Did US Army Labor Service recruits former SS/Collaborators?

[chambers]

Thanks for the information, guys. I really enjoyed reading about the Labor Service.

Thanks!!

[John P. Moore]

Lorenz - Thanks for all the details from your last post. Very informative. Does anyone know if the LS organization is still in existence? My suspicion is that it was phased out as its membership retired and that the US Army replaced it with civilian contractors.

John

[Lorenz]

Lorenz - Thanks for all the details from your last post. Very informative. Does anyone know if the LS organization is still in existence? My suspicion is that it was phased out as its membership retired and that the US Army replaced it with civilian contractors.
John

That's my understanding, too, although I can't say exactly when. I did some Googling and saw some references up to about the mid-1980's, but not after that. I guess by 40 years after the war (1945-85) the members had pensioned out and retired.

--Lorenz

[Helmut]

Servus,
At our ammo sites in Germany, there were signs posted on the bunker doors which gave general safety guidelines. On some of the old bunkers there were some that were still printed in Polish right next to the one's in English.
Just another little story about our Labor Service ( aka CSG).
It seems that a long time ago,, when France was still in NATO, the US Army stored chemical weapons in France. These weapons were guarded by Polish Labor Service personnel. When Frace got out of NATO, the munitions were moved to the Rhineland Pfalz. The LS personnel were debriefed and told to forget all they knew about these chemical rounds. The whole site was classified and heavily guarded and the presence of this ammo was classified. Our battalion was responsible for the site, which was guarded and maintained by Americans. One day my boss was calculating the number of fuzes and proellant charges that were needed to support the contingency plans for these rounds and one of our elderly LS Poles walked into his office. He looked at the Major's desk and saw the numbers and said they were too low and told him how many were needed. This was from memory. When my boss recalculated his numbers, he found that our LS guy's numbers were almost exact. These guys were great.

The very existence of the site was classified but since the munitions were removed from Germany years ago and the rounds have long since been destroyed, I caqn now tell the story.

Just a little reminiscencing on old friends from a long time ago.

Regards,

Helmut

[John W. Howard]

Hello Folks:
Many thanks Lorenz and to the rest of you for this very interesting thread; my father will be interested to hear the details. Best wishes to all.

[Gerhard Penz]

Yes, indeed. I was as a german national 1953-56 driver in a German Labor service Co. In our 36th LS Center Esslingen, we had seven companies of each appr 200 men. One Co was made up of mostly Latvians and stationed in Ludwigsburg. The Latvians were mostly former members of the SS Foreign Volunteer units , fighting alongside with the German military the Bolshewics. They could not return home, which became part of Russia after the war. During the cold war these men , experienced soldiers and what more could the US military wish to employ them as civilian employees in uniform to guard their installations. The Latvian Co was our showpiece, when they marched for a parade with white Helmets and white leather gear. In our German units also were some former SS members, although they were screened before employed. Interestingly, our Colonel was a former german general.

[Lorenz]

A very interesting account, Gerhard Penz! Thank you! Your time, 1953-56, was just before I arrived in Germany (Mannheim-Feudenheim), so your personal story brings back memories!

--Lorenz

[estonian]

Some pictures of estonians in US labor service
http://www.hot.ee/hintzer/album_8.htm

[Helmut Von Moltke]

great pics, thanks for sharing.

K

[estonian]

I also read somewhere that the US used some former Estonische Legion to guard the German prisoners at the Nuremburg trial in 1946.

About this matter:
http://www.laidoner.ee/infoboks-1/7.php ... hikompanii

[estonian]

The former Estonian Untersturmführer Eduard Limion, who was an artillery officer in the 20th SS-Div. is another interesting example. I have a photo of him from the late 40s at a US Army Kaserne in Nürnberg with 3 other LS officers. He looks like a dapper junior US Army officer in his Ike jacket and overseas cap with officer braid with the only difference being a different type of metal officer grade insignia on his shoulder straps and no lapel insignia. I'd post the picture here if it was not such a technical impossibility in contrast to other forums where one can easily add images to reinforce the text.
John

Some fotoexamples about this man:

Estonian officers of the 4221 labor service (guard) company in Nürnberg. Limeon in the middle.


Same man in the railway station of hometown Tartu, leaving to the Narwa front do defend home country. He had no possibility do return to this town and family.

[Lorenz]

Great photos, Estonian, and many thanks for posting them.

It was always my understanding that volunteering for the Labor Service was a way for displaced eastern Europeans to enhance/improve their chances for eventual emigration to a preferred country (Canada, USA, Australia, etc.), and to speed up this process. Is that your understanding, too?

--Lorenz

[Limion]

This is a wonderful photo of my grandfather Eduard Limion. At one point he served as captain of company 4221 - recent Estonian documentary by Indrek Treufeldt on this company. English title translates as Men of the Forgotten Army. Of course I would like to know more of his wartime activities but difficult as he and my father have been dead almost 7 years.

A

[Peter93929]

Yes, indeed. I was as a german national 1953-56 driver in a German Labor service Co. In our 36th LS Center Esslingen, we had seven companies of each appr 200 men. One Co was made up of mostly Latvians and stationed in Ludwigsburg. The Latvians were mostly former members of the SS Foreign Volunteer units , fighting alongside with the German military the Bolshewics. Snip

Interestingly, our Colonel was a former german general.

I'm fascinated. How had a German General become an American Colonel?