.

The document concludes with the period military closing “Heil Hitler!”, is issued in the absence of the company commander, and bears an original handwritten signature of a Hauptfeldwebel.

This is a remarkable firsthand German administrative document directly connected to the fighting around Groesbeek during Operation Market Garden.

2. Allied Control Form D.2 – Certificate of Discharge

Original bilingual Certificate of Discharge / Entlassungsschein for:

Heinrich Ueckermann
Born: 23 March 1913
Birthplace: Köln-Kalk
Occupation: Hammerführer
Residence: Düsseldorf area

The form contains numerous Allied and German administrative stamps, signatures, medical information and Heinrich Ueckermann’s original right thumbprint.

The reverse carries additional occupation-era documentation, including German Documentation & Discharge Centre markings and Düsseldorf registration stamps dated April 1946.

The survival of this document establishes that Heinrich survived the war and returned to civilian life despite the family’s uncertainty following the September 1944 fighting.

3. Gutehoffnungshütte Employment Certificate – 1946

Original employment certificate for Heinrich Ueckermann, dated 10 April 1946, from Gutehoffnungshütte Oberhausen Aktiengesellschaft, Abteilung Düsseldorf.

It records his postwar employment as a Hammerführer and provides an excellent final piece to the story documented by this grouping: wartime disappearance during the fighting in the Netherlands, Allied discharge documentation, and his subsequent return to civilian employment.

Historical Significance

What makes this group particularly desirable is the ability to follow one named German serviceman across the final phase of WWII and into the occupation period.

The centerpiece is the November 1944 letter documenting Ueckermann’s disappearance during fighting against Allied airborne troops at Groesbeek on September 17, 1944, directly placing his unit in the opening-day fighting of Operation Market Garden. The later documents demonstrate that he ultimately survived and returned to Germany.

All 3 documents belong together and should remain together as a historical grouping.

Condition: Heavily used original condition with substantial period folding, edge wear, small tears, staining, creasing and general age wear. The Allied discharge form has particularly heavy wear but remains highly displayable and contains numerous original stamps and the thumbprint. Please examine all photographs carefully.

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OB2 Series