Help with Feldpost number...

[Panzer Rob]

Hi guys-

Can anyone tell me what FPN L 50284 is for? It appears on a gear issue entry dated 12. Feb 1944 in a Heer 118 Jäger-Division Soldbuch I am going through. He spent some time in Vienna around this time, which is the location stamped with the FPN.

Any help will be greatly appreciated.

Thanks in advance.
Rob

[Larry deZeng]

50284
(1.5.1942-19.10.1942) Chefarzt der Luftwaffe 1/III,
(8.9.1943-22.4.1944) 22.11.1943 Kriegslazarett der Luftwaffe 1/III,
(25.11.1944-8.5.1945) 30.12.1944 gestrichen.

Hmmm...... Kriegslaz.d.Lw. 1/III was located in Budapest/Hungary during 1944. Strength: 19 officers, 70 NCOs and men plus 55 civilians.

--Larry

[Panzer Rob]

Larry-

Thanks so much for the (speedy!) reply. Here's a scan of the stamped entry. As you can see, 'Wien' appears in the bottom row...

[Panzer Rob]

image

[Larry deZeng]

Here's a scan of the stamped entry. As you can see, 'Wien' appears in the bottom row...

That just means 1/III got its mail through Luftgaupostamt Wien. LgPA Wien handled all Luftwaffe mail in Austria, Czechoslovakia, Hungary and the Balkans. I see that after he left 1/III in Budapest in August, he was moved to Reserve-Lazarett XIc in North Germany. That suggests that he was pretty badly banged up.

--Larry

[Panzer Rob]

That just means 1/III got its mail through Luftgaupostamt Wien. LgPA Wien handled all Luftwaffe mail in Austria, Czechoslovakia, Hungary and the Balkans. I see that after he left 1/III in Budapest in August, he was moved to Reserve-Lazarett XIc in North Germany. That suggests that he was pretty badly banged up.

--Larry

Larry-

Now I'm really confused. By whom and where was this gear issued?

I wasn't under the impression that he was a patient in a Lazarett when this entry was made, as he should have been with his combat unit. There are no wounds or hospitalizations listed around this date, the last hospitalization being 07 March 1942. So now the question, why would he be receiving gear through Luftgaupostamt Wien in Feb. 1944?

As for the timeline I put together from all of the entries in the Soldbuch, he was wounded 10 August, 1941 (grenade splinters) and admitted to a field hospital, Feldlazarett 122, and awarded the black wound badge on 24 August 1941; wounded a second time by a gunshot through the lung on 26 September 1941 and spent the next several months in hospital. This was all with 3./I.R.407 (21.I.D.)

He went on leave (Genesenden Einhite beim Inf.Ers.Btl.493) on 17 December 1941, with gear issued through the same unit in March 1942. The last hospitalization entry is on 07 March 1942, Truppenarzt/I.E.B.493. He went on leave again in May and yet once more in December of 1942, both with Genesenden Einhite beim Inf.Ers.Btl.493.

The next entries are a security check on 01 March 1943 by Gren.Rgt.738; a promotion on 01 August 1943 through 13./Jäg.Rgt.738; leave from 28.08 -22.09 1943 again with 13./Jäg.Rgt.738; and another security check on 01 Dec 1943, 13./Jäg.Rgt.738. At this time the 118.Jäger-Division was engaged in anti-partisan activities in Croatia.

The next entry after the December 1943 security check is when he was issued a MP-40 (bayonet, etc) on 01.Feb 1944, but then we have this entry by Luftgaupostamt Wien.

The next entry in the Soldbuch is a wound received (31b); he was admitted to San.Kp. 2/118 on 08 June 1944, then:

LW.Lazarett 8/XVII 11 June - 19 June 1944
LW.O.Laz.Budapest 19 June - 31 July 1944
Krgs.Laz. 2./527(R) 01 August - 13 August
Res.Laz. Götzendorf 15 August - 01 September 1944
Res.Laz. XVIh Wien 01 September - 14 September 1944
Res.Laz. XVIb Wien 15 September - 20 September 1944
Res.Laz. IV Wien 20 September - 29 September 1944
Res.Laz. XVI b Wien 30 September - 28 November 1944
Res.Laz.II Dresden 18 December 1944 - 12 Feb. 1945

He was awarded a silver wound badge on 05 September 1944. As you can see, he spent the rest of the war in various hospitals, finally being awarded the gold wound badge at Reserve Lazarett II Dresden on 04 January 1945. His wound must have been rather severe and upgraded to make him eligible for a gold wound badge (it's dated 04 June 1944 but issued on 04 January 1945!). I suppose it could be possible that there was an amputation, yet the Soldbuch makes no note of this and there is no mention of a discharge. His last units are Jäg.Rgt.738 and G.E.B.3.

There are field unit entries for Inf.Rgt.738, Gren.Rgt.738, then Jäg.Rgt.738 which means he should have fought with these units, correct? I.R.738 was in existence from April - October 1942 when it was re-designated Gren.Rgt.738 until April of 1943, then re-designated yet again Jäg.Rgt.738. If these units all appear in the Feldtruppe section, then shouldn't this mean that he served with them in the field?

Wow. All of this from one simple question!!!
Rob

[Panzer Rob]

Well... After studying the locations of the various hospitals he was in starting June of 1944, and now that I look at that entry a bit closer, it appears to be a '7' (July) and not a '2' (Feb.) which makes much more sense. Now everything ties together!

Rob

[Larry deZeng]

R.J. wrote:

There are field unit entries for Inf.Rgt.738, Gren.Rgt.738, then Jäg.Rgt.738 which means he should have fought with these units, correct? I.R.738 was in existence from April - October 1942 when it was re-designated Gren.Rgt.738 until April of 1943, then re-designated yet again Jäg.Rgt.738. If these units all appear in the Feldtruppe section, then shouldn't this mean that he served with them in the field?

Yes. IR/GR/JR 738 always belonged to the 718./118. Inf.(Jäg.)-Div. in Croatia. If he was with this unit then he was definitely in the field. The Division spent its existence participating in endless anti-partisan operations in Croatia, Bosnia, Hercegovina, Dalmatia and finally in Syrmia and Slavonia. I wrote summarized histories of nearly 140 of these and you can find them on Marcus Wendel's Axis History Factbook website:

http://www.axishistory.com/index.php?id=7429

Otherwise, it appears you answered the other questions yourself. That fellow sure was in a lot of hospitals!

--Larry

[Panzer Rob]

R.J. wrote:


Yes. IR/GR/JR 738 always belonged to the 718./118. Inf.(Jäg.)-Div. in Croatia. If he was with this unit then he was definitely in the field. The Division spent its existence participating in endless anti-partisan operations in Croatia, Bosnia, Hercegovina, Dalmatia and finally in Syrmia and Slavonia. I wrote summarized histories of nearly 140 of these and you can find them on Marcus Wendel's Axis History Factbook website:

http://www.axishistory.com/index.php?id=7429

Otherwise, it appears you answered the other questions yourself. That fellow sure was in a lot of hospitals!

--Larry

Larry -

Wow. I had a look and I am extremely impressed with the amount of information you were able to locate on these operations! Very informative, and thanks so much for your contributions...

Excellent stuff!!!

Otherwise, it appears you answered the other questions yourself. That fellow sure was in a lot of hospitals!

Yes, he was! They must have been some severe wounds to keep him in hospital for that long. His silver wound badge was upgraded to gold, it must have been pretty ugly.

Thanks again for your help!

Rob