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Soldbuch Pz Rgt 3 - TDB in 1944

Peter U

Moderator
Staff member
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
 

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Another interesting post. Would love to know if he survived and what he did after the war. Thank you Peter.

Thanks!

He survived the war; the previous owner of this Soldbuch tried to contact him but he already passed away.
If I'm not mistaken, he was a photo journalist after the war.



P
 
As always, thanks for sharing! A view of the "other side of the war" we rarely get here in the US (though I can recommend "With our Backs to Berlin" and Gallnd's book )
 
Thanks for the positive reactions!
:thumbsup:



In the meanwhile I have been doing some more research on II/Pz Rgt 3.
According to online sources II/Pz Rgt 3 had in the spring of '44 just before D-Day 96 Pzkw IV in his arsenal, two of them being repaired; a formidable force.
Just before the bulge offensive they only got 28 Pzkw IV & 24 stug III; the 5th company got 14 Stug III's and was subordinated to Kampfgruppe Holtmeyer.
The elite armoured unit II/Pz Rgt 3 was in December '44 only a Panzer Abteilung in name only.




P
 
A few days ago the second volume of the excellent three volume series of the well known publisher Heimdal: "Normandie 1944 - 2 Panzer Division" by Frédéric Deprun arrived.
In this book Walter Pilgersdorfer has his own small chapter and we now have an almost complete picture of what he did in the battle of Normandy and how het got his medals and badges.

At the start of the battle for Normandy Walter P. was with the the fifth company of Pz Rgt 3, his CO was Lt Pinkwart served as a loader in the Pz Kpfw IV #535 of Uffz Weissenberger, his hand was injured and after he recuperated of this he became the loader in the Pz Kpfw IV #511 commanded by Lt Jahn.
On July 31 1944 Kampfgruppe Jahn, a platoon of six Pz Kpfw IV's are engaged in St-Martin-des-Besaces, the British 11th armoured division together with the 9th US ID are trying to push through the German lines here.
Walter Pilgerdorfer's tank starts the day with knocking out a Sherman but later in day is hit in the rear also by a Sherman and is knocked out on the "route national 175", the crew escapes; and although his tank has burned out Walter P isn't out of the fight, that same day he will participate in the destruction of two Sherman tanks.
His CO Lt Jahn promotes him the next day to Gefreiter, a promotion that later will be confirmed by his Btl CO Hauptmann Rämsch; also the necessary paperwork is started to reward his bravery that day, which will result in him receiving, the PKA in silver, both EKII & I, a TDB and a 14 day leave in November 1944.
 
Last edited:
A few days ago the second volume of the excellent three volume series of the well known publisher Heimdal: "Normandie 1944 - 2 Panzer Division" by Frédéric Deprun arrived.
In this book Walter Pilgersdorfer has his own small chapter and we now have an almost complete picture of what he did in the battle of Normandy and how het got his medals and badges.

At the start of the battle for Normandy Walter P. was with the the fifth company of Pz Rgt 3, his CO was Lt Pinkwart served as a loader in the Pz Kpfw IV #535 of Uffz Weissenberger, his hand was injured and after he recuperated of this he became the loader in the Pz Kpfw IV #511 commanded by Lt Jahn.
On July 31 1944 Kampfgruppe Jahn, a platoon of six Pz Kpfw IV's are engaged in St-Martin-des-Besaces, the British 11th armoured division together with the 9th US ID are trying to push through the German lines here.
Walter Pilgerdorfer's tank starts the day with knocking out a Sherman but later in day is hit in the rear also by a Sherman and is knocked out on the "route national 175", the crew escapes; and although his tank has burned out Walter P isn't out of the fight, that same day he will participate in the destruction of two Sherman tanks.
His CO Lt Jahn promotes him the next day to Gefreiter, a promotion that later will be confirmed by his Btl CO Hauptmann Rämsch; also the necessary paperwork is started to reward his bravery that day, which will result in him receiving, the PKA in silver, both EKII & I, a TDB and a 14 day leave in November 1944.

Your research is remarkable. Thanks for sharing.
SVW1945
 
Great Peter!
It is fantatistic you exactly know what happened late 44 to your man.
Congrats for such a great soldbuch
 

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