Today I want to show one of the latest additions to my collection, a Soldbuch that came with two big binders full of wartime documents such as maps, weapons training instructions, letters, marching orders,...etc, this of course makes it easy to tell his story.
Hans Fedder (°1923) a high school student from Hamburg/Valksdorf joined the army in May 1941, he was trained as an anti tank gunner with Pz Jäg Ers Abt 20 in Hamburg.
After his training he joined the first company of Pz Jg Abt 110 (110ID) on the Eastern front, in December 1941 he was promoted to Oberschütze and became a reserve officer candidate, a year later he was commissioned to Lieutenant.
He stayed with his unit on the Rshew front till September 1943 when he was WIA by shrapnel, after his hospital discharge he was awarded the wounded badge in black, EKII and Sturmabzeichen and transferred to his replacement unit: Pz Jg Ers Abt 20, where he will be trained on tracked anti tank guns such as a Sturmgeschutz, a Jagdpanzer or a Marder.
In June 1944, when he is fully recovered he doesn't return to his old combat unit but is assigned to the first company of Pz Jg Abt 50 of the 9 Pz Div.
- This is information which isn't available in his Soldbuch, for some reason the 9 Pz Div doesn't make any entries in his Soldbuch.
The 9 Pz Div stays in reserve in Southern France during June and July '44, in August 1944 they are ordered North toward the Normandy front that is about to collaps, for the tank destroyer unit it becomes a debacle pretty soon, their AFV's became victims of the allied air superiority.
Because they lost their fighting capacity, Lt Hans Fedder and some of his men, which are trained specialists are ordered back to Germany to build new tracked anti tank units.
He stays lone step in front of the rapid allied advance through Northern France and Belgium and makes it back to his replacement unit Pz Jg Ers Abt 20 in Hamburg.
On September 16 1944 he is training new AFV anti tank gunner crews in Putlos, a day later the allied airborne invasion in Holland starts.
The next day his unit is mobilized and assigned to the newly created 190 Division which is sent to the Groesbeek heights area to counter attack the allied troops.
Hans Fedder is the CO of the divisions Jagdpanzer platoon which is equipped with Jagdpanzer IV L48, for his efforts in the battle for the Groesbeek heights he is awarded the EKI.
On October 30 1944 he is wounded again and after his recovery he is transferred once again, this time to the third company of Pz Jg Abt 69, part of the Third Cavalry Division.
His unit is equipped with Sturmgeschutz III's and operates in Hungary and Austria until the end of the war.
He gets taken POW by the US Army and is released from the POW camp in October 1947.
Hans Fedder (°1923) a high school student from Hamburg/Valksdorf joined the army in May 1941, he was trained as an anti tank gunner with Pz Jäg Ers Abt 20 in Hamburg.
After his training he joined the first company of Pz Jg Abt 110 (110ID) on the Eastern front, in December 1941 he was promoted to Oberschütze and became a reserve officer candidate, a year later he was commissioned to Lieutenant.
He stayed with his unit on the Rshew front till September 1943 when he was WIA by shrapnel, after his hospital discharge he was awarded the wounded badge in black, EKII and Sturmabzeichen and transferred to his replacement unit: Pz Jg Ers Abt 20, where he will be trained on tracked anti tank guns such as a Sturmgeschutz, a Jagdpanzer or a Marder.
In June 1944, when he is fully recovered he doesn't return to his old combat unit but is assigned to the first company of Pz Jg Abt 50 of the 9 Pz Div.
- This is information which isn't available in his Soldbuch, for some reason the 9 Pz Div doesn't make any entries in his Soldbuch.
The 9 Pz Div stays in reserve in Southern France during June and July '44, in August 1944 they are ordered North toward the Normandy front that is about to collaps, for the tank destroyer unit it becomes a debacle pretty soon, their AFV's became victims of the allied air superiority.
Because they lost their fighting capacity, Lt Hans Fedder and some of his men, which are trained specialists are ordered back to Germany to build new tracked anti tank units.
He stays lone step in front of the rapid allied advance through Northern France and Belgium and makes it back to his replacement unit Pz Jg Ers Abt 20 in Hamburg.
On September 16 1944 he is training new AFV anti tank gunner crews in Putlos, a day later the allied airborne invasion in Holland starts.
The next day his unit is mobilized and assigned to the newly created 190 Division which is sent to the Groesbeek heights area to counter attack the allied troops.
Hans Fedder is the CO of the divisions Jagdpanzer platoon which is equipped with Jagdpanzer IV L48, for his efforts in the battle for the Groesbeek heights he is awarded the EKI.
On October 30 1944 he is wounded again and after his recovery he is transferred once again, this time to the third company of Pz Jg Abt 69, part of the Third Cavalry Division.
His unit is equipped with Sturmgeschutz III's and operates in Hungary and Austria until the end of the war.
He gets taken POW by the US Army and is released from the POW camp in October 1947.
Attachments
-
DSC00633.jpg51.7 KB · Views: 60
-
DSC00634.jpg66.5 KB · Views: 134
-
DSC00635.jpg66.5 KB · Views: 57
-
DSC00636.jpg68.9 KB · Views: 54
-
DSC00637.jpg74.7 KB · Views: 60
-
DSC00638.jpg55.9 KB · Views: 69
-
DSC00639.jpg100.1 KB · Views: 69
-
DSC00640.jpg118 KB · Views: 73
-
DSC00642.jpg57.9 KB · Views: 56
-
DSC00643.jpg98.8 KB · Views: 69