DR.CARL(KARL)BLUMENREUTER
(16 November 1881- 11 July 1969)
 

Carl Blumenreuter was born in Berlin at 16 November 1881.

At young age he attended Sophien Realgymnasium in Berlin and studied pharmaceutical chemistry at the Universities of Marburg an der Lahn and Rostock.

He began his military career with one year volunteer in the 2^nd Garde Dragoner Regiment “Kaiserin Alexandra von Russland” this was at 1ste October 1904 till 30 September 1905.

At the age of 27 he passed state examinations at Rostock, it was July 1908.

Carl Blumenreuter moved to Eisleben in November 1909 were he was promoted  as DR.. Chem. Pharm in 1911 and were he was certified as licensed foodstuff chemist in 1912.

In the same year, he became the owner of a Chemical/Pharmaceutical factory in Eisleben.

Two years later, he was assigned to Garde-Train-Abteilung as Leutnant d.R.

Mobilized and assigned to kommandeur of Etappen-Sanitäts-Department of 4 Armee in the same year 1914 (3 August). WWI brought for Blumenreuter several engagements. From 6 to 12 September 1914, “Battle of the Marne” and from the 1 December 1914 to 24 April 1917, defensive fighting on the Yser. Between this, on the 2^nd January 1915 he became Kommandeur of Sanitäts-Depot 4/4 Armee.

In the same year on the 16 October he became a promotion to Oberleutnant.

On the 12 February 1916, he was attended special instructional course at Kaiser-Wilhelm-Institut in Leverkusen and was then assigned as Sachverständiger für Gaskampf und Gasschutz (expert for gas combat and defense) assigned to Armeeoberkommando 4.

A few months later Blumenreuter was Kommandeur of the Etappen-Sanitäts-Depot 4 (6April 1916).

Its not stops because a few months later he was the Stabsoffizier of Gasdienst (Gas services) and that from 6 October 1916 to 9 January 1917. Hilfsgasschutz-Offizier, Armeeoberkommando 4 and Adjudant to the staff Officer for Gas Services on 17 January 1917. From 27 May till 3 December 1917, Blumenreuter was part of the combat in Flandern and from 25 October till 1 November 1918 Fighting on the Lys. Carl Blumenreuter was decorated against the WWI with the “Eisernes Kreuz 1914 II Klasse 22 March 1915 and Eisernes Kreuz I Klasse  17 August 1917.

Discharged by Bezirkskommando Halle a.d. Saale on 20 December 1918.

After the War Blumenreuter became Rittmeister d.R. a.D. (10 January 1922) and moved his Chemical/Pharmaceutical Operation from Eisleben to Berlin (1923).

He was the Department head with the Gustav Lohse Perfume Factory from 1923 till 1927 and Independent businessman in the chemical/pharmaceutical field from 1927 till 1931. From 1931 till 1935 he was chemist with pharmacy of Dr Fischer in Berlin-Wilmersdorf.

One of the first meetings with the upcoming party of Adolf Hitler was with the SA, his SA service was from November 1933 till 1 June 1936. Blumenreuter joined the SS as a SS-Hauptsturmführer and was assigned as Hauptamtlicher Apotheker (chief Pharmacist) in the Sanitäts-Abteilung/ SS-Totenkopfverbände, Oranienburg and that from the 1ste June 1936 till 1ste September 1940. Between this dates, Blumenreuter get promotions as SS- Sturmbahnnführer (12 September 1937), SS-Obersturmbannführer (9 November 1937) and SS-Standartenführer (1ste September 1940). Blumenreuter joined the NSDAP Party on the 1ste May 1937 and he was member of the Lebensborn Society (1ste December 1937).

He was assigned to the Sanitäts-Inspektion of the Waffen SS on the 1ste September 1940.

Several promotions follow with on 21 June 1941 his promotion to SS- Oberführer and SS-Brigadeführer und Generalmajor der Waffen-SS on 9 November 1942.

On the 31 August 1943 he became Sanitäts-Zeugmeister and was attached to the Reichsartz-SS und Polizei and that till the end of the war (8 May 1945).

Between 1943 and the end of the war Carl Blumenreuter get his last promotion as SS-Gruppenführer und Generalleutnant der Waffen-SS on 9 November 1944.

Decorations and awards;

1914 Eisernes Kreuz I. Klasse 17 August 1917

1914 Eisernes Kreuz II. Klasse 22 March 1915

Kriegsverdienstkreuz I. Klasse ohne Schwerter

Kriegsverdienstkreuz II. Klasse ohne Schwerter

Medaille zur erinnerung an den 1. Oktober 1938

Medaille zur erinnerung an den 13. März 1938

Luftschutz-Ehrenzeichen II. Klasse

Ehrenkreuz für frontkämpher

Hamburger-Hanseatenkreuz 30 January 1917

Riterkreuz II. Klasse des Friedrichs-Ordens mit Schweretern 20 April 1917

SA-Sportabzeichen in Bronze

Ehrendegen des RF SS

Totenkopfring der SS

Julleuchter

Dr Carl Blumenreuter was born on the 16 November 1881 in Berlin and died on 11 July 1969 in Grömitz.

His NSDAP Nr was; 5 916 887 and joined the NSDAP on the 1 May 1937.

