10/g.r.46

[Phil_C]

Hi,

I was hoping that someone could give me a bit of information on 10/ Grenidier Regt 46. As I have a wound badge in black document that says he was wounded on 17 september 1939 although he wasn't awarded his badge until 2 April 1943. does anyone know why this may have been?

Kind Regards
Phil

[Patrick Dempsey]

Some info.

Hello again Phil,
The 46th was part of the 30th Infantry division. Composed initially of men recruited from Schleswig-holstein area of Northern Germany. Interestingly it was due to be earmarked as part of the planned attack on Prague before the country was given up by the Munich accords.
The Division was active in the Invasion of Poland as part of Army Group South, and was involved in some of the heaviest fighting of the Polish campaign. During this time the division was led by Major General Von Breisen, who during the course of the heavy fighting had his arm shattered which led to it's amputation, but the division repelled the Poles desperate counterattacks.
Due to it's superb record in the fighting the division was visited by Hitler and the (then) chief of the armed forces high command Wilhelm Keitel. During this visit Breisen was awarded the Knights Cross. From this point on the Division was nicknamed the "Breisen Division".
The division went on to fight in Belgium, and also in the invasion of Soviet Russia as part of Army group North with which it served until the end of the war. Battles the division took part in included The battle for Dvinsk, the division went on to be encircled in the Demyansk pocket. When freed in 1943, it went on to serve in the Leningrad area and the retreat through the Baltic states. The division finally surrendered in the Kurland pocket.

Hope this is of interest,
All the best,
Patrick.

[Phil_C]

Cheers Patrick,

That helps a lot, it looks like they had quite a interesting war.

Kind Regards
Phil

[Gary T]

Hi Phil,

Who was the the award document awarded by? It is not that that unusual to find an award made a couple after the event. This is especially true for wound badges. If the wound was bad enough for the man the leave the unit (or even the Army), perhaps permanently, then German bureacracy could take it's time to cacth up with him, if ever.

Cheers,
Gary.

[Phil_C]

Cheers Gary,

The award document was awarded by the Hptm. u. Btl.-Fhr of Gren. Ers. Bataillon 481. What is intersesting is that the word Verwundung has XXXXXXXX over it, could it be possible it was a non combat wound? also I have his KVKII document that was awarded on 30 Januar 1944 in Berlin, so it may be possible he was still in the armed forces but unfit for combat.

What do you think

Regards
Phil