Who is this Ardennes soldier?

[Harro]

So it is more a matter of perception, of interpretation, rather than what he had actually been through.

[tonetriv]

My pleasure, this is a direct link to the webshop of my publisher (by far the cheapest option since it goes for ridiculous prices on Ebay and Amazon

https://www.boekenbestellen.nl/boek/gus ... 58?lang=en

Harro, I have been scouring this thread for the title of your book. Finally there is a link . Thank you.

[Harro]

To deal once and for all with the story that his name is Hans Tragarsky.

Today I received Tragarsky's Personalakten from the former SS Personalhauptamt which are kept at the Bundesarchiv in Berlin. The file confirms that he was NOT the man in the Poteau photos.

1. wrong unit: Tragarsky served in III. Abteilung, SS-Panzer-Artillerie-Regiment 1 LSSAH. This was an artillery battalion which was assigned to Kampfgruppe Sandig. A unit that was never anywhere near Poteau.

2. wrong rank: Tragarsky was an SS-Rottenführer. The man in the Poteau photos has an (Ober)schütze collar tab.

.

Trag7.png

[LAstry]

I dont know if this is helpful but in late 1950's There was a Time-Life Book on World War II (reprints of Life WW II pictures) anyway there was a group of pictures of the SS Soldiers smoking US Cigerettes...the last one showed a dead SS Solider from this group in his hand was a US matchbook......

[AlifRafikKhan]

Great thread!