Gardener, Karl
Farmer, soldier
Born: October 19, 1913 in Delkenheim
Died: August 25 or 26, 1944 near Falaise

Karl Gärtner was born in Delkenheim, the son of farmer Johann Heinrich Gartner and his wife Anna. After attending primary school, Gartner initially worked on his parents' farm. He was drafted into military service on 13 March 1940 and initially served as a rider in reconnaissance unit 120. Gärtner was deployed with this unit of the 112th Infantry Division in Belarus and Ukraine.

Gärtner was wounded for the first time in October 1940. This was followed by further periods of front-line service and hospital stays after injuries and illnesses, including in November 1941. Gärtner was first promoted to lance corporal and then to non-commissioned officer. In the summer of 1942, Gartner received field training as a grenadier near Vizebsk in Belarus. In the summer of 1944, he served with the 13th Company of the 557th Grenadier Regiment of the 331st Infantry Division in Normandy.

Gärtner was killed in action during defensive battles near Falaise in France.
At the beginning of the 1960s, his mother made a large donation to the municipality of Delkenheim for the construction of the new elementary school. The Delkenheim municipal council therefore decided to name the school after Karl Gärtner at the request of Gärtner's mother.