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Soldbuch 7ID - TDB entry

Peter U

Moderator
Staff member
Hello,


I begin this presentation with a warning first.
Be aware that the tank destruction badge together with the anti partisan badge Soldbuch entries are entries fakers love to add in a Soldbuch to upgrade a rather dull example to an interesting and more valuable piece.
So approach them with caution!

And the TDB entry in this Soldbuch is one that needs to be examined with care.
The entry isn't confirmed with an officers signature or FP/unit stamp.
But according to me it is an original entry: the ink is old and faded and shows the same wear also the other entries in the Soldbuch, the script is old and most important the TDB entry is underneath an old stain that runs through the entire Soldbuch.



Karl Springhetti (°1920) from Landeck began his military service in 1940, after his basic training in the anti tank gunners school of the 7ID he was assigned to the 14th (anti tank) company of IR61.
He would stay with this company the entire war fighting in Russia; in September '41 he was awarded the ISA, in November '41 the EKII and in 1942 he got the winter war medal.
The hospital page of this Soldbuch went missing but through other entries in it when can see that he was WIA somewhere early in January '44 when his unit was fighting in the Pripjet swaps in Ukraine.
For this wound he got a wounded badge in black; he would remain in various replacement units until November '44, then he joined his old unit again, now they were on the Narew front.
in January '45 the Soviets restarted their offensive and the 7ID got caught in the Danzig pocket.
The fighting was fierce; on my bookshelves I have the divisional history of the 7ID; the Red Army uses their armoured divisions to crush the German infantry and regularly infantry men knock out Soviet tanks with Panzerfausten.
A quote from the book on January 7 1945 GR19 ( a sister regiment of GR61) report that +/- 700 Soviet tanks of the 2nd Byelorussian Storm Army assault their sector, they manage to destroy 200 of them, of those 70 are knocked out with Panzerfausten.
These are figures you just don't come across on the western front.
On March 16 1945 Karl Springhetti is awarded a TDB, soon afterwards he is seriously wounded.
He is amongst the lucky once that is evacuated out of the Danzig pocket and ends up in a hospital in Karlsbad, where is also awarded the wounded badge in silver.


Cheers,
Peter
 

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Peter, as usual, another great read. Please keep them coming as they are educational. Thank You.
 

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