Photographic Collection
FAMILY PORTRAIT GALLERY
EXTERNAL DATA RESSOURCES
Source :
Foto CID Regional Studies Photodocument from 10.11.2006
House of Nicolai Schott Family and Car Repair Workshop of Mr. Hans Nicolai
Source : Rolf Zanger
The CID Family Museum`s "Family History Collection" refers in the wider description of the Carl Wilhelm Weil Family settlement at Weilrod Emmershausen to an downgoing aircraft that "nearly" hit the family-house at Emmershäuser Hütte. The event must have ocurred during the World War II - Years (1939-45) and was told by the "ear-and-eye-witnesses" Maria Klinge-Weil and her daughter Rosemarie Zanger-Klinge :
For the later identification of the crashed airplane personal witness and literature studies have been started by the CID Institute Family and Natural History Museum in 2021. Based on informations of the Weilrod Historical Association and it´s publications an incomplete listing of airplanes that crashed around Rod an der Weil has been found in "Weilroder Hefte #8" edited in 1997. The descriptions given based on the reports of Mr. Otto Ernst, the former Bürgermeister of Rod an der Weil, who published there personal witnesses.
More complete details and a list of all WW II plane crashes in the Taunus Area contains the book of the author Dr. Roland Krebs "The last battle in the Taunus Mountains" (Die letzte Schlacht im Taunus), edited in 2018.
This German Literature records 168 airplane crash events in the Taunus Area (Frankfurt - Friedberg - Giessen - Wetzlar - Weilburg - Limburg - Wiesbaden - Eschborn - Region) during the years 1940 until 1945. These crash events include all accidents of flight vehicles with following grounding of a plane during starting or landing at regional airports, plane collissions, plane-crashs following pilot errors during flight or technical defects as well as shooting down of airplane during military air combats between german and foreign air fleets or plane losses due to impact of anti aircraft ground weapons (Flak) implemented against attacking foreign aircraft (Bomb Squads).
All registered air crashes affected flight personal and airplanes of German "Luftwaffe", British "Royal Air Force (RAF)" and North American "United States Air Force (USAF)".
The area in mention related to the not exactly dated plane crash event, that "nearly hit the house of the Weil Family at Emmershäuser Hütte", "received" from this total stock the number of 16 down-coming airplanes, that grounded between Weilmünster, Grävenwiesbach, Rod an der Weil, Hasselbach, Riedelbach and "Southern of Merzhausen". Merzhausen in that decade harbored the german military "Schafweide"-Airport, that gathered a certain importance due to his strategic important position along the direct flight-axis that took attacking bomb-planes coming from northwest (Great Britain) with the target Rhein-Main-Area or Bavaria / Eastern Germany. The german "Hunter"-planes stationed in Merzhausen attacked those mostly at night flying foreign bomb plane squads on their way to Frankfurt, what led to a raised number of air combats over the Taunus Mountain Region and a elevated number of following downgoing planes.
Chronologically these 16 events are listed as follows :
1943.12.20/21.
Handley Page Halifax - 427 Squad RAF - shot down by a plane of the 1st German Night Hunter Squadron 6 at Weilmünster Train Station
1944.3.18/19
Messerschmitt 109 G - 7th German Hunter Squad 300 - hit by anti aircraft fire from British bomb planes at Neuweilnau
1944.3.24/25
Junkers Ju 88 A-4 - 7th German Battle Group 30 - Lack of fuel on return flight from german air raid against London - crashed "Near Merzhausen"
1944.5.7
Messerschmitt Me 109 - 6th German Hunter Squad 27 - Plane crash of a test flight during bad weather when touching ground erroneously at Riedelbach
1944.5.12
Boeing B 17 Flying Fortress - 95th Bomb Group 728 Bomb Squad USAF - crashed "inside Rod an der Weil". At that same day, a Friday, are recorded a total of 34 plane crashs of german and american planes in the Taunus Region.
Messerschmitt Me 109 - 4th German Hunter Squadron 3 - near Rod an der Weil after air combat with foreign planes
Messerschmitt Me 109 - 4th German Hunter Squadron 4 - over Rod an der Weil after air combat with foreign planes.
