Wehrpass PAK Gunner Lorient

[Stoppelhopser]

I want to share this Wehrpass with you:

Feldwebel Heinz Moelter entered the Wehrmacht as a volunteer in 1938 and signed to be soldier until 1950 - just enough to get the 12 year Wehrmacht duty medal.

The Wehrpass is full of entries and lasts until the surrender of Festung Lorient on may 8th in 1945. I am afraid there is no Lorient shield entry.

He was trained on the 3,7cm anti tank gun (Czech model) and served in Infanterie Geschütz Grenadier Regiment 895 during his duty as defender at the Altantic coast in northern France, starting in mid 1943.
So I think he was commanding a anti tank gun crew in France and in Lorient.

He was awarded the war merit cross 2nd class and the eastern front medal.

He served in Russia with 96. ID and saw lots of action in famous fighting areas, including anti partisan fights. He has been wounded, but never received any black wound badge.

Grenadier Regiment 895 was part of 265. ID, which took part in the battles of Normandy, Bretagne and finally was defending Lorient from the beginning to the bitter end (with only little amount of soldiers which survived the heavy fightings and retreats in Normandy and Bretagne).

All Lorient entries are written with a pencil, including a number on top of page 1, which I refer as a Festungs-Feldpostnummer of Lorient. I have no doubt about these entries are genuine. There is a Lorient Festungs Stamm Nr. (804i) as well.

All in all I think this is a nice matching Wehrpass of a brave NCO, including very interesting and rare entries. Not a common pick up.

I hope you like it!

Feel free to comment.

Regards,
Stefan

[Stoppelhopser]

more

[Stoppelhopser]

Units and training entries

[Stoppelhopser]

promotions, awards and his duty extension until 1950

[Stoppelhopser]

Very interesting battle entries:
France 1940 and 1941 (occupation), Russia just from the early beginning! Fightings against partisans in summer 1941.
Leningrad, Nowgorod, Newa

43- august 1944: Küstenschutz an der französischen Kanal und Atlantikküste
august 1944 until may 8th - the end of war: Verteidigung der Festung Lorient

That's it.

[Edward]

Nice Wehrpass Stephan. I like the Heers Unteroffizier Schule in Potsdam entry. Also, the page 26 entry-notice making him a 12 year career soldier.

[Edward]

Nice Wehrpass Stephan. I like the Heers Unteroffizier Schule in Potsdam entry. Also, the page 26 entry-notice making him a 12 year career soldier until 1950!

[Stoppelhopser]

You are right. There are several Stamps and entries of this school. Is this anything special?

On the special training site you can read he had a shooting course (Infanterie Geschütz) at Waffenschule Döberitz. Additional he is appropriated to command a 3,7cm gun crew and permittet to be a Zugführer.

Kind Regards,
Stefan

[Edward]

You are right. There are several Stamps and entries of this school. Is this anything special?

On the special training site you can read he had a shooting course (Infanterie Geschütz) at Waffenschule Döberitz. Additional he is appropriated to command a 3,7cm gun crew and permittet to be a Zugführer.

Kind Regards,
Stefan

Nothing unusual. I just liked the fact that the school was in Potsdam. Such school entries are standard for a career soldier who was under going training as part of his Unteroffizier requirements.

[Luft 76]

Nice Wp, indeed ! But note that 13. (IG) Kp. was not an antitank unit but an heavy company (light artillery or heavy mortars), supporting infantery units in the Inf. and later Gren. Regt.
The 14.Kp was Panzerjäger.
Note also that parts of the Gren. Regt. 865 stayed in Britany during sommer 44, and were not in Normandy with the others parts of the 265.ID. So they joined the Festung Lorient when US troops arrived in south Britany in the beginning of August. Yours was one of them.

[Stoppelhopser]

Thanks a lot Luft76!

Hans Moelter was in a Pz.Jäg.Kompanie during the campaign in Russia.

Being trained on 3,7cm PAK I do not think he was in a IG crew nor just a foot soldier.

I got my information about the troop settlements from lexikon-der-wehrmacht:


http://www.lexikon-der-wehrmacht.de/...nter/GR895.htm

There it is written, that Gr.Reg. 895 has been destroyed in Normandy and its poor leftovers were sent to fortresses.

This Wehrpass will be for sale on the estand for about one week.

Kind regards,
Stefan

[Stoppelhopser]

I think I have found the solution within the entries itself:

We should have a look on the training entry of Waffenschule Döberitz in february 1944, just after joining 13. Infanterie-Geschütz Abteilung:

Lehrgang für Schiessende, s. I.G. Inspektion Schiess-Schule

So he has been trained on Infanteriegeschütze just a few months before the invasion started.

An interesting fact now is, that before having that training, he has been part of 15. I.G. Gren.Rgt. for about 6 months, without any training on I.G.

Did 15. I.G. Gren. Rgt. have any anti tank guns?


But where are your information about Gren. Rgt. 895 from? (You wrote 865, but i think you thought about 895)

I refer my information about this Regiment on the link posted above:

According to this homepage, Gren. Rgt. 895 and parts of 265. ID saw action in Normandy.

Kind regards,
Stefan

[Luft 76]

Sorry for my mistake about 895. But it is true that II./GR 895 with the heavy Kp. stayed in Britany.
This man was first in a Pz jager Kp. or Batl. but later joined a schwere Kp. Indeed 13. (JG) is a Infanterie Geschutz unit. In a infantery regiment, the 15. Kp was perhaps a Flak Kp or a Pionier Kp.
For me, all that is not a problem !

[peterm]

He was NOT awarded a war merit cross II. class - he was awarded an IRON CROSS II. class.
I'm also sure, he got a black wound badge although there is no entry in the award-area for it.

Kind regards,

Peter