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Soldbuch AR12 - battle of the bulge

Peter U

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Today 73 years ago the bulge offensive started and I thought it was a good idea to post a Soldbuch of a soldier of a unit that was involved in the opening shots of this offensive.

Erwin Tank (°1912) a journeyman painter from Stettin was drafted and joined the army on April 16 1940, he got his basic training with 2/l Art Ers Abt 258, and after his four weeks of training he was assigned to the 4th battery of Artillery Rgt 12 (12ID), he will remain with this battery until the end of the war as a company medic.
At the time of this transfer, his unit was making its way through Belgium towards Northern France behind the armoured divisions.
Then in 1941 the invasion of Soviet Russia follows, in this campaign he and his unit are trapped in the Demjansk pocket, afterwards he will be awarded the winter war medal and Demjansk shield.
For the following years he will remain with his unit on the Eastern front mainly in the Demjansk area.
In August 1944 his unit is reformed and becomes the 12 Volksgrenadier Division, in this period he is awarded a KvKII and when they are again ready for combat, they are sent to the Western front; in October 1944 they are heavily engaged in the battle for the Hürtgenwald, mainly in the Stolberg sector.
In December 1944 they get the important task to punch through the US Army frontline in the Losheim gap so that the armoured elements of the 6th SS Panzer Army can advance towards the Meuse river.
The 12VGD is regarded as the strongest and most experienced infantry unit in the 6th SS Panzer Army.
During the fighting in the Ardennes Erwin Tank gets injured, their is no hospital entry thus I presume the wound was just a slight one, nevertheless he is awarded a wounded badge in black and for his actions in the bulge offensive he is awarded an EKII an 14 days of bravery leave.
After their retreat out of the Ardennes his unit will continue to fight in the Eifel area and eventually capitulate in the Ruhr pocket.
I don't know if he stayed with his unit in this pocket because on the last day of the war he gets wounded again, splinters in his cheek and the roof of his mouth; this wound keeps him in hospital until June 6 1945.



His Soldbuch is one of those examples that never had a photo in them but this Soldbuch came with his post war civil ID card and thus we have an image of this soldier.
And for you gun collectors, this Soldbuch never had a page 8, weapons page; his weapons were entered on the inside cover but are unreadable now.
 

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The picture from his post war ID card and medic ID Card.
 

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I do love reading your posts, you weave a great story, and bring these documents to life...thanks for all your efforts...
 

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