Today I'll show a Soldbuch I recently added to my collection, the K98k collectors will like the weapons equipment page.
Richard Preuß (°1911) joined the Luftwaffe in October 1942, he became a Flak gun crew member on a 20mm Flak gun, first with 4/lei Flak Abt 723 later with 4/lei Flak Abt 770, with this units he operated both in Germany and on the eastern front.
When in the autumn of 1944 the German army had once again had a desperate need for new infantry soldiers as replacements in the frontline units that had sustained heavy losses by the allied summer offensives, Uffz Richard Preuß was transferred to the Fallschirmjägers, these Fallschirmjäger units were in the autumn of 1944 far from the elite paratrooper units they were in 1940/41.
His unit 7/FJR14 is part of the 5th Fallschirmjäger Division, in the upcoming big offensive in the west they will be crossing the Our river in Luxemburg to provide flank protection for the Panzer Divisions of the 5th Pz Armee that will advance towards the Meuse river north of them.
For this upcoming offensive, operation "Wacht am Rhein", Richard Preuß is issued a K98k rifle, with 60 rounds of ammo and 4 egg hand grenade.
I don't know if he had a chance to use his ammo and hand grenades because already on the second day of the offensive, December 17, he is WIA by shrapnel; the wound is rather serious and it will keep him hospitalized until at least the end of the war.
An issued weapon(s) page in a Luftwaffe Soldbuch isn't as common as those in Heer/Waffen SS Soldbucher and this one also gives details about the amount of ammo he was issued, it gives us a good idea how the average German infantry soldier in a LW Fj unit was equipped at the start of the battle of the bulge.
Richard Preuß (°1911) joined the Luftwaffe in October 1942, he became a Flak gun crew member on a 20mm Flak gun, first with 4/lei Flak Abt 723 later with 4/lei Flak Abt 770, with this units he operated both in Germany and on the eastern front.
When in the autumn of 1944 the German army had once again had a desperate need for new infantry soldiers as replacements in the frontline units that had sustained heavy losses by the allied summer offensives, Uffz Richard Preuß was transferred to the Fallschirmjägers, these Fallschirmjäger units were in the autumn of 1944 far from the elite paratrooper units they were in 1940/41.
His unit 7/FJR14 is part of the 5th Fallschirmjäger Division, in the upcoming big offensive in the west they will be crossing the Our river in Luxemburg to provide flank protection for the Panzer Divisions of the 5th Pz Armee that will advance towards the Meuse river north of them.
For this upcoming offensive, operation "Wacht am Rhein", Richard Preuß is issued a K98k rifle, with 60 rounds of ammo and 4 egg hand grenade.
I don't know if he had a chance to use his ammo and hand grenades because already on the second day of the offensive, December 17, he is WIA by shrapnel; the wound is rather serious and it will keep him hospitalized until at least the end of the war.
An issued weapon(s) page in a Luftwaffe Soldbuch isn't as common as those in Heer/Waffen SS Soldbucher and this one also gives details about the amount of ammo he was issued, it gives us a good idea how the average German infantry soldier in a LW Fj unit was equipped at the start of the battle of the bulge.
