Research Help

[Perry Floyd]

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[Perry Floyd]

10

[Perry Floyd]

11

[Ian Jewison]

Can't make the FP Nr. out correctly, however if it is:

FP Nr. 14497 C it belonged to 6 Kompamie, Infanterie Regiment 728.

/Ian

[Johannes Schoen]

Could it not be 14498 C beacuse of the small hook of the last number. Which unit would be behind 14498 C ?

Johannes

[Ian Jewison]

Hi Johannes,

I read the post again and I saw reference to this unit higher up so it has to be 14497....however the C would indicated 6 Kompanie but Perry mentions he belonged to 5 Kompanie!! Maybe he transferred between Companies?

A - Stab II Bataillon
B - 5 Kompanie
C- 6 Kompanie
D - 7 Kompanie
E - 8 Kompanie.


FP Nr. 14498 belonged to Stab Brücken Bau Bataillon 210.

/Ian

[Johannes Schoen]

Ian

OK, now I have to follow Your reading and experiance.


Perry,

it looked as if You made the profession “Lehrer” (teacher) a part of Herbets name, which is of course not correct.

There seem to be some problems with the files You received.

Herbert Wenzel is reported two times missing in action at January 10 at Stalingrad. Printed in pictue 4 and handwritten in picture 6. But then he is reported as Company-chief in November 1944 and Febuary 1945 (picture 3). It seems most likely to me that we have two different persons with the same name. Or could he menage to escape Stalingrad after reported as missing? Not very probable.

The files mention 3 units, and I cannot find any connection between them:

Feld-Ersatz-Bataillon of 708. Volksgrenadierdivision (picture 3). This Division and its predecessor 708. ID were stationed in the west.

Infanterie-/Grenadier-Regiment 767 (picture 4) was destroyed in Stalingrad as part of 376. ID.

Infanterie-/Grenadier-Regiment 32 (picture 6), part of 24. ID, has no direct link to Stalingrad. It belonged to Heeresgruppe Süd (Crimea) and later Nord (Leningrad). But it gave parts to IR 261 in 1940 and IR 261 was destroyed in Stalingrad as part of 113. ID.

Herbert Wenzel of pictures 4 to 6 belonged to Wehrkreis IV, Wehrersatzbezirk Chemnitz, Wehrbezirk Annaberg (Saxonie). IR 32 was raised and stationed in Teplitz-Schönau before WW II, which was part of Wehrersatzbezirk Chemnitz, like Annaberg, and 24. ID belonged to Wehrkreis IV, too, of course.

Herbert Wenzel of pictures 2 and 3 is connected with Herbert Wenzel of pictures 4 to 6 by the term: “Rangdienstalter 1.4.43”, which is the date of his officers-patent as Leutnant in my understanding. But how could he become officer in April 1943, when he is reported as missing in Stalingrad for January 1943? Is this correct or was something mixed up in the files?

Picture 5 mentions a Personal-Veränderungs-Meldung (report that his status has changed, promotion, missing in action ?) to Wehrbezirk Annaberg on September 14th 1943. I have no idea what A.K.v. means in this respect.

All very strange for me, maybe others can help. Since You will not get any further at the WAst wihout a certification of Herbert’s familiy or death, You will have to know where he and his family lived. Unfortunately neither Herbert nor Wenzel are unfamiliar names in Germany.

At least the Feldpostnumber of the helmet is connected with IR 728 after Ian, and therefore with 708 ID/VGD of picture 3.

If the files are only from a single Herbert Wenzel, then You should find traces of him or his family in or around Annaberg in Saxony (today D-09456 Annaberg-Buchholz, between Leipzig and Prag, south of Chemnitz). The actual telefon-book of Germany has 11 entries for Wenzel in Annaberg-Buchholz (but no herbert )

Telefonbuch

Everybody can understand Your efforts to give an idendity to Your helmet.

Johannes

[Ian Jewison]

Perry,

As Johannes has descovered you have a mystery!?!?!
If you check the Gräbernachweis des Volksbundes Deutsche Kriegsgräberfürsorge e.V.

http://www.volksbund.de/graebersuche/content_suche.asp

You will find 29 deceased Soldiers with the name "Herbert Wenzel"....this amount does not include those soldiers who are missing in action where no grave is known!!!!

The problem with the FP Nr. is we can not date it....this was used throughtout the war for the same unit....on 15.10.1942 it was renamed Grenadier Regiment....however it was not used after 2.9.1944!!!!!

/Ian

[Perry Floyd]

Yes, I figured they had sent me everything on any Herbert Wenzel so it does look confusing. Put then you have to go back to the Feldpost# to help find which Wenzel they are talking about.
As mentioned the Feldpost number has allways belonged to Rgt. 728 of 708th Grenadier division. So it least that is no mystery.
This unit was destroyed at Falaise by the French 2nd Armored Div.
Although a role call of '45 shows him as CO of 5th company so he must have survived the Falaise intrapment??

Also thanks on the correction of the name Lehrer, I had assumed it was part of his name. I know hardly any German but what differents in from Schulteiss (spelling?) as I thought that was teacher?

Anyway, you guys have researched far more than I have and maybe we can find out something new on Lt. Wenzel as I would like to know if he at least survived the war, etc...
Thanks guys thus far I really appreciate this help and time..

[Perry Floyd]

Oh and it's hard to photo the name and Feldpost# in the helmet but it shows up alittle better in person and it's no doubt 14497 C

[Perry Floyd]

Would this be correct to assume..
At the time of his painting his name and feldpost# in the helmet he was with 6 Company, after the destruction of the rgt. in Falaise he was moved to 5th Company? As this shows in the last "role call" on 7/2/45? So he would have survived the Falaise intrapment?...Just think of why the feldpost# shows 6th Co. and his last whereabouts show 5th Co. all in the 708th Div.