Help please - Panzer Lehr Regiment circa 1940

[Panzer Rob]

Hi all-

I'm on vacation and trying to do a little research on a couple of Soldbücher while I have the free time.....

Does anyone here happen to have any info on Panzer Lehr Regiment circa May/June/July 1940 and if it (or elements of the Regiment) participated in "Fall Gelb?" I have a Soldbuch to a member of Panzerjäger-Abt.643 which has five entries with "Panzer-Lehr-Regiment" stamps dating from March 1940 through January 1941. The unit listed on the circular stamp is "Panzer Lehr Regiment - 12. (E.) (Panzer-Jäger) Kompanie" and the same unit entry is listed in section d. on page 4 (units page). That unit entry is actually dated 15.May 1940 (not common to see dated unit entries in Soldbücher!)

I know Panzerjäger-Abt.643 was initially held in reserve during "Fall Gelb" but was it ever subordinate/attached to Panzer-Lehr-Regiment during the operation? Did it fight under/along side Panzer-Lehr Regiment or independently?

One of the entries with the Panzer Lehr Regiment stamp is a west wall award entry, dated 20.March 1940. This soldier went on to receive the EKII and PAB in silver in July and August (respectively) 1940; the EKII awarded through the 12.Armee and the PAB in silver via Pz.Jäg.Abt.643.

Any info on either Panzer-Lehr-Regiment of Panzerabwehr/Panzerjäger-Abteilung 643 will be most appreciated.

Thanks in advance.
Rob

[Gerdan]

http://www.lexikon-der-wehrmacht.de/...zAbwAbt643.htm

http://panzerjaeger-info.fuehr-online.de/html/WH2.html

Gerdan

[Panzer Rob]

http://www.lexikon-der-wehrmacht.de/...zAbwAbt643.htm

http://panzerjaeger-info.fuehr-online.de/html/WH2.html

Gerdan

Hello Gerdan,

I have already found and read through both of these sites, but I appreciate your assistance and willingness to help - Thanks!

Rob

[Ian Jewison]

I can not find much at all on Pz.Lehr Rgt. only the following taken from Kurowski's Pz.Lehr.Division:

Pz.Lehr. Rgt. was fromed 1938 at the Pz.Truppen Schule in Wünsdorf near Berlin. Part of the Rgt. was moved to 3 Pz.Div. for the Polish campaign.
Also during the West campaign parts of the Rgt. were involved.
Autunm 1940 Rgt. consisted of:

I. Abt.: 1-4 Kp. (Panzer)
II. Abt: 5-8 Kp. (Schützen later Pz.Gren.)
III. Abt. 9-12 Kp. (Pz.Abwehr, later Pz.Jäger)

/Ian

[Panzer Rob]

I can not find much at all on Pz.Lehr Rgt. only the following taken from Kurowski's Pz.Lehr.Division:

Pz.Lehr. Rgt. was fromed 1938 at the Pz.Truppen Schule in Wünsdorf near Berlin. Part of the Rgt. was moved to 3 Pz.Div. for the Polish campaign.
Also during the West campaign parts of the Rgt. were involved.
Autunm 1940 Rgt. consisted of:

I. Abt.: 1-4 Kp. (Panzer)
II. Abt: 5-8 Kp. (Schützen later Pz.Gren.)
III. Abt. 9-12 Kp. (Pz.Abwehr, later Pz.Jäger)

/Ian

Thanks, Ian... Already have that info as well, and like you I'm having difficulty finding more in-depth info on the unit from that time frame

Appreciate your assistance!
Best,
Rob

[Panzer Rob]

Does anyone else have any info on Panzer-Lehr Regiment and Panzerabwehr/Panzerjäger-Abteilung 643 during "Fall Gelb" or maybe recommend any books or websites that might be of assistance?

Thanks in advance
Rob

[Ian Jewison]

I found this whilst surfing:

Ninety-nine vehicles equipped Anti-tank Battalions 521, 616, 643 and 670 in the battle for France. Only Anti-tank Battalion 521 participated in the campaign from the beginning as the other three were still training until a few days after the campaign began, but they were sent to the front as they finished their training.

Panzerjäger I

The source is mentioned......

/Ian

[Panzer Rob]

I found this whilst surfing:

Ninety-nine vehicles equipped Anti-tank Battalions 521, 616, 643 and 670 in the battle for France. Only Anti-tank Battalion 521 participated in the campaign from the beginning as the other three were still training until a few days after the campaign began, but they were sent to the front as they finished their training.

