Heer Feldgendarmerie Pair

[Gordon Williamson]

Picked up this set thanks to Ian Jewison. Nice pair to a former Flak soldier who joined the Feldgendarmerie of 9 Panzer Division.

The Division was decimated during the Kursk Offensive and was reformed in France in early 1944. I am guessing that this guy was one of those who were transferred into the Division when it was rebuilt. The Division fought through the Normandy campaign and in the Ardennes Offensive. In 1945 it took part in a disastrous push towards the bridge at Remagen,which saw it virtually destroyed again, with only 600 men out of the entire Division surviving. Most of the remnants were trapped in the Ruhr pocket where they finally surrendered.

Silver Wound Badge docs to Feldgendarmerie are relatively rare and this one seems to have been earned during the horrendous battering that the Division took in February/March 1945.

[hucks216]

Nice little set.

Taken from Fire Brigades by Kamen Nevenkin - On 23 February [1945] the American troops mounted a massive offensive in Juelich area (northeast of Aachen) (Operation Grenade) and on the same day succeeded in crossing the Ruhr. The [9 Panzer] Division was immediately moved to the front and by 24 February was committed to fighting between Juelich and Dueren. It offered fierce resistance, but was unable to withstand the enemy pressure and began gradually to retreat to the east. In the first days of March, 9 PD was involved in heavy fighting in the vicinity of Cologne. The city of Cologne itself was lost on 6 March and on the next day the division was deployed to its north.

It does go on to say that when the Americans formed the Remagen bridgehead some elements of 9PD (probably the armoured elements only) were transferred south to attack the bridgehead but some elements remained in the Cologne area.

[nesredep]

Hi!

Very nice set.

Morten.