Luftwaffe FJR 13 EK2 Doc

[Brian R]

Here is a nice EK2 document to a a member of FJR 13. The information below is the best I have - I pieced much of it together from a post P Keating wrote on another forum a few years ago.

FJR 13 was basically destroyed in the Normandy town of St. Lo in July, 2004. Some survivors went on to fight in the Falaise Gap, the retreat over the Seine and into Holland during September and October. The regiment was reformed in Den Haag in November, 1944. Lt-General Wilke signed this doc although he had officially left command of 5 FJD in late September. He stayed on until Ludwig Heilmann formally assumed command in December 1944. He may have, as a last gesture, awarded Iron Crosses to all of the Normandy veterans who didn't already have one.

Also, this document appears to have lazerett written on the top right corner in faint pencil meaning this could have been awarded while Voight was recovering from wounds in the hospital.

Thoughts on this?

Edited April 27, 2008 by Brian R

[Brian R]

Anyone? Mr. Keating?

[ERIC]

Hello Brian,

I can add this to the thread for you - I have a wartime picture (signed) of Wilke as a Generalmajor and the writing, I presume in his own hand, on the reverse. It gives a little overview of his movements. Not much help, but I thought you might find it interesting!

ERIC

[ERIC]

Photo Reverse:

[Chris Boonzaier]

I think it is a nice piece. I have a number of docs that went the same route.

Proposed by the regiment, issued by the division... by the time they filter down to the company the guy is wounded, his present address penciled in (Often hospital) and forwarded to him.

What a great pity there is not a pass to see where the guy was wounded!

[nesredep]

Hello Brian,

I can add this to the thread for you - I have a wartime picture (signed) of Wilke as a Generalmajor and the writing, I presume in his own hand, on the reverse. It gives a little overview of his movements. Not much help, but I thought you might find it interesting!

ERIC

Hello!

Very nice.

All the best

Nesredep

[PKeating]

FJR13 was originally formed in France, in Reims, from III./FJR3 as the first step in creating 5. Fallschirmj?ger-Division, commanded by Generalleutnant und RKT Gustav Wilke until September 1944. 5. FJD formed up in Reims on March 2nd 1944 although the order was posted on November 5th 1943. The cadre of the new division consisted of the Fallschirmj?ger-Lehr-Bataillon, III./FJR3 and III./FJR4 and several thousand new recruits.

Cadre for I./FJR 13 came from III./FJR 3 but I./FJR 13 became I./FJR 15 in May 1944, by which time the regiment was in Brittany with 5. FJD, forming in the Rennes area under Wilke. II./FJR 13 was based in Lanr?las and, like the rest of the regiment bar the 1st Bn, was still in a formative stage when the Allies landed in Normandy. Wilke was initially only able to field Fallschirmj?ger-Rgt 15, composed as follows: II./FJR 15, I./FJR 13, originally formed from III./FJR 3 and redesignated I./FJR 15 and I./FJR 14, formed from III./FJR 4. FJR 15 fought with 17. SS-Pz.-Gren Division in the Saint-L? zone and then with 77. Infanterie-Division. 5. FJD received reinforcements in September 1944 and throughout the rest of the autumn.

I think it is reasonable to assume that J?ger Voight was either one of the trained soldiers sent to the front by Wilke just after D-Day or that he reached the front a bit later. It does seem that he was wounded in Normandy or during the retreat across the Seine and into the Netherlands. Hard to say from where he might originally have come. He was probably para-trained. They were still putting people through jump schools in France in July 1944, as documents I have from a 5. FJD medic show. A written enquiry to the WASt might turn up more information. Other elements of FJR 13 and of 5. FJD in general joined the battle through July and August, as the Stab/FJR 13 group here shows: http://forum.axishistory.com/viewtopic.php?f=23&t=45659

Gustav Wilke, who died in 1977, was in command of 5. Fallschirmj?ger-Division from 1.4.1944 to 23.9.1944 but his replacement, Ludwig Heilmann, is not listed as taking up his new post until 16.11.1944. That's a nice photograph of Wilke wearing his 1939 Spange. He was awarded the RK on 24.5.1940. He also held the 1914 EK2. Wilke was also a qualified military pilot, having transferred from the Heer to the Luftwaffe in 1935. Before and during the early part of the war, he served with airlanding units, commanding Luftlandegeschwader 1 from July 1940 to August 1941 before spending over a year as the Luftwaffe's special representative to the Messerschmidt Works, involved in the development of heavy transport gliders. He then went to the 1. LW-Feld-Division as commander under Eugen Meindl. For three months, he was in command of 2. FJD, from December 1943 to March 1944, when Ramcke was wounded. Wilke was then posted to 5. FJD. He also commanded 9. and 10. FJD before the end of the war.

Nice document.

PK

Edited May 28, 2008 by PKeating

[PKeating]

An FJR 13 company moving into positions near the Norman village of Champs des Losques. Just children...

Another 5. FJD survivor of the Normandy maelstrom, although he died young in the 1960s. Note the date he qualified as a paratrooper at Dreux, which is some eighty kilometres west of Paris. His jump licence was issued at divisional HQ on 20.7.1944 just as the Saint-L? battle was drawing to a close. He is wearing the cloth jump badge to which the rare award document refers. The look on his face says it all, really... The group includes several dozen photos from his time in the Flak-Artillerie and he was a very fresh-faced lad under normal circumstances. The jump licence served as his ID because he probably lost his paybook. Note the French annotation. Some of his POW documents are in French. Barth might even have given Voight first aid.

Again, the Voight document is very nice. What a shame it's alone.

PK

Edited May 28, 2008 by PKeating