Panzer Off W/ Edelweiss On Visor

[krim4142]

Panzer Off W/ Edelweiss On Visor

I can say for sure that it's a G A B, looking very closely I can see his wrapper through the award. At first I thought it was a PAB in silver, one thing for sure this is a very interesting photo.

Peter.

[Gebirgsjgr]

I echo the comments about the 'coolness' of this photo.

The other aspect that I'm looking at is the time period. All Feldbusen are M36 or M40 (nothing later), and there is a mix of dark green and field gray shoulder straps. The cap eagles and arm Edelweiss seem to be on light (not dark green) backing.

The other thing is that it seems that all of the men are officer candidates.

As far as having a Panzer uniform in a Gebirgs unit - I think I've seen this before (I will start looking), but perhaps the more important issue here is that the Panzermann seems to be the leader (i.e. he is the officer while everyone else are enlisted/NCO).

Without regard to the Kaserne Sign, could this be some sort of officer candidate school?

-Matt

[W Petz]

I'm still thinking Gebirgs-Panzerjaeger Officer wearing a edelweiss on his peaked cap and also the possibility of a Kreta cufftitle.

Gebirgsjaegers like many other branches had a mixture of uniforms all the way to the end of the war.

I agree that the unit is 3. Kompanie Pz.-Jg-Ers.-Ausb.-Abtl.48
a replacement batallion for Gebirgs-Panzerjäger-Abteilungen 47, 48, 55 and 95.

I'm not sure that the unit identified would also have a officer candidate school as well but it could be possible.

Bill

I echo the comments about the 'coolness' of this photo.

The other aspect that I'm looking at is the time period. All Feldbusen are M36 or M40 (nothing later), and there is a mix of dark green and field gray shoulder straps. The cap eagles and arm Edelweiss seem to be on light (not dark green) backing.

The other thing is that it seems that all of the men are officer candidates.

As far as having a Panzer uniform in a Gebirgs unit - I think I've seen this before (I will start looking), but perhaps the more important issue here is that the Panzermann seems to be the leader (i.e. he is the officer while everyone else are enlisted/NCO).

Without regard to the Kaserne Sign, could this be some sort of officer candidate school?

-Matt

[Edward]

Good observation Matt on the shoulder board tress loops in wear.

The unit, at least from the sign in the photo, is that of a Panzerjäger Replacement and Training Abteilung in Austria and not at one of the Fahnenjunkerschulen. The men are Reserve Offizierbeweber (R.O.B.) and are probably at some point in there officer candidate training. The Officer was likely posted to the staff of some replacement and training command. Possibly the unit in question as a class tactics instructor.

[Simon O.]

I would take a guess at this man being an instructor, he's not wearing the sleeve edelweiss and has been pointed out, this wasn't strictly a gebirgs unit, though it provided replacments for the panzerjäger abteilungen of gebirgs divisions. I'd say he was allowed to wear the cap edelweiss given his job and the men he trained (remember that panzerjäger and panzer were part of the same branch with the same waffenfarbe)

The type '44 gebirgs division TO&E included a stug\hetzer kompanie, the only photo I've seen of some of these men, they're wearing fieldgrey wraps with black panzer collar tabs and skulls.

The only actual 'gebirgs' panzer unit I can think or the nearest I can get was a kompanie of 22 captured T-34 belonging to the 1 Skijäger division