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6th Army-Stalingrad Soldbuch

Peter U

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Staff member
It has been a while since I promised to post the other battle of Stalingrad Soldbuch from my collection, but here it is:

Janisch Gerhard (°1912) was a professional soldier in the Wehrmacht, at the eve of war he was issued this Soldbuch, so we know he was sergeant in the 9th company of Armee Nachrichten Regiment 549 when WW2 broke out.
This was a signals unit that operated on an army level, initially it was attached to the 10th Army but from October 1939 onwards with the famous 6th Army.
With the 10th Army he fought in Poland in September 1939, he distinguished himself and was awarded an EKII already on October 1 1939.
(It isn't common to find combat related medals in Soldbucher of those that served in support units.)
He continuous to serve with the 6th Army in their campaigns in the West in the spring of 1940 and against the Soviet Red Army in 1941/42.
In the summer of 1942 he gets caught up in operation blue, the conquest of Southern Russia and rides with the 6th Army towards Stalingrad.
During the battle of Stalingrad he is transferred to the first company of NA384, the signals unit of the 384 Infantry Division.
This division is also ends up being encircled Stalingrad after operation Uranus but its staff is flown out of the pocket.
The first entry in his Soldbuch made after the fall of the 6th Army is in February 1943, an award entry for an EKI done entered by a clerk of the 384ID and a few weeks later in March 1943 a control stamp done by an officer of the 384ID.
Was Janisch Gerhard one of the lucky ones that was flown out of the Stalingrad pocket?
We will never know for sure but I think he was.
The Stalingrad veteran, now decorated with the prestigious EKI is eventually again attached to his old unit 9/ANR 549 when the units of the former 6th Army are rebuild.
He will serve out the rest of the war as a Hauptfeldwebel with the 6th Army and most likely become a POW of the US Army in Austria.

His Soldbuch never had a picture inserted in it but is loaded with all kinds of interesting equipment entries such as a pistol, MP, binoculars, wristwatch and of course the EK award entries.
 

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Because of this thread I did some more google research and I found this website:
https://infanteriedivisionen.de.tl/384-.-Infanterie-Division.htm
They confirm that together with the staff of the 384ID the Nachrichten Abteilung was flown out of the Stalingrad pocket in December 1942, after their escape out of the pocket the remnants of the 384ID formed a Kampfgruppe and fought in the Nishne Tschirskaja area until they were taken out of the frontline and sent to France to be rebuild.

Gerhard Janisch, the #13 on his units role (see his ID tag number) was one of the lucky ones to escape the Stalingrad pocket even without an injury.
 
Always well done

Because of this thread I did some more google research and I found this website:
https://infanteriedivisionen.de.tl/384-.-Infanterie-Division.htm
They confirm that together with the staff of the 384ID the Nachrichten Abteilung was flown out of the Stalingrad pocket in December 1942, after their escape out of the pocket the remnants of the 384ID formed a Kampfgruppe and fought in the Nishne Tschirskaja area until they were taken out of the frontline and sent to France to be rebuild.

Gerhard Janisch, the #13 on his units role (see his ID tag number) was one of the lucky ones to escape the Stalingrad pocket even without an injury.

These always lead me to read more about these events..
 
Peter,
It sounds like that "signals" unit was maybe a cover for military intelligence or something. That would make sense as to why those guys, as a unit, got out and why a signals guy would get decorated. Just random thoughts, but a very cool SB and a lucky guy!
Cheers,
HB
 
Peter,
It sounds like that "signals" unit was maybe a cover for military intelligence or something. That would make sense as to why those guys, as a unit, got out and why a signals guy would get decorated. Just random thoughts, but a very cool SB and a lucky guy!
Cheers,
HB

His unit was a typical signals unit, they operated telephones and wireless sets for army HQ's, they used for example the Enigma code machines, so they certainly were valuable specialists.
When these signals guys get awards like an EK it usually means they operated together with men of an observation post or artillery observers and are thus close to the frontline and where the action is.

Why the staff and signals unit of the 384ID got the privilege of getting airlifted out of the Stalingrad pocket I don't know.
By December 1942 the 384ID had lost all its combat capacity as a divisional unit in the 6th Army and was dissolved, but this most likely could be said of more divisions operating in the Stalingrad pocket at that time but there staff units weren't airlifted out of the pocket.
My guess is that the 6th army had way to many staff officers and support personel like wireless operators then it actually needed and it was perhaps better to airlift them out of the pocket to a place where they could be used to form new coherent combat units then to have them inside the pocket eating their share of the already meager rations that were needed to keep the fighting men alive.
 

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