Georg Behm (Born in 1916), a farmer from Wattenscheid received the Soldbuch on 29.8.1939. He was already in the Army obviously with the rank of Fusilier in the 3./I.R.22(Infanterie-Regiment Gumbinnen(22)) of the 1.Infanterie Division.
On the 1.September.1939 The Division marches from East Prussia south of Neidenburg, the Polish border and attacked in the direction Ostrolenka. They pushed past Poznan and Siedlce east of Warsaw and then penetrated north of Deblin north to the Polish capital. After completion of the Polish campaign, the division was relocated to the 6.Armee at the end of November 1939 to the Lower Rhine.There he Gets Promoted to OberFusilier on 1.11.1939.
Initially IR22 marches through Belgium behind the 3.Pz.Div. & the 4.Pz.Div. The German tanks advance so fast that huge parts of the infantry can’t follow, but during the night of 22.5.1940 when they have just occupied the Belgian village Blargenies, they come in to contact with the French army.
Because of the swift advance of the German armored units several French Infantry units have been bypassed, Some Infantry and Artillerie units find themselves surrounded in the Belgian town of Quevy and they decide to fight their way back to the frontline, the Maginot line fortress areas along the Belgian/French border.
The fighting between the retreating French forces and the Germans of IR22 during the night 22/23.5.1940 is fierce; Despite heavy losses the French manage to breakthrough Blargenies; the next day the survivors will fight the battle for Thulin.
On 24.5, I.R.22 gets the order to cross the river L’Escaut near the French hamlet Trith, just beneath Valenciennes, the French are still holding the bunker line between Wargnies and Curgies northeast of the marching route and they can thus observe and even threat their assault.
The French defenders of Valenciennes are shaken but far from defeated; the French have dug themselves in the houses along the river and the attack is far from successful, there are many casualties; the German plan is way to optimistic, the troops of IR22 can only build very small and difficult to hold bridgeheads across the river and there is also the continues threat of a counter attack from the troops that are in the bunker line thus the divisional command decides to blow off the attack, they will first take out the bunkers but this isn’t a task for IR22 anymore, they will need some rest.
Georg Behm is one of the casualties of the failed attack, wounded in the upper leg,on 5.6.1940 he is admitted to a hospital in Kassel.On the 26.7.1940 he Receives the Wound Badge in Black.
His wound must be rather serious because after one year he still is with his Ersatz unit, Inf.ers.Btl 22. In the meantime he gets promoted to Gefreiter on 1.1.1941 and Obergefreiter on 1.2.1941.
On may 1941 the 714.Infanterie Division is Formed and He Joins it under Stab III./I.R.721. in Jugoslavia, Serbia,Bosnia, Croatia where it started Fighting Partisans Shortly after arrival.
On September 8, 1941, the division was located west of Dirna. On 22 October 1941, 25 km north of Bor they had fierce fights cleaning the area south of Palanka. On October 24, 1941 parts of the division burned down a place south of Velika Plana. 63 houses went up in flames. The battles in this room continued for the following days. In early November 1941, the division was in the area around Pozarevac, mid-September north-east Kragujevac.
These fights against partisans went on for over 2 years togetehr with the 717.Infanterie Division, 369.Infanterie Division, 7. SS-Freiwilligen-Gebirgs-Division "Prinz Eugen" some Italian Divisions etc. Until December 1943.
In april 1943 The division was renamed 114.Jäger Division. and Georg Behm is part of the renamed 15./Jäger Regiment 721
In January 1944 the 114.Jäger Division is in Fiume on the way to the Italian Front to fight Italian Partisans behind the lines
In February and March they fight the Anzio Front passing through Rome then in April and May 1944 they re transfered in the central sector of the Gustav Line in the Appennine mountains defending the Area around the MAIELLA MOUNTAINS. Here Georg gets his last promotion on 1.5.1944 to Stabsgefreiter.
