Panzer Jäger Abteilung 559

[Philippe DB]

Hi Guys,

Little question. What PAB grade would a soldier, serving in Panzer Jäger Abteilung 559 (from 1944 "Schwere" Pz Jäg. Abt), have received in okt 1944, the bronze or the silver grade?

Thanks in advance.

KR
Philippe

[MVV]

Hi Philippe ,


Normally bronze....very interrested to see what you have from that unit

Gr -marc

Hi Guys,

Little question. What PAB grade would a soldier, serving in Panzer Jäger Abteilung 559 (from 1944 "Schwere" Pz Jäg. Abt), have received in okt 1944, the bronze or the silver grade?

Thanks in advance.

KR
Philippe

[Tom M]

I would have thought bronze aswell, as the Jaegers normally have Sturmgeschutze and Jagdpanthers etc. But 500 Abteiling series had Tigers and other heavy armour so maybe they had Jagdtigers? Interesting....

[MVV]

at that time (okt. 1944) .. Jagdpanther

[Tom M]

Abteilung 559 was foremost a Jagdpanther regiment. So, it would be a bronze PAB

Here is a site for more information
http://www.achtungpanzer.com/pz15.htm

Cheers

P.S sorry MVV, we posted near enough the same time

[Philippe DB]

Hi Marc,

Thanks my friend and it's indeed a bronze grade.

I was in Chiney yesterday and picked up the PAB doc + the guys Ost-medal doc. without really knowing what I was buying.

Only after arriving home yesterday evening and using my limited resource facilities did I find out what 559 really stood for:

http://www.lexikon-der-wehrmacht.de/...wPzJAbt559.htm


Am I correct in assuming that 559 as part of the Panzer Lehr division would have seen action in the Ardennes?

I'll post pics of both docs this evening.

KR
Philippe

[MVV]

Even better Philippe , they saw action oktober 1944 in my garden , together with StuG 244 ...


Veryyyyyy nice catch you made


marc.

[Philippe DB]

Hi Marc,


If I'm not mistaken the award date on the PAB was 09/10/44, so most likely it was handed out in your garden. Don't supose you have any pics of them camping in the garden

BTW what were they doing in your garden, driving towards Bastogne, operation "Wacht am Rein" was probably still in the planning fase at that time. And also where were they coming from, the Eastern Front? I just read that before becomming schwere Pz Jäger abteilung they were a normal Pz Jäger abteilung and fought in the east?

Txs for the Link Tom.

KR
Philippe

[Tom M]

Synopsis of 559

Phillipe, here is all the information you need to know, The division did most of it's fighting in the west it would seem, and were also involved in Market Garden.

