This is a pic of a wonderful lunch meeting I had with Dr and frau Hans Mehrle in Stuttgart. We enjoyed some very nice Baden Wuttemberg asparagus with roast beef and local wine. Dr. Mehrle, a lover of Spain, really enjoyed my gift of a Don Quijote figure



New German word Dr Merhle taught me when we were discussing my named daggers and the window they are into the past: "Yes - he replied- thats what we are, Zeitzeugen, witnesses to past times..." Interesting term to illustrate this hobby...

Dr Mehrle was the youngest Hauptmann in the German army (heer) at 22. Also at 22, on his birthday, he received the Knights Cross for heroic actions over 3 nights of night fighting in the Eastern Front.

He joined the Heer in 1941 three months before his 18th birthday. Attached to the 215st Infantry Division in France, and months later was accepted into officer’s training, at the Infanterie Schule Berlin. There he resided in the Berlin (1936 Olympics) Olympic Village… in the room previously held by the Japanese pole vault team

Interesting story he also told me about going to the Heereskleiderkasse Dresden to buy his officers uniform, dagger and rest of his personal equipment, all paid for with his own funds, as did everyone else. He was very happy to have a few hours to walk around the beautiful city of Dresden…3 years before its destruction by allied fire bombing. He then returned to his unit, the 380 Inf Reg, 215 Inf Div., stationed in France. Very interestingly, he mentioned that he was assigned to a new company, as he was now a very young Leutnant, and the much older men from his earlier company may have had trouble taking orders from him. This anecdote is very interesting to me, as it contradicts the stereotype of the ultra-disciplined German soldier, almost blindly obeying orders from his superiors etc. This is also confirmed, incidently, by the Personalakten (complete personal file) of Max Gunter Ruberg, the Heer Leutnant whose dagger I recently acquired. His Oberst wrote of him in his personal evaluation that Lt. Ruberg was a man of great tact, as he handled well the difficult situation of being a young officer having to lead much older men into battle….

The “French Vacation” was soon over for Mehrle’s division, however, and they soon started a 4 week train ride to the Eastern Front, to join Army Group North, near Leningrad. Dr Mehrle told me that they arrived in the middle of the coldest winter in the war (Dec 1941), when temperatures dropped to –45, and the Soviet Army had started its counteroffensive. Leutnant Mehrle’s division fought the advancing Soviet Army very close with the Spanish “Blue Division”. When the Spaniards withdrew, Mehrle took up residence in one of their bunkers. Since those days, Dr. Mehrle is very fond of Spain and the Spanish people…

Oberleutnant Mehrle and his men later fought and successfully defended the Kurland Pocket. In early 1945, his unit shipped back to Danzig, called upon to defend the fatherland from the advancing Soviet Army. There he was wounded and sent to hospital in Denmark, where he remained at the end of the war. Thanks to this wound, Dr. Mehrle fell prisoner to the British Army, instead of the Soviet forces like the rest of his unit.

After the war, Dr. Mehrle became the divisional historian and President of the veteran’s association, and together with Oakleaves winner Konrad Zeller, authored the divisional history and a very interesting photo book. He is to this day a practicing notary public.

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Nice story and nice pictures. Really brings to life these objects we collect.

Fantastic Gustavo. I could only imagine. Thanks

William

Very interesting read and these first hand accounts are unfortunately getting as rare as some of the daggers .
You certainly take this hobby to new levels Gustavo and it is always a pleasure to read your detailed posts and excellent research.
The food looks good as well .

Another really interesting post, Gustavo.
You can feel proud of your research. I´m rally envy of your lunch and your speak with Dr. Mehrle. Things like this makes me love this hobby.

Congrats friend. I really want hear your history this weekend

You got it Raul. I also still have for you a nice bottle of Chopin Vodka i brought you from "Festung Breslau"

Heres a nice little file on Hans Mehrle. I think these guys have the most complete database for RK holders
http://www.das-ritterkreuz.de/index_search_db.php4?modu...78&searchword=mehrle

My girlfriend and I have a date with the Mehrle's this weekend I cant wait.... he has volunteered to take us on a tour of the former Heer kasernen of Wehrkreis V around Stuttgart. Will post after our visit

Magda and I had a pleasant weekend in Stuttgart, first time in the city for her. After I explained the “background” to her, Magdalena agreed to spend about half our time there with Dr. and Frau Hans Mehrle (Knights Cross April ´44, youngest Hauptmann in the Heer etc), who had kindly offered to share their weekend with us and show us around a bit. Dr. Mehrle´s leg has not recuperated well after his fracture last year, and walking is not easy for him, so he had to sit down while we walked around the museums. He will be 85 in April. Ill share some of the things he told me on this new visit and some photos.

Amy dagger grip colors: To my question on this issue, Mehrle replied without any hesitation that Army dagger grips had to be ivory white. He added that after a few years the color could change through exposure to sun and elements, though the color on the side of the grip touching the uniform was preserved, he said. He wore his dagger on Sundays and special occasions, and has no idea what happened to it , as he did not take it with him when his unit invaded the Soviet Union.

