Hey all,
I'd like to share this Soldbuch and Wehrpass set I have in my collection. It originally belonged to a NCO by the name of Ernst Buss who served his entire military career (from 1937 to 1945) with Machine Gun Battalion 4 which, along with M.G.Btl.s 13 and 14, was used to form "M.G. Ski-Brigade Finnland" in July of 1944.
Buss served first in the Stabsabteilung/M.G.Btl.4 from 05.November 1937 through 11.Feb.1940, then the Krad-M.G.Kp./M.G.Btl.4 from 12.Feb.1940 through 31.July 1944 and finally, from 31.July 1944 through wars end, Stabskompanie/M.G.Btl.4, M.G.Ski-Brigade Finland.
Both books are chock full of entries. The WP features a very nice pre-war photo of Buss in his DRK uniform with the red cross tabs clearly visible. According to the entries on pages 06 and 21, Buss was probably a radio operator. The Soldbuch was re-covered in late 1944/1945 and as you can see, the photo from the original cover was removed and reattached to the inside front of the new cover. Notice that the clerk who preformed this repair did not bother to add a new set of stamps over the photo! The only stamps visible are the portions on the photo from when it was originally attached to the old cover. Had Buss’s Soldbuch turned up without his matching Wehrpass to confirm it really is him, I personally would have wrote this one off as a post-war added photo. Notice that you can see the Machine Gun and '4' ciphers on his shoulder straps (denoting Machine gun regiment 4).
Also worth pointing out is the list of winter clothing Buss was issued (pasted in sheet on page 08a) some of which includes a fur lined jacket, pants, gloves, hat and jacket, felt lined ski boots and guard boots, a cold weather suit, gloves and cap, Anorak with pants, and a brassard for camouflage clothing, all necessary to help prevent freezing to death in the -35+ degree weather they would experience in the brutal Finnish winters.
Throughout his career Buss received the following awards: westwall medal, war merit cross second class with swords, eastern front medal, Iron Cross second class and lastly the Lappland shield which was awarded on 28.July 1945 through "M.G. Ski Brigade Finnland.”
Another interesting detail worth mentioning is that Ernst Buss took part in Operation "Weserübung Süd," the invasion of Denmark. On 09.April 1940, M.G.Btl.4, attached to the 11.Schützen-Brigade, crossed the German/Danish boarder and headed north along the west coast of Denmark traveling through Ribe, Esbjerg and Holstebro, then made its way east to Aalborg (to support the 7. Flieger-Division Fallschirmjäger landings there) Throughout the entire journey they met no resistance. In the following days the battalion continued north to Skagen and then finally ended up in port city of Frederikshavn. After a short period of rest, the battalion boarded the freighters "Leunas" and "Campinas" in the port of Aalborg, crossed the Kattegat and then the Skagerrak and arrived in Oslo in order to assist in the fighting that was still taking place in central Norway. From 28 April to 10 June 1940 the companies of the battalion were divided in combat teams and took part in the fighting for Elverum and Trysil. For more information on the battalion’s actions in Norway, see here.
On 03 July 1941, M.G.Btl.4 crossed the Norwegian/Finnish boarder and headed through Salmijärvi, Jvalo, Sodankylä, Kemijärvi arriving at Salla, (see the “Festung Salla” entries on page 32 of the WP) where they clashed with Soviet forces in intense combat during which the battalion endured heavy casualties. In September and October 1941 the battalion went on to suffer additional losses during the fighting on the Liza river, and from November 1941 through May 1942 (while under the command of SS-Division Nord) were engaged in combat around Kiestinki where they suffered even further casualties during the defensive fighting of the Soviet 1942 spring offensive. The fighting was brutal and bloody with relentless artillery fire, hand to hand combat and tank attacks (KVIs and T-34s of the 374 separate tank battalion, 26th Army) but the repeated waves of Soviet attackers were repelled and, by late May, finally defeated.
The battalion awarded 14 EKIs and 66 EKIIs for the fighting in Kiestinki. Buss was one of those 66 Soldiers from M.G.Btl.4 who received the EKII for these battles (his was awarded on 18.May 1942.)
For the next 2+ years, from July 1942 through September 1944, Buss partook in "Stellungskampfe" in Northern Finland and then, in September 1944 under the command of the 20.Gebirgs-Armee began the retreat south through Finland, into Norway. I honestly do not know much about the unit’s retreat from Finland into Norway, other than they participated in battles against the Finnish in Kemi and Tornio in the autumn of 1944 and surrendered to the Allies in Hamar, Norway in May, 1945. Perhaps someone who has better knowledge of this subject can help by contributing any information on the battalion's actions during the last 8 to 10 months of the war.
I hope you enjoy the scans, and if anyone can help identify some of the signatures I’d be most appreciative!
