23.Pz.Gren.Rgt. "Norge" tunic

[jotuntroll]

Dear collectors.
I would like you to take the time to read these storys from different veterans who fought in Divisjon Nordland/ Regiment Norge. This will give you a better understanding about the tunic`s history.
Enjoy.

The last days in Berlin before the capitulation, and then some more by E. Andersen 28.11.1999.<O</O
I was a part of 23.pz.gren. Regiment "Norge" 3 batalion, stab A,B,T,1B. <O</OI drove a lorry, infantry, ammunition and all stuff in between along with petrol in 20 liters cans. <O</OThe 26 or the 27 of April 1945 I drove over the bridge of the river Spree by Stadtmitte. When I came over the bridge, I saw a Red Cross food station. Our field kitchen was lost. I took our essgechirrr and start walking towards the food station. My companion stayed in the lorry. His name was Rod and was a so called Volksdeutsche , meaning he was of German heritage from Siebensburgem in Romania. <O</O
While I am inside the Red Cross food station, there was some bombing. The roof and windows broke, and debrief also fell in the soup kettles, but I got the soup and left. When I approached the lorry I saw it was blown up and Rod inside it. The bombers are gone but the shelling from artillery continues. I first came in contact with soldiers from the Kriegsmarine. They were flown in to help keeping Berlin in German hands. From the suburban and to the inner core of Berlin, and in road crosses it waswritten with big letters "Berlin bleibt Deutsch"! <O</OIt did not take long before we were in contact with the Russians. They had much panzers and heavier weapons than us. There were also quite a few street fighting with infantry weapons. During one of those fights I lost the only man I personally knew. His name was Muller and was a Volksdeutsche from Sibenburgem.. We had been together in Kroatia. He was shot in the stomage. The Russians used explosive bullets. His whole stomach was ripped open, but he was still alive. He made sign to me to end his misery, I nodded, but lucky for me someone else was quicker to do it.<O</O
I was now in a larger group of SS soldiers. There I by the way met a Dane and a Swede volunteer. They belonged to regiment "Norge" or regiment "Danmark". Muller belong to regiment "Norge".<O</O
As mentioned, the Russians had much panzers, and lucky for us we had quite a few Panzerfausts. They were effective. I was equipped with a stormkarabine stg.44. It was a good close combat weapon. I had not fired Panzerfaust, but I had some on the lorry when it was blown up. The Russians kept bombing and pushed forwards with panzers so there where gaps in our lines. What was in particular the worst the last 24 hours was the amount of wounded. In most cases they were just left where they were. There was Russians everywhere and we operated more and more in smaller units.<O</O
On the morning 2 of May berlin capitulated. I was then by Fredrikstrasse banhof. We were 15-20 persons squeezed together. It was an Untersturmfuhrer who had the highest rank. We agreed to try getting out though the subway, but in the end, it was to awful down there. Both soldiers and civils kept coming down to the subway. The Russians where over us and by every entrance. By the stairs down they shot at us, so there where many dead and wounded after a while. It was become a death trap. By Stettiner banhof we stormed up and out. We had to run over many dead and wounded in the stairs and up the street where many had tried to escape before us. I spotted a bomb crater a few meters away and dived down in it. Ten of us made it there. After getting some air in our lungs and regaining the situation, we knew this was the end for us. It was tanks and Russians all over the place. <O></O>
We put a piece of cloth on the barrel of a sturmgehwer and held it as high as possible, and right away the Russians where there. The Russians said something and took our watches. He who took mine did not even loose the strap, and just tore it off. The Russians told us that all who were captured in Berlin would be released home after 14 days in captivity. We did not believe this, and we had no choice. We were soon divided so I do not know what happened to the others, and I do not know witch nations they came from. <O</OThe prison march from Berlin to Frankfurt am Oder took 14 days with only 24houers stop in Furstenwalde. It was not longer than 100 kilometers so how it actual was carried out I do not know. What I saw was the dikes on both side of the road was full of dead people. We were not fed or given anything to drink and we slept out on the open in the fields during the night. We had to drink the corpse-infested water by the roadside. Many got sick. If you could not walk you got shot on the spot, and that was that. When I arrived Frankfurt I had Jaundice and Dysentery. After 14 days we got further transport but now on cow wagons on a train. We were around 40-50 people in one wagon. It was just a small whole in the corner for toilet. The doors were locked and only open one time each 24 hours when fed one portion of soup. We could stand for days by side rails. I do not want to describe the conditions further.<O</O
POW in Russia (Soviet).<O</O
We came out in Posnan in Polen. We were some weeks in a camp. We slept outside without any cover. I dug myself down under a wall, and that helped a bit. One day I met another Norwegian, K. Bakke from Oslo. We were ordered to undress and walk past Russians in white capes. One of them a female nipped us in the bum. Then I got a note with my name on it. We got numbers from 1 to 6. Those from number 1 to 3 got in one group, and the others in another group. The ones in group numbered from 1 to 3 was in best shape and was going to Russia. I got a number 3. Knut Bakke got a 4 or 5 and our way separated there. I was sent east and he was sent west. Then it went near two years before I met another Norwegian.<O</O
I came to Rovno in Ukraine and worked on building places and sawmills. After a few months, there came a message that all citizens from small nations should be released and sent home. That was all but the Germans. When I arrived the railway station the train had already arrived, and the prisoners was entering the train. Then two white dressed females arrived. We were ordered to undress torso and hold left arm straight up. There I have my blood type tattooed. All SS soldiers had that, and all SS foreign volunteers had it too, but there were some that for some reason had not got it. I had to go back to the camp and those already entered the train was released without checked. If I had been earlier, my stay in Soviet would have been decreased by two years. Life consists of a coincidences.<O</O
By Christmas I was in really bad shape and one morning I was absent from morning call. There was two more that had not the health to tender. The soviet commandant would show himself for his men. By the barrack there was a shed without roof, door or windows. It was below zero, wind and snowing. We were placed in each our corner. I do not know how long I was there. The two other guys slowly drop to the ground. Somehow, I manage to stand up. The two others die there. I was in seven camps. I was interrogated by the NKVD (KGB) many times, often during the night. They were smart and skilled. I came home 14.10.1947.

