Hello,
Early this year I was very happy that I was able to add this Soldbuch to my collection, it is a Soldbuch that belonged to a corporal that served in an anti-tank artillery unit during the Westfeldzug in May/June 1940.
In 1935 the 8th Infantry Division (8ID) was formed and like every other standard German infantry division it also had is divisional anti tank unit, the "Panzerjäger Abteilung", a unit armed with 37mm PAK guns.
August Kirchner an engine mechanic from Upper Silesia, joined this unit in the mid '30's, on November 1 1938 he was promoted to Gefreiter; he took part in the invasion of the Sudetenland.
When the German army mobilized at the end of August he was issued with this Soldbuch.
In September the 8ID was a division of the 14th army and participated in the invasion of Poland, the Southern front of the advance, in May 1940 they were assigned to the 4th army and this time they would be part of the main assault force.
On May 14 1940, they cross the Meuse River in Yvoir, in the Belgian Ardennes, and the next day they are at the frontline; this day will most likely be the most impressive day of his life.
On May 15 several French armored units had been engaged in the fierce tank battle of Anthee, an attempt to stop the German 5th & 7th Panzer divisions from breaking out of their bridgehead on the Meuse River.
At 16h30 the 3th company of the 37BCC (a French armored unit armed with the big Char B1 bis tanks) started to withdraw Northwards from the battlefield in Anthee.
The tank column reached the main road South of Ermeton and the two leading tanks assaulted and destroyed a German anti-tank gun that had attacked these giant tanks; in Ermeton a small river hampered their progress and instead of moving West they headed further North were they reached the main road just North of the small town of Denée; now the battle of Denée would start.
When the French tanks approached the small village they spotted groups of German infantry (8ID) and attacked them, German anti-tank guns replied immediately; the French tank "Amiral Guépratte" was hit and stopped west of the village, "Belfort II" was hit a few hundred meters further north, the other tanks regrouped and prepared for another assault towards Denée.
Things were getting critical for the third battalion of IR28 (8ID), if these French tanks would assault in closed formation they would easily overrun the German infantry; if a Char B1 bis assaults frontally, the 37mm PAK was no match for the Char B1 bis.
Major Friederich Filzinger (commanding officer of III/Artillery Regiment 8 / 8ID) had been summoned urgently to his command post to counter the threat.
He immediately displaced his batteries and also ordered the divisional anti-tank guns (Pz Jg Abt 8) and the first company of the Flak Lehr Regiment (88mm guns) forward to aid the anti tank guns of the 28th Infantry Regiment.
The German guns were in position when the French tanks started their assault and all these guns opened up fire at short range on these French tanks, within a few minutes the seven remaining French tanks were destroyed; 16 tank crew members were KIA, 16 WIA and 25 taken POW, just three French soldiers managed to escape.
Friederich Filzinger was awarded with the KC & the commander of Poitou II Jacques Lehoux was posthumously made knight of the Legion D'Honneur.
The anti tank gunners of the 8ID were given the honor of participating in the German victory parade on June 14 1940 in Paris.
August Kirchner was wounded by a small grenade splinter in his left knee during the Westfeldzug, on June 22 1940 he was admitted to the hospital of the 30th infantry division (Paris).
From the information in the Soldbuch I can't tell when he was wounded, in June 1940 his unit was kept in reserve, so he most likely was actually wounded a month before he was officially admitted to a hospital.
His wound was serious enough to get him transferred out of frontline service; he was transferred to various truck repair units.
He is further promoted to NCO ranks and in the final period of the war he was transferred to active frontline service again with artillery regiment 25, the artillery regiment of the 25th Panzer Grenadier Division.
In the spring of 1945 this division was part of the 9th army and fought on the Oder front.
In May ’45 he managed to stay out of the hands of the Red Army and became a POW of the Western allies.
He was soon released from the POW camp and worked as a truck driver for the 309th Transport Service Group.
In this Soldbuch you can see that he was issued several pistols and also a French M16 rifle and bayonet.
