Info Needed on Karl Thom

Hi Everyone,

I cannot seem to find any definitive information on how Karl Thom died. He presumedly served in the Luftwaffe during WWII (possibly in Eastern Germany), but all that can be surmised is that he was taken prisoner by the Russians and died while in captivity.

http://www.theaerodrome.com/aces/germany/thom.html

Can anyone add to this info? I would appreciate any help that can be provided.

regards,

Darren

[Graeme]

Darren

From http://www.das-ritterkreuz.de/index_...le&session=955

Karl Thom (Luftwaffe, im Ersten Weltkrieg 27 Luftsiege), +03.03.1945 im Lazarett Pillau seinen Verwundungen erliegen.

If I'm reading that correctly, he died of wounds in hospital in Pillau, on or about 3 March 1945. Pillau is (was?) the home of the Russian Baltic Fleet, so perhaps he was wounded in action, taken prisoner but succumbed to his wounds.

Graeme

Hi Graeme,

Thank you very much for the quick response. I went to the website you posted, but couldn't find Thom's name using the search function (I'm probably doing something wrong ). Was he perhaps a recipient of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross?

regards,

Darren

[Graeme]

Darren

The information on Thom is at the end of the seventh message posted - I found it by clicking on Edit, Find (on this Page) and typing in Thom.

The post reads:

Dawid
( Beiträge: 23 / Antworten: 187 ) neudawse@seznam.cz 17.03.06 - 12:59

Man könnte noch etwas hinzufügen: auffalend viele überlebende PlM-Träger des Ersten Weltkrieges sind dann in dem Zweiten gefallen. Nur ein paar bekanntere Namen, stellvertretend für andere: Oberst Achim von Arnim, gefallen 24.05.1940 in Frankreich (Monchy-Lagache) // Generalleutnant Otto Gabcke, gefallen 22.03.1942 bei Charkow in der Ukraine // Generalmajor SA-Obergruppenführer Kurt Kühme, MdR, gefallen 25.12.1944 im Eifel (Ardennen-Offensive)// Generalleutnant Otto Lancelle, gefallen 03.07.1941 bei Smerdy -Ostfront, nachträglich 27.07.1941 Ritterkreuz // Generalmajor Karl Rothenburg, 03.06.1940 Ritterkreuz, gefallen 28.06.1941 an der Ostfront (bei Grodeck-Ostrochichy) // Generalmajor Siegfried Runge, 20.12.1941 Ritterkreuz, gefallen 24.03.1945 bei Königstädten // Generalmajor (Luftwaffe) Wolf von Stutterheim, Ritterkreuz 04.07.1940, schwer verwundet im Luftkampf über Frankreich 15.06.1940, den Verwundungen am 03.12.1940 im Lazarett Berlin erliegen // Generalmajor Horst von Wolff, gefallen 09.10.1941 bei Woronki (Ostfront), am nächsten Tage Ritterkreuz verliehen// Karl Thom (Luftwaffe, im Ersten Weltkrieg 27 Luftsiege), +03.03.1945 im Lazarett Pillau seinen Verwundungen erliegen // usw. usw.

I think it relates to officers receiving the Pour le Merite in WW1 and being killed in WW2; perhaps one of our German colleagues could provide a better translation.

Graeme

Thanks Graeme for the clarification. It is most helpful. Very interesting website, indeed!

regards,

Darren

[rammjaeger]

He was not captured. Pillau was a German town (East Prussia) and the Russians did not capture the town before 25. April 1945. Later it became part of the USSR, got another name (Baltijsk) and was home of the Baltic Fleet.

Oh, then he must have died in a German hospital.....

Thanks rammjaeger for the added info.


regards,

Darren