New Beginning in the Wartheland
In September 1939 Ernst Klopp was drafted into the army and took part in the attack on Poland, which triggered the beginning of World War II. Within days Great Britain and France declared war on Nazi Germany. In the fall of 1940 Ernst Klopp was released from military service to take on new civilian assignments. In October 1940 he took charge as an administrator of the recently incorporated agricultural estate Oberhof northeast of Posen (Poznan). The Polish owner’s name was Stanislaus Brodnicki and his inspector was Nowak. The estate’s size was 279 ha. In 1939 the building of the manor had already been in ruins. Ernst managed the farming area of this property until May 1941.
Subsequently he was assigned to administer until November 1941 the manor and lands of the former Polish Magnate Moszczenski in the village of Srebrna Gora/Siberberg (German) with a total agricultural area of 510 ha. Both estates now belonged to the newly created county of Dietfurt/Znin (Polish).
In November 1941 the German Agricultural Society (renamed in 1942 ‘Reich’s Society for Agricultural Purposes) installed Ernst Klopp as an administrator of the farming and forestry domains, which belonged to the former Polish Estate Zlotniki/Gutfelde (German) in the county of Dietfurt. The estate belonged till 1939 to Zdenek Czarlinski and comprised 365 ha of arable land.
Peter’s commentary: To my greatest surprise I was able to find my father’s name and inspector Haladuda on a Polish website that deals with the history of Polish manors. Here is a brief excerpt from the article I found on the Internet and translated somewhat crudely by Google Translate:
The constant change of Polish and German ownership of Gutfelde is very noticeable in this short history of the manor.
The Peter and Gertrud Klopp Family 
How interesting to find written testimony of one’s family in historical connection. He really must have been a good administrator … I mean, if he was even released from the army for it.
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So Gutfelde was a good field for frequent back-and-forth ownership.
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West Prussia: Up to 1795 Polish, 1795 – 1920 German, 1920 – 1939 Polish, 1939 – 1945 German, 1945 till now Polish.
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It does look lovely. It sounds like father was fortunate that he did not have to serve very long in the army. Where did he serve for the year he was in the military?
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The little I know from my cousin’s book is that he was drafted into the army in 1939 and participated in the invasion of Poland and then shortly after was released to become anagricultural administrator.
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That sounds like a much better position to be in.
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Your research into your family history is so detailed and interesting! I can only imagine how valuable this will be for future generations. And even though I’m not part of your family, I find it to be so fascinating to read, especially now when it’s set against the background of World War II. How did your father manage to get out of the military before the war ended? You make their story come alive!!!
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When I was young I had no interest in family history and even if I had been interested I did not have the time. So my hope is that my present work will be of some use to our children and grandchildren when they get older. Thank you, Ann, for reading the Klopp family history!
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Quite a stately manor!
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