HJ-Bann 255

nyx · Jan 11, 2022

Hi there! I'm new here, so sorry if any of this sounds ill-informed.

I'm looking for information on the HJ-Bann 255, the Wolfenbuttel division, and it's incredibly hard to find any sources surrounding the youth group there. I was wondering if anyone had any reliable sources I could use for my report on the subject, preferably primary sources but whatever you can find, in German or in Englisch, or any general information that could be useful to my pursuit.

Thank you very much

Garry · Jan 12, 2022

Hi,

Bann 255 is Helmstedt so if you're researching Wolfenbüttel you'll really need to be looking at Bann 447. What information are you looking for specifically?

Edit: Bann 255 was Wolfenbüttel-Helmstedt for approximately 5 years and was then renamed to Bann 255 Helmstedt. Bann 447 Wolfenbüttel was created at this point.

nyx · Jan 12, 2022

Thanks for the clarification about the 447. I'm looking for information on the processes there (specific buildings, organizations) , any names and people involved in the HJ at Wolfenbuttel, or any important history surrounding HJ Bann 447.

nyx · Jan 12, 2022

Additionally, any sources about the 447 division that you know of would be of amazing help.

Garry · Jan 13, 2022

Sorry to make this more complicated than it probably is but I just wanted to definitely get the right area. Bann 255 was Wolfenbüttel-Helmstedt for approximately 4 years and was then renamed to Bann 255 Helmstedt on the creation of Bann 447 Wolfenbüttel in Nov 1938. So, you need information on Bann 447 Wolfenbüttel?

I have been looking into it but as you have already found out, not easy to find anything useful for that area. I already had the names of some of the leaders of this Bann and some other general information about the activities of the Bann in 1943-45 but I don't have things like the address for the Bann headquarters for example or indeed any information on any of the the lower units (Gefolgschaft, Fähnlein etc). A digitised newspaper archive for the area covered by this Bann is proving very elusive too but it might be possible to find one covering Braunschweig which may well include references to Banne 255 and 447. Sorry I couldn't help more but I'll keep looking.

nyx · Jan 13, 2022

Yes, I need information on the Bann 447. Thank you so much for the work already, and if you could please share the names that you know and possibly the sources that simply mention those names I would be incredibly grateful.

Garry · Jan 13, 2022

Sure. At the moment I have the sources for the leader names in a separate folder so if you give me a day or so I'll make a post here with the information. I also have a number of issues of "Kameraden-Briefe" and the "Mitteilungsdienst" from HJ-Gebiet Niedersachsen for the years 1942-45 which occasionally contain some information on Bann 447 which might be of use to you so I'll go through them all and will pull that info out in the form of attachments.

Garry · Jan 14, 2022

As I say, I don't have that much from this particular Bann here are some of the Bann, Jungbann, Untergau and JM-Untergau leaders found so far:

Year	Bann 447	Jungbann 447	Untergau 447	JM-Untergau 447
1938	Bannführer Walter Kortmann1	From 1.11. Gefolgschaftsführer Helmut Lorenzen1
1939		Oberjungstammführer Helmut Lorenzen
1940	Bann: Oberstammführer Bernhard Milzer until June
1941
1942	Stammführer Werner Sonnenberg. (from Kameraden-Brief Gebiet 8 Niedersachsen)
1943	Bann: Stammführer Werner Sonnenberg until March (then Wehrmacht) then Oberscharführer Kurt Schlüter then from 11.4. Gerhard Borchert		from 11.4. Bannmädelführerin Inge Busch. (from Kameraden-Brief Gebiet 8 Niedersachsen)
1944	Bann: Obergefolgschaftsführer Gerhard Borchert2
1945

1Amtliches Nachrichtenblatt RJF Sonderdruck 8/38 dated 9.11.1938
2Mitteilungsdienst der Gebietsführung Niedersachsen, issue 4 dated May 1944)

Here's a little information on the activities of Bann 447 from the publication shown on the attachments. Other Banne wrote a lot more but of course, 447 didn't

You don't have permission to view attachments.

What kind of things have you found so far?

nyx · Jan 14, 2022

Thank you so much, all that is incredible!

Originally, I found a archived list of Bannes when searching for information on the HJ in Wolfenbuttel, which led me to ask my original question. Otherwise, I've simply found some copies (online) of HJ songbooks for the HJ and BDM (ie. Wir Madel Singen printed and published in Wolfenbuttel), and in the HAB in Wolfenbuttel I found a book called "requiem für eine deutsche Vergangenheit" by Jurgen Herbst which mentions bits about the 447 as well.

Once again, thank you for everything!!!

Garry · Jan 15, 2022

Newspaper archives are coming online in greater numbers now so in time we should be able to find out more about the Wolfenbüttel area. If I find anything more I'll post it here

Transpspeer · Jan 16, 2022

Garry said:
As I say, I don't have that much from this particular Bann here are some of the Bann, Jungbann, Untergau and JM-Untergau leaders found so far:

Year
Bann 447
Jungbann 447
Untergau 447
JM-Untergau 447

1938 Bannführer Walter Kortmann1 From 1.11. Gefolgschaftsführer Helmut Lorenzen1
1939
Oberjungstammführer Helmut Lorenzen
1940

1941

1942
Stammführer Werner Sonnenberg. (from Kameraden-Brief Gebiet 8 Niedersachsen)
1943
from 11.4. Bannmädelführerin Inge Busch. (from Kameraden-Brief Gebiet 8 Niedersachsen)
1944
Bann: Obergefolgschaftsführer Gerhard Borchert2

Garry,

I would like to add some information:

Bann: Until 09.11.1938 HJ-Oberbannführer Wilhelm Hobusch-Voß
Untergau: 1933 BDM-Mädelringführerin Waltraud Eßmann
JM-Untergau: 1933 JM-Untergauführerin Adeline "Addi" Schill

Regards,
Igor

Garry · Jan 16, 2022

Many thanks Igor. Could you provide the sources for the information please (publication, date, screenshot if possible)?

