Description
Georg Freitag was born in Allenstein in 1921.
His Soldbuch was issued on 1941, with a MG training unit.
He joined:
Grenadier Regiment 531 (383. Infanterie-Division)
Raised on January 26, 1942 as the “Rheingold” division at the Arys military training area from lists of military replacement inspections in military districts I-III.On September 30, 1943, the division was reorganized into a new type 44 division. The division was annihilated as part of Army Group Center in June 1944 and officially disbanded on August 3, 1944.
Wounded: September 1942, he recovered and rejoined his unit in 1943 he was wounded once again, this time by a bullet.
In 1944 he joined:
Infanterie Regiment 1076 (542 Volks Grenadier Division)
A great battle report!
At this point the division was fighting on the Narew north of Serock at the confluence of the Bug and Narew. After Russian units had crossed the Narew, they tried on October 10, 1944 to conquer the town of Klusek on the Narew from the north-east and east. The Grenadier Regiments 1076 and 1078 managed to hold the HKL. On October 11, 1944, Russian units managed to break into their own HKL south of Klusk using heavy artillery. The division managed to seal off the enemy intrusion and regain control of its own HKL by the evening. On October 13, 1944, the division tried to annihilate the Russian forces entrenched on the west bank of the Narew, but failed in the Russian barrage. On the morning of October 14, heavy Russian artillery fire began in front of the entire divisional sector. After the barrage stopped, Russian units attacked from the northeastern tip of the Klusek Forest to the left wing of the 252nd Infantry Division. The enemy managed to penetrate into the Klusekwald. At the same time, under the protection of artificial fog, about 2 Russian battalions crossed the Narew from Wiersbitz to Klusek. The attack was repelled. The HKL up to Klusek remained in the hands of the division. Bitter fighting broke out in the Klusek forest, during which it was possible to use the last divisional reserves to set up a HKL through the forest in a north-westerly direction. On October 15, after heavy preparatory fire, the enemy advanced through the Klusek forest and towards Grabina and Kacapy with strong infantry and armored forces and simultaneously attacking air raid units. While it was possible to stop the Russian attackers in the Klusek forest on the Murovanka – Kacapy line with heavy losses, the left flank of the division was threatened at noon, as Russian units had broken through the front of the 252nd Infantry Division and were on the eastern edges of the Ciepieliner forest stood. In the afternoon of October 15, the Klusek forest had to be cleared. By the evening, all forces had succeeded in building a new HVAC and reconnecting with the neighbor on the left. On October 16, Russian units of company and battalion strength continued their attacks, scanning the new German HKL for weak points. By evening the division’s combat strength had fallen to 981 men. On the morning of October 19, the Russian enemy attacked with massed infantry forces supported by tanks and attack aircraft. The front of the division was broken through and after hard fighting the Poblikow estate was lost. Further advance was prevented. The HKL in the Grenadier Regiment 1077 sector remained in the hands of the regiment during this first phase of the fighting. During the day Poblikow and Ciepeliner Buden were lost after heavy fighting. In the evening, Russian units were able to penetrate the Kronenwald. The Grenadier Regiment 1076 was briefly surrounded and was only able to free itself after heavy fighting. As the situation became more and more untenable, the Grenadier Regiments 1077 and 1078 were ordered to withdraw to a prepared 2nd line. The Russian continued his attacks on the morning of 20 November, piercing the division’s thin HKL. The center and left wing of the division could be held by mobilizing the last reserves in the form of alarm units. The 670th Security Battalion, which was subordinate to the division, was destroyed in the fighting and the connection to its right-hand neighbor was lost. A Russian attack launched at the same time against the HKL near the village of Marienau was also able to gain ground. Russian units were at the forefront of the Kastenwald. The Russians were thrown back by their own counterattack at nightfall. On the evening of October 20, the HKL was back in its own hands in the left section of the division. Battalion strength had dropped to 7-30 men. On the morning of October 21, the enemy continued their major attack. After heavy fighting, the remains of the regiments, some of which had been surrounded, had to be taken back in the evening and incorporated into a new HKL. In the first hours of October 22, Russian units attacked Swiesienica and Wolka Zaleska. Both attacks were repelled by the division. On 23 October there was only heavy Russian fire on the division’s HKL. On the morning of October 24, heavy Russian attacks, supported by heavy artillery fire, broke out again. In the right section of the division, the Russians managed to break into the HKL. Late in the afternoon fell Swiecienica, Wolka Zaleska and Zalesie Borowe. However, a breakthrough could be prevented. October 25 passed quietly, and there were no further attacks on the following day either. On October 26, the Grenadier Brigade de Disbanded in 1131, the remnants were incorporated into the 542nd Volksgrenadier Division. On October 27, the II./Jäger-Regiment 75 and the Grenadier-Regiment 461 left the divisional association. The I./Grenadier-Regiment 111 became a corps reserve. In the following days, things remained quiet at the HKL. A Russian attack launched on October 30 was repulsed. The period of silence from October 31 to December 4, 1944 was used to build positions and for training. At the end of November 1944, the battalion strength was again around 250 men. In the period from October 10 to December 4 the division had 207 dead, 928 wounded and 160 missing, a total of 1,295 men, including 75 officers).
Wounded on the frontline, he stayed with his unit! Grenade Fragments in his hand, and thumb and finger. But later in December 1944 he was shot through the arm and was evacuated to the west. Where after recovering was with a replacement unit they were mobilised as Grenadier-Ausbildungs-Bataillon 42 fell into US Army hands being taken a POW.
Awards
- Infantry Assault Badge
- Wounds Badge in Black
- Iron Cross Second Class (542 ID)
Summary
This Soldbuch was really traceable, the sort of Infantry Soldbuch that really makes interesting reading knowing it was there!