Count von Stauffenberg, Frau Mehrle´s neighbor! We met the Mehrles for lunch on Saturday, and told them of our visit to the von Stauffenberg Memorial at the Old Castle, Alte Schloss that morning. He said: “Stauffenberg, yes. My wife knew the family very well. Actually, her family lived next door to them in Lautlingen!” If only this courageous German count had placed both bombs in his briefcase that 20th July 1944…. von Stauffenberg info here: http://members.tripod.com/~Nevermore/stauffenberg.html

Kurland. Dr. Mehrle told me a little more about his time in the Kurland Pocket in late 1944-March 1945. So many divisions were stuck there while Germany itself was under threat, that it was finally decided to bring some of these units back to protect the fatherland. At the port of Libau, he was tasked with organizing and managing the evacuation by ship of thousands of men and equipment, which was carried out successfully. “That was a very interesting command” he said. Finally he himself was evacuated, and landed days later in Gottenhaffen (today´s Gydynia, Poland). Days later in the fighting around Gottenhaffen, a Soviet T 34 fired on Merhle´s position and a fragment injured his leg. He was evacuated to Denmark where he remained in hospital until capitulation.

Generally speaking, Mehrle is accommodating of my interest, hobby etc, but he does not like to talk about the war, how he won his Knights Cross, the days at the end of the war etc. Next time I see him I will propose that we record his story in detail and with his own voice, lets see what he says.


Here, Mehrle and I outside the Baden Wuttemberg Landesmuseum, next to Alteschloss in Stuttgart. What a luxury to have Hans Mehrle as a guide!


Time does not pass in vain! Here on his 22nd Bday, with the best present imaginable to him at that time, his Knights Cross, April 1944

Magda and the Mehrles, Schillerplatz, Stuttgart


Outside the von Stauffenberg Memorial, at the Stuttgart Old Castle (Alte Schloss) the former family residende until 1919



The Claus Philipp Maria Schenk Graf von Stauffenberg Heer officer sword



Blade one side



Blade, waffen schule dedication



von Stauffenberg Wound Badge in Gold, for losing hand and eye in North Afrina 1943



Found this Boker Damast knivefor sale at a shop on Konigstrasse, just bellow various Henkels knives



Getting some energy back after long afternoon

Gustavo,

Thank you for a most interesting post.... we are fortunate to enjoy your travels and gain information (white dagger grips) from a person who experienced history...
Much appreciated...
Best regards,

Very informative thread, good for you !

Jonathan

Gustavo,

I do not know how I missed this thread before.

But today I certainly enjoyed reading it and seeing your magnificent pictures. A wonderful thing to share with all of us. Very interesting what Herr Mehrles had to say about the Heer dagger grip color.

Did you happen to see the maker of v.Stauffenbergs' sword? Or model?

Thank you,

Mike Wipf

Hi Mike, the Stauffenberg sword was made in the early to mid 1920´s, not sure what the maker is.

Hi Gustavo,
In reference to the grip color, did he happen to state how this order was passed down. Was it a verbal order, or in writting? Maybe he knows by whom and/or in what regulation. Many thanks.

hi Mikee, no he didnt. He did, however, make this affirmation in a matter of fact way, almost like someone who is forced to state the obvious and does so condescendingly. He was also very clear on the fact that the white grips changed color, within a few years, certainly within the few years they were part of the regulation officers uniform.

Mehrle is not an authority on officers daggers, Heer regulations on them etc. But he is someone qualified to gove an opinion as an original bearer of one, and one sorrounded by other bearers for years. Lastly, Hans Mehrle is nearly 85, but i have to say i know few people with a sharper mind, more knowledge of history, etc. His legal training as a notary public (still practices occasionally) is key to that sharp mind.

Awesome stories! Thx for sharing. The sword is amazing too. I didn't know that existed.

Thanks Gustavo and thanks for sharing this with us, so interesting.

I was wondering if you could, Gustavo, send me a little paragraph via email on this, as I would like to include it in my ever-expanding article on this subject of grip colors. As most may remember, I was the daring heretic who first proposed the "grips were all white and cream" theory, and subsequently proved it using period references, as well as scientific analysis. The one thing I had missing from my article was a first-hand account of what was indeed obvious. I would greatly appreciate a summary via email (who, what, where, when and how) and I will definitely credit you as the source.

Not a bad idea, Craig. If any other GDC members have contact with veteran officers they might consider asking them the question and adding their input as well. Time is, unfortunately, running out for this generation.

Craig, i will do when I get back. Im in Prague right now with work. Got to St Cyril church to see the mini "Heydrich Museum" there just after it closed at 16:00

In case folks are still interested.

Hans and Eleanor Mehrle are among the kindest, gentlest, most generous people I know.

We visited them again over the weekend and they both went out of their way to organize our time around the things we like to see and discuss, and invested their time in us making us feel extremely welcome, again. the