[jotuntroll]

The situation in Berlin was critical early April 1945. The order that SS Panzer division Nordland should be pulled inn to Berlin came directly from Hitler`s bunker the 20.april 1945.<?xml:namespace prefix = "o" ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" /><o></o>
General Felix Steiner was in charge of Nordland and was ordered to cut off the Russian spear tank forces to avoid Berlin being surrounded. At first General Steiner ignored the order. He thought the Nordic volunteers had fought very brave for Germany and did not deserve to be annihilated in Berlin.<o></o>
Instead, Steiner telegraphed his friend Brigadefuhrer Ziegler and proposed to keep their forces out of Berlin, and instead try keeping a corridor at Spandau. Ziegler tried to do this and by that, he was taken out of command and sat in house arrest in the Reichcansellerie. He later regained his command and he fell the 2. of May while trying to storm trough the Russian lines in an outbreak attempt from the surrounded position. Steiner was then asked to regain his command over his earlier corps and he did. The decimated division Nordland was sent in to Berlin. It consisted of 23.SS pz.gren.regiment Norge, 24.SS pz.gren. regiment Danmark and some French volunteers from SS regiment Charlemagne. There were also a few Swedish and a couple of Swiss members present in the regiment.In fact there have been difficult to know exactly how many Norwegians there were in Regiment Norge in Berlin in 1945. Most of the regiment consisted of Germans and Volksdeutsche.<o></o>
A part from panzerdivisjon Nordland there were other regular forces in Berlin center spring 45. It was Hitler`s leibstandarte consisting of 800 men and Gross Deutschland consisting of 400 men, one Fallschirmdivision and a Panzerdivision.<o></o>
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Here is notes from a Nordic SS soldier's diary:"It has been 3 bloody days, the worst since the battles of Kurland. I am the last of my abteilung of 10 Danish, Norwegian and one Swedish officer. 6 of them has fallen and the other 4 severly wounded. They were all young officers who came from the area of the platons exersize Kiensschlag. Full of optimism and inspired of European spirit and a comradery from one year together in the officers academy. It was bitter for me a 19 years old to say goodbye to the front like this. I knew there would be nothing to come back to. It was depressing traveling through Berlin the 22 of April. I tried come down the U bahn but it was impossible. The refuges fought to come onboard the subway.I got half price as all soldiers did. After traveling a bit the conductor ordered Alle ausstegen! Why we asked, and he told us the Russians pinpointed their artillery. After a while, I was transferred to a hospital in Denmark the 25 of April. The 6 of May 1945 (peace) I was jailed together with other "traitors".<o></o>
As for defense line, the division Nordland had the largest part of the Citadel between Landwehr channel and Spree. This was the central part of Berlin where all government offices was inclusive Reichcanslerie and the Fuhrer bunker. The command central for division Nordland was down in U bahnhof Stadtmitte. SS Brigadefuhrer Dr. Gustav Krukenberg was in charge of Nordland. He had his office in an old broken subway wagon. Three candles was all light there in that primitive command central.<o></o>
SS panzerdivision Nordland was set to defend center of the third Reich right before everything collapsed. It was short of all supply and in particular food. SS Nordland fixed that by moving in to the Gendarmenmarkt and confiscate all food in the local stores. By the shop entrance there were placed heavily armed guards. That was the situation for SS panzerdivision Nordland when the enormous Russian forces broke through the German defense line right outside Berlin.<o></o>
