It was slim pickings for ID book collectors at the Show of Shows this year. I only bought two Soldbücher, both SS and exactly what I am looking for since they fought and died on the Westfront. One Soldbuch belonged to a young "LSSAH" soldier, who was killed in Normandy, and the other belonged to a member of "Das Reich," who was killed in Luxembourg on 18 January 1945.
First, the Soldbuch of SS-Panzergrenadier Albert Elflein, who fought with the "LAH":
Albert Elflein was born on 26 December 1926 in Gleisenau. Called up for military service, his Soldbuch was issued in Arnheim on 19 April 1944 by the 7. Stammkompanie (7th Cadre Company) of SS-Panzer-Grenadier-Ausbildungs-und-Ersatz-Bataillon 12 (SS Armored Infantry Training and Replacement Battalion 12), a unit that primarily provided replacements for the 12. SS-Panzer-Division "Hitlerjugend". However, Elflein was assigned to the 1. SS-Panzer-Division "Leibstandarte SS Adolf Hitler" after completing his basic training. Elflein was assigned to the 13. Kompanie (13th Company) of SS-Panzer-Grenadier-Regiment 1 "LSSAH", which was soon renamed as the 11. Kompanie (11th Company) of SS-Panzer-Grenadier-Regiment 1 "LSSAH". The day after the D-Day landings, Elflein was issued a 9 mm pistol, which is not often seen in the Soldbuch of an SS soldier of the lowest rank.
Elflein's unit, SS-Panzer-Grenadier-Regiment 1 "LSSAH", was temporarily assigned to the 12. SS-Panzer-Division "Hitlerjugend", which had been defending the city of Caen, France, shortly after D-Day. On the first day of Operation Charnwood (8 and 9 July 1944), which was intended to partially capture Caen, Elflein was killed in action. Elflein was just 17 years old. If anyone has the time to visit the German War Graves Cemetery in Bazenville, France, I would really appreciate a photo of Elflein's grave, which I would like to see posted on this thread.
For those who interested in learning more about Operation Charnwood, I refer you to these two web pages:
http://59div.morssweb.com/?bcaen
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operation_Charnwood
A friend who originally acquired this Soldbuch told me that he acquired the Soldbuch from a Canadian about 12 years ago and always assumed it was picked up on the battlefield by a Canadian vet.
First, the Soldbuch of SS-Panzergrenadier Albert Elflein, who fought with the "LAH":
Albert Elflein was born on 26 December 1926 in Gleisenau. Called up for military service, his Soldbuch was issued in Arnheim on 19 April 1944 by the 7. Stammkompanie (7th Cadre Company) of SS-Panzer-Grenadier-Ausbildungs-und-Ersatz-Bataillon 12 (SS Armored Infantry Training and Replacement Battalion 12), a unit that primarily provided replacements for the 12. SS-Panzer-Division "Hitlerjugend". However, Elflein was assigned to the 1. SS-Panzer-Division "Leibstandarte SS Adolf Hitler" after completing his basic training. Elflein was assigned to the 13. Kompanie (13th Company) of SS-Panzer-Grenadier-Regiment 1 "LSSAH", which was soon renamed as the 11. Kompanie (11th Company) of SS-Panzer-Grenadier-Regiment 1 "LSSAH". The day after the D-Day landings, Elflein was issued a 9 mm pistol, which is not often seen in the Soldbuch of an SS soldier of the lowest rank.
Elflein's unit, SS-Panzer-Grenadier-Regiment 1 "LSSAH", was temporarily assigned to the 12. SS-Panzer-Division "Hitlerjugend", which had been defending the city of Caen, France, shortly after D-Day. On the first day of Operation Charnwood (8 and 9 July 1944), which was intended to partially capture Caen, Elflein was killed in action. Elflein was just 17 years old. If anyone has the time to visit the German War Graves Cemetery in Bazenville, France, I would really appreciate a photo of Elflein's grave, which I would like to see posted on this thread.
For those who interested in learning more about Operation Charnwood, I refer you to these two web pages:
http://59div.morssweb.com/?bcaen
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operation_Charnwood
A friend who originally acquired this Soldbuch told me that he acquired the Soldbuch from a Canadian about 12 years ago and always assumed it was picked up on the battlefield by a Canadian vet.
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