An amazing photograph, displaying him with dust glasses taken from the British Army. Geyr von Schweppenburg (2 March 1886 – 27 January 1974) was a German general during World War II who is noted for his pioneering stance and expertise in the field of armoured warfare.[2][3] He commanded the 5th Panzer Army (formalised as Panzer Group West) during the Invasion of Normandy, and later served as Inspector General of Armoured Troops. After the war, he was involved in the development of the newly-built German Army (Bundeswehr). Freiherr von Geyr was born in 1886 in Potsdam into the Prussian military aristocracy and descended from a family that had produced two Prussian field marshalls.[4] He joined the German Army in 1904. In World War I, he fought on several fronts and rose to the rank of captain. After the war, he remained in the army, becoming an Oberst in 1932 and a Generalmajor in 1935. From 1933 to 1937, he was a military attaché to the United Kingdom, Belgium and the Netherlands and resided in London. Promoted to Generalleutnant upon his return from London, he took command of the 3rd Panzer (armoured) Division in 1937.[5] World War II From 1 September to 7 October 1939, Geyr commanded the 3rd Panzer Division during the invasion of Poland, where it was the most numerically powerful Panzer Division, with 391 tanks.[6] For a victory at Kulm, he was praised on the battlefield by Hitler, who had visited the division in recognition for its achievements in Poland.[7] He was promoted to General der Kavallerie of the XXIV Panzer Corps on 15 February 1940. In 1940, he commanded the XXIV Panzer Corps in the Invasion of France. In 1941, in the invasion of the Soviet Union, Geyr’s XXIV Panzer Corps was part of General Heinz Guderian’s Second Panzer Army, and consisted of all of Guderian’s major tank units.[8] On 9 July 1941, he was awarded the Knight’s Cross of the Iron Cross as General der Panzertruppe.[9] By early November 1941, Geyr’s Panzer Corps commanded the 3rd, 4th, and 17th Panzer Divisions, the panzer regiment from the 18th Panzer Division, as well as the Infantry Regiment Großdeutschland, and spearheaded the advance of Army Group Centre during the Battle of Moscow.[8] From 21 July 1942, taking over from the court-martialed Georg Stumme,[10] to 30 September 1942, he was commanding General of the XXXX Panzer Corps, taking part in the fighting in the Caucasus. Geyr was relieved in a command cadre shakeup at the end of September 1942.[10] In the spring of 1943, Field Marshal Gerd von Rundstedt ordered Geyr to prepare a force of 10 Panzer and motorised infantry divisions. On 19 November 1943, Geyr’s command was formalised as Panzer Group West, which had responsibility for the training and formation of all armoured units in the west. The group of armoured divisions near Paris constituted the Germans’ main force of tanks in France. In the event of an Allied landing on the northern French coast, Panzer Group West was expected to counterattack northward and to halt the invasion force.[11] The Allied invasion of Normandy took place on 6 June 1944. By 8 June, Geyr had moved three panzer divisions northward against British and Canadian forces advancing on the town of Caen. On, Royal Air Force aircraft attacked his newly-established headquarters at La Caine in Normandy. Geyr was wounded and many of his staff officers were killed, which forced the cancellation of the counterattack.[12] Geyr’s reinforced tank units managed to prevent the British advance for another month, but he was nevertheless relieved of his command on 2 July after seconding Rundstedt’s request for Hitler to authorize a strategic withdrawal from Caen.[13][14][15] He was succeeded by Heinrich Eberbach on 4 July and served as Inspector General of Armoured Troops until the closing phase of the war

Wehrmacht Soldbuch for NCO Kurt Haberkorn. Soldbuch opened in December of 1939 with Infanterie Regiment 174. In 1941 – Etra Südost / Wehrmachttransportleitung Südost On 01.11.1940 – set up in Vienna, the use of which is to be considered in connection with the dispatch of the German army mission to Romania, which began in October, and the increasing involvement of the Balkans in German military plans. It was initially responsible for the transport command in Ostmark, Bohemia and Moravia, the transport officer in Pressburg and the German border command in Regensburg. Location always Vienna Late 1944 / 1945 – Grenadier Regiment 1120 (553 Volksgrenadier Division) –   Fought against: US ARMY – 79 US Infantry Division & 10 US Armoured Division near Oehringen/Schwaebish Hall 1945   553. Volksgrenadier division was created on 9 October 1944 by the renaming of the 553. Grenadier division in Lorraine. The 553. Grenadier division was originally formed as a Sperr division (blocking division) in Münsingen. The unit was composed of men from Württemberg. In September 1944, the 553rd was rushed to the Lorraine region of the western front and thrown into battle against the Allied troops advancing on the city of Nancy. During September 1120. Grenadier regiment of the division defended Forêt de Champenoux to cover the withdrawal of the rest of the division. The regiment had entrenched thoroughly, building a line of log-covered dugouts and foxholes ten or fifteen yards inside the forest. Within the shelter of the woods a few assault guns backed up the infantry and covered still more entrenchments. When the Americans attacked with tanks and infantry on 20 September, they were repulsed. Repeated attempts were made to push the 1120th Regiment out of their positions during the day, and the following day, but all were driven back. The Americans tried a prolonged artillery barrage to demolished the entrenchments, but even this was unable to dislodge the defenders. On 22 September, the Americans tried a combined attack with the 80th and 35th Infantry Divisions, supported by one combat command of the 6th Armoured Division and the Volksgrenadiers were finally pushed out of the forest. With the Americans now threatening both his flanks, the 553. GD’s commander, Oberst Erich Loehr pulled his division back. The division was pulled out of the line in October. The whole 553. Grenadier division had been worn down after a month’s hard fighting and had to be reinforced. The reinforcements it integrated were number of fortress and independent battalions in the area of Army Group D. Even with the addition of these groups, one regiment (the 1121st) was dissolved along with the 2nd Battalion of 1120. Grenadier regiment. While the US Third Army was advancing from Metz, the US Seventh Army was preparing to clear the Saverne Gap. In mid-November, the American 44th Infantry and the French 2nd Armoured Divisions started an advance aimed at taking Saarbourg. Among the defending units was the newly renamed 553. Volksgrenadier division. Another hard defensive battle began for the Volksgrenadiers. The Allied assaults ground down the German units until they were only shadows of their normal organisations. After Saarbourg fell to the US 44th Infantry Division on 21 November, the remnants of 553. VGD were pulled out and transferred to southern Alsace. During Operation Nordwind the division the division attacked alongside 10. SS-Panzerdivision from Gambsheim towards Haguenau. At the end of January, the High Command decided to pull the 553. VGD out of the line entirely and rebuild it once again. The division was re-established on 31 January 1945 in Pforzheim. The division was deployed in the 19. Armee sector on 20 March. The division surrendered to the Americans shortly thereafter in Württemberg. Awards: Wounds badge in Black , he was wounded twice and received no Silver badge due to the war ending.   Soldbuch comments.  Very nice piece of paper added to the front page, detailing that he is if the captured only allowed to say his name, rank and home address, anything else is dishonourable and guilty of treason against Germany. A rare late war unit, fighting in desirable and sought after battles.   10th Armoured – US Army  Documentary about the fighting in Germany, also where Haberkorn was wounded. An interesting documentary covering the creating on the Volks Grenadier Divisions