I’d like to share with you a Soldbuch which originally belonged to Feldwebel Peter Heinl, a Tiger I crew member serving in the 2./s.Pz.Abt.503 who was killed on the opening day of Operation Goodwood in Normandy on 18.July 1944, 66 years ago today.
Heinl was a true Panzer veteran, having taken part in both flower wars in 1938, Poland in 1939, France in 1940 and the Soviet Union in 1941. Heinl's original Soldbuch was either lost, damaged or needed to be replaced for some reason as this Zweitschrift Soldbuch was issued on 14.August 1941 through the 11./Pz.Rgt.18, 18.Panzer-Division (notice there is no mention of it being a replacement, however it obviously was!) Heinl was awarded the PAB in Silver on 26.May 1940 (notice it is entered as "Panzerkampfwagenabzeichen"), the EK.II on 19.July 1941, both awards preceding the issue of this Soldbuch. He was awarded the Eastern Front medal on 21.December 1942.
Heinl served in the 11.Kompanie of the 18.Panzer-Division which was outfitted with Panzer IIIs. In late January/early Feb. 1942 Heinl was wounded and admitted to Reserve Laz.XIc Wien on 02.Feb.1942 with a gunshot wound (31a) which although not severe enough to keep him in hospital very long, must have been rather serious as it managed to keep him from returning to his field unit. When he was released from hospital a little over a month later on 09.March 1942 Heinl was sent back to his replacement Abteilung (Pz.Ers.ABt.18) Panzerkampfwager Reserve in Sagan where he would stay for roughly the next year. Interestingly enough, while entitled to the black wound badge for his wound, the award was never entered into his Soldbuch.
In March of 1943, Heinl was transferred to Panzer-Ersatz-Abteilung 500 in Paderborn which was the training unit for heavy Tiger tank units. He was placed in the 2.Kompanie/Pz.Ers.Abt.500 and in August of 1943 Heinl, after receiving a complement of new gear and being issued a Luger pistol, was sent to the eastern front (via 1./Marsch.Kompanie 500) to join his new field unit, 2./schwere-Panzer-Abteilung 503 as a Tiger I crew member. From his arrival shortly after the battle of Kursk, s.Pz.Abt.503 was locked in fierce, continuous and exhausting combat for the next 9 months. At the end of April 1944 the surviving personnel of the Abteilung was ordered to hand off the remainder of the Abteilung’s surviving (7) Tiger I’s to s.Pz.Abt.509 and be withdrawn and rebuilt in Ohrdruf (Thuringia).
Unfortunately, barely any official records of the 2./s.Pz.Abt.503 survived the war and as a result locating any specific information on Heinl has proved to be most difficult and of course extrememly frustrating. However, on page of 21 of “The Combat History of schwere Panzer-Abteilung 503, In Action in the East and West with the Tiger I and II” a excerpt from a company newsletter published in December of 1943 is listed and does make mention of Heinl’s promotion to Feldwebel. It's nice to have his name appear in what is the most comprehensive publication on the unit's history.
Between 11 and 17 June 1944, s.Pz.Abt.503 is outfitted with 45 new Tigers, including 12 Tiger II’s with the “Porsche” turret which were used to form up the 1.Komp (2.and 3. received the Tiger I).
With the allied invasion of Normandy on 06.June 1944, after just a brief 5 week period of rest and refitting s.Pz.Abt.503 was put on full alert and mobilized, leaving the Ohrdruf training area on 26.June 1944 and traveling by rail to Dreux (via Mainz-Homburg-Saarburg-Luneville-Nancy-Pagny sur Maas-Bologne-Chaumont-Melum-Paris-Versailles) with the last of the Abteilung arriving in Dreux on 05.July. After a road march to Canon (near Mezidon) s.Pz.Abt.503 finally reached its assembly area 12 KM south of Caen on 07.July 1944, and here it was attached to Panzer-Regiment 22 (21.Panzer-Division) where they formed up in and around a forest near Maneville.
