What is "Wachbatallion Wiesbaden"

[Jean-Loup]

I have some information about a German soldier killed in late 1943, who's unit is listed as Wachbataillon Wiesbaden.
What exactly is a Wachbataillon supposed to be? Did it have something to do with second class soldiers, who were to guard bridges, airports, factories, etc?
Why was this Wachbataillon called Wiesbaden?

Thanks

JL

[Gerdan]

Normally a Wachbatalion (Guard Battalion/ Guard of Honor) was only involved with protocollary service as greeting of high ranking generals, Head of States and so on.

Usually they did not guard bridges or airfields.

In which connection you found "Wachbatallion Wiesbaden" and at what time/year?


Gerdan

[Jean-Loup]

Hi

The guy died in Nice, southern France, in about november 1943 when German forces invaded that area for the first time following the collapse of the Italian army.
Do you have any idea what a Wachbatallion may have been doing down there? There are also photos available of men of the Feldhernhalle in Nice at the same period... I always found that very strange. They apparently stayed a month or two before being replaced by a regular Reserve Division.
Were these units maybe the first units availlable following the unexpected collapse of the Italian army? Is anything mentioned about this in the Feldhernhalle unit history? Was Wachbattalion Wiesbaden maybe attached to the Feldhernhalle?

Here is a page from a local book, with a Feldhernhalle cufftitle visible (bottom left photo).
JL

[Simon O.]

I think you're on the right track there Jean-Loup, rushing down whatever spare units were avialable. Wiesbaden was the HQ for Wehrkreis XII.

There's a couple of paragraphs on it in the FHH history, basically the division was ordered on the 1st Aug. 43 to the nice area to defend the line of the Var. When the Italians capitulated on the 8th Sept, the division moved up to the border where it began disarming the Italian units there. After that it guarded the routes into Italy there and at the end of october started to transfer to Northern France.

[Alanmccoubrey]

Normally a Wachbatalion (Guard Battalion/ Guard of Honor) was only involved with protocollary service as greeting of high ranking generals, Head of States and so on.

Usually they did not guard bridges or airfields.

In which connection you found "Wachbatallion Wiesbaden" and at what time/year?


Gerdan

Gerdan, That is a very good description of the Wach units in Berlin, in the rest of the country and indeed in the occupied territories the "Wach" units were proper guard units for the HQ or whatever they were located near. Sadly Lexikon der Wehrmacht hasn't completed the work on their section.

[Jean-Loup]

Thanks guys. So if I understand correctly, Wachtbatallion Wiesbaden was probably stationed somewhere in northern France, guarding a headquarter or something, and were probably send down south when the Italians capitulated.

JL