The 27 of April the Russian 9.corps moved up Leipziegersrasse towards west. Here they met SS panzerdivision Nordland with their armored vehicles. It was in particular hard battles towards the Russians between 12:00 and 18:00 that day. <o></o>
The 29.of April SS regiment Norge and Danmark got in contact with advancing Russian forces. The first note of this was 09:00 in the morning. The German motorcycle ordnance told that the Russians attacked from west in direction Wilhelmplatz where Norwegians and Danish SS had their positions. <o></o>
The Russians was stopped 700 meters from Hitler`sReichkanzelei. Here they met the defense group "Reichkanzelei" under command of SS Brigadefuhrer Mohnke. There were several Norwegians in that defense group.<o></o>
While this was happening Norwegian and Danish SS forces advanced in the parallel Fredrichstrasse under command of the Danish Obersturmfuhrer Illum, while Haupsturmfuhrer Ternedde held Spittelmarkt with soldiers from Norge and Danmark all together 75 men. It was close combat with hand grenades and LMG`s. They succeeded to push the Russians back. While these battles went on Eva Hitler celebrated her wedding morning.<o></o>
From the Danish embassy some Danish SS soldiers visited and on a document is written "Suddenly at 21:00 we were all in the bunker, but left the steel doors open. Suddenly there was much activity outside. All soldiers are ready to move. Vehicles, mortars, artillery and so on in this end of Tiergarten are on the move." Two Danish SS soldiers were allowed to be in the embassy bunker in Tiergarten while the battles of Berlin raged.<o></o>
The 30.of April Hitler commits suicide in the bunker by the Reichkanzeleri. Next day groups from SS regiment Norge came into combat. They had gone in position in direction towards Spree. The groups had gone in position in 2 floor in the Weinitschke building. From there they fought advancing Russian forces around Inselstrasse, Wallstrasse and Spittelmarkt. The Russians engaged Josef Stalin tanks and T34 tanks and managed to breach the Norwegian positions by Wallstrasse. This dramatic situation was photographed, it was found in a camera found up in an apartment and may have belonged to one of the Norwegian soldiers.<o></o>
For a short time the soldiers managed to stop the Russian advancing troops in Wallstrasse. Suddenly the Russians withdraw their tanks and started shelling heavily the building with artillery. The Norwegians then withdrew to the cellar, and here 2 Russian soldiers managed to enter with a flamethrower. The Norwegians managed to enter through the building entering a new cellar. Here they managed further to get to Kleine Kurstrasse and fought the Russians from here. Sometime on this position the Norwegians and the Russians where as close as 10 meters. The Norwegians managed to hold this position. Later they got support from Danish soldiers who had fought the Russians by Hallisches Tor. <o></o>
The 1.of may they got order to try an outbreak trough the Russian line. The place for the attack was trough Friedrichstrasse. Krukenberg led it. From the Weidendamm Bridge five Tiger tanks drove up Friedrichstrasse as first phase of the escape. The time was 01:45 and the date was 2.of May. Here came Matin Bormann and demanded to be a part of the escape. It was rejected as the Tiger`s was filled with wounded Nordland soldiers. This last information came through a Swedish soldier but it is also stated by a Norwegian.<o></o>
When the escape group reaches the north part of Friedrichstrasse they got spotted by the Russians who open fire from first and second floor in the buildings north of the street. During the fighting one of the wagons exploded, and other armored wagons also were destroyed. One group of 50 men from SS regiment Norge and SS regiment Danmark turned around and drove by Sciffbauerdamm in direction towards Lehrter Bahnhof. Most were destroyed by Albrechtstrasse.<o></o>
