Fuehrer Grenadier Division Wehrpass

[Doug Nash]

Hi - Just got an interesting Wehrpass for a guy assigned to the Fuehrer Grenadier Division on 15 February 1945. Had close-combat credit for fighting Slovak partisans, which is probably rare, as well as battle credits for Kursk and the retreat from the Dnieper, the Hube Pocket, etc. The interesting thing is a bit of an anomaly --- the entry that assigns him to Stabskp./Pz.Pio.Btl. "Fuehrer Grenadier Division" is 15 Feb. 45, but it appears he was discharged on 18 Feb. 45, 3 days later. See scans for further details. But what I would like to know is whether any of you out there can explain this anomaly - was he or was he not ever really in the FGD? Or would his assignment to a combat unit in Feb. 45 overide any type of discharge, medical or otherwise? He had no record of wounds or sickness entered in this rather interesting Wehrpass.
Thanks -
Regards,
Doug Nash

[Doug Nash]

Here's another page

Show units

[Doug Nash]

And another showing campaigns

n/t

[Doug Nash]

And the last page

This is the page that shows him recieving Entlassungsgeld on 18 Feb 45.

[milcollector]

I would say he did not see much service with that unit.

You can see before he was in "genesenden" units, so he was not very healthy.
Also note the type of units he served with earlier. Vehicle columns and other non-combat units.
This guy appears to be a second rate soldier, so I would say defnitely he was invalided out just after joining the FGD, just as the wehrpass suggests.

Interesting late war service entries though. A nice wehrpass.

[Doug Nash]

Oops!

I just realized I posted this message in the wrong bloody place! Should have posted it in the Wehrpass/Soldbuch section! Oh well....anyone else is welcome to weigh in!

[Doug Nash]

Fuehrer-Grenadier Division

Yes, he seemed to have spent an inordinate amount of time in training and convalescent units, but on the other hand he does have 10 months of front-line combat, including action against partisans. Also, his armored bridgelaying unit was in direct support of III.Pz.Korps and 1.Pz.Armee so it is probably safe to say that no armored attack would go anywhere without his bridging column close at hand!
I checked the Volksbund and apparently this fellow survived the war, at least he was not listed. So, unless I write the WaSt, I probably will never know the "Rest of the Story" as Paul Harvey says. Besides, I have several documents in my collection where a soldier was medically discharged and recalled during the last 2 or 3 months of the war to fight until he was killed, wounded or captured. Anyone else have an opinion out there about this fellow?
Cheers,
Doug

[Gary T]

Is there any other mention of FGD in the book? FP stamps etc?

[Doug Nash]

Fgd

Gary,
None, except the one shown that shows his assignment date of 15 February. But there are no further entries closing out his service - I am inclined to think that he did serve with the division, in spite of the medical discharge - at that time, they were pretty draconian with the medical exempts, since he was not wounded or did not seem to suffer from any medical disability, my gut feeling is that his discharge was overruled and he was made to serve. Only way to know is to write the WaSt. Another 5 months wait!
Regards,
Doug

[Gary T]

Doug,

I'll be honest and say I don't particularly like that entry although the scan quality is a bit poor...it lloks too much like the writing I've seen in other WPs. Usually before a discharge a man's unit is recorded as some kind of Heeres-Entlassungstelle.

I'd find it unusual for him to be be posted to a field unit and then be discharged three says later. I've never come across a field unit carrying out discharges - apart from the May 1945 variety. It could of course be okay..

On the page opposite the release payment...what unit and date is that from?

Cheers,
Gary.

[milcollector]

I think the last unit entry is good, simply because the entry immediately prior is a march unit which was transporting him to the Fuhrer Grenadier Division.
It looks perfectly correct to me.
They would not finish his unit history up with a march unit.

[Gary T]

I think the last unit entry is good, simply because the entry immediately prior is a march unit which was transporting him to the Fuhrer Grenadier Division.
It looks perfectly correct to me.
They would not finish his unit history up with a march unit.

And they wouldn't leave it open ended when he was discharged. Neither would a medical or a discharge be done from a field unit.

He could well have been a permanent member of the marschkompanie staff...it doesn't mean he personally was being sent to another unit.

I would like to see a better scan...from what I can see so far I'd pass on it.