17th Bavarian Cavalry Regiment

[Ed Taylor]

I am trying to research a Rittmeister with the 17th Bavarian Cavalry Regiment, the Bamberger Reiter. Specifically with the 5th Squadron based in Bamberg between 1925-1935. Does anyone know where the regimental records of the regiment are housed and how one would access them. Thanks.

[Ed Taylor]

Also, does anyone know if a regimental history was published in German or English?

[Gerdan]

May be this will help you:

http://12er-aufklaerer.de/Tradition/rr17.htm


Gerdan

[Ed Taylor]

Thanks Gerden.

Now I just need to locate the regimental records. Which I assume are somewhere in Munich. In addition to the overall history of the regiment I am interested in information on several famous members including Claus von Staufenberg, Prinz zu Sayn-Wittgenstein, and especially Dr. Ernst Kupfer. The last two went on to become famous Luftwaffe pilots (night fighter and Stuka).

Ed

[Gerdan]

Ed,

I think this you know:


http://www.lexikon-der-wehrmacht.de/.../KupferDrE.htm

Gerdan

[Gerdan]

This also:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ernst_Kupfer

Gerdan

[Ed Taylor]

Yes Gerden:

I have most of those details. As you may recall I am writing a biography of Kupfer. To date I have written about 172 pages of text and have 140 photographs (about half are original in my collection). In addition to the published information on him in a number of contemporary magazines (Der Adler, Die Wehrmacht, and Signal) and in his file from the Bundes Archiv in Freiberg (mostly post mortem material regarding his veterans benefits for his parents), I have 55 personal letters that he wrote to Walter Ludwig (the tenor) and his wife that give an interesting personal perspective. I have also been able to obtain his high school records, his bruschenschaft information from Heidelberg, and as you know his Ph.D. dissertation from Erlangen. The areas where I need additional information include his time in the Freikorps in the early 1920s. He participated in putting down the communist uprising in Thuringia (possibly with the Viking Bund). His time in the 17th Bavarian Cavalry Regiment between 1928-1938 where he won the life savings medal (I would love to know details about this). Documents and details on his divorce on Feb 19, 1942 in Munich. Information on his son Ernstel who moved to Dresden with his ex-wife who had remarried and changed her name to Reisinger. They lived in an area of Dresden that was totally destroyed by the fire bombing in 1945. Were they casualties or did they survive the war and is his son still alive. His brother Hans was reported missing in Stalingrad and presumed dead, but I haven't been able to confirm this. I need to locate the sister of his friend Gunther Schmid who was killed in 1943. She lived in Stuttgart. She may have some photos of him and Gunther. Finally, I have corresponded with 4 surviving members of St.G.2. Only 2 have replied, but they have been able to give little information as they were generally not based at the same airfields as he was. 2 did not respond.

Do you know anyone in the Munich area, that is honest, and that I could contract with to search some of the archives and track down some information on the above outstanding issues. With a good dictionary I can read German, but do not write or speak it.

Thanks again for your interest and information.

Ed

[Gerdan]

Ed

you did and you are still doing an enormous job in doing research in all these German archives and libraries but as you know the problems start now with the data privacy protection which nowadays in Germany is a big problem for all who are doing research.
I will discuss your problem with some friends.

Gerdan