Bann 447 was raised in Nov 1938 so I assume that you are talking about Bann 255 here?

Transpspeer · Jan 16, 2022

Garry said:
Many thanks Igor. Could you provide the sources for the information please (publication, date, screenshot if possible)?
I assume that you are talking about Bann 255 here?

Ah, the same story... From newspapers.

Exactly so.

Regards,
Igor

Garry · Jan 16, 2022

Seems odd though because the Bannführer of 447 in 1938 definitely was Bannführer Walter Kortmann (this is shown in the RJF source mentioned in my previous post). There can't have been anyone else in post before him because the Bann didn't exist before that. The same goes for the female leaders. Are the newspapers viewable online at all?

Jack · Jan 16, 2022

Something can't be right here. According to Buddrus, Voß, alias Hobusch-Voss, was only promoted to Oberstammführer in Helmstedt (=255) in November 1938 and two years later to Bannführer in the Gebietsführung. So he couldn't have been Oberbannführer at that time.

Voß, WILHELM (gelegentlich Hobusch-Voss)
geb. am 9.1.1914 in Gelsenkirchen; Drogist, ledig;
NSDAP seit 1.5.1933, Mitgl.-Nr. 3.570.367; 11/1938 in
Helmstedt/Niedersachsen zum Ostf. befördert; 11/1940 in
der HJ-Gebietsführung Niedersachsen zum Bf. befördert,
1941 Mob-Beauftragter des HJ-Gebietes Niedersachsen;
als Bf. ab 6/1941 Stabsleiter und stellvertretender Chef der
Befehlsstelle Niederlande der RJF in Den Haag; 6/1942
mit der Führung der Befehlsstelle Niederlande beauftragt
für die Dauer des Wehrdienstes von Dr. Hermann Lindenburger;
nach dessen Tod letzter Beauftragter der RJF in
den Niederlanden; 1/1943 zum Obf. befördert. (p. 1224)

Kortmann, on the other hand, was promoted to Bannführer of Bann Wolfenbüttel in November 1938:

KORTMANN, WALTER
geb. am 8.11.1913 in Seesen; Banklehrling, ledig; NSDAP
seit 1.2.1932, Mitgl.-Nr. 937.146; als Stf. in Seesen ab
1933 Führer des Jungbannes Gandersheim im HJ-Gebiet
Niedersachsen; als Bf. in Hannover, Northeim; als Bf.
11/1938 zum Führer des Bannes Wolfenbüttel ernannt; in
der HJ-Gebietsfiihrung Niedersachsen 11/1941 zum Obf.
befördert;[...] (p. 1170)

Buddrus thus confirms Garry's source.

Garry · Jan 16, 2022

Thanks Jack. Hobusch-Voss can't have been the Bannführer of 255 Helmstedt either because I already have the incumbent's name (he was Bannführer there between 1936 and 1938 before moving to Bann 190). Would love to see the newspapers though Igor or a link to where you saw them?

Transpspeer · Jan 16, 2022

Guys,that's the tradition - to show the last rank person achieved.
Anyway, here's another one for Bann 255: 1933 HJ-Unterbannführer Helmut(h) Selle.

Regards,
Igor

Garry · Jan 17, 2022

Transpspeer said:
Guys,that's the tradition - to show the last rank person achieved.

Well, it's actually more about showing who was in the appointment of Bannführer, Untergauführerin etc and the dates when he/she was in post. In the case of Wilhelm Hobusch-Voß for example, I already know the name of the Bannführer because it is shown in a list produced by the RJF. Bann 447 did not exist prior to Nov 1938 and when it was raised, its first Bannführer was definitely Kortmann.

I can't add names to my lists without a verifiable source and although I'm grateful for your input I would really need to see the newspapers myself or at least a dated excerpt in order to include any suggestions like the other names that you mentioned (which must be for Bann 255). Do you know the name of the newspaper(s) where you saw these names or can you link me to them?

Garry · Jan 18, 2022

Transpspeer said:
Bann: Unterbannführer Helmut Selle.
Untergau: 1933 BDM-Mädelringführerin Waltraud Eßmann
JM-Untergau: 1933 JM-Untergauführerin Adeline "Addi" Schill

Hi Igor,

I see these names for Bann, Untergau and JM-Untergau 255 respectively in a source (RJF) from Jan 1934 so that supports what you saw in your 1933 source. Having said that, I do have numerous examples of personnel who were in post in 1933 but who then are replaced by 1934 so you'll have to forgive me for being over-cautious

If you do come across your reference I would be grateful if you could let me know so that I can add those three names into the column for 1933 as 100% confirmed.

Just to complete 1934 for Bann 255 here are the DJ leaders:

Jungbann 1/255: Stammführer Lothar Schieverhöfer.
Jungbann 2/255: Stammführer Heinz Kiechne.

HJ-Bann 255

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