machine gunner to baker ?

[fran1942]

Hello, here is a scan of the unit entries in my new wehrpass.

http://www.bphprint.co.nz/wehr.jpg
As you can see he started off in a LEHR MACHINE GUN unit, then became a baker with 164th Light in AFRIKA.
What could possibly have happened to the poor soul, for him to go from a demonstration MG unit to baking buns !
Perhaps a wound, or illness that "downgraded" him to a baker.
Does anyone else have any idea regarding this sort of abrupt change in military career ?
Thanks for any advice.
Also, can someone please give me an accuarate description of the role of a machine gun lehr batallion. Did they travel around to other units giving instruction on MG use. What exactly was the "lehr" purpose ?

ALWAYS looking to buy AFRIKAKORPS paybooks.
also LUFT. FELD. DIV. paybooks.

[Gary T]

Of course he may well have been the company cook\baker in the Lehr unit.

He served with the Lehr unit pre-war and was transferred just before the war broke out.

I'm not sure why you think a baker was less important than and infantryman. Anybody who joined the Heer before autumn 1943 and was a baker, butcher, blacksmith etc had zero chance of being assigned to the infantry. These were roles that were vital to Heer and they wouldn't waste someone so valuable as to send him to the walking bullet catchers...after all anyone can do that.

It's the same today of course...go to Army Careers Office armed with an armful of GCSE's and A levels and tell them you want to be in the infantry. See what they say!

[luftmannbooks]

Hi

I take exception to that, I had six GCSE'S,and served in the Infantry.

[Gary T]

I take exception to that, I had six GCSE'S,and served in the Infantry.

Obviously your recruiting Sergeant wasn't doing his job...I take it they weren't all grade F's?

[fran1942]

Thanks for your ideas. Actually the soldier in question was probably in a combat role when he was with the MG lehr unit, because he the wehrpass states he was qualifed to operate it.
So I think for some reason he has transferred to the bakery department.

[Gary T]

Thanks for your ideas. Actually the soldier in question was probably in a combat role when he was with the MG lehr unit, because he the wehrpass states he was qualifed to operate it.
So I think for some reason he has transferred to the bakery department.

Nearly all soldiers were trained in K98, MG34 (or Mg13, MG 08/15) use. That doesn't mean that was their role in the unit. What was his civilian occupation? And does he have any Wehrmecht driving licences to his name?

[Ian Jewison]

He could still have been an infatry man attached to the Bakery Company, not all men in that Kp. are bakers, as Gary suggested possibly a driver!

A good friend of mine served with 8 Kp./Geb.Jäg.Rgt. 98 as a rifleman in France and Russia, in 1943 for some reason he was transfrerred to the Schlächterei Zug and gutted cattle and helped the butchers for 9 months......late 1943 he was back with 8 Kp./Geb.Jäg.Rgt. 98....he has no idea why this happened but he enjoyed!

Didn't notice it but is there any entries on page 20-21 regarding this and/or as Gary mentioned his civilian occupation/trade?

/Ian

[Simon O.]

Could be any number of reasons why. Perhaps it was as simple as the fact that they needed bodies for a new division being formed and in the great postings lottery that goes on in every army he got sent to the bakery company.

[luftmannbooks]

hi

Hi Gary in response they were four 'A's one 'B' and one 'C', I now have a commission, in the Territorial Army.

[fran1942]

he was fully qualified as a driver of different class vehicles.
His civilian trade was electrician.
So I guess we can deduce that he was quite possibly a driver with the bakery company.
When he was with the mG lehr unit, he probably was a driver also, rather than a machine gunner ?

Can someone also please explain the exact role of a MG lehr batallion.
Did they travel round to other units showing how to use MG's, or were they just a static instruction unit ?
How did the "lehr" units work ?