Hello guys,
2015 Started well for me, one of the first Soldbucher I could add to my collection was an example with a tank destruction badge, my favorite badge special if it was awarded for knocking out a tank of the western allies.
Walter Pilgersdorfer (°1925) from Linz (Austria) began his military career in April 1943 with Pz Ers u Ausb Abt 4 in Vienna, a training and replacement unit for the "Austrian" armoured units.
After he finished his training as a tank crewmember in the beginning of '44 he was transferred to the fifth company of Panzer Regiment 3 (2nd Panzer Division), which was then based in Northern France for refitting and awaiting the allied landing.
His Abteilung was equipped with Pzkw IV and Sturmgeschutz III.
The 2nd Panzer Division was heavily engaged in the battle of Normandy, I will not go in to much detail in this thread about this battle, lots of information available about both off - and on-line.
On August 1 1944 he was promoted to Gefreiter, the promotion was confirmed by his CO Lieutenant Joachim Jahn 5/Pz Rgt 3, so we can be certain that he was with the 2 Pz Div in the summer of '44.
He misses the Soldbuch control of early September 1944, his division is destroyed in Northern France and retreated through Belgium; on September 12 1944 his Soldbuch is checked and approved in Vienna by an officer of the replacement depot of his division.
In November '44 the 2 Pz Div is rebuild once again, exactly in this period he gets a medical examination in a hospital in Vienna, the doctor declares him fit for frontline service on November 7 1944, on the same day he gets his new equipment and is sent back to his old unit: the 5th company of Pz Rgt 3.
- Notice that he got a P38 with 16 bullets.
When he arrives at his unit the company clerk adds the medals and badges he won in the summer of 1944 in his Soldbuch and it aren't very small awards: a Panzer badge in silver, EKII & I plus a Tank Destruction Badge.
The TDB was only awarded to those that knocked out a tank in a close combat situation with a hand held device such as a Panzerfaust, Panzerschreck, a Mine or any other improvised explosive device.
Together with a ribbon the soldier also got 14 days of extra leave when awarded a TDB, Walter Pilgersdorfer got indeed 14 days of leave in early October '44.
In December '44 his division will participate in operation Wacht am Rhein, but this late in the war Germany has problems with issuing tanks to its armoured units; the II Abteilung of Pz Rgt 3 becomes Kampfgruppe Gutmann just gets 28 Pzkw IV and 24 Sturmgeschutz III tank.
The tanks of Pz Rgt 3 around Christmas almost reach the Meuse River near Dinant, KG Gutmann is kept in reserve for the push across the Meuse but this will never happen.
A nice entry is that on Christmas '44 he gets a new P38 pistol.
During the retreat out of the Ardennes Pz Rgt 3 lose almost all their tanks.
When they are back on German soil in the Eifel, Walter Pilgersdorfer gets WIA; he is admitted to the fieldhospital in Aulhausen on January 26 1945, there he will stay till Februari 27 1945, then he returns back to his unit with a wounded badge in black on his chest.
On April 5 1945 he gets injured in an accident and is admitted to a field hospital in his home town: Linz, he leaves the hospital with sick leave until the end of April '45, what happened with him after then I don't know.
Enjoy the images,
Peter
2015 Started well for me, one of the first Soldbucher I could add to my collection was an example with a tank destruction badge, my favorite badge special if it was awarded for knocking out a tank of the western allies.
Walter Pilgersdorfer (°1925) from Linz (Austria) began his military career in April 1943 with Pz Ers u Ausb Abt 4 in Vienna, a training and replacement unit for the "Austrian" armoured units.
After he finished his training as a tank crewmember in the beginning of '44 he was transferred to the fifth company of Panzer Regiment 3 (2nd Panzer Division), which was then based in Northern France for refitting and awaiting the allied landing.
His Abteilung was equipped with Pzkw IV and Sturmgeschutz III.
The 2nd Panzer Division was heavily engaged in the battle of Normandy, I will not go in to much detail in this thread about this battle, lots of information available about both off - and on-line.
On August 1 1944 he was promoted to Gefreiter, the promotion was confirmed by his CO Lieutenant Joachim Jahn 5/Pz Rgt 3, so we can be certain that he was with the 2 Pz Div in the summer of '44.
He misses the Soldbuch control of early September 1944, his division is destroyed in Northern France and retreated through Belgium; on September 12 1944 his Soldbuch is checked and approved in Vienna by an officer of the replacement depot of his division.
In November '44 the 2 Pz Div is rebuild once again, exactly in this period he gets a medical examination in a hospital in Vienna, the doctor declares him fit for frontline service on November 7 1944, on the same day he gets his new equipment and is sent back to his old unit: the 5th company of Pz Rgt 3.
- Notice that he got a P38 with 16 bullets.
When he arrives at his unit the company clerk adds the medals and badges he won in the summer of 1944 in his Soldbuch and it aren't very small awards: a Panzer badge in silver, EKII & I plus a Tank Destruction Badge.
The TDB was only awarded to those that knocked out a tank in a close combat situation with a hand held device such as a Panzerfaust, Panzerschreck, a Mine or any other improvised explosive device.
Together with a ribbon the soldier also got 14 days of extra leave when awarded a TDB, Walter Pilgersdorfer got indeed 14 days of leave in early October '44.
In December '44 his division will participate in operation Wacht am Rhein, but this late in the war Germany has problems with issuing tanks to its armoured units; the II Abteilung of Pz Rgt 3 becomes Kampfgruppe Gutmann just gets 28 Pzkw IV and 24 Sturmgeschutz III tank.
The tanks of Pz Rgt 3 around Christmas almost reach the Meuse River near Dinant, KG Gutmann is kept in reserve for the push across the Meuse but this will never happen.
A nice entry is that on Christmas '44 he gets a new P38 pistol.
During the retreat out of the Ardennes Pz Rgt 3 lose almost all their tanks.
When they are back on German soil in the Eifel, Walter Pilgersdorfer gets WIA; he is admitted to the fieldhospital in Aulhausen on January 26 1945, there he will stay till Februari 27 1945, then he returns back to his unit with a wounded badge in black on his chest.
On April 5 1945 he gets injured in an accident and is admitted to a field hospital in his home town: Linz, he leaves the hospital with sick leave until the end of April '45, what happened with him after then I don't know.
Enjoy the images,
Peter
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