My grandpa, 29.ID Falke Division (Hawk Division)

My grandpa was a soldier in the Reichswehr (29. ID Falke Division Hessian) since 1934. 1939 they were send to the western front (France). From 1941 to the end of the war he fought in Russia. 1942 he was wounded by a hand granate. That saved his life, because he was part of the 6th Army. All his comrades died in Stalingrad.
1945 he was a Oberleutnant der Artillerie (EKII) and got a POW (Prague). His P08 he had thrown into a river.
1952 he came back from Russia.

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Very interesting, thanks for posting. It was a very good division. I have a late war combat uniform from this division, the 15th PZ grenadier regiment. After Stalingrad the division was “recreated” in France in mid 1943 from some recovered wounded, like your grandfather, replacement Bn personnel from the various regiments of the division and a lot of other troops both brand new and transfers. It was then sent to Italy where is was heavily engaged for the next 18 months or so.

Very informative

Did he return to the 29th after Stalingrad or was he assigned to another posting after he recuperated? I’m assuming the latter given that he ended the war in Czechoslovakia. These were very tough times for most German soldiers and really civilians as well.

Thank you for sharing those with us!

Great photos and family history. Who’s the little fella on the bike and horse?

CanadianAR said:

Great photos and family history. Who’s the little fella on the bike and horse?

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I don't know. Maybe the son of his commander?? All these photos are pre war.
My grandpa said that they used Minenwerfer, then leichte Infanteriegeschütze and later rocket launcher (schwere Wurfrahmen and Nebelwerfer)

Did your grandfather ever tell you the story behind the photo with the 2 goats? looks like it might be some kind of initiation ritual?
great photos, thanks for sharing them.

Muncher 1953 said:

Did your grandfather ever tell you the story behind the photo with the 2 goats? looks like it might be some kind of initiation ritual?
great photos, thanks for sharing them.

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No, he didn't. I think they were often joking before the war.
Sometimes i have seen photos like this from other units.
An here is his Uniform jacket and hat he had worn when he married my grandma.

Amazing.


Little bro there is kitted out. Reminds me of “The Mascot”

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Philip said:

Very interesting, thanks for posting. It was a very good division. I have a late war combat uniform from this division, the 15th PZ grenadier regiment. After Stalingrad the division was “recreated” in France in mid 1943 from some recovered wounded, like your grandfather, replacement Bn personnel from the various regiments of the division and a lot of other troops both brand new and transfers. It was then sent to Italy where is was heavily engaged for the next 18 months or so.

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When my grandpa was wounded he came to France (Biarritz) and from there to the Entsatzarmee Hoth (Operation Wintergewitter). He said that there they could hear the cannonfire from inside the Kessel of Stalingrad.

I don't know if he was part of the new recreated 29.ID after Stalingrad.

But he was very impressed of the fighting in Karkov. He fought all three battles in that City. An he was a soldier of Heeresgruppe Mitte when the russians destroyed this organisation 1944.

Until he died in 1988 he had two shrapnells in his body from an artillery duell with the sovjets. German soldiers were often wounded like this.

A older friend (WWII veteran) of me had a shrapnell in his neck wich came out 30 years after the war. He was wounded in France as a mechanic at an airfield in a trench when US airplanes flew a low level bomb attack.
Will send more photos. I have some problems with uploading.

A funny thing. In the 80s i had to go to the Bundeswehr. So i came to the artillery too. Like my grandpa i was a rocket artillerist (Fulda gap). (LARS Light Artillery Rocket System)

Sorry for my bad english.

Your English is fine...better than my German these days.

Fascinating stuff...thanks for sharing.