Received Grand Uncle's Military Records Need Help

[Joec03]

I received my Grand Uncle's ww2 military records from Germany. Family has told me that he was a medic and it seems like the records confirm that, but unfortunately I don't speak German. I'd love to find out more information about the regiments he was with. It seems like he was transferred quite extensively, so I don't know where to begin.

I did notice, that it looks like he was in the Gebirgsjager regiment for just 4 days (yet I have a photo of him with his Gebirgs hat). Why would he be transferred so often? Also, anything you guys can tell me about him or his regiments, I would be interested in.



In addition, here are some photos of him, for anyone interested.

[Gerdan]

Sorry, but it's nearly impossible to read the German text.

Gerdan

[Darrell]

Click on the pictures. It's large and clear as can be from what I see.

[Gerdan]

Thank you: it works

Gerdan

[Simon O.]

He wasn't really transferred that much, what you see for the most part are his movements due to his at least three woundings and frostbite.

To sum things up a little. From Feb.1940 until 25 Jan 1942 he served with the 57 Inf.Div. He then gets shot in the left lower leg and gets frostbite which lands him in verious hospitals until July '42 when he is pronounced fit for garrison duty, which tells us it was a serious enough wound that he wasn't fully fit again, perhaps he lost some toes?

Then it gets a little confusing as it says he spent the rest of the year with the army's medical services in Munich, but it also says he gets wounded by shrapnel in the left thigh in Russia in jan.43 so i think there's something missing here.

It must have been a light wound as he soon returns to duty, albeit with a second line unit, Divisions like the 147 Reserve Division were used for both training recruits after they'd completed their basic training as well as conducting security duties in rear areas.

I wouldn't put too much in to the entry regarding the 363 ID because it seems clear he stayed in the Ukraine when the 147 Reserve Division was partly used to form the 363 ID, the rest being used to form Grenadier-Feldausbildungs-Regiments 562 which was the same unit as Feldausbildungs Regiment Nord Ukraine.

He then gets wounded a third time in Aug.44 getting shrapnel in the right thigh. The last we hear of him is with the convalescent company of medical training and replacement battalion 7 in Miesbach, south of Munich.

That we know nothing of his last 6 months of service isn't unusual. The records you have come from central records which were reliant upon being sent updates from his units, something that became more difficult and haphazard as the Reich collapsed.

As far as decorations go, at the least he had the Ostmedaille (ribbon of which you can see in one of the photos) and the wound badge in silver.

So, essentially he served with 2 field formations between 1940 and the end of 1944.

[Joec03]

Thank you so much Simon. His sister always said that he was in a British prisoner of war camp for a period of time. Looking at his war record, how likely would that be true?

[Simon O.]

I don't see any reason why not as there's no record of him after nov.44. He could have been posted anywhere. The only way to know what he did those last 6 months would be if you had his wehrpass or soldbuch.


However if he was held by the British that gives a rough indication that he ended up in one of the British zones, for example Southern Austria or North Eastern Italy or in North West Germany for example

[Joec03]

Thank you again. Do you think that he was a medic or was he just bouncing around from medical regiments because he was injured at those times?

[Simon O.]

A medic with the infantry, i'm pretty sure.

By 1944 at least he seems to have been in the medical branch as well because his shoulderstraps don't show infantry white branch colour, likely medical blue.