Hi guys,
I picked this nice IAB document (not an EK2 for once) up from another collector. It was awarded to an NCO of Luftwaffen-Festungs-Bataillon XI on November 17 1944. It is the first one in my collection of an "independent" Bataillon which fought in the West and is, in my opinion, a rather rare and interesting unit.
Due to the heavy losses in late 1944 the Oberkommando der Wehrmacht (OKW) had ordered the Oberkommando der Luftwaffe (OKL) to raise Bataillons for the fightings in the West in early September 1944 (since the Luftwaffe was hardly able to act in the air anyway). As a result the OKL formed more than 30 Luftwaffen-Festungs-Bataillone which mostly consisted of student pilots, intelligence and technical staff, student NCOs, Landesschützen etc., so men without any or very little infantry experience. Also, the training time was so short that lots of men were thrown into battle with only having seen a few days of training. If time and situation permitted, training was continued either during the transport to the frontline or at the actual frontline.
By September 20, 20 Luftwaffen-Festungs-Bataillone had reached the frontline in the West.
Now, Luftwaffen-Festungs-Bataillon XI was formed September 7 1944 in Nordhausen from different Lw-Nachrichtenschulen and had 4 Kompanien with 160-170 men each, one PAK-Zug (anti-tank) and one sMG-Zug (heavy machine gun). It was transported to Prüm (Eifel) on Sept. 14 and subordinated to (not absorbed by!) 2. SS-Panzer-Division. By Octobre 23 3. Kompanie, Unteroffizier Sohns Kompanie, had suffered 35% casualties and was reinforced before the entire Bataillon was subordinated to 49. Infanterie-Division (2. SS Panzer had left for Paderborn) which was fighting in the area just north of Aachen. Shorty after, by the end of Octobre, the remnants of 49. ID were absorbed by 246. VGD, while Luftwaffen-Festungs-Bataillon XI was transfered to the Hürtgenwald to be absorbed by 89. Infanterie-Division on Octobre 28 (see attachment, image taken from S. Carlsen "Deutsche Luftwaffenfestungsbataillone 1944" as most of the information).
The Bataillon saw heavy action near Simonskall in the first two weeks of Novembre and again suffered heavily against the attacking Americans, especially on Nov 9 and 11. On Nov 9, Oberleutnant Plückelmann, Sohns Kompaniechef, was wounded in Simonskall.
Of course I cannot prove it, but I´d say it is highly likely that Unteroffizier Sohn earned at least a few of his "IAB days" in the Simonskall area. His document is signed by Bataillonskommandeur Hauptmann Georg Klinger.
To me a nice document with an interesting historical background that makes it a perfect match for my collection!
Best,
Matthias
I picked this nice IAB document (not an EK2 for once) up from another collector. It was awarded to an NCO of Luftwaffen-Festungs-Bataillon XI on November 17 1944. It is the first one in my collection of an "independent" Bataillon which fought in the West and is, in my opinion, a rather rare and interesting unit.
Due to the heavy losses in late 1944 the Oberkommando der Wehrmacht (OKW) had ordered the Oberkommando der Luftwaffe (OKL) to raise Bataillons for the fightings in the West in early September 1944 (since the Luftwaffe was hardly able to act in the air anyway). As a result the OKL formed more than 30 Luftwaffen-Festungs-Bataillone which mostly consisted of student pilots, intelligence and technical staff, student NCOs, Landesschützen etc., so men without any or very little infantry experience. Also, the training time was so short that lots of men were thrown into battle with only having seen a few days of training. If time and situation permitted, training was continued either during the transport to the frontline or at the actual frontline.
By September 20, 20 Luftwaffen-Festungs-Bataillone had reached the frontline in the West.
Now, Luftwaffen-Festungs-Bataillon XI was formed September 7 1944 in Nordhausen from different Lw-Nachrichtenschulen and had 4 Kompanien with 160-170 men each, one PAK-Zug (anti-tank) and one sMG-Zug (heavy machine gun). It was transported to Prüm (Eifel) on Sept. 14 and subordinated to (not absorbed by!) 2. SS-Panzer-Division. By Octobre 23 3. Kompanie, Unteroffizier Sohns Kompanie, had suffered 35% casualties and was reinforced before the entire Bataillon was subordinated to 49. Infanterie-Division (2. SS Panzer had left for Paderborn) which was fighting in the area just north of Aachen. Shorty after, by the end of Octobre, the remnants of 49. ID were absorbed by 246. VGD, while Luftwaffen-Festungs-Bataillon XI was transfered to the Hürtgenwald to be absorbed by 89. Infanterie-Division on Octobre 28 (see attachment, image taken from S. Carlsen "Deutsche Luftwaffenfestungsbataillone 1944" as most of the information).
The Bataillon saw heavy action near Simonskall in the first two weeks of Novembre and again suffered heavily against the attacking Americans, especially on Nov 9 and 11. On Nov 9, Oberleutnant Plückelmann, Sohns Kompaniechef, was wounded in Simonskall.
Of course I cannot prove it, but I´d say it is highly likely that Unteroffizier Sohn earned at least a few of his "IAB days" in the Simonskall area. His document is signed by Bataillonskommandeur Hauptmann Georg Klinger.
To me a nice document with an interesting historical background that makes it a perfect match for my collection!
Best,
Matthias
!
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