Panzer Abt. 211, Finland Wehrpass

[PzV]

I got this interesting Pz Abt 211 Wehrpass and photo album from a technical inspector (Oberleutnant) who served until wars end in Finland and Norway

[PzV]

This was a "Beutepanzer" unit with French armor, note that he was later in November-December 1943 trained on the care and maintenance of the Panther and Tiger. The promotions pages are also well filled out!

[PzV]

in August 1941 he was released from active service to become a "Kriegstechniker" or wartime technician and had courses as late as April 1945 in Stuttgart-Vaihingen

[PzV]

he also was awarded the "Lappland shield" in July 1945 and below is a photo of a Beutepanzer in winter camo

[PzV]

the Panzers in transit and in Finland

[PzV]

the Panzer maintenance block house and in the Finnish forest

[PzV]

as a POW wearing stripped black Panzer uniforms

[Mogdala]

Outstanding

[peterm]

As always: wonderful Wehrpaß and pictures! Many thanks for sharing!
Kind regards, Peter

[JUNGCO]

Great stuff!
Jeff

[mufasa]

very nice group with wonderful photos!!!!

[Simon O.]

Very nice, this was the only panzer unit to qualify for the lapplandschild. For much of the war they sat in reserve in Finland doing nothing after the fronts there became static. In 1944 after much complaining they finally started to get some better panzers and by sept.44 had 6 pzkpfw. III ausf.N and three home made lash ups using hotchkiss chassis and PAK 40. The rest of their inventory though was still obsolete French armour. They saw action against the Finns in oct.44 and spent the last 6 months of the war as part of the army's mobile reserve in north norway. During this last phase of the war the abteilung even received eight pzkpfw.I which had been gathered in from various other non-panzer units...so not much call for his training on panthers and tigers!

[PzV]

here are a couple more photos showing how fuel was transported and this officer was even involved with a small armored train as numerous photos are in the album of this

[PzV]

and still a couple more photos to show the conditions in Finland.

[Simon O.]

Incredibly I have a SB and drivers licence to another technical inspector of the same unit and werkstatt.

This guy though only joined Pz.Abt.211 in late april 44 or early may and it seems wasn't with the unit at the end of the war. Note the same signature in green pencil on his last promotion

Perhaps you have photos of him?