6AR 29 mot Photo Album!!

[Tim DC]

Hello Bog,

The grave was that of Leutnant Hartmut Wittich in Pleskau.

More information on him:

<TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width="94%" border=0><TBODY><TR><TD width="100%"><TABLE cellSpacing=1 cellPadding=4 width="100%" border=0><TBODY><TR><TD class=headtabelle width="36%">Nachname:</TD><TD class=bodytabelle width="64%">Wittich </TD></TR><TR><TD class=headtabelle width="36%">Vorname:</TD><TD class=bodytabelle width="64%">Hartmut </TD></TR><TR><TD class=headtabelle width="36%">Dienstgrad:</TD><TD class=bodytabelle width="64%">Leutnant </TD></TR><TR><TD class=headtabelle width="36%">Geburtsdatum:</TD><TD class=bodytabelle width="64%">25.12.1918 </TD></TR><TR><TD class=headtabelle width="36%">Geburtsort:</TD><TD class=bodytabelle width="64%">Lauterberg </TD></TR><TR><TD class=headtabelle width="36%">Todes-/Vermisstendatum:</TD><TD class=bodytabelle width="64%">30.07.1941 </TD></TR><TR><TD class=headtabelle width="36%">Todes-/Vermisstenort:</TD><TD class=bodytabelle width="64%">Ortslz. II San.Kp. 1/532 Pleskau </TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE></TD></TR><TR><TD></TD><TD width="100%">

Hartmut Wittich wurde noch nicht auf einen vom Volksbund errichteten Soldatenfriedhof überführt oder konnte im Rahmen unserer Umbettungsarbeiten nicht geborgen werden. Nach den uns vorliegenden Informationen befindet sich sein Grab derzeit noch an folgendem Ort:

Pskow - Rußland

</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>

Most photo albums stop in 1942-43 due to the shortage of material and happy times to photograph.

I'm 95% sure that Striegnitz did survive the war. There is no known casualty with that name with a rank of Unteroffizier or higher.

Hope this helps.

[Justin P]

Tim thank you for taking the time to research that

It's great some of the individuals may of survived.


Can some one point me in a direction regarding reserching the 6AR 29 Mot?

Heres a few more pages


<a href="http://s279.photobucket.com/albums/kk134/bogthedoguk/?action=view&current=wounded.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i279.photobucket.com/albums/kk134/bogthedoguk/wounded.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket"></a>

[Justin P]

Sorry about the large scans

Is it the angle of the photo, or is the guy pulling the gun 8ft tall


<a href="http://s279.photobucket.com/albums/kk134/bogthedoguk/?action=view&current=TallGerman.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i279.photobucket.com/albums/kk134/bogthedoguk/TallGerman.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket"></a>

[PZIV]

That guy is just a beast!

From my understanding the Artillerie-Regiment 29 followed the 29.Infanterie-Division throughout the war and in 1941 was sent to the Russian front. May 25, 1941 the division was fighting at Minsk, Smolensk in Armee Gruppe Mitte. Late 1941 they fought in the battles around Tula. In early 1942 they fought in Orel and mid 1942 in Charkow and the Don until late 1942 when they were involved in battles in Stalingrad. In January of 1943 they were still in Stalingrad where it seems the division was completely decimated.

Mid 1943 after being reformed into the 29.Panzer-Grenadier-Division the unit was moved to Italy where it fought at Salerno and Cassino. It surrendered somewhere in Italy I believe in the city named "Bologna".

Honestly, if I'm correct your man actually didn't have a 95% chance of surviving (after what Tim said) because his unit was involved in Stalingrad. I wouldn't put it much lower, but the 29.Infanterie-Division was completely destroyed. Your artillery man fought in quite a few famous battles.

Best,
Mansal

[Justin P]

He was a beast! Shame he was such a big target


Thanks Mansal for your help again


Stalingrad Poor sods

[Paul E]

Hello,

Re this album one of the main areas of my collection and research involves the 29 ID (Mot) and 29 PGD and i have a few original albums of them myself.

Your album is slightly confusing as if it is 6 / AR 29 (Mot ) which the one photo refers to i think the owner did not serve with them for all the war and maybe only the French campaign or pre war training before moving to an Arty unit that fought in Northern Russia.

The photo of the grave in Pleskau is in the area of Army Group Norths Operational area and 29 ID were never in AGN but as Mansal points out were part of Army Group Centre in 1941 and 4th Panzer Armee and 6th Armee during 1942 in Southern Russia ending up in Stalingrad. The sign post photos also show that they were taken in Northern Russia in the Leningrad area.