Boeing B 17 Flying Fortress - 95th Bomb Group 729 Bomb Squad USAF - crashed southern Grävenwiesbach near Laubach in consequence of a collission with another Flying Fortress bomb plane of the same USAF squadron
North American Aviation P 51 B Mustang Hunter Airplane - 357th Fighting Group USAF - crashed after air combat with German Messerschmitt Me 109 near Graevenwiesbach near Hundstadt
1944.9.5
Messerschmitt Me 109 - 10th German Hunter Squadron 76 - crashed after air combat against 4 USAF Mustang Hunter planes "in a forest area near Hasselbach"
1944.9.9
Focke Wulf - 4th German Hunter Squadron 2 - crashed after air combat against USAF Thunderbolt fighting planes "about 8 kilometers southern Merzhausen"
1944.12.31
Focke Wulf 190 A - 1st North German Airplane Transport Squadron - crashed with unknown reasons near Riedelbach
1945.2.2/3
Ju 88 G-6 Night Hunter - 6th German Night Hunter Squadron 4 - crashed after air combat with British RAF Lancaster PB 807 bomb plane near Riedelbach
Lancaster PB 807 - RAF Bomb Command - crashed after air combat with german Ju 88 G-6 Night Hunter from 6th German Night Hunter Squadron 4 near Riedelbach
1945.2.23
North American Aviation P 51 B Mustang Hunter Airplane - 359th Fighting Group 360 Fighter Squadron USAF - crashed probably by german anti-aircraft fire following a USAF plane attack on a Taunusbahn Train near Graevenwiesbach
North American Aviation P 51 B Mustang Hunter Airplane - 354th Fighting Group 355 Fighter Squadron USAF - crashed following an USAF airplane attack on a german military troop transport train near Weilmünster Audenschmiede
The analysis of the spatial distribution of the plane crash sites as described let consider a total number of 6 planes that came down near the Emmershäuser Hütte between March and September 1944. Between these 6 planes figure 4 german hunter planes (3 Messerschmitt Me 109 and 1 Focke Wulf (Fw 190 ?) ) that crashed "over and in Rod an der Weil" both 12th of May 1944, "near Hasselbach" at 5th September 1944 and "8 kms south Merzhausen" at 9th September 1944. But none of these "Hunter Planes" was designed technically as carrier of a greater number of bombs that could have been dropped short before flying over the Weil Family residence. So these 4 plane crashes, highlighted in yellow letters in the upside list of 16 planes, can be excluded as possible authors of the investigated aircraft desaster event.
So as potential authors of the 1944 plane bomb dropping near Emmershausen Football Place remain two of the registered 16 aircrafts that grounded around Emmershausen in 1944, highlighted in the upside linsting with green letters..
The first aircraft to consider is a german Luftwaffe bomber aircraft type "Junkers JU 88 A-4" that participated in an german vengeance-air-raid of the 7th Battle Squadron 30 against London hold during the night of 24th/25th March in 1944. The planes home destination should have been Bad Zwischenahn near Oldenburg in North Germany, but due to technical problems with it´s telecommunication equipment the crew must have lost orientation on their return-flight and came "erroneously" near towards Merzhausen airport area. Then, as interpreted by the cited books author, the plane crew must have got problems with it´s fuel reserve so that the crew decided to leave it´s plane short before it would have grounded. 3 of the 4 crew members left the plane with their parachutes at a rather low height but didn´t survive. Also the radio operator who remained in the plane guided by german subofficial Uffz. Fred Geier died during the crash "somewhat near Merzhausen" and only a not identified board observer survived that flight accident. The exact plane crash point of the JU 88 with construction number 801 361 is not recorded. As the here investigated aircrash site is situated 6.669 meters west-north-west the former Merzhausen Schafweide Airport, the Ju 88 potentially might have been the plane that grounded at Weilrod Hirtenberg, but the fact that the Ju 88 then still would have carried it´s bombs after having attacked London and throwed those short before grounding in Emmershausen would construct a certain logical problem.
The second aircraft to consider is an Boeing B 17 Flying Fortress bomber aircraft that belonged to a greater flight formation of identic military planes from United States Air Force (USAF) 95th Bomb Group 336 Bomb Squadron. The plane carried the serial number 42-39884, was guided by 2nd lieutenant E. M. Yablonowski (Edwin M. Yablonski / german literature source) and carried a crew of 10 persons. The bombing plane had started at Friday, 12th may 1944 in the "Mission 353" together with 885 other four-engined bombing planes and 735 accompanying hunter aircrafts in Great Britain to attack targets in Central Germany. "Mission 353" released the most intense air combat over the Taunus Mountains during World War II with consequence of the loss of a total of 34 german, british and north american military planes only that one day and only in that area. The Flying Fortress crashed that 12th of May together with 2 german Messerschmitt Me 109 hunter planes that had attacked the allied air force battle formation and became shot down during air combats "over or near Rod an der Weil".
