Kein Held
2023
2023 - ongoing
„Kein Held“ is a personal photographic essay exploring the history of my grandfather Heinz Nieland who fought in the German Wehrmacht and became a prisoner of war in France during the Second World War. Whilst imprisoned Heinz collected and wrote down over 800 poems and created three books with them. By collaborating with the poetry and old letters I aim to create a dialogue between the past and the present. With the approach of viewing my personal German history in a perceptive way, I aim to close the emotional gap that I feel my generation has towards the Second World War.
Heinz died in 1971. “He was just like you”, my grandmother told me last year when she gifted me his ring. „He always loved taking pictures and would be proud seeing you become a photographer“, she added when she gave me the three poetry books and untouched boxes full of Heinz Nielands be- longings. I didn‘t know much about him. When looking at the first documents I realized that when he was a prisoner he was the same age as I am today. Fascinated by this I began to put together all those puzzle pieces that I was handed.
Therefore I traveled through France for two weeks following his footsteps from the place of arrest to all the former prison camps where my grandfather was held captive between 1944 and 1947.
By reading the poems and following his traces I tried to find a connection to him. Even though he was my age, I couldn’t relate to being a soldier and even less to fighting for a fascist regime. This is why it made me proud when I discovered documents stating that my great-grandfather was an anti
fascist. It also added a complexity to the narrative I tried to include.
Heinz Nieland laying in his bed at the military hospital in Königgrätz. The 5th of February 1941 Heinz was drafted by the military. In August 1941 he was deployed in east direction. In his very first battle, near Moskau, Heinz was injured on his right arm by a shell splinter. He was brought to the military hospital. Shortly after his treatment he became sick and was brought to another military hospital in Königgrätz. He was declared no longer fit for frontline use. Therefore, he was sent to France as a company secretary.
The starting page of one of Heinz Poetry Books. Translated from german to english it reads: „the joy of life - wanting and working - sayings and poems gathered in the prisoner of war camp THOREE/Sarthe - June 1947“, The picture placed on the left is an archive image from the collection of the french historican Daniel Potron. It shows the south side of the former prison camp of Thoree.
A documentary about the Liberation of France during World War II is shown on the TV of Patricia, a local journalist from Cherbourg who has invited me for lunch. Cherbourg, France, 23 April 2023.
Artefacts from World War II at the Museum Memorial de Caen, 29 december 2023.
Two models of aircraft hanging from the ceiling of private collector Patrick. A Horsa Glider and a Lancester Bomber - The aircrafts used by the british during the Liberatino of France. Longues-sur-Mer, 30 December 2024.
Overgrown ditch in the outskirts of Merelbeke - the town where my grandfather was arrested by the belgian police on 09 September 1944. From them he was handed over to the british authorities and brought to France, to a prison camp in Audrieu. Merelbeke, Belgium 26 December 2023.
Street-scene in Thorée-les-Pins. Just outside the city the prison camp was located. The village has about 700 inhabitants today.
Thorée-les-Pins, France, 04 January 2024
Thorée-les-Pins, France, 04 January 2024
My grandmother Margot poses for a portrait by the door to her terrace. She is the mother of my father Heiko and was the one to show me the poetry books. Back when my grandfather was alive and she was married to him he used to ocassionaly pull one of the poetry books out of the shelf and read a random poem to her. Bad Kissingen, Germany, April 2023.
Double-page spread of one of the poetry books. On some pages Heinz put in cut-out pieces of calenders or the newspapers that had poems or sayings on the back. Even after the war he continued to collect these notes inside the books
Peter looks over his fence towards the military training ground next to his property. He moved from England to Thorée just a few weeks ago. He sees soldiers marching next to his property every morning and hears gunshots every day. This training ground used to be the prison camp of Thoree. Heinz Nieland was there as a prisoner between 15 May 1946 until his release on the 08 November 1947. The foreground was flashed red. Thorée-les-Pins, 27 April 2023.
Abandoned bus stop in a forest in Merelbeke, the town where Heinz was arrested. 26 December 2023.
An old scarecrow by the lake on the property of Peter Pattinson. He lives right next to the military training ground which during World War II used to be the prison camp. He inherited the scarecrow from the previous owner. Thorée-les-Pins, 27 April 2023.
Not far from the former prison camp the town of Fleury is renovation old walls to build a new park. Fleury-sur-Orne, France, 29 December 2023.
Picutre from the archive of french historican Daniel Potron. It shows the chapel of the Block III inside the Thorée prison camp in 1948.
Double-page spread of one of the poetry books that Heinz Nieland wrote inside the prison camp. The picture shows the inside of the hospital ward of the prisoner of war camp in Thorée.
Piles of wooden garbage on a landfill which is located right in front of the military training ground of Thorée, where the prison camp used to be. Thorée-les-Pins, 05 January 2024.
View of the military training ground fence with the original houses of the former prison camp in the back. Today they are being used as storage space. Thorée-les-Pins, 27 April 2023.
A portrait of Adolf Hitler that was ripped up and shot at, exhibited in the Memorial Museum of Caen, 29 December 2023. 
Landfill next to the military training ground where the prison camp of Thorée was located during World War II. Thorée-les-Pins, France, 05 January 2024.
Suburban housing development in Cherbourg. It is the exact place where the tents of the prisoners of the prison camp Depot 301 were. When the construction company was building the base for the project they found over 4500 artefacts from the prison camp. A camera flash illuminates the rain. Cherbourg, France, 01 January 2024.
An old chapel inside an ancient tree. Allouville-Bellefosse, France, 28 December 2023.
The fence of the prisoner of war camp of Thorée-les-Pins. From the archive of french historican Daniel Potron.
Photograph of a spread from one of the poetry books.
The fence of the military training ground of Thoree at night, illuminated by a green flash.
Thorée-les-Pins, France, 06 January 2024
Thorée-les-Pins, France, 06 January 2024
Timeline
5 September 1944 Arrested in Merelbeke, Belgium5 September - 13 September 1944 Transport from Merelbeke to the Normandy
14 September 1944 - 8 September 1945 Prison Camp Audrieu (Nr. 2225)
9 September 1945 - 22 December 1945 Prison Camp Fleury (Depot 301)
23 December 1945 - 14 May 1946 Prison Camp Cherbourg (Depot 301)
15 May 1946 - 8 November 1947 Prison Camp Thoreé (Depot 402)
Heinz Nieland was released on 8 November 1947.
First Book-Dummy “Kein Held”, 148 pages and a small index booklet, 2023
The cover is made out of an original french military tarp from the Second World War. The book can be read from both sides. Opened from the first it consists of my pictures combined with old letters and the poems. From the other side it tells my stories along the way and combines them with pictures that my grandfather took during the war.
The cover is made out of an original french military tarp from the Second World War. The book can be read from both sides. Opened from the first it consists of my pictures combined with old letters and the poems. From the other side it tells my stories along the way and combines them with pictures that my grandfather took during the war.
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