Wehrpass Hermann Fiedler, KIA with the 352.ID in Normandy

[Tim DC]

I was fortunate to purchase this Wehrpass to Gefreiter Hermann Fiedler, who served with the 2. Schwadron of Füsilier-Bataillon 352, the reconnaissance battallion of the famous 352. Infanterie-Division in Normandy. In the weeks leading to D-Day, Füs.Btl.352 was together with Grenadier-Regiment 915 part of the so called Kampfgruppe Meyer, named after the commander of Gren.Rgt.915, in the area of Tilly-sur-Seules, south of Bayeux. This Kampfgruppe was appointed Korpsreserve of the LXXXIV. Armeekorps and was to be considered a mobile unit, ready to be sent to a critical point on the beaches when an invasion would come.

After the first hours of confusion on D-Day, Fiedler was sent with his unit towards the invasion beaches in Crepon, in the Gold Beach sector, where he was furiously attacked. By the end of the day, only 40 men out of a total of 700 from the Bataillon managed to escape southward to the area of Ducy-Sainte-Marguerite. Fiedler was amongst the lucky few, and it looks like he was able to rejoin the remnants of the 352. Infanterie-Division east of Saint-Lô. There, he was killed in action on the 13th of June, near Saint-André-de-l'Epine, during the defense against the American progress out of the Cerisy forest towards Saint-Lô. He is burried in Marigny, Block 1, Reihe 45, Grab 1749.

Your comments and any further details about the deployment of Füs.Btl.352 on 13th of June 1944 are always welcome!

[Tim DC]

Bio & portrait.

[Tim DC]

Units and training.

[Tim DC]

Promotion entry signed by the commander of his Schwadron, any ID possible?

[Tim DC]

Two pages reflecting the total chaos among the ranks of the 352.ID following D-Day: the battle entries closed without mentioning the invasion on page 30, and the KIA entry on page 29 signed off by a veterinarian two weeks after his death. The stamp is still that of Füs.Btl.352 (Feldpostnr. 41480).

[Tim DC]

Also included with the Wehrpass were a number of Hermann's personal and family documents, which I will not show here, and also his last letter home from Normandy, which I will share as a last remembrance. He talks about how great his life was in Normandy, swimming in the sea and doing nothing all day. Two weeks later, he was killed.

Thanks for looking.

[dennisb]

Very nice Wehrpass Tim!

[newoq11]

dont know what is to say on the document??

[Tim DC]

Thanks Dennis. I'll add this newspaper clipping with his death announcement. Notice they got his unit wrong (Nachr.Rgt.).

[mufasa]

Very nice and interesting Wehrpass !

[Luft 76]

Interesting document indeed. I have found nothing about fights of Füs. Batl. 352 in the documentation about that division. I can only say that this bataillon was probably in contact with first troops of 3. Fj. Division these days (10-13 june). Saint André de l'Epine - Saint Georges d'Elle area was indeed quicly hold by paratroopers of "Kampfgruppe Alpers" recently arrived on area. If I don't mistake me, Füs. Batl. 352 should have been then subordinated to Kampfgruppe Goth (GR 916) who was involved in the middle of the 352.ID positions. But I am not sure that the Füs. Batl. 352 was in front on 13 june. Indeed, the place where this man was killed, Saint-André de l'Epine, seems to have been just at the rear of the front at this moment. This point need further check but it is possible that this man was victim of an air attack or a bombardment.