Unknown generalmajor's sig inf div 83?

[bratwurstdimsum]

Hi there, another one for my project...

This appears to be inf div 83 but according to lexikon it should be

28.06.1944 - 22.08.1944 Generalmajor Götz OR

22.08.1944 - 27.03.1945 Generalleutnant Heun

Looks more like Koin or Roin to me ... ??

[Ian Jewison]

Info regarding Generalleutnant Wilhelm Heun from Mike Miller's site:

http://www.geocities.com/~orion47/WE...N_WILHELM.html

The info indicates who was in charge of the Division around the time in question...however he was still an Oberst at the time...............it is not Heun's signature!!!

/Ian

[Hank C.]

Any chance of closeup or enlarged pic of the stamp?

I noticed on LdW that the 251 was "refreshed" out of 2 bataillions early '44, so could it be that it wasn't under the 83 ID any more?

Hank

[Ian Jewison]

Now I am upstairs with my books...I can see the unit stamp is Kommando Infanterie Division 69.

69 Inf.Div. was part of XXXXIII Armee Korps under 16 Armee in February 1944, 83 Inf.Div. was under VI SS Armee Korps also under 16 Armee.

The signature in question is that of Generalmajor Siegfried Rein.

Awarded the Ritterkreuz on 24.2.1945 as Generalleutnant and Commander of 69 Inf.Div.
Died/KiA: 19.1.1945 near Schlo******223;berg/Ostpreu******223;en

/Ian

[Hank C.]

...edit...

The signature in question is that of Generalmajor Siegfried Rein.

Awarded the Ritterkreuz on 24.2.1945 as Generalleutnant and Commander of 69 Inf.Div.
Died/KiA: 19.1.1945 near Schloßberg/Ostpreußen

/Ian

Good going Ian! I couldn't tell the unit designation, but I noticed Rein as a prime suspect on LdW. Of course, I wasn't willing to stick my neck out on it, as I don't have books, and my research skills suck.

best,
Hank

[bratwurstdimsum]

Ian,

where would I be without you! thanks for that.

The stamp looked like 83 inf div and lexikon seemed to support that notion with its write up of GR 251 :

Grenadier-Regiment 251
Aufgestellt am 15. Oktober 1942 durch die Umbenennung des Infanterie-Regiments 251 und der 83. Infanterie-Division unterstellt.

But I can't argue with results! I would never have looked into '69 inf div' in million years.

Thanks also Hank.

Cheers

Jeff

[Simon O.]

Good work Ian.

Jeff
This doc illustrates a very good point in that elements of divisions were often attached to other divisions temporarily. Awards for bravery would then come from the division under which they were operating at the time and not their parent division.

As we're talking of the 83 ID here's another example. An EKII awarded by the 83 ID, signed by Scherer to a member of GJR 138 of the 3GD.