26 Aug 39 mobilized in WK V
1 Sep 39 7th Army, Army Group C
10 May 40 XXIII Corps, 16th Army, Army Group A with three companies (@ 12 x 3.7cm Pak)
24 Jul 40 transferring to Army Group A from 12th Army, Army Group C
22 Jun 41 LVI Panzer Corps, Fourth Panzer Group, Army Group North (4.7cm SP guns)
20 Aug 41 LVI Panzer Corps, 16th Army, Army Group North
5 Oct 41 VII Corps, 4th Army, Army Group Center
24 Dec 41 2nd Army, Army Group Center
1 May 42 reequipped with 7.62cm SP guns
3./ disbanded; Panzerjäger-Kompanie 601 incorporated into unit as 3./
4 Jun 42 2nd Army/Armeegruppe von Weichs
[Niehorster: 28 Jun 42, 2nd Army reserves, Army Group South with two companies of Marder IIs as well as 601. schwere Panzerjäger Kp.]
13 Jul 42 XIII Corps, 2nd Army/Armeegruppe von Weichs
30 Jul 42 VII Corps, 2nd Army
[Niehorster (2): 12 Jan 43, Korps Cramer, Army Group B, 12 Marders and 24 towed 75mm guns]
21 Jun 43 XIII Corps, 2nd Army, Army Group Center, Kursk
[Niehorster: 4 Jul 43, organized with two companies of six Marder IIs each; 3./ equipped with two self-propelled 50mm and four self-propelled 128mm guns]
Sep 43 6 Marder IIIs delivered
May 44 5 Jagdpanthers issued
Aug 44 8 Jagdpanthers issued
20 Aug 44 2./ and 3./ re-equipped with 14 StuGs each
Sep 44 17 Jagdpanthers issued
6 Sep 44 part in the Netherlands
31 Oct 44 LXXXVIII Corps, 15th Army, Army Group H
4 Dec 44 attached to 256.Volksgrenadiere Division, 1st Army, Army Group G
11 Dec 44 attached to Panzer-Lehr Division, XXXXVII Panzerkorps, 5th Panzer Army for “Wacht Am Rhein”, replaced I./PzR 130 with 21 StuGs and Jagdpanthers
Dec 44 18 Pz IV L/70 (V) issued
Jan 45 6 Jagdpanthers issued
21 Jan 45 detached from Panzer-Lehr Division
Mar 45 5 Jagdpanthers issued, assigned to XIII SS-Corps, 7th Army, Army Group G
Apr 45 19 Jagdpanthers issued
[Kliment: total of 20 Marder IIIs delivered]
FtF: Sep I 39, First Army, Army Group C, 1x 1-10 mot AT II 559
FoF: May I 40, Army Group C, 1x 1-10 mot AT II 559
TFH: Sep I 40, 1x 1-10 mot AT II 559
SE: Jun II 41, 4th Pz Group, Army Group North, 1x 1-10 mot AT II 559; Apr I 44, withdraw
SF: May I 44, West arrives, 1x 1-10 mot AT II 559; Oct I 44, convert to 1x 3-8 TD II 559

[Philippe DB]

Hi Tom,


Thanks again what more could a guy ask for.

Excuse the dumb question but as a poor badge collector I'm not really familiar with all these divisions and armee groups. However I supose at some stage they were in the east or otherwise my guy could never have been awarded the east-medal. I see in june 43 even "Kursk" is mentioned in the synopsis.

KR
Philippe

[Tom M]

That's right Phillipe, they did have a short period in the east in 1943 attached to whatever army division. That would have been enough to be awarded the "Frozen meat" medal

[Philippe DB]

Thanks Tom, the doc indeed is dated in '43 so that makes sense. As promised I'll post them tonight

KR
Philippe

[MVV]

Philippe , they fought early oktober 1944 as a independant unit under the German 67 Army Corps ( Model's 15th Army) in this region (Essen & North Holland) against the 4th Canadian Tank Division and later oktober 20/22 against the Britt. 49th Infantery Div.( Wuustwezel, Belg /Dutch border ) .

m.

[Karol98k]

HI Guys. One question - wasn't the "Frozen Meat" medal awarded only for participating in the Winter Campaign (retreat) of 1941/42? That's what it is written on those medals...?

[Philippe DB]

Philippe , they fought early oktober 1944 as a independant unit under the German 67 Army Corps ( Model's 15th Army) in this region (Essen & North Holland) against the 4th Canadian Tank Division and later oktober 20/22 against the Britt. 49th Infantery Div.( Wuustwezel, Belg /Dutch border ) .

m.

Oh well that kind of a disapointment. I really thought they were actualy fighting IN YOUR garden, but than again that woudn't have been possible now would it. Just image how big a garden you need for an abteilung of Jagdpanther

@Karol, good question that's what also made me wonder when looking at the date on the doc. In Klietman's book "Auszeichnungen Des Deutschen Reiches" it states on page 64 that the deathline for awarding the ost-medal was 15 oct. 1944 but then again I would think also that you should have been there in the winter of 41/42.

As promised the two docs

KR
Philippe

Ost-medal