Description
Oberstleutnant Otto Schebek
Schebek was born into a Roman Catholic family on the 26th of May 1893 in Unterreichenau, Germany. He was a career Officer who had served in WW1 earning various awards.
The Soldbuch was opened when Schebek in the 18th of September 1939 with:
Infanterie Regiment 499 / 268 Infanterie Division
It seems he did not spend long with the above unit before being posted for a short while to the following Frontline units:
Marsch Bataillon Gebirgsjäger z.b.V 4 – Stab
Unknown
Infanterie Regiment (Kroat) 383, II Battalion
According to the stamps on Schebeks leave, it is safe to assume he was with the IR 383 from late 1942 through to June 1944. It would seem Schebek was serving in some sort of command role working between the new recruits in the Croatian Training unit and the frontline unit. In 1943 he was issued a set of Binoculars and a compass.
Interestingly, on a side note the replacement unit was based in Stockerau, where Schebek would pass away in 1975.
Another point to note here is that on the 6th of August 1943, Schebeks men (II./ Inf Reg 383) were attacked in Prijedor (Modern day Bosnia Herz) the daily report states that about 4 kilometer north of Prijedor the unit was attacked. Losses: 3 deaths, 8 missing, 6 horses dead. According to reports of the ones who have returned alive civilians, even women have taken part in the killing. In retaliation 2./Pz-Jäg.- Abt 373 burned the surrounding houses, but nobody was there. (Archive document attached).
Infanterie-Bataillon der Luftwaffe 81
In late 1944 till the end of the war Schebek likely commanded the four companies of this unit as it operated behind the front lines in Slovakia, in the position of the 8th Army.
Schebek survived the war, and was an academic painter, who had his works shown in various galleries, sometimes his art came up for sale in Austria. He passed away in 1975 in Stockerau, where today a small street is named after him. In 1993 an exhibition featured some of works in a special on his career as a painter.
Comments
Interesting Soldbuch to a Lt-Colonel who spent some time training and with frontline units, a verteran of the First World War, he was an experienced Officer. Not often to find such ranks anymore in Soldbuchs.
