Hi,
Not the most spectacular Soldbuch, but a really sad and also interesting one. Probably an interesting one to show for our Italian friends and collectors of the Italian battlefronts.
Erich Meins was born on 01.04.1911 in Osterholz. He married and lived with his wife in Radewald, Neustadt. Meins was conscripted in the Wehrmacht and his Soldbuch was opened on 26.10.1942 as part of the Infanterie-Ersatz-Bataillon 211 in Hannover. Here Meins got his military training. After completing his training he was shifted to the Reserve-Infanterie-Bataillon 211. That unit was based in Dixmuiden, Belgium for security reasons. He stayed in this unit till April 1943. Then he was finally send to a real combat unit: 9./ Grenadier-Regiment 146, 65. Infanterie-Division. The 65. Infanterie-Division was also based around the Atlantic Coast in Belgium / Holland.
In July 1943 the division was transferred to Southern-France, later Austria for a short period and then finally to Italy. First it had the same duty as when it was in Belgium, security duties at the Adriatic Coast and later around La Spezia in the northwest. In October 1943 it was transferred back to the Adriatic Coast between Pescara and Ortona, again for coastal security duties.
The inexperienced 65. Infanterie-Division soon meets its first battle engagement when it fought against the Allied troops around the German Gustav Linie. The 65. Infanterie-Division fought around Orsogna and Guardiagrele against the 8th Indian Division and the 2nd New Zealand Division. These battles raged throughout October till December 1943. The division held the city of Orsogna before it was relieved but it suffered enormous casualties. The division was pulled out of the line and send back to the area of Genoa for refitting and rest. The division was reorganized as a “type 1944” division. Because of this the III./ Gren. Rgt. 146 was disbanded, Meins with his 9. kp was part of this III./ G.R. 146. This change was never made in his Soldbuch! Also the typical December 1943 security stamp nearly all Soldbücher have on page 15 is missing. That are the first signs probably something happened with Erich Meins in the battles around Orsogna.
Now things started to be strange. A last entry in his Soldbuch was made in September 1943, just before the division was send back to the Adriatic Coast where it fought for the first time. As said it fought around Orsogna and Guardiagrele against the 2nd New Zealand Division. Interesting to note that the Soldbuch went to New-Zealand after the war. Probably it was taken from the battlefield as a souvenir by a veteran who took it back after the war to New-Zealand? The wet stains could be explained by this(probably it was lying on the battlefield for some time or it became wet in the pocket of the veteran who took it of his body or so…). On the back cover are some spots that could be small blood splatter. Also a photo was never inserted because he most probably died before the order came to insert these portrait photo's.
Some conflicting information shows up at the Volksbund. Erich Meins is listed with the day of death 01.02.1944. On this day the division fought heavily against the Allied troops near the Rome-Anzio railway line between Campoleone and Ardea at the Anzio - Nettuno Bridgehead. Another strange thing is that Erich Meins is buried at the German Military Cemetery in Costermano, hundreds of kilometers north of the Anzio-Nettuno Bridgehead or Orsogna. As also the hospital pages are empty, there is not a single clue or he was wounded(and probably transported north after being wounded on the front) or he became sick.
Probably the day of death is an error in the Volksbund database, as these errors are not uncommon. Mortally wounded and died in the north of Italy? Killed on the spot? Died by an accident or accute sickness without being in the hospital? I am not 100% sure what happened, probably we will never know. What is sure is that Meins died in Italy in the age of 32, leaving behind his wife and his family and friends. I attached 2 maps where the 65. I.D. was deployed on 01.12.1943 and on 01.02.1944 - the day he died according to the Volksbund.
Aram
Ps. It would be nice off course to see a picture of his grave in this thread. If anyone is living / visiting the area around Costermano I would be very happy with a picture of his grave.
Not the most spectacular Soldbuch, but a really sad and also interesting one. Probably an interesting one to show for our Italian friends and collectors of the Italian battlefronts.
Erich Meins was born on 01.04.1911 in Osterholz. He married and lived with his wife in Radewald, Neustadt. Meins was conscripted in the Wehrmacht and his Soldbuch was opened on 26.10.1942 as part of the Infanterie-Ersatz-Bataillon 211 in Hannover. Here Meins got his military training. After completing his training he was shifted to the Reserve-Infanterie-Bataillon 211. That unit was based in Dixmuiden, Belgium for security reasons. He stayed in this unit till April 1943. Then he was finally send to a real combat unit: 9./ Grenadier-Regiment 146, 65. Infanterie-Division. The 65. Infanterie-Division was also based around the Atlantic Coast in Belgium / Holland.
In July 1943 the division was transferred to Southern-France, later Austria for a short period and then finally to Italy. First it had the same duty as when it was in Belgium, security duties at the Adriatic Coast and later around La Spezia in the northwest. In October 1943 it was transferred back to the Adriatic Coast between Pescara and Ortona, again for coastal security duties.
The inexperienced 65. Infanterie-Division soon meets its first battle engagement when it fought against the Allied troops around the German Gustav Linie. The 65. Infanterie-Division fought around Orsogna and Guardiagrele against the 8th Indian Division and the 2nd New Zealand Division. These battles raged throughout October till December 1943. The division held the city of Orsogna before it was relieved but it suffered enormous casualties. The division was pulled out of the line and send back to the area of Genoa for refitting and rest. The division was reorganized as a “type 1944” division. Because of this the III./ Gren. Rgt. 146 was disbanded, Meins with his 9. kp was part of this III./ G.R. 146. This change was never made in his Soldbuch! Also the typical December 1943 security stamp nearly all Soldbücher have on page 15 is missing. That are the first signs probably something happened with Erich Meins in the battles around Orsogna.
Now things started to be strange. A last entry in his Soldbuch was made in September 1943, just before the division was send back to the Adriatic Coast where it fought for the first time. As said it fought around Orsogna and Guardiagrele against the 2nd New Zealand Division. Interesting to note that the Soldbuch went to New-Zealand after the war. Probably it was taken from the battlefield as a souvenir by a veteran who took it back after the war to New-Zealand? The wet stains could be explained by this(probably it was lying on the battlefield for some time or it became wet in the pocket of the veteran who took it of his body or so…). On the back cover are some spots that could be small blood splatter. Also a photo was never inserted because he most probably died before the order came to insert these portrait photo's.
Some conflicting information shows up at the Volksbund. Erich Meins is listed with the day of death 01.02.1944. On this day the division fought heavily against the Allied troops near the Rome-Anzio railway line between Campoleone and Ardea at the Anzio - Nettuno Bridgehead. Another strange thing is that Erich Meins is buried at the German Military Cemetery in Costermano, hundreds of kilometers north of the Anzio-Nettuno Bridgehead or Orsogna. As also the hospital pages are empty, there is not a single clue or he was wounded(and probably transported north after being wounded on the front) or he became sick.
Probably the day of death is an error in the Volksbund database, as these errors are not uncommon. Mortally wounded and died in the north of Italy? Killed on the spot? Died by an accident or accute sickness without being in the hospital? I am not 100% sure what happened, probably we will never know. What is sure is that Meins died in Italy in the age of 32, leaving behind his wife and his family and friends. I attached 2 maps where the 65. I.D. was deployed on 01.12.1943 and on 01.02.1944 - the day he died according to the Volksbund.
Aram
Ps. It would be nice off course to see a picture of his grave in this thread. If anyone is living / visiting the area around Costermano I would be very happy with a picture of his grave.
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