On 18.July 1944, Peter Heinl was killed on the opening day of Operation Goodwood. Taken from Wikipedia:
While the 1.and 3.Kompanies of s.Pz.Abt.503 received the majority of the casualties on the opening day of “Goodwood” the records of s.Pz.Abt.503 list the following deaths for the 2.Kompanie on 18.July 1944:
18.07.44 Lt. Schröder, Uffz. Westerhausen gefallen
2. Kp.: St.Fw. Hammrich, Fw. Heinl, Fw. Plum gefallen
Some interesting signatures in the book; page 02, 2.Zug Führer Leutnant Walter Bielefeld (KIA Nov 1944 in Hungary) and on pages 14 and 15, 2.Zug Führer Leutnant Werner Cüsow, (KIA 1943).
And now scans of the Soldbuch...
Heinl was a true Panzer veteran, having taken part in both flower wars in 1938, Poland in 1939, France in 1940 and the Soviet Union in 1941. Heinl's original Soldbuch was either lost, damaged or needed to be replaced for some reason as this Zweitschrift Soldbuch was issued on 14.August 1941 through the 11./Pz.Rgt.18, 18.Panzer-Division (notice there is no mention of it being a replacement, however it obviously was!) Heinl was awarded the PAB in Silver on 26.May 1940 (notice it is entered as "Panzerkampfwagenabzeichen"), the EK.II on 19.July 1941, both awards preceding the issue of this Soldbuch. He was awarded the Eastern Front medal on 21.December 1942.
Heinl served in the 11.Kompanie of the 18.Panzer-Division which was outfitted with Panzer IIIs. In late January/early Feb. 1942 Heinl was wounded and admitted to Reserve Laz.XIc Wien on 02.Feb.1942 with a gunshot wound (31a) which although not severe enough to keep him in hospital very long, must have been rather serious as it managed to keep him from returning to his field unit. When he was released from hospital a little over a month later on 09.March 1942 Heinl was sent back to his replacement Abteilung (Pz.Ers.ABt.18) Panzerkampfwager Reserve in Sagan where he would stay for roughly the next year. Interestingly enough, while entitled to the black wound badge for his wound, the award was never entered into his Soldbuch.
In March of 1943, Heinl was transferred to Panzer-Ersatz-Abteilung 500 in Paderborn which was the training unit for heavy Tiger tank units. He was placed in the 2.Kompanie/Pz.Ers.Abt.500 and in August of 1943 Heinl, after receiving a complement of new gear and being issued a Luger pistol, was sent to the eastern front (via 1./Marsch.Kompanie 500) to join his new field unit, 2./schwere-Panzer-Abteilung 503 as a Tiger I crew member. From his arrival shortly after the battle of Kursk, s.Pz.Abt.503 was locked in fierce, continuous and exhausting combat for the next 9 months. At the end of April 1944 the surviving personnel of the Abteilung was ordered to hand off the remainder of the Abteilung’s surviving (7) Tiger I’s to s.Pz.Abt.509 and be withdrawn and rebuilt in Ohrdruf (Thuringia).
Unfortunately, barely any official records of the 2./s.Pz.Abt.503 survived the war and as a result locating any specific information on Heinl has proved to be most difficult and of course extrememly frustrating. However, on page of 21 of “The Combat History of schwere Panzer-Abteilung 503, In Action in the East and West with the Tiger I and II” a excerpt from a company newsletter published in December of 1943 is listed and does make mention of Heinl’s promotion to Feldwebel. It's nice to have his name appear in what is the most comprehensive publication on the unit's history.
Between 11 and 17 June 1944, s.Pz.Abt.503 is outfitted with 45 new Tigers, including 12 Tiger II’s with the “Porsche” turret which were used to form up the 1.Komp (2.and 3. received the Tiger I).
