On the 70th anniversary of the Battle of the Bulge, I thought I would post this interesting Wehrpass for a soldier who was killed during the first day of the battle. The Wehrpass belonged to Obergefreiter Franz Faltlhansl who after completing his Labor Corps service, served in the German Army. From 1940 to 1944, he served in various units. On 27 November 1944, he was assigned to his last unit, the 11./Füsilier-Regiment 27 (11th Company of Reconnaisance Regiment 27) of the 12. Volksgrenadier-Division (12th Peoples Grenadier Division). On 16 December 1944, the 12. Volksgrenadier-Division was positioned on the extreme right of the 5. Panzerarmee (5th Panzer Army) and protected the flank of the German forces that were to move toward Malmédy. Soon after the start of the battle, at 07:00, the 12. Volksgrenadier-Division reached Losheimergraben, Belgium, paving the way for Kampfgruppe Peiper, which was expected to reach Losheimergraben by 08:00; however, because the roadway was congested with horse-drawn artillery, infantrymen, and numerous other vehicles, Peiper's Kampfgruppe was unable to reach Losheimergraben. For those who are interested, here is more information about the Losheim Gap:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Losheim_Gap
Obergefreiter Faltlhansl was killed in action during the attack. Although his Wehrpaß states that he was killed at the Bahnhof Losheim (Losheim Railway Station), which was on the German side of the Siegfried Line (the full name of Losheim is Losheim am See), I have a strong feeling that Faltlhansl was actually killed at Bahnhof Losheimergraben (Losheimergraben Railway Station) in Losheimergraben, Belgium. I am not an expert on the Losheim Gap battle, so I'd like to hear from others if you disagree with my take on where Faltlhansl was killed.
Barry
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Losheim_Gap
Obergefreiter Faltlhansl was killed in action during the attack. Although his Wehrpaß states that he was killed at the Bahnhof Losheim (Losheim Railway Station), which was on the German side of the Siegfried Line (the full name of Losheim is Losheim am See), I have a strong feeling that Faltlhansl was actually killed at Bahnhof Losheimergraben (Losheimergraben Railway Station) in Losheimergraben, Belgium. I am not an expert on the Losheim Gap battle, so I'd like to hear from others if you disagree with my take on where Faltlhansl was killed.
Barry
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