Panzerjäger I

The source is mentioned......

/Ian

Thanks, Ian... Saw that one too while doing some initial digging but I appreciate your continued assistance!

Rob

[tigre]

Panzer Lehr Regiment 1940.

Hello to all ; after a while I've found this...........

Panzer-Lehr-Regiment "Wünsdorf".

The Panzer-Lehr-Regiment constituted the training troop of the Armored troops school; it got its new name by October 01, 1937 being composed of two detachments (abteilungen) I. Pz Abt and II. Pz Jäg Abt. By July 07, 1939 together with one HQ, both before mentioned abteilungen and one motorized abteilung from the Infanterie-Lehr-Regiment Döberitz it was constituted the Panzer-Lehr-Regiment "Wünsdorf" (I. Pz Abt; II. Mot Abt and III. Pz Jäg Abt).

Poland 1939.

At the beginning the campaign the Panzer-Lehr-Abteilung reinforced the 3 Pz Division with its newest armored vehicles (Pz Kw III and Pz Kw IV) as requested by General Heinz Guderian. This abteilung was shifted to the 9 Pz Division on December 1939 and became the I./ PR 33. At the beginning of 1940 it was organized a new Panzer-Lehr-Abteilung in Wünsdorf.

France 1940.

The II. Motorized-Lehr-Abteilung was part of the Infanterie-Lehr-Regiment 900 (organized from the Infanterie-Lehr-Regiment "Döberitz) within the Pz Group Kleist; while the III. Panzer-Jäger-Lehr-Abteilung went to the 10 Pz Division as Pz Jäg Abt 90. At the beginning of 1941 the Panzer-Lehr-regiment was reunited again in Wünsdorf.

Barbarossa 1941.

By Jun 1941 the II. Abt (riflemen) and the III. Abt (tank hunters) were detached to organize the Lehr-Brigade 900 and were again committed in the battle field.

By 1942 the Infanterie-Lehr-regiment constituted the full mechanized Panzergrenadier-Lehr-Regiment 901 under Oberst Scholze.


Oberst Fronhöfer - CO of Inf-Lehr-Regt 900 in 1940.

Source: Chronik der PzLhrDiv by Ritgens

More here (German) http://www.panzer-archiv.de/forum/pr...7eec3951379bff

Hope be useful. Cheers. Raúl M

[Panzer Rob]

Hello Raúl,

Sorry for the delay in my reply but I just returned home from a week in San Diego for Comic Con and I only now saw your post.

Thanks very much for the additional info and the link, I appreciate it

Best,
Rob

[tigre]

Panzer Lehr Regiment 1940.

Hello to all ; you're welcome Rob, glad the info was useful for you. Regards. Raúl M .

[Panzer Rob]

Just wanted to bring this back up to the top to see if anyone else might be able to help out....

Thanks!
Rob

[Archi]

Hello !

While looking for info on some Lehr-units, I came across this thread, and I think one of the questions
can be answered.

The connection of PzJg.Abtl. 643 and Panzer-Lehr-Rgt. is the following :
From early 1940 to March 1941, the 12th company of Panzer-Lehr-Regiment Wünsdorf, acted as a replacement unit
for this field-unit (and other independent Pz.Jg.Abt.) (and possibly was responsible for their formation as well).

A very similar example can be seen here (for early StuG units), where 17. and 18. Bttr. Art.Lehr-Rgt. had similar tasks:
http://dev.wehrmacht-awards.com/foru...3&postcount=54

Therefore, I think this soldier was transferred to 12.(E) Kp./Pz.Lehr-Rgt for the formation of PzJg.Abt. 643, then saw
action in France and at some time after the campaign returned to this company for reorganization.
That would be the easiest way to explain those stamps. Also the (E) after the 12, which I think stands for (Ersatz),
would fit to that theory and is otherwise hard to explain for a Lehr-unit.

That is also somehow confirmed by the Tessin entry for PzJg.Abt. 643 (1st scan) and the organizational scheme of
Pz.Lehr-Rgt. in 1940 (2nd scan, arrow on the left).

I hope this might help either Panzer Rob (I hope he is okay, haven't read anything from him for a long time ),
or help on similar occasions, were such an (E) comes up in connection to a Lehr-unit !

Best regards,

Archi