There are little documentation where the Norwegians fought but in the archive in Berlin there is a photo of a vehicle of a SdKfz 250/1 from 3.company SS Nordland taken by the Bahnhof Friedrichstrasse with killed Nordic soldiers lying on the street. This picture is supposed to have been taken by a Russian soldier. The history behind the picture is like this. There is written a document on German about the battles of the SS-Pz.A.A.11 "Nordland" Here is the dramatic story behind the picture written by a swede in SS Nordland: "One of the last days of the battles the armored vehicles was put in march in Friedrikstrasse. Here the commando vehicle was shot in flames where the railway bridge to S-Bahn goes over the street. Everybody in the crew storms out except Ragnar Johnson and Gunnar Pehrsson. Those two ran towards the bridge war shot down. While making a try running towards the bridge Gunnar Pehrsson noticed that Ragge fell, he got up and fell again before he was laying still. He ran under the bridge. There he by chance looked up and saw a soviet soldier up on the bridge preparing to throw a hand grenade. He ran behind the wall as the hand grenade exploded. Then he ran and entered a door to an apartment complex. Then Russian soldiers stormed in and searched the apartment. There they found two SS soldiers hidden and they were shot on site. They did not find Gunnar who had hidden for 48 houers before he managed to get civilian clothes and escaped.<o></o>
Another swede Frons Bereznyak who was a part of SS Panzerdivision Nordland wrote: "On the evening the 27.of April the company commander Pehrson and I was ordered to secure the Reichkanzeleri with two tanks from AAII (the II.SS panzer recon battalion) to keep contact with the government area. The 1.of May we were ordered to gather by the railroad station Friedrichstrasse to attempt break through the Russian line over the Weidendammer Brucke. Pehrsson took farewell with every one and said, "The war is over". "Everyone for themselves". Most of us gather by Weidendammer Brucke to attempt break through the Russian line to get over to west with the German forces north of Berlin. The attempt was doomed from the start. By now the bridge war under heavy Russian MG fire. By 04:00 my armored vehicle drove over the bridge under heavy fire from the Russians. Many of our men died by Russian cross fire here. We drove like hell and by luck our vehicle made it through Stettiner Bahnhof in northern part of Berlin. After a few minutes, another of our vehicle made it through. It was a mortar wagon from the swede platoon. It had a hit and we towed it with us with the crew still in it. Suddenly the wire broke in a cross point street. At the same time I saw Russian tanks in a parallel street 100 meters away. I ordered forward to my driver, but it was too late. I saw several muzzle fires and then our vehicles were shot into fire. The swede panzerwagen went by like a torch in the wind.<o></o>
There is also a eyewitness story from a Danish soldier Per Sørensen from the battles: " They went into position by Sonnenalle by the channel. Regiment 23 "Norge"s chief Obersturbannfuhrer Kørbel is sent back, severely wounded. Ternedde takes right away over the command over the parts left of the 24."Danmark" and joins these together to some kind of battle unit. The 25.of April the Russians breach the defense of Spree and the Teltow chanael. In small groups is the last kampfgruppen, rest of company's and units squeezed together in the center of Berlin. Around Tiergarten, Leipziegerstrasse, Alexanderplatz and the ruins of the Reichskanzeleri and the Fuhrerbunker they are deployed. <o></o>