Between May and June there s a general retreat of the German forces on the way up to the Gothic line fighting the Allies and Italian Partisans at the same time but in June 1944 The 114.JD is first responsible for the Retaliation in Filetto Di Camarada and then on the 20.6.1944 while the regiment was passing through Gubbio Some partisans Killed in a local Cafe/Bar the Medic officer Oberartz Dr.Kurt Staudacher of III./721(GEORG S BATAILLON) and Wounded his second in comand who raised the Alarm.
114.Jg.Div. Generalleutnant Dr. Hans Bölsen gave direct order that The II./Jg.Rgt.721 is responsible for the retaliation therefore the Killing of 40 Civilians (Some picked because apparently related tot he partisans).
The Division fights his way back up to the Gothic Line under the 10.Armee finally in August 1944 after Georg spends 2 weeks hospitalised for Influenza in July and 2 days in August for a infection on the right foot.After that He gets reassigned to the 5.kp of the I.Btl.
A month later on 1.9.1944 he receives first the Kriegserinnerungsban, a Ribbon (never made it to medal)created by Pavelic for those troops who fought in Jugoslavia at least for 6 months or 12 without fighting) and on the 23.10.1944 while Fighting around Montecodruzzo south of Cesena, the EK2 for his actions against the British and Canadians.
A few Weeks later they will move then to the Adriatic Coast to Ravenna from November untill the 11th of January 1945 spending over 2 months constantly fighting Partisans also in December in the arears of north of Mandriole, Casal Bossetti Porto Corsini, Sant'Alberto.
The 114.Jg.Div. then moves again in the central sector of he front around the 12th of January 1945 in the Area Around Pavullo and Montese south west of Bologna fighting the 1st Brasilian Infantry Division.
On 6.2.1945 Georg Behm finally receives the Bandenkampfabzeichen in Bronze for his Actions and numerous days (atleast 20 but they re more than that for sure) spent fighting those Italian "Banditen".
In the next few month the Gothic Line collapsed and the 114.J.D. will move further north through the PO river and will Surrender in Leno (near Brescia) in May 1945.
I would love to know what Georg saw and how many Partisans he killed especially in Italy...
On the 1.September.1939 The Division marches from East Prussia south of Neidenburg, the Polish border and attacked in the direction Ostrolenka. They pushed past Poznan and Siedlce east of Warsaw and then penetrated north of Deblin north to the Polish capital. After completion of the Polish campaign, the division was relocated to the 6.Armee at the end of November 1939 to the Lower Rhine.There he Gets Promoted to OberFusilier on 1.11.1939.
Initially IR22 marches through Belgium behind the 3.Pz.Div. & the 4.Pz.Div. The German tanks advance so fast that huge parts of the infantry can’t follow, but during the night of 22.5.1940 when they have just occupied the Belgian village Blargenies, they come in to contact with the French army.
Because of the swift advance of the German armored units several French Infantry units have been bypassed, Some Infantry and Artillerie units find themselves surrounded in the Belgian town of Quevy and they decide to fight their way back to the frontline, the Maginot line fortress areas along the Belgian/French border.
The fighting between the retreating French forces and the Germans of IR22 during the night 22/23.5.1940 is fierce; Despite heavy losses the French manage to breakthrough Blargenies; the next day the survivors will fight the battle for Thulin.
On 24.5, I.R.22 gets the order to cross the river L’Escaut near the French hamlet Trith, just beneath Valenciennes, the French are still holding the bunker line between Wargnies and Curgies northeast of the marching route and they can thus observe and even threat their assault.
The French defenders of Valenciennes are shaken but far from defeated; the French have dug themselves in the houses along the river and the attack is far from successful, there are many casualties; the German plan is way to optimistic, the troops of IR22 can only build very small and difficult to hold bridgeheads across the river and there is also the continues threat of a counter attack from the troops that are in the bunker line thus the divisional command decides to blow off the attack, they will first take out the bunkers but this isn’t a task for IR22 anymore, they will need some rest.