Cited in "Weilroder Hefte #8" the former Rod an der Weil Bürgermeister Otto Ernst reported his observations about that allied air force attack, that started about 9:00 a.m., with a first german hunter aircraft (Me 109) crashed "upside the villages administrative district of GELENN". This first crash then was followed by the grounding of an allied bomber aircraft (probably the B 17 Flying Fortress). Part of it´s wings crashed inside the "Krausbuche Forest" and the german observer precised the planes crashing site with the geographical data "at the STEINWEG", having seen "a column of smoke rising up "from the DOWNSIDE VALLEY (The Weil Valley)". As his own observation point Mr. Otto Ernst mentions the site "MAINSTRUTH" from where he saw the forest burning at the site "EICHELBERG". Also he told, remains of the crashed planes crew have been found "at the swath down the BEERENBERG".
As a matter of fact, these last details from the plane crash site descriptions of the Rod an der Weil Buergermeister Mr. Otto Ernst construct a difference to the details given about the event from side of the Weil Families members living at Emmershäuser Hütte and having been witnesses of the aircraft desaster, that must have produced a traumatic shock inside the three woman living in that house.
To unveil, if the downgoing of a Bomber Aircraft seen "at Hirtenberg" by the Emmershäuser Hütte Weil Womans refers to the same plane crash event as the B 17 Flying Fortress crash at 12th May 1944 or if the plane that dropped the bombs near Emmershausen Football Gameyard and then was told to have crashed near the Valentin-Schieberle Horticulture Shop was a maybe second, different aircraft, that crashed maybe another day in that same area, more details should be uncovered.
About the US American B 17 military plane more details can be found inside the already cited history records of the "USAF 97th Bomb Group" in Internet, without confirmation that the there presented data would be backed up by official US Air Force sites. The there found data support somewhat the description of the Weilrod Mayor, who was eye witness of the plane crash and saw debris of one and the same plane generating smoke clouds and forest fires in different geographical sites and parachutes with the airplane crew coming down from the sky. The found ressources declare in the "Missing Air Crew Report MACR" of aircraft 42-39884 that "it left flight formation and exploded shortly after bailout signal was given".
If exploded during flight, the plane debris would have touched ground in multiple dispersed places, so possibly at Hirtenberg, Steinweg, Eichelberg and "Downside Valley".
But the aircraft crew wouldn´t have been able to leave its plane with parachutes. Also as loss site for the B 17 is given the data "South of Frankfurt at 12:30 p.m." what would be a rather unexact data in comparation to the estimated crash site that is situated about "50 kilometers northwest Frankfurt" in Taunus Mountains Weil Valley.
The B 17 was that day 12th May 1944 on her way to reach the town of Brux (now : MOST) in Czechoslovakia together with 42 more B 17 bombers and with the plan to destroy there german aircraft gasoline production factories. The plane of pilot M. Yablonowski was the only one of that Bomb Group Squad lost during that mission. The plane crew consisted in 10 men, 8 of them registered as KIA (Killed in Action) and two of them as later POW (War Prisoners), what means that in Weilrod must have survived Mr. Richard M. Harbeck and Genuvino V. Dimayo that military aircraft crash.
The pilot, Mr. E. M. Yablonowski (or Edwin M. Yablonski, following data given in R. Krebs "The Last Battle in the Taunus Mountains, Case # 64 / Page 278) was B 17 pilot in 4 more missions during May 1944, attacking sites in Berlin (twice), as well as in Lyon and Liege in France. For the B 17 42-39884 flown in her last mission by him are recorded 39 more attack flights to targets in France and Germany, between those figure two attacks on Frankfurt at 29th January and 4th February 1944 - following the Internet source from USAF 97th Bomb Group.
One reason, why from german side little details are published about the Rod an der Weil aircraft desasters, is the fact, that the german civil population, heavily harmed by attacking allied Air Forces, sometimes took revenge on plane crews of foreign military planes, when they survived their vessels end for example by parachuting from them.
Another open question to resolve is, if the USAF B 17 "exploded in sky" and crashed then between Emmershausen and Rod an der Weil, could she then have been the same plane that dropped the bombs at Emmershausen Football gameyard before she flew at low height over the Weil Families house at Emmershäuser Hütte ?
The CID Institutes Family Museum Investigation considers here also the fact, that permanent air combats, bomb explosions and sounds of repeatedly crashing planes in the neighbourhood might generate certain confusion inside a group of 3 woman, living inside a solitaire house in the forest, so that the explainations given 2 decades later to the following generations and that are the base of the map drawn by CID Graphics about the mentioned plane desaster, summarize singular facts of different origin.