[jotuntroll]

Wilhelm Mohnke

SdKfz who did not manage to breach trough the Russian line.

[jotuntroll]

Der SpieB

The "Spiess" was the company commanders "mother" and was the right hand to the company commander. His tak was to tend all administration in the company. He had his staff:<?xml:namespace prefix = "o" ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" /><o></o>
1. Der Fourier in charge of company provisions.<o></o>
2. Der Schirrmeister in charge of all vehicles and technical.<o></o>
3. Der Munitionawart in charge of ammunition, explosives and art. grenades.<o></o>
4. Der Waffenwart in charge of all company weapons.<o></o>
5. Schreiber in charge of company documents, post, promotions, urkunde.<o></o>
During the end the Regiment got fragmented, and most ended up in defensive battle groups.

23.Pz.Gren.Rgt. "Norge" Sturmscharfuhrer Spiess M43 tunic <o></o>
This tunic was found in private estate near Bavaria, Germany. It is totally unmessed combat used M43, 5 buttons, 2 holes SS cut tunic with all insignia and medals intact as worn during ww2.The tunic is not named, but the rank Spiess position is likely to belong to a German. He might have been involved in the Regiment`s education in Grafenwøhr near Bavaria in 1943 and attached to it at the front. It has a bar with Iron Cross II class and Eastern front medal. It has the Infantery assault badge and Wounded in battle in black. It has the Sturmscharfuhrer artillery epauletts. The armflag is a known larger square variant. <o></o>
<o></o>
The 23.pz.gren.reg."Norge" tunics are extremely rare. After 30yrs of collecting, we know of around 5 surviving tunics.<o></o>
23.pz.gren.reg."Norge" tunics had different insignia. Some had the sonnenrad (sun cross) kragespiegel ordered by Himmler while others kept SS kragespiegel.There are at least known 4 different armflags uniform used. A collector friend have one exact same used armflag as shown direct Norwegian SS verteran eastate given to him.Some had the Norge cufftitle and some had none. <o></o>
<o></o>
23 Norge fought in these places:<o></o>
· Kroatia<o></o>
· Oranienbaum<o></o>
· Narva<o></o>
· Vaivara<o></o>
· Kurland<o></o>
· Pommern<o></o>
· Berlin<o></o>


<o></o>
Any questions or comments are welcome

[jotuntroll]

runes

spiess tresse right arm

[DeMil]

Great history !

I have seen your tunic jotuntroll and I love it
Really a combat tunic you have got here.

DeMil

[jotuntroll]

Spiess tresse left arm

His medals

[jotuntroll]

His medal bar EKII & Ost medalie

Sturmscharfuhrer shulterklapp right side

[jotuntroll]

Sturmscharfuhrer shulterklapp left side

SS eagle and norwegian armflag

[jotuntroll]

Backside of tunic

Stamping inside tunic

[jotuntroll]

Backside SS kragespiegel

Backside rank spiegel

[jotuntroll]

Close up of the square norwegian armflag

Side picture of the tunic

[jotuntroll]

Also unmessed veteran estate aquired Nordland greatcoat from Untersturmfuhrer T.Lofthus who belonged to 23.Norge and was creditet destroying a Russian panzer with a Panzerfaust in Pommern.

