Soldbuch grouping to a Nürnberg air raid victim

[Tim DC]

I would like to present the Soldbuch grouping to Unteroffizier Georg Lämmermann. Another sad war story...

Lämmermann entered military service in February 1940 and was initially trained as a Nachrichten soldier. He served in backward units such as the Armee-Nachrichten-Regiment 521, deployed with the 12. Armee in France and Yugoslavia. From 1942, he was with the Feste Heeresfunkstelle in his home city Nürnberg and from 1943 with the Generalkommando of the XIII. Armee. In October 1944, he joined a more interesting unit: the staff of the newly formed motorized Volks-Artillerie-Korps 410, a large artillery unit which was equipped with, among others, 8,8 cm PaK auf Waffenträger (motorized anti-tank guns!), Russian artillery guns and 21 cm Werfer. This unit was subordinated to the Reichsführer SS and was shortly after sent to the Ardennes front to support the 5. Panzerarmee. Lämmermann served as a radio man and a driver of a high officer. According to his letters, he also took care of the lack of supplies in the Ardennes by shooting a wild boar and other game... he was a dealer of poultry and game in civilian life! After the Ardennes, Lämmermann and the 410.VAK were with the XIII. SS Armeekorps, part of the 1. Armee in the Lorraine area.

[Tim DC]

Portrait and promotions from Oberfunker up to Unteroffizier.

[Tim DC]

His units, including the 410.VAK.
Also notice the many changes of address: from the center of Nürnberg (Maxfeldstrasse), his family moved to a village a few miles outside the city (Oberbüchlein) after their house was bombed in October 1944, and moved back to the southwestern suburbs of Nürnberg in early 1945 (Sündersbühlstrasse).

[Tim DC]

Some equipment.

[Tim DC]

Georg's Führerschein is also included; as a driver, he qualified for three vehicle classes.

[Tim DC]

Some photos of his military service.

[Tim DC]

The five Feldpost letters included are from his time on the Western Front, and have some great content. They have been written between Christmas 1944 and 2nd of February 1945 from various places (Belgian front, Bitsch, Zweibrücken). Lämmermann writes to his wife and his two children very openly about how he is sitting in a bunker on the Maginot line under artillery fire, how he lost all of his equipment and a few friends due to a dive bomber attack, V2's and aerial fights, and so on. Two magazine clippings about the fighting in the Vosges were tucked in one of the letters. He asks a lot about the many aerial attacks on their home city Nürnberg. He is worried about the lack of news from his family and talks about a bullet as the only solution if he would lose them...

[Tim DC]

In his last letter from February 2nd, 1945, Georg has just learned that his wife is sick, and he promises that he will ask his officer for a special leave home to be with her. Appearently, he succeeded: a last leave permission is entered two days later on the 4th; he could go home until February 20th, 1945. Exactly on that day, while he was on the train back to his unit, he ended up in the thirteenth major allied bombing on Nürnberg. No less than 1.390 people died that day and the next during the USAAF daytime air raids on the city. Lämmermann's train was hit and he reported to the Reservelazarett Nürnberg. As probably they had no time for him because of the chaos and the many more severe casualties, he was not hospitalized and told to report to his reserve unit or an Auffangstelle. This is the reason why he did not return to the front, where the 410. Volks-Artillerie-Korps was retreating to the Westwall and the Rhine.

Below is the leave page of the Soldbuch, which sent him to Nürnberg to his sick wife, and the medical paper which kept him in Nürnberg...

[Tim DC]

On March 16th, 1945, Lämmermann was still in his home city when Nürnberg suffered the fifteenth major bombing, this time a night attack by the RAF. Large fires destroyed many streets in the southern suburbs of Nürnberg. Georg lived with his family in the Sündersbühlstrasse, right in that area. He died on that day as one of the 597 victims of the British night attack. The fate of his wife and children is unknown to me. Georg was burried in his home city on the Nürnberg Südfriedhof, Block 82, Reihe P, Grab 78.

[CWP]

Fantastic little grouping. Thanks for showing it.

[Marcel Banziger]

Interesting! And very nice the way you do the research. Thanks for sharing!

[mufasa]

a very interesting lot!! thanks for showing it!

[JUNGCO]

Totally interesting Soldbuch and story. Thanks for posting.
Jeff

[Panzer Rob]

Totally interesting Soldbuch and story. Thanks for posting.
Jeff

I second that!!

Very interesting indeed

[Tim DC]

Thanks for your replies! Glad it is appreciated.