So at last it exists also the theoretic possibility, that the german Junkers JU 88 plane, that is registered as crashed 18 days before that "Black Friday 12th of May 1944" somewhere "Near Merzhausen", was the author of the bomb dropping near the Weil Family House and missed their target only 444 meters and went on flying without crashing at Hirtenberg, what the B 17 three weeks later did, even if she got lost "South of Frankfurt". Neither "South of Frankfurt" nor "Weil Valley in Taunus Mountains" would coincidate with the direct flight route between the target town Brüx (Most CZ) and the home base airfield of the USAF 97th Bomb Group in Estern England, Horham.
Additional German Literature Ressources
The Report about a german Me 109 aircraft accident and a following Bomber Plane Crash at Rod an der Weil by Mr. Otto Ernst (Full Description Text Extract) from WEILRODER HEFTE # 8
Note :
The Reporter sets the calender data to "Early May 1943", the further available literature sets as calendar data of an Me 109 and B 17 Flying Fortress crash at Weilrod the 12th May 1944, i.e. one year later.
The Reporter mentions that the bomber plane exploded and desintegrated on the ground "on the second acre down Beerenberg" what doesn´t coincidate with his other observation, that before the crash 2 wing parts of the bomber had fallen inside a forest near "Krausbuche".
On the other hand, the site description, that the aircraft rested finally "at Steinweg downside Beerenberg" is nearly exactly coincident with the site description for the final plane crash place given by the female members of the Weil Family.
The Reporter mentions also 8 or 9 parachutes of the aircraft crew coming down from sky.
A second observator cited saw the bomber plane flying "over the church towards Eichelberg with only one of 4 engines running and then turning towards right side (Beerenberg), where it exploded". Depending on the position of this second observator (House Sonnenblick) this observation would confirm, that the plane overflow before Emmershausen and Emmershäuser Hütte.
A potential description of the exact reason for the B 17 Flying Fortress crash seen from german Airforce side can be found in Dr. Roland Krebs´s book "Letzte Schlacht im Taunus März/April 1945 / Der Luftkrieg über dem Taunus" ( ISBN 978-3-86619-138-9 / VDM Zweibrücken ) on page 276-278. The personal witness of the German Luftwaffe Sergeant, Mr. Horst Petzschler, Fighting Aircraft pilot at 2nd Hunter Squadron 3, declares for that day, Friday 12th May 1944,
The here before investigated aircraft crashpoint is situated exactly 35 kilometers northwest Frankfurt at Hirtenberg between Emmershausen and Rod an der Weil.
The publication of Dr. Krebs contains a photography of the grounded airplane on page 278.
Actualization : 15th February 2023 - 11:45
Author : Dipl. Biol. Peter Zanger / CID Institute Family Museum
Data Source : about "Russian War Prisoners"
Rod an der Weil im 2. Weltkrieg Teil 2 - The Battle of Rod p. 40
The report mentions an event as rumor at Tuesday 27th March 1945. "Guided previously by an reconnaisance aircraft, 6 Hunter-Bomber planes attacked with an Airstrike the Riedelbach cemetery area, shooting their bord cannons. 13 Russian War prisoners, which in that moment had been resting near the Riedelbach cemetery, got killed in that airstrike".
Comment :
The mentioned event refers to "Russian War Prisoners" but not the the Event at Emmershausen Am Bangert.
Data Source :
Witness told personally to the author by Rosemarie Zanger during 1960ies /7oies
Das Haus des "Herrn Fritz" lag vermutlich gegenüber dem späteren Wohnhaus des Schreiners Karl Veidt auf Höhe des Wohnhauses der Familie Paditz oder war dieses selbst.
Nach 1950 erhielt ein Sohn der Familie Veidt den Vornamen Fritz. In der englischen Sprache waren "die Fritz" ein Kriegs-Spitzname für die Deutschen (ähnlich wie umgekehrt "Die Tommies" / "Die Yankees"). Die englisch phonetische Bedeutung des Namens Fritz Veidt wäre zu verstehen als Fritz (The Germans) Fight !
Fritz Veidt wurde bei der Taufe des Sohnes von Rosemarie Zanger 1957 dessen Patenonkel.
Ca. 2008 erhielt der Autor die Nachricht, sein Patenonkel Fritz Veidt sei in dessen Wohnhaus in Emmershausen erhängt aufgefunden worden. Dies bestätigte auf Nachfrage sein Vater Karl Veidt ca. 2014.
