Third Party Press

Interesting Luftwaffe Soldbuch for Discussion...Trying to Figure Out His Hsitory

pzjgr

EOD - bombs and bullets
OK, I posted this a while back at GB, but the pics were lost, so I will re-post them here.

As Peter U is the Mod here, I figure he might be able to figure some of this out, as I know he is an expert at deciphering Soldbuch's....

Anyway the story behind the Soldbuch as related to me...(and in the original thread)

"Here is another OT item, but one I think is pretty cool....a Luft Soldbuch, with some SS connections....

The story behind this (take from it what you will)....they were in a static position, in a town somewhere....they would get hit by arty almost every day, pretty accurate arty. They noticed everyday about 20 minutes or so before they got hit, this guy in civilian clothes rode through town on a bike...the told the company commander about it, he told them they can't shoot a civilian....a few more days of getting hit, they got sick of it, and popped this guy as he rode through. The next day they searched him, and found this soldbuch on him (along with a pistol)....He apparently was involved in signals, so possibly he (if the story is true) was a signlas/intel guy, rode through to determine positions, then radioed them back....

True? Who knows....but the Soldbuch is interesting, the guy was in some interesting units...I was never good at reading the Sutterlin script, but I can make out some of the units,

3. Kp./Lg. Nachr. Regt. Kiew....3rd company, Lehrgeschwader (? is this right?) Nachrichten Regiment Kiev (Assuming he was in Russia?)

Also can make out Jagerregiment 31, and looks like 9th Komp, LW Jager Regt 38....

Can anyone else make out any others?

Notice on Page 1 his initial rank entry is as a funker (radioman) SS Sturmann....

Maybe he was Waffen SS and transferred or was assigned to the Luft?

On Page 3 you can see an entry on 5 April 1943 for the Ersatz Komp, LSSAH, which was the replacement company of the 1st SS Panzer Div.... "

The link to the GB thread.... http://forums.gunboards.com/showthread.php?51308-OT-Interesting-Luft-Soldbuch....&highlight=soldbuch

And the original pics...
 

Attachments

  • cover1.jpg
    cover1.jpg
    70.5 KB · Views: 15
  • pg1.jpg
    pg1.jpg
    121.6 KB · Views: 22
  • pg2&3.jpg
    pg2&3.jpg
    111.6 KB · Views: 15
  • pg3.jpg
    pg3.jpg
    83.7 KB · Views: 18
  • pg4.jpg
    pg4.jpg
    111.8 KB · Views: 20
  • weapons.jpg
    weapons.jpg
    96.4 KB · Views: 15
  • clothing.jpg
    clothing.jpg
    80.5 KB · Views: 12
  • clothing2.jpg
    clothing2.jpg
    112.9 KB · Views: 11
  • pg24a.jpg
    pg24a.jpg
    75.7 KB · Views: 9
  • pg24b.jpg
    pg24b.jpg
    76 KB · Views: 9
Another thing I find interesting and adds to the plausibility of the story is the Security Checks on pg. 1...they only go to the second quarter of 1944...April, May, June 1944, no checks after, so its likely he was killed in June/July 1944....
 
Hello Pzjgr,

This is what I can see/read with the aid of the images you posted of this Soldbuch:

Werner Schmidt was a lumber jack from Karlsruhe, he joined the Luftwaffe in October 1941, after some basic training he was assigned to several signal units that operated in the Ukrain.
In december 1942 the LW needs to fill up the ranks of its infantry units and Werner Schimdt is transfered to a LW infantry unit: LW Jäger Rgt 31; a rgt of the 16th LW field division, this unit is formed in Gross Born (you can see this entry clear listed on his unit page).
This unit is based in Holland.
After some basic infantry training he is transfered to Lw Jäger Rgt 38, a rgt of the 19th Lw fielddivision; this divsion is based in Northern France.
In April 1943 he is transfered to the Waffen SS, more exactly to the basic training unit of the SS Leibstandarte division.
- Is he a Waffen SS volunteer or one of those LW men that were forced to join the Waffen SS, I don't know, difficult to tell with the aid of the information of this Soldbuch.
This information could be found in his Wehrpass, volunteer contracts aren't listed in Soldbucher.
But my estimated guess is that he was one of those conscripts that were used to fill up the gaps in the logistic units of the Waffen SS in this case the SSLAH.
For some reason his service ended with the SSLAH a year later in May 1944, he never got out of the basic training unit of the SSLAH, perhaps the most logical explaination is that he never reached the level of physical fitness the SSLAH demanded of its soldiers.
Any how in May 1944 he is back in a LW field unit.
He now joins the staff company of LW Jäger Rgt 45, a LW unit in name only because it is actually a part of the Heer in this period.
Some extra info:
http://www.lexikon-der-wehrmacht.de/Gliederungen/JagerRegL/Gliederung.htm

in september 1944 his unit becomes the 14th company of Grenadier Rgt 73, this unit was based in Denmark.
Because it is a Heer unit his Soldbuch would have been replaced by a Heer example, that is why you don't find entries after this date in it anymore.
GR 73 is part of the 19th Volks Grenadier Division.
http://www.lexikon-der-wehrmacht.de/Gliederungen/Volksgrenadierdivisionen/19VGD.htm


Werner Schmidt saw no or very little combat, that is why he doesn't have any awards, badges or medals and this is also why I'am pretty sure that he survived the war.

I hope this helps,
Peter
 
Interesting observations, and thanks Peter. If any other pages would help, once I dig it back out I can get some more photos...fcccccc
 
Hi pzjgr,

If there are anymore entries made in the Soldbuch by E/SSLAH that could perhaps give a better idea of his function and the reason of his transfer.
But I'am almost 100% sure that he wasn't a Waffen SS volunteer; if he was a Waffen SS volunteer that dropped out during the basic training period of the SSLAH he would have been transfered to a SS guardunit or some other non combat related SS unit, the fact that he transfered back to a LW infantry unit means that he was apperantly loaned to the Waffen SS.
- I hear you asking why?
I would answer: that I don't know, atleast for now I don't.


Cheers,
Peter
 
Cool SB and very good info Peter! I have a SB and matching ID disc to a man that was groundcrew for a Stuka unit, transferred to I believe LAH as well.
 

Military Rifle Journal
Back
Top