While being reconstituted in Denmark, StuG.Brgd.280 was first stationed in Åbenrå where it was attached to the 363.I.D. By the end of June the unit had been fully reestablished with personnel but had not yet received any new Sturmgeschütz. On 1.July the brigade was moved to Strellov in western Jutland and placed under the command of the 160.Reserve Division, which was based in Holsted. StuG.Brigade 280’s Stab and 1.Batterie were located in Strellov, the 2. and 3. Batteries in Lyhne and Ølgod, just north-east of Oksbøl.
Operation Market Garden was launched on Sunday, 17.September 1944. In response to the attack, reinforcements were feverously sought out and acquisitioned wherever possible in an attempt to help bolster the Wehrmacht and Waffen-SS forces already fighting in Holland and to assist them in neutralizing and eliminating the Allied airborne and armored assaults focused on creating a path through Holland, across the Rhine and straight into the Ruhr while simultaneously eliminating the battered and decimated units retreating eastwards towards the Reich after having been smashed in Normandy.
It was not until early September 1944 that StuG. Brigade 280 started to receive the first of its new assault guns; records show that 9 StuH.42 had been shipped to the unit on 1.September, 22 StuG.III shipped on 6.September, an additional 9 StuH.42 shipped on 7 September and another 17 StuG.III were shipped on 24.September. These are of course only the dates these vehicles were shipped to the brigade and do represent the unit’s actual strength at the start of Market Garden.
Sturmgeschütz-Brigade 280 had been reconstituted in accordance with K.St.N446a* and at full strength would have had of a total of 31 assault guns; A Batterietruppe with one StuG.III ausf.G (for the brigade commander) and three assault gun batteries. Each batterie consisted of three Zuge with a total of 10 Sturmgeschütze ; one for the Zug Gruppeführer and the other 9 distributed equally amongst the three Zuge.
*K.St.N446a allowed for either three StuG.III ausf.G or three Sturmhaubitze 42 in the 2.Zug.
As of 17.September StuG.Brgd.280 had not yet received its full complement of vehicles, and as a result it could not be deployed at brigade strength. Therefore, the decision was made to send only the 3.Batterie to assist in the fighting in and around Arnhem. At the time of its mobilization and deployment, 3.Batterie/StuG.Brigade 280 consisted of 10 assault guns: One StuG.III ausf.G for the Gruppeführer (Major Kurt Kühme), six StuG.III ausf.G in the 1.Zug and 3. Zug (3 each) and three 10,5cm StuH.42 in the 2.Zug.
Below is a diagram showing the composition of 3.Batterie/StuG.Brgd.280 when it was deployed to Arnhem during Market Garden and a portrait photo of Major Kurt Khüme. Also shown is a shot of Kühme's StuG.III ausf.G.
The last image is an outstanding studio portrait of Herman Wehner taken shortly before his 3.Brigade was deployed to the fighting in Arnhem during Market Garden. Notice that he is wearing field gray Sonderbekleidung (with litzen style collar tabs) on which he is proudly wearing his EKII ribbon, GAB and black wound badge. The portrait is very large and the clarity is razor sharp; In hand you can make out the individual threads holding the collar tabs to the wrap(!)
Operation Market Garden was launched on Sunday, 17.September 1944. In response to the attack, reinforcements were feverously sought out and acquisitioned wherever possible in an attempt to help bolster the Wehrmacht and Waffen-SS forces already fighting in Holland and to assist them in neutralizing and eliminating the Allied airborne and armored assaults focused on creating a path through Holland, across the Rhine and straight into the Ruhr while simultaneously eliminating the battered and decimated units retreating eastwards towards the Reich after having been smashed in Normandy.
It was not until early September 1944 that StuG. Brigade 280 started to receive the first of its new assault guns; records show that 9 StuH.42 had been shipped to the unit on 1.September, 22 StuG.III shipped on 6.September, an additional 9 StuH.42 shipped on 7 September and another 17 StuG.III were shipped on 24.September. These are of course only the dates these vehicles were shipped to the brigade and do represent the unit’s actual strength at the start of Market Garden.
Sturmgeschütz-Brigade 280 had been reconstituted in accordance with K.St.N446a* and at full strength would have had of a total of 31 assault guns; A Batterietruppe with one StuG.III ausf.G (for the brigade commander) and three assault gun batteries. Each batterie consisted of three Zuge with a total of 10 Sturmgeschütze ; one for the Zug Gruppeführer and the other 9 distributed equally amongst the three Zuge.
*K.St.N446a allowed for either three StuG.III ausf.G or three Sturmhaubitze 42 in the 2.Zug.
As of 17.September StuG.Brgd.280 had not yet received its full complement of vehicles, and as a result it could not be deployed at brigade strength. Therefore, the decision was made to send only the 3.Batterie to assist in the fighting in and around Arnhem. At the time of its mobilization and deployment, 3.Batterie/StuG.Brigade 280 consisted of 10 assault guns: One StuG.III ausf.G for the Gruppeführer (Major Kurt Kühme), six StuG.III ausf.G in the 1.Zug and 3. Zug (3 each) and three 10,5cm StuH.42 in the 2.Zug.
Below is a diagram showing the composition of 3.Batterie/StuG.Brgd.280 when it was deployed to Arnhem during Market Garden and a portrait photo of Major Kurt Khüme. Also shown is a shot of Kühme's StuG.III ausf.G.
The last image is an outstanding studio portrait of Herman Wehner taken shortly before his 3.Brigade was deployed to the fighting in Arnhem during Market Garden. Notice that he is wearing field gray Sonderbekleidung (with litzen style collar tabs) on which he is proudly wearing his EKII ribbon, GAB and black wound badge. The portrait is very large and the clarity is razor sharp; In hand you can make out the individual threads holding the collar tabs to the wrap(!)
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