Soldbuch - wounded 8.June 1944, Allied invasion of Normandy

[Panzer Rob]

Hi all-

This is just one of many IDs that has arrived recently and considering the date I figured it would be appropriate to post it here. It's actually a very small group consisting of simply a Soldbuch and black wound badge award document to Rudolf Otto, a radio operator who was wounded on 8.June 1944 in Normandy while serving with 2./Panzer-Gruppen-Nachrichten-Abteilung 676.

Otto's Soldbuch was issued on 11.March 1940 through 4./Panzer-Nachrichten-Ersatz-Abteilung 81 which was a signals replacement unit stationed in Weimar. On the inside front cover is a portrait photo of a rather stoic-looking Otto wearing his Waffenrock with what is no doubt lemon-yellow Waffenfarbe. Notice that on page 2 his religion is listed as Gottglaubig, possibly indicating that Otto was a member of the Allgemeine-SS.

[Panzer Rob]

Pages 2/3 and 4/5

[Panzer Rob]

In late September 1940 Otto was transferred to his first field unit, 2./Pz.Nach.Abt.77 of the 5.Panzer-Division. On 12.August 1942 Otto received the Eastern Front medal for his participation in Operation Barbarossa, the entry for this award can be found on page 22 of his Soldbuch. Otto served with 2./Pz.Nach.Abt.77 through September of 1943 when he was transferred to Pz.Nach.Ausb.Abt.82, a signals training unit stationed in Magdenburg. Otto served first in the 3.Kompanie and in March of 1944 was transferred to the unit's 2.Kompanie.

A few weeks later around the last week of April 1944, Otto was transferred to 2./Panzer-Gruppen-Nachrichten-Abteilung 676 which had just been created as a group-level armored signals Abteilung for the recently reformed Panzergruppe West (5.Panzer-Armee) under the command of General Leo Geyr von Schweppenburg. Panzergruppe West was the armored reserve for OB West which was commanded by Gerd von Rundstedt which on 6.June 1944 was stationed south of Caen. Otto's unit was equipped with a variety of vehicles outfitted with a wide array radio equipment, including the SdKfz.251/03 Mittlere Funkpanzerwagen.

[Panzer Rob]

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[Panzer Rob]

On 8.June 1944 von Schweppenburg had successfully managed to transfer three Panzer divisions north to defend Caen against the attacking Canadian and British troops which were advancing on the city from the beachheads they had established on the Normandy coast. On that very same day Rudolf Otto was wounded - more than likely in an allied aerial attack- as his unit made its way North towards Caen.

Only two days later, on 10.June von Schweppenburg was wounded in a British aerial attack on his headquarters which was located at the Chateau at La Caine:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Attack...rs_at_La_Cain

"During the Battle of Normandy, the headquarters of Panzer Group West was established in the Chateau at La Caine. On 9 June 1944, three days after the Normandy landings, the headquarters' location was revealed to British Intelligence by deciphering of German signals traffic. On 10 June 1944, aircraft of the Second Tactical Air Force bombed the village. The raid was carried out by 40 rocket-armed Typhoons of No. 124 Wing (consisting of Nos. 181, 182 and 247 Squadrons) which attacked in three waves from low altitude and by 61 Mitchells of No. 137 and 139 Wings (cosisting Nos 226,98,180,and 320 Squadrons) which dropped 500 lb bombs from 12,000 ft. No. 180 Squadron, headed by Wing Commander Lynn, (139 Wing Commander Flying), led the formation. Some 33 Spitfires acted as escort. 42 Typhoons took part in the operation, eight were 'fighters' armed with just 20mm cannon, while the remaining 34 were also armed with RP-3 rockets. The Typhoons attacked in two waves with 30 minutes between waves. The first wave attack (Seventeen aircraft from 181 and 247 Squadrons) fired 136 rockets from 2,000 feet on the parked vehicles and the chateau and coincided with the assault by the Mitchells, who dropped 536 500 lb bombs accurately across the target area. The second wave's task was "to clear up". The raid suffered no losses.

Eighteen members of the HQ staff were known to have died in the raid, including the chief of staff Generalmajor Sigismund-Helmut von Dawans, the most senior officer to be killed in the raid. The group's commander, General Leo Geyr von Schweppenburg was wounded. Although the chateau was not badly damaged, the nearby orchard in which the HQ's vehicles were parked was thoroughly bombed and communications equipment was destroyed.

The HQ was rendered non-operational and withdrawn to Paris. German command of the sector was temporarily given to SS-Obergruppenfiihrer Sepp Dietrich and the I SS Panzer Corps. The attack destroyed the only western German Army organization capable of handling a large number of mobile divisions. The appointment of new staff under General Eberbach and the preparation of plans for the German armoured counter-offensive were delayed by a vital three weeks. The counter-attack never materialised as events overtook the situation, as the British Armoured spearhead headed towards Caen."

Accompanying the Soldbuch is the award document for Otto's black wound badge and as you can see the date of his injury is listed as 8.June 1944. Otto received his black wound badge in the field on 10.August 1944 and the document is hand-signed by the Major and commander of Panzer-Gruppen-Nachrichten-Abteilung 676.

[Panzer Rob]

The entry for the black wound badge on page 22 of Otto's Soldbuch was made on the day Otto actually received the award - 10.August 1944 - and is hand-signed by the commander of the 2.Kompanie, Oberleutnant Hoffmann. Oddly enough there are no entries on pages 12/13 so it must have been a very minor wound which did not require Otto be evacuated.

Had the black wound badge award document not survived, or had it been split from the Soldbuch we would likely never know that Otto had been wounded on 8.June 1944 - the third day of the Allied invasion of Normandy. Rather, it would have appeared as though he was wounded much later, on/around 10.August 1944.

[Panzer Rob]

On 16.October a entry was made on page 15 of Otto's Soldbuch indicating he was at that time still with Panzer-Gruppen.Nachrichten-Abteilung 676. There are no dated entries within the Soldbuch to determine exactly when, but some time between November 1944 and March 1945 Otto was transferred to Panzer-Armee-Nachrichten-Regiment 6 of the 6.SS-Panzerarmee. It's possible that Otto participated in the Ardennes Offensive with the 6.SS-Panzerarmee, however he must have been transferred back to his old unit, Panzer-Gruppen.Nachrichten-Abteilung 676, before the 6.SS-Panzerarmee shipped out to the east as Otto's next - and last - field unit is Panzer-Armee-Nachrichten-Regiment 5, which was formed in March 1945 from Panzer-Gruppen.Nachrichten-Abteilung 676.

[Panzer Rob]

page 17

[Panzer Rob]

Notice that on 3.April 1945 Otto was promoted to Stabsgefreiter while serving in the 2./Pz.Armee.N.R.5, and on page one of Otto's Soldbuch is the number 424,569. If you look closely you will see that in the lower right hand corner of Otto's black wound badge document someone (quite possibly Otto himself) wrote in pencil "424,569, Vals Les Bains, Lager #146" indicating that Otto was assigned prisoner number 424,569 and was interred at Lager #146 in Vals Les Bains in southern France.

[Panzer Rob]

That's all for now. Hope you enjoy the scans and brief writeup. I don't have much time to research IDs these days!


Thanks again to my friend Tim De Craene for assisting me with getting the payment to the seller

Best,
Rob

[Panzer Rob]

Here are a few more scans of the pages in Otto's Soldbuch.

[Panzer Rob]

2

[Panzer Rob]

3

[Panzer Rob]

4

[Panzer Rob]

5