Description
Feldunterarzt Karl Martin
Born in Mainz, Germany 1920. Martin was a medical student, passing his first state exam he reached the rank of Feldunterarzt.
His Soldbuch was issued in March 1941, and by August of 1941 he arrived in Africa with:
Schützen Regiment 104 (15 Panzer Division)
After the start of the British Operation “Crusader” on November 18, 1941, the division, coming from Sidi Azeiz, intervened in the German defensive battles from November 20, 1941. After German troops had managed to stop the British advance by November 23, 1941, Erwin Rommel on November 23 that it was time for a counterattack. He had the 21st Panzer Division advance in a south-easterly direction, while the 15th Panzer Division was to advance against the suspected enemy troops in front of Bardia. In between, the Italian division “Ariete” should march towards Fort Capuzzo. The 15th Panzer Division finally arrived in front of Bardia to find there that there were no enemy troops worth mentioning in front of the city. The 5th New Zealand Brigade was able to hold its position at Fort Capuzzo against the “Ariete” Division and finally the incoming 21st Panzer Division. The German counterattack was largely in vain. Allied XXX. Corps had managed to avoid their pursuers to the west unnoticed, and the New Zealand 4th and 6th Brigades had each marched unnoticed along the oncoming 15th Panzer Division towards Tobruk.
On November 29, Erwin Rommel decided to mobilize the XXX Panzer Divisions. corps and instead intervene directly in the fighting at the siege ring around Tobruk. There the trapped crew had repeatedly tried to break out to the east and to unite with their own forces. Rommel’s goal was to encircle and destroy the New Zealand forces coming from outside. By the evening Sidi Rezegh could be taken again and in the following two days the Axis powers were finally able to fight their way to the New Zealand units. At Ed Duda, however, the 15th Panzer Division suffered heavy losses at the hands of the British 70th Division stationed there, and Rommel eventually withdrew them to Bir Bu Creimisa. On December 1st, the Axis powers tightened the cauldron – still open at Ed Duda – to destroy the two New Zealand brigades. However, the New Zealanders managed to retreat to Tobruk. However, the forces of the 15th Panzer Division and the German Afrika Korps were exhausted, and most of the tanks were destroyed or damaged. Faced with near exhaustion and the failure of an attack on Ed Duda on December 4, Rommel finally decided to withdraw all forces east of Tobruk and concentrate his forces west of the city, concentrating entirely on XXX to the south. Allied Corps to concentrate. Fierce fighting continued until December 6th. The allied Indian division suffered the heaviest casualties in attacks on a strategically important hill and had to retreat almost completely smashed. However, the Axis powers were unable to take advantage of the situation due to exhaustion of their own strength. On the evening of December 6th, Walter Hugo Reinhard Neumann-Silkow, commander of the 15th Panzer Division, was seriously wounded and died of his injuries in the hospital on December 9th. On December 7th and 8th, German troops retreated to the Gazala Line at Gazala,
Sanitätsdienste 200 (21st Panzer Division)
It is unknown when he crossed into this unit, but on the 12th of December 1941, after spending 115 days in North Africa he was sent back to Germany.
He was awarded the Africa Cuftitle, and the Italian German Campaign Medal for Africa.
Martin was captured by US Troops who put his medical skills back into use, at the 300th Provisional German Hospital Center in 1945/46.
His Discharge papers, some POW notes and his matching Tag he wore the whole war comes with the set.
