Heer Pz.Pi.Btl Grossdeutschland Grouping

[hucks216]

This is a more recent addition to the collection then the Pz.Rgt GD Officers citation grouping and one of my favourite acquisitions of the year. The grouping consists of 4 citations, a wound tag, insignia and a handful of photos for a soldier who served as a Sturmboot Pionier in Infantry Rgt Grossdeutschland and stayed with that unit all through its various reorganisations, eventually being evacuated from the East in April 1945 as a member of Pz.Pi.Btl GD due to injury.

I was thrilled to get this set as the EK II citation bears the very rarely seen signature of Grossdeutschland's first official commander - Oberst/Generalmajor Wilhelm-Hunald von Stockhausen.

[hucks216]

Next up we have his Wound Badge In Black citation signed by Oberstleutnant Foellmer of GD's Replacement Btl organisation. He was originally the commanding officer of Infantry Ers.Btl 99 (mot.) in 1940 that acted as a replacement unit for GD before & during the French Campaign in 1940 and was eventually absorbed into Grossdeutschland.

[hucks216]

The Infantry Assault Badge In Bronze citation is signed by Oberst Kohler. He would be killed in action in December 1942 during the bitter and heavy fighting in the Luchesa Valley while commanding a GD Kampfgruppe.

[hucks216]

Unfortunately I have not been able to positively identify the signature of the Company Cdr on the Eastern Front Medal citation.

[hucks216]

And the wound tag that saw Guenter Teifke evacuated away from the fighting in the East and escape Russian captivity, or death, in the final battles in East Prussia.

Edited November 27, 2010 by hucks216

[hucks216]

Teifke's insignia...

[hucks216]

Photo 1 - Guenter Teifke is the soldier sitting on the left of the image (as you look at it)...

[hucks216]

Photo 2 - a good image of Teifke wearing the Sturmboot Pionier insignia on his upper left arm...

[hucks216]

Photo 3 - Teifke in a more formal pose taken sometime between March & August 1942 seeing as he is not yet wearing his Infantry Assault Badge...

Edited November 27, 2010 by hucks216

[hucks216]

And finally - of the 15 or so photos that came with the group this is my personal favourite and is a rare photo of Teifke wearing an assault gun type wrapper with his GD & Sturmboot Pionier insignia...

[Naxos]

And the wound tag that saw Guenter Teifke evacuated away from the fighting in the East and escape Russian captivity, or death, in the final battles in East Prussia.

Very nice and interesting group!

His Inury

contusio cerebri (bruising of the brain tissue) durch Verschüttung

He received a traumatic brain injury caused by him being buried in a cave-in.

Edited November 27, 2010 by Naxos

[hucks216]

Very nice and interesting group!

His Inury

contusio cerebri (bruising of the brain tissue) durch Verschüttung

He received a traumatic brain injury caused by him being buried in a cave-in.

Thank you for translating that. His luck might not of been so good after all!

[Naxos]

Unfortunately I have not been able to positively identify the signature of the Company Cdr on the Eastern Front Medal citation.

Hauptmann Wenzel

[hucks216]

Hauptmann Wenzel

Fantastic! :beer:

[Paul R]

Another great document grouping! I wonder what year he joined the service. It is nice to see that he made Feldwebel!

[Naxos]

Another great document grouping! I wonder what year he joined the service. It is nice to see that he made Feldwebel!

He was born in February 1918 - was Unteroffizer in 1941 - the number on the ID tag is rather low (Pi.Ers.Batl.2 was created in summer 1939)

I think he must have joined the combat engineers in the fall of 1939 (after a civilian apprenticeship or service in the Reichsarbeitsdienst)

Edited November 28, 2010 by Naxos

[Paul R]

That stinks... he made it through the entire war to be permanently disabled in the final days. I hope that he was able to pursue a decent life afterwards.By the look in his final photo, he received either the WB in Silver or Gold.

[spanferkel]

Nice document grouping/insignia!!

Jeremy

Edited November 28, 2010 by spanferkel

[Gordon Craig]

hucks216,

Very nice grouping. Extra special to get the artifacts with photos showing them in wear. Something each of us would love to have.

Regards,

Gordon