Hello guys,
This is the latest addition in my Soldbuch collection, it something that has been on my wanted list for a long while and last week I found one: a Soldbuch from a soldier that got WIA during the siege of Bastogne in December ’44 and I’ am happy to show it on this forum.
This is the story behind the documents:
Manfred Klotz, was born in 1920, prior to the war he worked as a painter together with his father in their small painters family business.
On January 15 1940 he starts his conscript service with the basic training unit of the 101st Infantry Regiment, after he finished his basic training he is assigned to the 4th (MG) company of IR101, this regiment belonged to the 14th Infantry Division; On May 10 they invaded Holland as a part of the 6th Army, the fight against the Dutch army in Roermond, against the Belgian army in Louvain, and against the British of the BEF on the Schelde and Leie rivers and in the Dunkirk sector.
After the Westfeldzug, from June 26 till July 17 ’40 he is admitted to hospital for appendix problems. After his hospitalization he gets married.
Back in service he is for a short while assigned to the 8th (MG) company of IR101 but when the 14ID gets reorganized from an infantry to an armored division he is back with the 4th company this time of Schützen Regiment 101 of the 18th Panzer Division.
On February 1’41 he is promoted to Oberschützen (PFC) and on April 1 ’41 to Gefreiten (corporal), in February ’41 he also gets his truckers driving license.
On June 22 ’41, the invasion of Russia, the 18 Pz Div belongs to the 2nd Panzer Gruppe under the command of the famous Guderian, in ’41 they fight in the Pripjet swamps, Minsk, Smolensk and at the crossing of the Dnejpr.
During the winter of ‘41/’42 he is with his unit on the frontline, for this he will get the “Ost Medaille” in 1942.
In February ’42 he is admitted to hospital again for bowel- and stomach problems, he remains in hospital until April ’42. Afterwards he is assigned to several replacement and training units: Feld Ersatz btl 88, Pz Gren Ausb Btl 101, Pz Gren Ausb Btl 108, Marsch Btl zbv 430.
So his illness is severe enough to keep him from service in an active unit from February ’42 till October ’44; in October ‘42 he gets promoted to Obergrefeiten.
In October ’44 he is transferred back to active service, he gets assigned to the staff company of Panzer Grenadier Lehr Regiment 901 of the famous Pz Lehr Division; in the summer of ’44 the Pz Lehr Div had been destroyed in Normandy and in October it is refitted in Sennelager to participate in “Wacht am Rhein”, the offensive to retake Antwerp and his harbor.
Pz Gr Lehr Rgt 901 under the command of Colonel Freiherr von Hauser (KC + Oak leafs) will form the nucleus of Kampfgruppe 901, a modern combat unit that consist out of Pz Gr Lehr Rgt 901 (infantry in halftrack vehicles), the 6th company of Pz Rgt 130 (Pzkw IV tanks) and the second battalion (minus 4th battery) of motorized artillery of Pz Art Rgt 130.
On December 16 1944 they start their advance through the Ardennes forest in the sector of the 5th Panzer Armee of von Manteufel.
On December 20 their advance is halted in Marvie (Southeast of Bastogne) by Combat Team O’Hara; during the next days they will fight against the Bastogne perimeter in the Southeastern sector together with the 26th Volks Grenadier Division.
When it gets dark on December 23 KG 901 attacks again in Marvie, it is a heavy fight and when it gets light again, Combat Team O’Hara is in control of one side of this small village and KG 901 of the other.
The GI’s in Bastogne don’t break and on December 26 ’44 a corridor is established and thus the siege is broken. That corridor is just west of the KG 901 held sector; they now start to prepare a counter attack to break the corridor on December 30.
The US army in the meanwhile expands the narrow corridor, also the weather has cleared up and the US air force performs numerous air raids along the edges of the corridor.
Is Manfred Klotz one of the victims of these air raids? We will never know for sure of course but what is a fact is that he gets wounded by a piece of shrapnel on December 28 ’44, he is treated for this wound on January 2 ’45 in HVP (Haupt Verband Platz – first aid station) 530, he isn’t admitted to a field hospital so his wound must be just a minor one; nevertheless he gets the wounded badge in black for it on February 7 ’45.
In January ’45 the Pz Lehr Div retreats from the Ardennes sector, they will fight again in the Lower Rhine sector.