Thanks,
Rob
I'd like to share this Soldbuch and Wehrpass set I have in my collection. It originally belonged to a NCO by the name of Ernst Buss who served his entire military career (from 1937 to 1945) with Machine Gun Battalion 4 which, along with M.G.Btl.s 13 and 14, was used to form "M.G. Ski-Brigade Finnland" in July of 1944.
Buss served first in the Stabsabteilung/M.G.Btl.4 from 05.November 1937 through 11.Feb.1940, then the Krad-M.G.Kp./M.G.Btl.4 from 12.Feb.1940 through 31.July 1944 and finally, from 31.July 1944 through wars end, Stabskompanie/M.G.Btl.4, M.G.Ski-Brigade Finland.
Both books are chock full of entries. The WP features a very nice pre-war photo of Buss in his DRK uniform with the red cross tabs clearly visible. According to the entries on pages 06 and 21, Buss was probably a radio operator. The Soldbuch was re-covered in late 1944/1945 and as you can see, the photo from the original cover was removed and reattached to the inside front of the new cover. Notice that the clerk who preformed this repair did not bother to add a new set of stamps over the photo! The only stamps visible are the portions on the photo from when it was originally attached to the old cover. Had Buss’s Soldbuch turned up without his matching Wehrpass to confirm it really is him, I personally would have wrote this one off as a post-war added photo. Notice that you can see the Machine Gun and '4' ciphers on his shoulder straps (denoting Machine gun regiment 4).
Also worth pointing out is the list of winter clothing Buss was issued (pasted in sheet on page 08a) some of which includes a fur lined jacket, pants, gloves, hat and jacket, felt lined ski boots and guard boots, a cold weather suit, gloves and cap, Anorak with pants, and a brassard for camouflage clothing, all necessary to help prevent freezing to death in the -35+ degree weather they would experience in the brutal Finnish winters.
Throughout his career Buss received the following awards: westwall medal, war merit cross second class with swords, eastern front medal, Iron Cross second class and lastly the Lappland shield which was awarded on 28.July 1945 through "M.G. Ski Brigade Finnland.”
Another interesting detail worth mentioning is that Ernst Buss took part in Operation "Weserübung Süd," the invasion of Denmark. On 09.April 1940, M.G.Btl.4, attached to the 11.Schützen-Brigade, crossed the German/Danish boarder and headed north along the west coast of Denmark traveling through Ribe, Esbjerg and Holstebro, then made its way east to Aalborg (to support the 7. Flieger-Division Fallschirmjäger landings there) Throughout the entire journey they met no resistance. In the following days the battalion continued north to Skagen and then finally ended up in port city of Frederikshavn. After a short period of rest, the battalion boarded the freighters "Leunas" and "Campinas" in the port of Aalborg, crossed the Kattegat and then the Skagerrak and arrived in Oslo in order to assist in the fighting that was still taking place in central Norway. From 28 April to 10 June 1940 the companies of the battalion were divided in combat teams and took part in the fighting for Elverum and Trysil. For more information on the battalion’s actions in Norway, see here.
On 03 July 1941, M.G.Btl.4 crossed the Norwegian/Finnish boarder and headed through Salmijärvi, Jvalo, Sodankylä, Kemijärvi arriving at Salla, (see the “Festung Salla” entries on page 32 of the WP) where they clashed with Soviet forces in intense combat during which the battalion endured heavy casualties. In September and October 1941 the battalion went on to suffer additional losses during the fighting on the Liza river, and from November 1941 through May 1942 (while under the command of SS-Division Nord) were engaged in combat around Kiestinki where they suffered even further casualties during the defensive fighting of the Soviet 1942 spring offensive. The fighting was brutal and bloody with relentless artillery fire, hand to hand combat and tank attacks (KVIs and T-34s of the 374 separate tank battalion, 26th Army) but the repeated waves of Soviet attackers were repelled and, by late May, finally defeated.
The battalion awarded 14 EKIs and 66 EKIIs for the fighting in Kiestinki. Buss was one of those 66 Soldiers from M.G.Btl.4 who received the EKII for these battles (his was awarded on 18.May 1942.)
For the next 2+ years, from July 1942 through September 1944, Buss partook in "Stellungskampfe" in Northern Finland and then, in September 1944 under the command of the 20.Gebirgs-Armee began the retreat south through Finland, into Norway. I honestly do not know much about the unit’s retreat from Finland into Norway, other than they participated in battles against the Finnish in Kemi and Tornio in the autumn of 1944 and surrendered to the Allies in Hamar, Norway in May, 1945. Perhaps someone who has better knowledge of this subject can help by contributing any information on the battalion's actions during the last 8 to 10 months of the war.
I hope you enjoy the scans, and if anyone can help identify some of the signatures I’d be most appreciative!
Thanks,
Rob
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