Georg Behm is one of the casualties of the failed attack, wounded in the upper leg,on 5.6.1940 he is admitted to a hospital in Kassel.On the 26.7.1940 he Receives the Wound Badge in Black.
His wound must be rather serious because after one year he still is with his Ersatz unit, Inf.ers.Btl 22. In the meantime he gets promoted to Gefreiter on 1.1.1941 and Obergefreiter on 1.2.1941.
On may 1941 the 714.Infanterie Division is Formed and He Joins it under Stab III./I.R.721. in Jugoslavia, Serbia,Bosnia, Croatia where it started Fighting Partisans Shortly after arrival.
On September 8, 1941, the division was located west of Dirna. On 22 October 1941, 25 km north of Bor they had fierce fights cleaning the area south of Palanka. On October 24, 1941 parts of the division burned down a place south of Velika Plana. 63 houses went up in flames. The battles in this room continued for the following days. In early November 1941, the division was in the area around Pozarevac, mid-September north-east Kragujevac.
These fights against partisans went on for over 2 years togetehr with the 717.Infanterie Division, 369.Infanterie Division, 7. SS-Freiwilligen-Gebirgs-Division "Prinz Eugen" some Italian Divisions etc. Until December 1943.
In april 1943 The division was renamed 114.Jäger Division. and Georg Behm is part of the renamed 15./Jäger Regiment 721
In January 1944 the 114.Jäger Division is in Fiume on the way to the Italian Front to fight Italian Partisans behind the lines
In February and March they fight the Anzio Front passing through Rome then in April and May 1944 they re transfered in the central sector of the Gustav Line in the Appennine mountains defending the Area around the MAIELLA MOUNTAINS. Here Georg gets his last promotion on 1.5.1944 to Stabsgefreiter.
Between May and June there s a general retreat of the German forces on the way up to the Gothic line fighting the Allies and Italian Partisans at the same time but in June 1944 The 114.JD is first responsible for the Retaliation in Filetto Di Camarada and then on the 20.6.1944 while the regiment was passing through Gubbio Some partisans Killed in a local Cafe/Bar the Medic officer Oberartz Dr.Kurt Staudacher of III./721(GEORG S BATAILLON) and Wounded his second in comand who raised the Alarm.
114.Jg.Div. Generalleutnant Dr. Hans Bölsen gave direct order that The II./Jg.Rgt.721 is responsible for the retaliation therefore the Killing of 40 Civilians (Some picked because apparently related tot he partisans).
The Division fights his way back up to the Gothic Line under the 10.Armee finally in August 1944 after Georg spends 2 weeks hospitalised for Influenza in July and 2 days in August for a infection on the right foot.After that He gets reassigned to the 5.kp of the I.Btl.
A month later on 1.9.1944 he receives first the Kriegserinnerungsban, a Ribbon (never made it to medal)created by Pavelic for those troops who fought in Jugoslavia at least for 6 months or 12 without fighting) and on the 23.10.1944 while Fighting around Montecodruzzo south of Cesena, the EK2 for his actions against the British and Canadians.
A few Weeks later they will move then to the Adriatic Coast to Ravenna from November untill the 11th of January 1945 spending over 2 months constantly fighting Partisans also in December in the arears of north of Mandriole, Casal Bossetti Porto Corsini, Sant'Alberto.
The 114.Jg.Div. then moves again in the central sector of he front around the 12th of January 1945 in the Area Around Pavullo and Montese south west of Bologna fighting the 1st Brasilian Infantry Division.
On 6.2.1945 Georg Behm finally receives the Bandenkampfabzeichen in Bronze for his Actions and numerous days (atleast 20 but they re more than that for sure) spent fighting those Italian "Banditen".
In the next few month the Gothic Line collapsed and the 114.J.D. will move further north through the PO river and will Surrender in Leno (near Brescia) in May 1945.
I would love to know what Georg saw and how many Partisans he killed especially in Italy...
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