[Ger-Poland-Volhynia] Re Gustav Friedrich Sturm

[Jerry Frank]

Sandie,

You asked for any snippets of info so here is a bit about the village.  

Powunden still exists on the NW side of the airport.  The modern name is Khrabrovo.  Compare a modern GOOGLE Maps with satellite view of the region to this map http://www.mapywig.org/m/WIG100_300DPI/P29_S31_29_CRANZ_300dpi.jpg and you will see that all the old roads around the west and north side of the airport and the village roads are still the same as the 1930s and that the village is still there, though somewhat expanded apparently to accommodate services for the airport.  Even the railway is still there between Powunden and the airport.

If you look closely at the GOOGLE Map in satellite view, you can see the ruins of a church a short distance SSW of the village, shown as Kirchengrund on the map.  (west side of the road and just north of the junction with a service road to the airport on the east side)


Jerry



----- Original Message -----
From: SANDIE WILLIAMS <sandie.williams2williams at btinternet.com>
Date: Monday, March 14, 2011 9:31 am
Subject: [Ger-Poland-Volhynia] Gustav Friedrich Sturm
To: ger-poland-volhynia at eclipse.sggee.org

> Can anybody help me please? My grandfather was a German POW in 
> England before staying here after the war. He would not speak 
> about his time in the camp, or about his life in Germany or 
> during the war. It is only since his death have we found out 
> more information about where he came from and his family, and we 
> are now trying to put together the pieces of the puzzle. None of 
> us speak German either, as he would not speak it at all. The 
> information we do have is as follows, and if anyone knows 
> anything about any of it, or members of the family, or about 
> where he came from, we would be incredibly grateful!! Here goes: 
> 
> Name; Gustav (Robert) Friedrich Sturm
> Born: 13 August 1915, Jankenwalde, Nr Rastenburg, East Prussia
> Died: 1 January 1994, Marlborough, Wiltshire. 
> Married: i) Katharina Truschell (b: 28 March 1918) married 
> 23.12.1939 (divorced?)
> Married: ii) Dorothy Grace Maclean married 26 October 1948
> Mother: Whilhelmine Brandt, born 16 July 1891, Married 15 Feb 
> 1915 
> Father: Gustav Robert Sturm. (D.o.b. unknown as yet). 
> 
> On 3rd Sept 1939 he joined the Stab II Infantry Regiment but was 
> not called up until 7 June 1943. At the time he signed up, his 
> hometown was listed as Powunden, nr Konigsberg. His parents were 
> farmers, and it is thought he was a farmer and that is why he 
> was not called up initially. After the war he ran a farm in 
> Berkshire too, so it is definately his vocation. 
> 
> We know something of his war career: On 10th July 1943 he joined 
> the frontline Grenadier Regiment 348, 5 days into the Battle of 
> Kursk. He was severely injured from an exploding artillery shell 
> in his leg, and he was in hospital for 3 months. he rejoined 
> active service on 1st May 1944 and was sent to the Franco-
> Spanish border. He then had to travel 700 miles to the beaches 
> at Normandy  to fight the allies. In August 1944 he was caught 
> in the 'Falaise Pocket' ... out of c.15,000 German soldiers, he 
> was one of only 500 to survive. We think he was taken prisoner 
> by the British army in the Netherlands, and brought over to 
> England before being interred in a POW camp. 
> 
> We know virtually nothing about his family. His mother, 
> Whilhelmine Brandt, had a brother Gustav who was born 27 July 
> 1894, died 3 Nov. 1977 and married Anna Maria Seraphin on 10th 
> Sept 1921. They had a daughter Frida (Gustav's cousin) B; 7 Feb 
> 1922, D: 24 Feb 2006, married Joachim Fuhrich (Furich) on 11 
> Sept. 1954. They had no children. 
> 
> Phew!! I hope you can help? Any snippets of information would be 
> a great help. I know that the major towns he lived close to are 
> now Kaliningrad (Konigsberg) and Ketrzyn (Rastenburg), and that 
> apparently Powunden is now the site of Khrabrovo Airport, and 
> are therefore in Polish and Russian hands respectively. if 
> anyone knows anything about where he was born and lived before 
> the war it would be great. 
> 
> Thank you in anticipation!!
> Sandie Williams
> 
> Sandie 
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