His SS-Nr was 276 523 and joined the SS on the 1 June 1936.

Dr. Carl Blumenreuter was a Protestant, he was married to Charlotte Lüdecke (born 30 April 1897 in Berlin) on 20 June 1929. There are no children indicated in the SS file.

The entire grouping of “Carl Blumenreuter” was vet purchased by Thomas M Johnson in the State of Georgia and comes with a letter from the vet.

The above information was given by Michael Miller from Axis Biographical Research, but more detail can follow in the next months. A professional and in depth research is busy by professional librarian and researcher Robert Mc Divitt.

Update:

It's about a year now that the profile of "Carl (Karl) Blumenreuter" has been added to or site and since that time I have done a lot of research and received a lot of research material from archives in Germany and the States.
Most of the research material came from "Robert Mc Divitt" and I recommend Robert to everybody who has something in his collection to be researched!
Robert can be reached at this addresse:
http://www.militariaresearch.com/

I have received also a lot of emails from collectors all over the world, some have some questions, some congratulate me with this great grouping!
I want to answer all of these questions and therefore this small but powerful update!

First questions were about "Carl (Karl) Blumenreuter" his name.
I you research this, you are going to find that his first name begins with "C" sometimes with "K"!
I have contacted the best researchers about SS material in the world and they let me know that the name "Carl" and "Karl" are used by the Germans on many documents for the same man, so it's a typical human error for that time! As it was spelled both ways so it was up to the person doing the listing or typing of a document to decide which to use!
Because I am a person who doesn't give it up quickly and also that I always try to find more information even if it comes from a professional resource!
So, ones again "TIME" has brought wisdom!
In my quest to find more about this name and with the help of a very good friend I have find several errors with names in that timeperiod, one of them and a good example is this one.
One of the most important SS-Generals who also was in charge of the Allach factory and designed many of the daggers was named "Karl Diebitch".
He made some very nice SS jewelry and would initial it with "C.D." But when he signed a document, he would sign it "Karl Diebitch" and some were also signed "Carl Diebitch"!
This is a know fact so it is proper to see both versions to the same man!
This can also be seen if you look to some of the original Dr "Carl (Karl) Blumenreuter" files on our site.

A even worse human error of that time is that the Dienstalterliste of 1935-38 note the birth date of Fritz Wächtler 17-1-1891, while his sword bears the date 7-1-1941!
Think about that you have the sword in your collection!
You can read more about this and other strange human errors, but 100% original pieces in Thomas T Wittmanns "Exploring The Dress Daggers and Swords of the German SS".

The next question is about the police bayonet.
First of all I want to note that this bayonet appears to have been manufactured in its current configuration, as there is no "cut down" evidence on the grip plates or blade!
Some questions came about the inscription on the bayonet one of them I note here.

In April 1942, Blumenreuter was stationed in the SS Sanitätsamt. In the November 1942 Dienstalterliste, his function was corrected to reflect his position under Grawitz in the Office of the Reichsartzt-SS und Polizei. But it was not until the November 1944 listing, that there was any mention of "San.Zeugmeister."

The person that has noted this, has spoken too fast and you see also that even if you know a lot, you learn every day!
On one of the documents ( I HAVE SEVERAL THAT NOTE THE SAME) I have in my collection of "CB" there is noted that it IS marked BEFORE 1944 that "CB" is a "San Zeugmeister"!
One of the several documents I have, show this on or site!
The bayonet is a gift and can be given by a NCO or friend for services provided to him. It could be the NCO's personal bayonet who was engraved by a local jeweler and the jeweler gone engrave the blade with what he was told to be done! (Wrong spelling, shortening given by the NCO, friend....who has given the mission to the jeweler?) Example VOL IV TTW Page 504- 505.
This bayonet is of course the piece that some people can talk for ever about it!
I know where the piece came from and the more than 80 pages about research material that I have received till today proofe that there is no problem!

Last question till now is the initial inscriptions on decorations and pieces.
I have received only one mail about this, but I also want to answer this single question about the initial inscription.
The research about the initial inscriptions is as follows.
Ones again I got the information by a very professional research authority:
SS Officers who had their items jeweler engraved often prefered doing it through one jeweler because it made everything uniform and the same even if the dagger sword or badge was issued in different years. It makes good sense since the SS wanted everything uniform and the same that they would do this!
It is even more visible on your pieces, when you look to the WWI IC First Class and you compare it to all the other pieces! Its clearly visible that it is the same engraving, but however a little different 100 % normal, because this is the only WWI pieces against all the others are WWII!

Of course my research is not ended and I try to find more information about "Carl (Karl) Blumenreuter" and not only information, his SS HR is I hope somewhere out there and maybe also some more decorations!
If somebody has more information of any kind about "CB", please contact me.
Thanks!

Kurt Van Laere
 

A more detailed file on Carl Blumenreuter can be found here.

The photo’s of the weapons and decorations are all in my collection (Kurt Van Laere) and were once of Dr. Carl Blumenreuter.

Two of the items, (1936 SS Officers dagger and SS Officer Sword, can be seen in the new book of Thomas T Wittmann, “Exploring The Dress Daggers and Swords of the German SS” Vol IV).

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