Cheers,
Peter
Early this year I was very happy that I was able to add this Soldbuch to my collection, it is a Soldbuch that belonged to a corporal that served in an anti-tank artillery unit during the Westfeldzug in May/June 1940.
In 1935 the 8th Infantry Division (8ID) was formed and like every other standard German infantry division it also had is divisional anti tank unit, the "Panzerjäger Abteilung", a unit armed with 37mm PAK guns.
August Kirchner an engine mechanic from Upper Silesia, joined this unit in the mid '30's, on November 1 1938 he was promoted to Gefreiter; he took part in the invasion of the Sudetenland.
When the German army mobilized at the end of August he was issued with this Soldbuch.
In September the 8ID was a division of the 14th army and participated in the invasion of Poland, the Southern front of the advance, in May 1940 they were assigned to the 4th army and this time they would be part of the main assault force.
On May 14 1940, they cross the Meuse River in Yvoir, in the Belgian Ardennes, and the next day they are at the frontline; this day will most likely be the most impressive day of his life.
On May 15 several French armored units had been engaged in the fierce tank battle of Anthee, an attempt to stop the German 5th & 7th Panzer divisions from breaking out of their bridgehead on the Meuse River.
At 16h30 the 3th company of the 37BCC (a French armored unit armed with the big Char B1 bis tanks) started to withdraw Northwards from the battlefield in Anthee.
The tank column reached the main road South of Ermeton and the two leading tanks assaulted and destroyed a German anti-tank gun that had attacked these giant tanks; in Ermeton a small river hampered their progress and instead of moving West they headed further North were they reached the main road just North of the small town of Denée; now the battle of Denée would start.
When the French tanks approached the small village they spotted groups of German infantry (8ID) and attacked them, German anti-tank guns replied immediately; the French tank "Amiral Guépratte" was hit and stopped west of the village, "Belfort II" was hit a few hundred meters further north, the other tanks regrouped and prepared for another assault towards Denée.
Things were getting critical for the third battalion of IR28 (8ID), if these French tanks would assault in closed formation they would easily overrun the German infantry; if a Char B1 bis assaults frontally, the 37mm PAK was no match for the Char B1 bis.
Major Friederich Filzinger (commanding officer of III/Artillery Regiment 8 / 8ID) had been summoned urgently to his command post to counter the threat.
He immediately displaced his batteries and also ordered the divisional anti-tank guns (Pz Jg Abt 8) and the first company of the Flak Lehr Regiment (88mm guns) forward to aid the anti tank guns of the 28th Infantry Regiment.
The German guns were in position when the French tanks started their assault and all these guns opened up fire at short range on these French tanks, within a few minutes the seven remaining French tanks were destroyed; 16 tank crew members were KIA, 16 WIA and 25 taken POW, just three French soldiers managed to escape.
Friederich Filzinger was awarded with the KC & the commander of Poitou II Jacques Lehoux was posthumously made knight of the Legion D'Honneur.
The anti tank gunners of the 8ID were given the honor of participating in the German victory parade on June 14 1940 in Paris.
August Kirchner was wounded by a small grenade splinter in his left knee during the Westfeldzug, on June 22 1940 he was admitted to the hospital of the 30th infantry division (Paris).
From the information in the Soldbuch I can't tell when he was wounded, in June 1940 his unit was kept in reserve, so he most likely was actually wounded a month before he was officially admitted to a hospital.
His wound was serious enough to get him transferred out of frontline service; he was transferred to various truck repair units.
He is further promoted to NCO ranks and in the final period of the war he was transferred to active frontline service again with artillery regiment 25, the artillery regiment of the 25th Panzer Grenadier Division.
In the spring of 1945 this division was part of the 9th army and fought on the Oder front.
In May ’45 he managed to stay out of the hands of the Red Army and became a POW of the Western allies.
He was soon released from the POW camp and worked as a truck driver for the 309th Transport Service Group.
In this Soldbuch you can see that he was issued several pistols and also a French M16 rifle and bayonet.
Cheers,
Peter
