Today I want to show you guys one of the better Panzergrenadier Soldbucher in my collection.
Willi Leibrock was called up in November 1943, he was already 36 years old, despite his age he had to follow basic infantry training in winter with the Grenadier Ersatz Batallione 88 in Fulda.
Just after Christmas he is transferred to March Batallione zbv 295, I don't know anything about this unit but from his Soldbuch I can see that they issued his combat equipment such as a K98k from 1941 with a bayonet and a MG cleaning kit.
We can pick up his story in April 1944, he now is a Gefreiter in the ninth company of motorized Grenadier Regiment 29 (3 Pz Gr Div) which is on the Italian front, more exactly in the region of Aprilia.
Seven weeks later he is in the thick of the fighting and in a five week period he accumulates 15 close combat days which results in him being awarded the EKII, the close combat clasp and the ISA in bronze.
He is transferred to the 12th heavy company of Pz Gr Rgt 29, a unit equipped with halftracks, in his Soldbuch we can see that he in this period is issued a pistol, with this company he is engaged in fierce fighting in November 1944 in the Aachen sector.
Just prior to the Ardennes offensive he is granted two weeks of special leave.
On December 31 1944 he gets a close combat day for the fighting in the hamlet of Chenogne, West of Bastogne.
At the end of the offensive he is awarded the prestigious EKI.
What is odd is that despite being granted 19 close combat days he wasn't wounded once and because he is not listed on the war graves website, I presume he survived the war.
Willi Leibrock was called up in November 1943, he was already 36 years old, despite his age he had to follow basic infantry training in winter with the Grenadier Ersatz Batallione 88 in Fulda.
Just after Christmas he is transferred to March Batallione zbv 295, I don't know anything about this unit but from his Soldbuch I can see that they issued his combat equipment such as a K98k from 1941 with a bayonet and a MG cleaning kit.
We can pick up his story in April 1944, he now is a Gefreiter in the ninth company of motorized Grenadier Regiment 29 (3 Pz Gr Div) which is on the Italian front, more exactly in the region of Aprilia.
Seven weeks later he is in the thick of the fighting and in a five week period he accumulates 15 close combat days which results in him being awarded the EKII, the close combat clasp and the ISA in bronze.
He is transferred to the 12th heavy company of Pz Gr Rgt 29, a unit equipped with halftracks, in his Soldbuch we can see that he in this period is issued a pistol, with this company he is engaged in fierce fighting in November 1944 in the Aachen sector.
Just prior to the Ardennes offensive he is granted two weeks of special leave.
On December 31 1944 he gets a close combat day for the fighting in the hamlet of Chenogne, West of Bastogne.
At the end of the offensive he is awarded the prestigious EKI.
What is odd is that despite being granted 19 close combat days he wasn't wounded once and because he is not listed on the war graves website, I presume he survived the war.
