Hello guys,
This is the newest addition to my Soldbuch collection, a sergeant from the Afrika Korps who was awarded a tank destruction badge in Tunisia in 1943.
Christian Schiefer (°1920) a factory worker from Bachem near Koln joined the German army on February 16 1940.
After his basic training he was assigned to the 6th company of IR474 (253ID), he finished his training just in time to participate in the invasion of the Low Countries in May 1940.
On December 1 1940 he is promoted to Gefreiter and they will start the preparations for the invasion of the Baltic states.
This is another Soldbuch of the same regiment in my collection, in the thread you can read more about the events of his regiment in 1940/41:
http://www.k98kforum.com/showthread...-in-silver-for-a-facial-wound&highlight=IR474
Just like Karl Bosse, Christian Schiefer gets wounded in the battle for Welikije Luki but his injury is relatively light, there is no hospitalization neither does he leave his unit.
In the battle for Moskau his unit will reach the upper Wolga near Jesharowa.
In the meanwhile he has earned besides a wounded badge in black also an IAB and an EKII.
The winter battle for Moskau is fought in harsh weather conditions and Christian Schiefer is one of the many victims of frostbite, his right foot is so badly frozen that he is removed from the front, on Christmas day 1941 he is back in Germany in a hospital in Schierke, a mountain resort in the Harz mountains, he will remain in this hospital until the end of February 1942.
He sure earned his winter war medal.
After he left the hospital he is transferred to a recuperation unit; on June 27 1942 he is examined by a doctor and declared fully physically fit for service also for service in tropical conditions.
The latter is important because he will not rejoin his old unit but gets a transfer to 1/AA580, the armoured recon unit of the 21 Panzer Division, the armoured wing of the Africa Corps.
On July 23 1942 he lands on African soil, just in time to join the battle for El Alamein.
After the defeat in El Alamein they will retreat to Tunisia and it is in this final stage of the Africa campaign that this his story becomes really interesting.
For operation "Frühlingswind" (spring wind), better known as the battle for Kasserine Pass his unit belongs to Kampfgruppe Stenkoff.
On February 17 1943, the recon troopers of AA580 surround almost completely CCB of the US 1st Armoured Division south of the road from Sidi bou Zid-Bir to Hafeg, in the attack that follows this relative small German combat unit manages to take 800 US soldiers POW and they also destroy a lot of US tanks.
His company commander Olt Heinz Kettler will get the GCiGold for this operation; on March 3 1943 Christian Schiefer is awarded the prestigious tank destruction badge, I presume he destroyed a US tank with an improvised explosive device in the battle for Kasserine Pass.
In May 1943 the war is over for him when what is left of the Africa Corps capitulates in Tunisia.
You'll notice that his Soldbuch hasn't got a picture in it, this is normal for DAK Soldbucher, picture only came in to WH Soldbucher after the defeat in Africa.
Also his Soldbuch has been prepared for capture, the unit page has been removed and openly written names of DAK unit(s) have been erased but the field post numbers have been left alone so this makes research possible.
In the final stages of the Africa campaign his unit changed its name from AA580 to Pz AA 21.
Cheers,
Peter
This is the newest addition to my Soldbuch collection, a sergeant from the Afrika Korps who was awarded a tank destruction badge in Tunisia in 1943.
Christian Schiefer (°1920) a factory worker from Bachem near Koln joined the German army on February 16 1940.
After his basic training he was assigned to the 6th company of IR474 (253ID), he finished his training just in time to participate in the invasion of the Low Countries in May 1940.
On December 1 1940 he is promoted to Gefreiter and they will start the preparations for the invasion of the Baltic states.
This is another Soldbuch of the same regiment in my collection, in the thread you can read more about the events of his regiment in 1940/41:
http://www.k98kforum.com/showthread...-in-silver-for-a-facial-wound&highlight=IR474
Just like Karl Bosse, Christian Schiefer gets wounded in the battle for Welikije Luki but his injury is relatively light, there is no hospitalization neither does he leave his unit.
In the battle for Moskau his unit will reach the upper Wolga near Jesharowa.
In the meanwhile he has earned besides a wounded badge in black also an IAB and an EKII.
The winter battle for Moskau is fought in harsh weather conditions and Christian Schiefer is one of the many victims of frostbite, his right foot is so badly frozen that he is removed from the front, on Christmas day 1941 he is back in Germany in a hospital in Schierke, a mountain resort in the Harz mountains, he will remain in this hospital until the end of February 1942.
He sure earned his winter war medal.
After he left the hospital he is transferred to a recuperation unit; on June 27 1942 he is examined by a doctor and declared fully physically fit for service also for service in tropical conditions.
The latter is important because he will not rejoin his old unit but gets a transfer to 1/AA580, the armoured recon unit of the 21 Panzer Division, the armoured wing of the Africa Corps.
On July 23 1942 he lands on African soil, just in time to join the battle for El Alamein.
After the defeat in El Alamein they will retreat to Tunisia and it is in this final stage of the Africa campaign that this his story becomes really interesting.
For operation "Frühlingswind" (spring wind), better known as the battle for Kasserine Pass his unit belongs to Kampfgruppe Stenkoff.
On February 17 1943, the recon troopers of AA580 surround almost completely CCB of the US 1st Armoured Division south of the road from Sidi bou Zid-Bir to Hafeg, in the attack that follows this relative small German combat unit manages to take 800 US soldiers POW and they also destroy a lot of US tanks.
His company commander Olt Heinz Kettler will get the GCiGold for this operation; on March 3 1943 Christian Schiefer is awarded the prestigious tank destruction badge, I presume he destroyed a US tank with an improvised explosive device in the battle for Kasserine Pass.
In May 1943 the war is over for him when what is left of the Africa Corps capitulates in Tunisia.
You'll notice that his Soldbuch hasn't got a picture in it, this is normal for DAK Soldbucher, picture only came in to WH Soldbucher after the defeat in Africa.
Also his Soldbuch has been prepared for capture, the unit page has been removed and openly written names of DAK unit(s) have been erased but the field post numbers have been left alone so this makes research possible.
In the final stages of the Africa campaign his unit changed its name from AA580 to Pz AA 21.
Cheers,
Peter