Cheers,
Peter
This is the latest addition in my Soldbuch collection, it something that has been on my wanted list for a long while and last week I found one: a Soldbuch from a soldier that got WIA during the siege of Bastogne in December ’44 and I’ am happy to show it on this forum.
This is the story behind the documents:
Manfred Klotz, was born in 1920, prior to the war he worked as a painter together with his father in their small painters family business.
On January 15 1940 he starts his conscript service with the basic training unit of the 101st Infantry Regiment, after he finished his basic training he is assigned to the 4th (MG) company of IR101, this regiment belonged to the 14th Infantry Division; On May 10 they invaded Holland as a part of the 6th Army, the fight against the Dutch army in Roermond, against the Belgian army in Louvain, and against the British of the BEF on the Schelde and Leie rivers and in the Dunkirk sector.
After the Westfeldzug, from June 26 till July 17 ’40 he is admitted to hospital for appendix problems. After his hospitalization he gets married.
Back in service he is for a short while assigned to the 8th (MG) company of IR101 but when the 14ID gets reorganized from an infantry to an armored division he is back with the 4th company this time of Schützen Regiment 101 of the 18th Panzer Division.
On February 1’41 he is promoted to Oberschützen (PFC) and on April 1 ’41 to Gefreiten (corporal), in February ’41 he also gets his truckers driving license.
On June 22 ’41, the invasion of Russia, the 18 Pz Div belongs to the 2nd Panzer Gruppe under the command of the famous Guderian, in ’41 they fight in the Pripjet swamps, Minsk, Smolensk and at the crossing of the Dnejpr.
During the winter of ‘41/’42 he is with his unit on the frontline, for this he will get the “Ost Medaille” in 1942.
In February ’42 he is admitted to hospital again for bowel- and stomach problems, he remains in hospital until April ’42. Afterwards he is assigned to several replacement and training units: Feld Ersatz btl 88, Pz Gren Ausb Btl 101, Pz Gren Ausb Btl 108, Marsch Btl zbv 430.
So his illness is severe enough to keep him from service in an active unit from February ’42 till October ’44; in October ‘42 he gets promoted to Obergrefeiten.
In October ’44 he is transferred back to active service, he gets assigned to the staff company of Panzer Grenadier Lehr Regiment 901 of the famous Pz Lehr Division; in the summer of ’44 the Pz Lehr Div had been destroyed in Normandy and in October it is refitted in Sennelager to participate in “Wacht am Rhein”, the offensive to retake Antwerp and his harbor.
Pz Gr Lehr Rgt 901 under the command of Colonel Freiherr von Hauser (KC + Oak leafs) will form the nucleus of Kampfgruppe 901, a modern combat unit that consist out of Pz Gr Lehr Rgt 901 (infantry in halftrack vehicles), the 6th company of Pz Rgt 130 (Pzkw IV tanks) and the second battalion (minus 4th battery) of motorized artillery of Pz Art Rgt 130.
On December 16 1944 they start their advance through the Ardennes forest in the sector of the 5th Panzer Armee of von Manteufel.
On December 20 their advance is halted in Marvie (Southeast of Bastogne) by Combat Team O’Hara; during the next days they will fight against the Bastogne perimeter in the Southeastern sector together with the 26th Volks Grenadier Division.
When it gets dark on December 23 KG 901 attacks again in Marvie, it is a heavy fight and when it gets light again, Combat Team O’Hara is in control of one side of this small village and KG 901 of the other.
The GI’s in Bastogne don’t break and on December 26 ’44 a corridor is established and thus the siege is broken. That corridor is just west of the KG 901 held sector; they now start to prepare a counter attack to break the corridor on December 30.
The US army in the meanwhile expands the narrow corridor, also the weather has cleared up and the US air force performs numerous air raids along the edges of the corridor.
Is Manfred Klotz one of the victims of these air raids? We will never know for sure of course but what is a fact is that he gets wounded by a piece of shrapnel on December 28 ’44, he is treated for this wound on January 2 ’45 in HVP (Haupt Verband Platz – first aid station) 530, he isn’t admitted to a field hospital so his wound must be just a minor one; nevertheless he gets the wounded badge in black for it on February 7 ’45.
In January ’45 the Pz Lehr Div retreats from the Ardennes sector, they will fight again in the Lower Rhine sector.
Cheers,
Peter
Attachments
Last edited:
