Panzer Grenadier regiment 128 question ?

[Stijn David]

Hello,


I have a little document group from one person and i would like to find more about this unit ( places off action, etc... ) and commanders.

This group contains the following award docs.

1) Black wound badge, dated on 05.09.1942 ( Im Felde ) as a Gefr. with " 10.(Fla)/Panzer-Grenadier-Regiment 128.

2) General assault badge , dated on 01.11.1942 ( Im Felde ) as a Gefr. with " 10./(Fla)/Panzer-Grenadier-Regiment 128, signed by Rgt. commander ( has the rank off Oberstleutnant )

3) Award document for 3 ( !!!! ) Tank Destruction badges , dated on 07.11.1944 ( Rgt.Gefecht.Stand ) as a Gefr. with " 8./Panzer-Grenadier-Regiment 128 ", signed by the Rgt.Commander ( rank off Oberstleutnant ) = different signature than the previous.

The last document is a General assault doc. that was changed to a TDB doc. ( i will post a pic iff i get it scanned by a friend , you will see it is really no beauty anymore )

I guess during the time there are some award doc. lost from this man, because in my opinion you would certainly have a bravery award for the destruction off 3 enemy tanks.

Can someone help me to find the places off action and the Regimental commanders from this unit ?

Yours Sincerely,

[Rick Research]

Stijn--If your Gefreiter was never wounded after September 1942, he was one of the luckiest members of the Wehrmacht to get through the war...

Panzer Grenadier Regiment 128 was in 23rd Panzer Division. His wound would have been while headed towards Stalingrad. His assault badge was gained, the Division "luckily" having been caught on the OUTSIDE, and not the inside of the Soviet pincers encircling Stalingrad, attempting to batter through to relieve Paulus's men. Most of the 23rd Pz Div were casualties, but the survivors were still outside the trap.

His document for THREE tank destruction devices on 7 November 1944 was because at the Hungarian city of Nyiregyhaza between 23-29 October 1944 the 23rd Panzer Division "destroyed or caused the abandonment of 600 Soviet tanks." !!! So his personal score for a very, very hard week was a mere "modest" 1/200 of the entire division's score! Decorations would have still been getting processed by the surviving officer corps.

The self propelled flak company of PzGren Rgt 128 was armed with 12 20mm cannon and 4 light machine guns. Rick

[Stijn David]

Hello Rick,

Many thanks for the info so far, i have no info on what date this person entered his military service ?

I even have no clue iff this person survived the war ( he is not on the Wast list => mayby he was lucky enough to survive te whole thing ? )
Are tehre any persons that know off a certain member association for this 23 Panzer Division ? ( mayby i can contact them ? )

Im looking for any info iff possible, thanks in advance .

Yours Sincerely,

[Gary T]

Hi Rick,

Sorry to post a correction to your message but 23rd Panzer Division was never at Stlaingrad - it did not come within hundreds of miles of the city during the initial drive but did take part in Manstein's attempt to relieve the city in December 1942. I think you may have taken your info from Mitcham's Hitler's Legions which is totally incorrect here(as it is in many other places). Not sure where he got his info from - maybe confusing it with 24th Panzer Division? During the summer and autumn of 1942 the division was involved in the drive to the Caucasus as part of 1. Panzer Armee.
Stijn,
Here are some scans of the battle pages from a wehrpass belonging to a member of 23. Panzer Division from May 42 to May 45:












Indcidentally this man served with an 88mm flak battery and managed to go the whole war (including Poland, France and the Russian campaign from 6/41 until he joined 23rd Pz. Div) without a wound. He even won the Close Combat Clasp - pretty strange award for a 88mm Flak gunner!

Hope this is of some help,

Gary.

[Rick Research]

Thanks, Gary! As I always say, go with the ORIGINAL information whenever possible. The ability to share and correct information on these Forums is just fantastic. Rick

[Chris Boonzaier]

The major advantage of these wehrpass entries that are printed and glued in is that you can see what is standard for a certain unit, when they are writen in pen they may be tailored to the action of the individual.

[Jessee]

I have the Soldbuch of a young Obergrenadier of 128 PzGrRgt. Sadly, the awards page is missing, so I don't know what he received, though it's doubtful it was much. He didn't go in till '44. He was only 16, and I have often wondered if he made it.

[Eric Queen]

Stijn asked me to post this Tank Destruction Strip document for him. Neat piece !!

[Stijn David]

Hello,


Thanks eric for posting this document.

Does anybody know who the commander off this unit was at that time ?

Thanks for looking and the help,

yours Sincerely,