Unmessed SS skijegerbataljon Norge, Regiment Norge and a Frontkjemper M38 Palm pattern smock. SS skijerger named Q SS helmet.



Ende.

[FrenchVolunteer]

Hi,

A few comments on your various posts :

1) E. Andersen was part of an antitank small unit starting from April 28 : usually it was a 10-men unit, with 2 or 3 shooters with Panzerfäuste, 2 or 3 which were preparing the Panzerfäuste, and the rest of the soldiers had StG 44 and had to protect the shooters from Soviet infantery which was advancing with the Soviet tanks. He was probably located in the East of the “Stadtmitte” area (the West was under command of the “Charlemagne” battalion).
E. Andersen was not part of the May 2nd breakthrough though the Weidendamm Bridge (only Tiger “314” escaped and was able to arrive at Schönhauser Allee in the early hours of May 2nd.

2) The “Life” picture is showing parts of the destroyed vehicles of the “Nordland”, in the Oberwallstrasse.
The area in which the “Nordland” division has just relocated his HQ (right after Krukenberg took the command and dismissed Ziegler), the Staatsoper, was heavily bombed on April 27 morning.
The same day the “Nordland” HQ will be moved 500 meters away from the Staatsoper, at the Schauspielhaus. In the afternoon the final HQ was moved to the Stadtmitte U-Bahn Station.

The dead SS soldier picture is taken near the Reich Chancellery.

3) Steiner was never in charge of the “Nordland”, it was Ziegler who was dismissed on April 25, the “Nordland” went under the command of Krukenberg, who was also leading the “Charlemagne” battalion. The “Nordland” was in a full mess when Krukenberg arrived. Ziegler will be killed in the failed breakthrough on May 2nd.
The nordic SS soldier diary is not dealing with the “Zitadelle” fights of the “Nordland”, but the fights in the South-East of Berlin. Berlin was under siege starting from April 24 (the guy was already in a Danish hospital on April 25).
On April 26, “Nordland” and “Charlemagne” made a very stupid counterattack in the Neukölln area, they lost too much volunteers for nothing in return.
Starting from April 27, the “Nordland” division defended the Belle-Alliance-Platz, due to the missed destruction of Belle-Alliance Bridge… Soviet tanks were able to cross the bridge and started to try to advance through Wilhelmstrasse (defended by the French) and Saarlandstrasse (defended by the French and Tiger 100 and 314). “Nordland” units defended the East of the Friedrichstrasse. Nota : the Friedrichstrasse can’t be used by Soviet tanks as the road was destroyed due to the fall of the roof of the U-Bahn line.

4) The breakthrough was planned at the Reich Chancellery on May 1st at 7 PM by Mohnke.
Only 1 remaining Tiger (Tiger “314”) took part in the breakthrough.
Around 30 vehicles of the “Nordland” planned to break to the North, passing the Weidendamm Bridge. The breakthrough happened a few minutes after midnight on the night of May 1st to May 2nd.
The first vehicle was a StuG III, which was destroyed after passing the antitank barricade in the Friedrichstrasse. The second tank was “314”.
Then around +20 vehicles (armoured and light were destroyed in the Friedrichstrasse, they were unable to pass the Johannisstrasse. A dozen of other vehicles was destroyed near the Friedrichstrasse U-Station, before even passing the Weidendamm Bridge.
Only Tiger “314” escaped destruction.
Many small groups of VIPS tried to escape, Krukenberg group was only one amongst many.

5) the full “Nordland” convoy was recreated by specialists. Please find an illustration below.
The StuG III is the tank that passed the first the antitank barricade in the North side of the Weidendamm Bridge. This is the tank behind which Bormann tried to hide, tank that was damaged/destroyed.

See You

Vince

[wewelsburg]

The black SS Norge greatcoat is my favorite here,just can't help it!