Der Autor glaubt die Nachricht nicht. Hier wird vermutet, Fritz ist ausgewandert und will nicht, das man ihm nachstellt. Kein normaler Mensch bringt sich in Emmershausen selbst um, wenn er Verwandte im Ausland hat.
actually no exact data available
Reference about Wednesday, 28th March 1945
US Army Armored Car shot by SS Troups with bazookas at Weilstrasse Winden Crossroad Leistenbach
Rod an der Weil im 2. Weltkrieg Teil 2 - The Battle of Rod
Comment :
The cited source localizes the "Tank Event" at Winden / Leistenbach crossroad (Red Arrow).
The "Tank Event" mentioned in the CID Museum article as told by unconfirmed sources was situated several kilometers more near towards Emmershausen and localized there at the height of the former Waste Storage (Blue Arrow) at the entrance of Weilstrasse inside the forest towards Winden. The time data referring to the second event was "after armistice" = later than 8.5.1945.
Source :
The "Tank Story" was "carried" by the Zanger Klinge Weil family when living at Emmershäuser Hütte, probably because between the spouse of SA member Günther Klinge (+4.7.1942) and unnamed "SS-men" still existed an informational exchange, so that by knowledge about the event the Weil Family at Emmershausen remained informationally "integrated" in the attack on the armoured US Army vehicle.
In 1968/69 the Weil-Zanger family got constructed by Emmershausen construction companies new housings and a factory at Weilmuenster and moved to there. When some years later all Emmershausen factory personal had removed, the company owner Rolf & Heinz Zanger had to search new personal. One new contracted worker was a "Mister Rink".
The author here remembers an event from probably around 1975 where his father Rolf Zanger complained in front of his wife, that he "trapped" his employee Mr. Rink in the factory when he packed up inside the metal storage room several pieces of brass to take them away from the factory to his home. When interrogated the employee Mr. Rink about why he tried to steal metal from the factory, the latter justified himself that "He needed the metal because he wanted to construct a Toy-Tank".
This detail is understood here as following :
A greater informational circle of former Nazi SS-Personal descendences after the retrieve of Emmershausen employees from Zanger-factory followed them and remained observing the companies behaviour related to it´s knowledge about the "Tank-Event" and provoked by the action of that Mr. Rink to check if they are able to "squeeze out" something about the Tank Event (Technics of Regional Private Military Justice).
Source :
Foto CID Regional Studies
Photo-Document from 1st May 2005 - Photo-Excursion to Weilrod-Emmershausen
LOVER IN THE WOOD GRAVESTONE
near "Schwieder´s Weiher" between Emmershäuser Hütte and Rod an der Weil
Source :
Tellings of Old People from Emmershäuser Hütte 1957 - 1969
Additional Data :
The calender date on the stone indicates 17th of July. The year might be 1923 or 1723.
Hedwig Weil got lost following official data at 22.11.1933. At 18.8.1922 an ID card was edited on her name with a portrait that probably didn´t picture her but an alien identity.
A nearby lake during the 1960ies belonged to the Rod an der Weil medic family of Drs. Schwieder that used that lake as fishing pond. Dr. Schwieder senior was the house medic of the Weil family at Emmershäuser Hütte during 1960ies.
Source :
Foto CID Regional Studies
Photo-Document from 6th September 2005 - Photo-Excursion to Weilrod-Emmershausen
THE FRANZEN´S GRAVE
The Grave decoration changes from time to time it´s design. It is said, that "Loving Woman from the Village take care for the Grave and the Memory"
Source :
The Franze´s Grave Tale might be understood as the "Philosophical Brain and Head Story" of the Emmershausen Village during the 1960ies and 1970ies.
The Grave is localized about 50º22`25“ N 8º 21´50“ O
During his school time at Emmershausen Basic School the author received the following version of the tale by his teacher, Mr. Rudolph Wagner :
Source : CID Institute Natural History and Family Museum Documents
Between the geographical location of the Franzen´s Grave and a ground property of the Weil Family at Emmershausen exists a significant correlation.
At an here unknown date the ruderal area HUTUNG UNTER DEN BUCHEN became part of the Weil Families ground areas at Emmershausen.
During the 1960ies the so called "UMLEGUNG" - an administrative reorganization of spatial dispersed agricultural properties - should help peasants to have all their territory in one site to avoid fragmentation of ground and to make ground management more rational.
CID Institute Family Museum Photographic Collection FAMILY PORTRAIT GALLERY EXTERNAL DATA RESSOURCES Emmershausen 8th October 1956 - Veren...