So i think that many of them are not of 6 / AR 29.

On the positive side i hope i can help also , pre war and during training AR 29 was based in Erfurt, Wehrkreis IX where their Artillerie Ersatz Abt was before moving to Muhlhausen in 1942. This will probably where most of the Barracks / training photos were taken .

On Sept 3rd 1939 they went into action in Poland with the rest of the Division and were commanded by Oberst Krause , the II Abt under whom 6 Batterie would have come was commanded by Hauptmann Dr Adam.

As part of my research i have been in touch with several vets from AR 29 who have sent me photos i will try and compare yours with some of mine taken in Erfurt / Kassel to pin down some locations. Hope this is helpful to you,

regards

Paul

[Justin P]

Hi Paul

Thanks for posting!

The photo of them holding up the sign for the 6ar 29 mot, Has the same people in many diffrunt times throw the album.

I look forward to hearing from you, If you need any Scans please let me no


Regards

Bog

[Tim DC]

Given the fact that he was wounded at least once, that he made it to officer (if Bog's assumption is correct, I only see him as an NCO in the pics), and the fact there were so many changes in the regiment's composition (as quoted below, LdW), what are the chances he actually stayed with the same unit for about 4 years?

Die Batterien der I. und III. Abteilung wurden Anfang 1940 gestrichen und die jeweilige Abteilung wurde ab Mitte 1940 unter der Nummer des Stabes eingetragen. Die Einheiten der II. Abteilung wurden dagegen zur II. Abteilung Artillerie-Regiment 90 umbenannt. Als Ersatz für die umbenannte II. Abteilung wurde ebenfalls noch Mitte 1940 die III. Abteilung in II. Abteilung umbenannt. Die I. Abteilung wurde ebenfalls noch Mitte 1940 zur I. Abteilung Artillerie-Regiment 90 umbenannt, aber noch 1940/41 wieder zur I. Abteilung vom Regiment umbenannt. 1940/41 wurde auch eine Stabsbatterie eingetragen. 1941 wurde dann die I. Abteilung vom Artillerie-Regiment 65 zur neuen III. Abteilung umbenannt. 1942 wurde durch Umbenennung der Heeres-Flakartillerie-Abteilung 313 eine IV. Abteilung eingetragen. 1943 wurden alle Einheiten mit dem Vermerk Stalingrad gestrichen. 1943 wurden dann wieder ein Artillerie-Regiment 29 bei neuen Nummern eingetragen. Am 6. Mai 1944 wurde die I. Abteilung gestrichen. Am gleichen Tag wurde auch eine neue I. Abteilung bei einer anderen Nummer eingetragen.

Add to that that his name is not listed on the Volksbund, and I think most people would need more proof to state that this man was a Stalingrad KIA.

[Justin P]

Hi Tim

Thank you so much for the info U provided, I think there may be a bit of confusion regarding who this photo album belonged to.

guy in front page? or main caricter throw album? Guy on front page is in the first few photos, but then diaspers i thought this was due to him taking the photos. may be this chap did get transferd? Hence why he does not show up KIA in Stalingrad?

Also i mentioned he was an officer, i only said this as the guy in the photo album is always barking orders! And in latter photos (not displayed) has a different uniform. I'm not an expert in officer dress etc and i properly should not of asumed his rank!

Regards
Bog

[Paul E]

Bog,

The 6/AR 29 photo is a training photo almost certainly but it gets a bit lost in the Northern Russian photos but if the same people feature all the way through i can't figure it out at the moment.

Certainly none of the photos indicate a unit in Southern Russia or at Stalingrad.

regards

Paul

[Justin P]

Bog,

The 6/AR 29 photo is a training photo almost certainly but it gets a bit lost in the Northern Russian photos but if the same people feature all the way through i can't figure it out at the moment.

Certainly none of the photos indicate a unit in Southern Russia or at Stalingrad.

regards

Paul

Thanks Paul

I think the only way to get to the bottom of this, Is for the text on the reverse of the photos to be translated

Regards
Bog

[jacquesf]

I am very interested in this album and have found the discussion interesting. Just an observation on the first page. The birthday card is dated March 41 to an unteroffizer, while in the picture he is still an unter offizer, but is wearing a m43 tunic with a silver wound badge. So at least 2 years has past without him getting any combat awards or a promotion. Was he wounded and out of action for this period? In the picture his waffenfarbe seems white for infantry? Jacques