Heer Wehrpass – Obergefreiter Laskowski – Infanterie Regiment 123 (50 Inf Div) Ek2 / Krim Schild – WIA

Wehrpass to Berliner, Hans Laskowski. 

Hans was in the army long before the war started, in 1934 in the Zossen (OKH Area). 

In 1942 he joined his frontline unit:

Infanterie Regiment 123 (50 Inf Div)

First the regiment was used at the beginning of the 2nd World War in the Polish campaign. On November 10, 1939, the two regiments were reunited as a company and now consistently called the 123rd Infantry Regiment. The regiment was formed by three MG, one IG and one anti-tank company, which were formed with teams from Military Districts VI and IV were brought to full strength. In the spring of 1940 the regiment was then used in the western campaign. At the beginning of 1941 the regiment with the 50th Infantry Division was transferred to Romania. In the spring of 1941 the regiment was then used in the divisional association in the Balkan campaign. At the beginning of the summer of 1941 he was then used in the eastern campaign in the southern section of the eastern front. On October 15, 1942, the regiment was renamed the Grenadier Regiment 123.

At the beginning of May 1942 the Kerch peninsula was recaptured and from the beginning of June the second and this time successful attack on the Sevastopol fortress began. At the end of September 1942, the 1., 2. and 3./PiBtl. 71 relocated to Stalingrad under Captain Graumann. The battalion is deployed on October 1st in the area of ​​the 295th Infantry Division and loses 10 dead (1 officer / 2 NCOs / 7 men), 74 wounded (4/8/62) and 43 missing (1/2/40 ), among them the battalion commander, and on the following day still had a trench strength of 121 men in total. The battalion sank in the Stalingrad pocket, and only a few would return from captivity after the war. In the autumn of 1942 the SS division “Wiking” was relieved of the Terek in the Caucasus, followed by heavy battles for positions and, in early 1943, retreats in the Kuban bridgehead. Along with many other members of the division, their commander, Lieutenant General Friedrich Schmidt, also fell here at the end of June. He is the first of a total of four fallen division commanders of the 50th ID. After the protracted fighting in the lagoons of the Kuban sector, they crossed the Kerch Strait to the Crimea. Here the division is at times widely distributed on the Kerch peninsula, at Feodossia and on the isthmus at Perekop.

Hans was hit according to his Wehrpass with a direct hit of an exploding tank shot which took his foot off. He was sent home after this injury to his home city of Berlin, taking up his old job in Berlin Tempelhof. 

Awards

1. Eastern Front Medal
2. Krim Shield 
3. Iron Cross Second Class
4. Wounds Badge in Silver 
5. Rumanian Award against Communism

A nice complete grouping with a Soldbuch size photo with Hans wearing all his awards.