With the allied invasion of Normandy on 06.June 1944, after just a brief 5 week period of rest and refitting s.Pz.Abt.503 was put on full alert and mobilized, leaving the Ohrdruf training area on 26.June 1944 and traveling by rail to Dreux (via Mainz-Homburg-Saarburg-Luneville-Nancy-Pagny sur Maas-Bologne-Chaumont-Melum-Paris-Versailles) with the last of the Abteilung arriving in Dreux on 05.July. After a road march to Canon (near Mezidon) s.Pz.Abt.503 finally reached its assembly area 12 KM south of Caen on 07.July 1944, and here it was attached to Panzer-Regiment 22 (21.Panzer-Division) where they formed up in and around a forest near Maneville.
On 18.July 1944, Peter Heinl was killed on the opening day of Operation Goodwood. Taken from Wikipedia:
“Shortly before dawn the Highland infantry in the southern sector of the Orne bridgehead quietly withdrew 1-kilometre (0.62 mi) north. At 05:45 hours the preliminary aerial bombardment began; 1,056 Handley Page Halifax and Avro Lancaster heavy bombers, flying at 3,000 feet (910 m), dropped 4,800 tons of high explosive bombs on Colombelles, the steelworks, positions of the 21st Panzer Division and the town of Cagny, leaving half the town destroyed. At 06:40 hours the artillery fire plan began, 20 minutes later American B-26 Marauders released 563 tons of fragmentation bombs, from 10,000 feet (3,000 m) –13,000 feet (4,000 m), on the 16th Luftwaffe Division while fighter-bombers attacked strong points and gun positions. During this 45 minute bombardment, by the second wave bombers, the 11th Armoured Division moved out of their concentration areas towards the start line. H Hour was confirmed to take place at 07:45 hours and on schedule the artillery started firing the rolling barrage for the armoured division. As the advance started additional artillery regiments opened fire on Cuverville, Demouville, Giberville, Liberville, Cagny and Émiéville. The heavy guns also carried out harassing fire on targets as far south as Garcelles-Secqueville and Secqueville la Campagne. 15 minutes later the final bombing raid began, American heavy bombers dropped 1,340 tons of fragmentation bombs in the Troarn area and onto the main gun line at Bourguébus Ridge. Only 25 bombers from these three waves were lost, all to German anti aircraft fire, now the operation would be supported from the 800 fighter-bombers of No. 83 and No. 84 Group RAF. The bombing put both the 22nd Panzer Regiment and the 503rd Heavy Panzer Battalion temporarily out of action, various degrees of damage and destruction was caused to the tanks, some were overturned while others were completely destroyed and 20 tanks were abandoned in bomb craters. Most of the German frontline positions had been destroyed and the surviving defenders were left "dazed and incoherent". While many positions were devastated some targets, such as Touffréville and Grentheville, were missed due to dust, smoke and the inability of the bomber crews to identify them. Other German strongholds, such as le Prieuré and le Mesnil Frémentel that lay across the British line of advance and contained Panzergrenadiers and assault guns, lay outside the designated bomb zones and were spared. Cagny and Émiéville had suffered heavily under the bombardment however the defenders were largely unscathed and had time to recover and prepare themselves to meet the attack; both locations having clear lines of fire on the route the British advance was to take. Other formations also recovered, such as the 503rd Heavy Tank Battalion, and got to work digging out their half buried tanks to be ready for action that same morning. While bombs did fall onto Bourguébus Ridge destroying some guns most of the German artillery and anti tank guns were intact."
While the 1.and 3.Kompanies of s.Pz.Abt.503 received the majority of the casualties on the opening day of “Goodwood” the records of s.Pz.Abt.503 list the following deaths for the 2.Kompanie on 18.July 1944:
18.07.44 Lt. Schröder, Uffz. Westerhausen gefallen
2. Kp.: St.Fw. Hammrich, Fw. Heinl, Fw. Plum gefallen
Some interesting signatures in the book; page 02, 2.Zug Führer Leutnant Walter Bielefeld (KIA Nov 1944 in Hungary) and on pages 14 and 15, 2.Zug Führer Leutnant Werner Cüsow, (KIA 1943).
And now scans of the Soldbuch...
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