Hello,
This was my first Soldbuch purchase of 2012, one with a kind of tragic story.
Gunther Rittsche (°1924) was a mechanic from Berlin,in August ’42 he starts his military service in the Luftwaffe, and after his basic training with Flieger Regiment 26 he was assigned to several logistical units.
So far not a very exciting military career, this changes when he on November 23 1943 is transferred to the communications unit of Flak Rgt 155 (W), also known as Flak Gruppe Creil.
This Flak unit is a Flak unit in name only!
Their real task is to launch V1 rockets.
Everything about this unit is top secret; the launch units are based all over Northern France and Belgium; the unit he belongs to, the radio company is based in Brussels.
When the allies break out of the Normandy bridgehead his unit is pulled back towards the Eifel region, from there they will fire V1’son Liege and Antwerp.
Mid November ’44 there comes an end to the relatively safe life of Gunther Rittsche behind the frontline, once again the ranks of the Luftwaffe are skimmed to find men that are fit for service in infantry combat formations, he will be assigned to the 116[SUP]th[/SUP] Panzer Division.
He first arrives with the Feld Ersatz Batallion 146, this is the reserve unit ofthe 116 Pz Div, he most likely gets some extra infantry training with this unit.
The116[SUP]th[/SUP] Pz Div is one of the armored divisions that will participatein operation “Wacht am Rhein”; on December 16 1944 they break through the American held frontline in the Ardennes forest, Pz Gr Rgt 156 loses a lot of men specially in the fighting in and around Hotton.
On December 24 1944 Pz Gr Rgt 156 again gets the task to break the American line to find a way to the Meuse river, the loses in their ranks are filled up with replacements from the reserve battalion.
Gunther Rittsche is one of them, he arrives on December 24 1944 with the 5[SUP]th[/SUP]company of Pz Gr Rgt 156, he gets serial number 635 and is issued a rifle with serial number Mg 6208.
At the afternoon of the day he arrives with his combat unit they attack again,this time in Verdenne, a sector held by the American 344[SUP]th[/SUP] IR of the84[SUP]th[/SUP] US ID, it comes to house to house fighting in the tiny village, at around 15.00 the Germans have won the battle for control over the village,during the evening they will unsuccessfully attempt to follow up on their success with a break through the forest of Bourdon to reach the strategic main road between Hotton and Marche.
It is on his first day in combat that Gunther Rittsche was KIA, he now is buried in the German war cemetery in Lommel (Belgium).
Btw L52899 is the fieldpost number of Luftnachrichten-Betriebs-Kompanie Flak-Regiment 155, 11.11.1943 Stab Luftnachrichten-Abteilung Flak-Regiment 155.
The unit was based in Brussels.
Regards,
Peter
This was my first Soldbuch purchase of 2012, one with a kind of tragic story.
Gunther Rittsche (°1924) was a mechanic from Berlin,in August ’42 he starts his military service in the Luftwaffe, and after his basic training with Flieger Regiment 26 he was assigned to several logistical units.
So far not a very exciting military career, this changes when he on November 23 1943 is transferred to the communications unit of Flak Rgt 155 (W), also known as Flak Gruppe Creil.
This Flak unit is a Flak unit in name only!
Their real task is to launch V1 rockets.
Everything about this unit is top secret; the launch units are based all over Northern France and Belgium; the unit he belongs to, the radio company is based in Brussels.
When the allies break out of the Normandy bridgehead his unit is pulled back towards the Eifel region, from there they will fire V1’son Liege and Antwerp.
Mid November ’44 there comes an end to the relatively safe life of Gunther Rittsche behind the frontline, once again the ranks of the Luftwaffe are skimmed to find men that are fit for service in infantry combat formations, he will be assigned to the 116[SUP]th[/SUP] Panzer Division.
He first arrives with the Feld Ersatz Batallion 146, this is the reserve unit ofthe 116 Pz Div, he most likely gets some extra infantry training with this unit.
The116[SUP]th[/SUP] Pz Div is one of the armored divisions that will participatein operation “Wacht am Rhein”; on December 16 1944 they break through the American held frontline in the Ardennes forest, Pz Gr Rgt 156 loses a lot of men specially in the fighting in and around Hotton.
On December 24 1944 Pz Gr Rgt 156 again gets the task to break the American line to find a way to the Meuse river, the loses in their ranks are filled up with replacements from the reserve battalion.
Gunther Rittsche is one of them, he arrives on December 24 1944 with the 5[SUP]th[/SUP]company of Pz Gr Rgt 156, he gets serial number 635 and is issued a rifle with serial number Mg 6208.
At the afternoon of the day he arrives with his combat unit they attack again,this time in Verdenne, a sector held by the American 344[SUP]th[/SUP] IR of the84[SUP]th[/SUP] US ID, it comes to house to house fighting in the tiny village, at around 15.00 the Germans have won the battle for control over the village,during the evening they will unsuccessfully attempt to follow up on their success with a break through the forest of Bourdon to reach the strategic main road between Hotton and Marche.
It is on his first day in combat that Gunther Rittsche was KIA, he now is buried in the German war cemetery in Lommel (Belgium).
Btw L52899 is the fieldpost number of Luftnachrichten-Betriebs-Kompanie Flak-Regiment 155, 11.11.1943 Stab Luftnachrichten-Abteilung Flak-Regiment 155.
The unit was based in Brussels.
Regards,
Peter
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