Colonel Edelfried Baginski

Hi .... I would like to introduce myself.. My name is Greg, 54 yrs, Australian.

In 1988-1990 a Komitte Nauchbau was formed in Germany to rebuild a First World War Tank (A7V). The armoured museum in Munster Germany has a complete collection of all German Tanks and was missing only the first model, the A7V.

There was only one A7V left in existence, Mephisto, in the Queensland Museum, Brisbane, Australia. You can read about it by clicking here. The Komitee wished to purchase this A7V from the Queensland Government, but this request was denied. Mephisto had been captured by a Queensland regiment during the war and as such was looked on as part of our own history.

The Komittee, failing to purchase A7V Mephisto decided to build an exact replica, and as such I was approached to see if I could help. I ended up building the Drivers controls by removing the originals from Mephisto and having them recast and machined. I sent all these parts to Germany, and along with Porsche, Krupp, MAN, and all the others associated the replica A7V Wotan was finished.

I was invited to the opening ceremony and attended. I had already met some members of the Komittee when they had travelled to Australia during the project of replicating Wotan.

I became friendly with Colonel E. Baginski. He was a Tank Commander, and after the war was a Tank Instructor on the Leopard I tanks. We had many conversations and I stayed at his house in Germany when I attended the opening ceremony.

My reason for telling this rather long intro is that Colonel Baginski fought at the battle of Stalingrad. He told me that he was eventually taken prisoner after being caught by an artillery shell and flung many tens of metres through the air. He was wounded and taken prisoner. He recalled that during the battle how he and his comrades had been envious of the few who were seriously wounded and air lifted out. He told me that they would stand and salute these more fortunate comrades as the final flights left the airport.

He was a prisoner of the Russians.

At one time when he was visiting Australia during the project 'Wotan' I took him to a rain forest north of Brisbane, Australia. As we were walking through the forest there were some very small, tiny, wild strawberrys growing in patches of sunlight on the forest floor. When he saw these he fell to the ground and told me that for a long time when he was a prisoner, these small strawberries had been his only food. they are not much bigger than a match head.

I have since lost touch with him and it may be that he is no longer alive. I would dearly love to know anything about his service history ... I should have taken more notice at the time I knew him. I believe he was from an area called Prussia.

cool bananas ... greg

PS: At the opening ceremony those who had taken part in the reconstruction received a medal commerating the event as well as 'Secret Classified' papers from the first World War that had never been released until that moment. They are mainly relating to tank research and construction. They were never handed over nor made public after Germanys defeat until this day. I could post some here if anyone is interested but they bear no relation to the battle of Stalingrad.

Oberst a. D. Edelfried Baginski ehem. Gruppenleiter "Rüstung Kampftruppen" im Heeresamt der Bundeswehr in Köln. It seems he wrote a book "Als Ortelsburg verloren ging (1945) ".
I do not have any info on Oberst Edelfried Baginski. So I don't think he was in the Stalingrad "pocket". But I can be wrong ofcourse.

Thanks for that ... I looked up the book and tried to find a summary in english. It appears its about a place in Prussia.

Perhaps I am wrong about him being in the Stalingrad pocket. Its possible he was in the relief column. I recall him telling me about the emotion and tribute shown to those who were being 'air lifted out'. His words "And all the rest were left to march into prison". Also the fact that he was starving for a long time. Also he was a prisoner.

At that time I knew very little about the russian side of the war. I know more now.

This is the best I can find in English about his book. Perhaps he was taken prisoner at this battle ?

Hardback, with 37 photos, 13 maps and 2 folding tables. Dieses Werk ist in erster Linie ein Heimatbuch, das die Erlebnisse und Schicksale Ortelsburger Landsleute in dem Schicksalsjahr 1945 in Ostpreußen schildert. This work is first and foremost a home book, the experiences and fates Ortelsburger countrymen in the fateful year 1945 in East Prussia portrays.

Darüber hinaus enthält es fast gleichgewichtig die militärische Ausgangslage und den Ablauf der Kämpfe beginnend mit dem sowjetischen Großangriff am 14. In addition, it's almost equally the military starting position and the flow of the battles starting with the Soviet wholesale attack on 14 Januar 1945 am Narew bis der Kreis Ortelsburg am 28. January 1945 at the Narew to the circle on 28 Ortelsburg Januar verloren war.

January was lost. Es schließt eine Lücke sowohl in der Ortelsburger Heimatliteratur als auch in der militärischen Forschung. It fills a gap both in the home Ortelsburger literature as well as in military research. Ein Buch der Erinnerungen und der Wahrheit und gegen das Vergessen. A book of memories and the truth and never to forget. Es ist nicht die Absicht dieses Buches anzuklagen. It is not the intention of this book adjudged. Die Tatsachen sprechen für sich. The facts speak for themselves. Möge es den Lebenden eine Mahnung sein, dass sich eine solche Katastrophe nicht wiederholen darf. May it be a reminder to the living, that such a disaster should not be repeated.

cool bananas ... boxcutta