WWII German Father & Son Set – Wehrpass KIA – Obgefr Heuser – Infanterie Regiment 278 (95 Infanterie Division) – Regiment History Online (Sold)

Description

Wehrpass issued to W.Heuser, served with IR 278 (95 Inf Div) 

According to the archives, Heuser was killed by a direct hit on his position with artillery. 

Lot comes with his fathers train drivers ID for the German Railway : Reichsbahn 

 

Medals: 

Infantry Assault Badge – Jan 1942

Eastern Front Medal – Sept 1942 

 

IR 278 Diary – 

https://www.lexikon-der-wehrmacht.de/Gliederungen/Infanterieregimenter/IR278-R.htm

On July 4, the regiment began the advance east. July 6th Luck and July 8th Klewan. In the evening hours of July 10, the regiment reached the area west of Tuczyn on the Horyn. On July 14, the 95th Infantry Division replaced the SS Leibstandarte in the Sokolow section – where the Bialka flows into the Tenja. The detachment took place in the course of a counterattack by the division, since its own lines had been breached by a Russian counterattack. The regiment’s II Battalion reached the northern edge of the forest 2.5 km northeast of Sokolov at 17.30. In the evening hours, the 278th Infantry Regiment reported that its 5th Company was stuck in front of the forest north-east of Sokolow, facing west and was receiving fire from the forest. On July 16, the III. battalion of the regiment in the morning to Tynia / Cebrynka). On July 17, at 2:20 p.m., II Battalion pushed the crossroads north of Zubrynka. The place itself was taken around 3 p.m. The III. Battalion had advanced to the area around Alexandrowka. After taking Zubrynka, the 95th Infantry Division got possession of a bridge crossing over the Irszyca and advanced rapidly further north. The III. The battalion reached Alexandrovka and the regiment’s engineer platoon reconnoitred Pashinka at around 4 p.m. On the night of July 18, the 95th Infantry Division and the regiment were stopped at the positions they had reached. The regiment was withdrawn from the front and transferred to the Wilsk area. The regiment moved into quarters north of the Zhitomir – Wilsk line. On July 25, the regiment began moving to the Dedovshchina – Ozeriani area, which was reached on July 27. From here the deployment of the 95th Infantry Division against Greater Kiev began. Around noon on July 30, the regiment reached Grebjenki with forward parts. On July 31, the regiment continued its advance and at 10.30 reached the area 1 km from Deremisna. On July 31st the regiment crossed the Stugna. By nightfall, the 278th Infantry Regiment on the right, with one battalion, had crossed the Stugna north of Sloboda, the 279th and 280th Infantry Regiments with 3 and 2 battalions respectively, had crossed the river and positioned themselves just north of the crossing point for the night to defend themselves. During the night the bridgehead was extended to Velikiye Dmitrovichi, Velikaya Bugayevka Street. On August 1st the regiment attacked in the direction of the Weta. Heavy fighting broke out on the Weta on August 2nd. On August 4th the regiment was brought forward to the Weta to force the transition here. On August 5, the German attack across the Weta began. After heavy artillery preparation, the regiments of the 95th Infantry Division attempted to cross the Weta, which they managed to do by the evening. On August 6, the fighting in front of the regiment abated somewhat. The 1st Battalion of the 279th Infantry Regiment was in positions on the right wing of the Weta Front. II Battalion/IR 279 had pushed west past Lesniki and had gained some ground. The 1st / 280th Infantry Regiment followed, drawn far apart. At this time, the II. / 279th Infantry Regiment. The enemy used their air force all day long without being prevented from doing so by their own planes. The 278th Infantry Regiment was still stuck in front of a Russian bunker on the evening of August 6th. On August 5th and 6th the regiment lost 8 officers and 160 men. By the evening of August 8, it was possible to take the Russian bunker, thereby securing the regiment’s breakthrough. On August 10, the advance on Kiev was halted. The regiment received orders to clear the area east of Pirogovo and to secure the south-eastern part of Myschelovka. In the days that followed, combat activity abated noticeably. The regiment had suffered heavy casualties in previous offensive battles. On the night of August 20, the enemy succeeded in reconnaissance between the II and III. battalion of the regiment to break into the positions. The head of the 10th company, Oberleutnant Weinhold, fell in the subsequent counterattack. The following days were relatively quiet. On the night of September 16, the regiment moved into staging areas for the final attack on Kiev. The regiment advanced through Khodosovka into the forest on both sides of the road south of Pirogovo and kept the 1st Battalion close so that it could later be used to clean up Pirogovo. At first light on September 16, our own artillery opened fire and between 6:50 a.m. and 7:00 a.m. increased it to a barrage. The regiment stayed behind as the division’s reserve during the day. On September 17, the regiment was pushed into the front instead of the 280th Infantry Regiment.

 

In the night of September 18, the regiment, together with the 279th Infantry Regiment, advanced to the southern edge of Myschelowka. At 11:50 a.m. the German fire began and lasted until 12:00 p.m. With the last barrage of fire, the regiment began to attack. At 12:19 p.m. Ju 87s rushed to the field positions that were still occupied. At 12.44 the regiment reached the Myschelovka – Kiev reached road. The regiment then advanced on Lisa Gora, which was part of the Kiev fortress belt. From the afternoon of September 18, the attack on the fortress of Lisa Gora began. The 280th Infantry Regiment, reinforced by the 1st Engineer Battalion 195, was to attack from the east, the 279th Infantry Regiment from the south and the 278th Infantry Regiment from the west. In addition, support from Stukas was promised again. Despite the use of heavy weapons, the infantry made slow progress. In the midst of fierce, changeful fighting, the regiment slowly advanced towards the southern outskirts of Kiev. At 6:10 a.m. the following September 19, the attack resumed. At around 6.45 it was able to take the ridge west of Lisa Gora. At 6:55 a.m. the regiment took the second ridge west of Lisa Gora. The 2nd Company reached the edge of the southern suburb of Stalinka at 07:08. The 278th and 279th infantry regiments turned towards the citadel at around 8.30 a.m. and reached the area of the so-called “military town” at 10.30 a.m. It was finally conquered by noon.
During the night of September 20, the 95th Infantry Division prepared to cross the Dnieper. While the IR 280 crossed the river, the regiment remained in its area for security. On September 28, the regiment crossed the Dnieper eastward. Between September 30 and October 16, the 95th Infantry Division marched in several marching groups in a north-easterly direction towards Gluchoff and Sevsk. Because of the long marching distances, the units were extremely exhausted, and the number of casualties had risen sharply. The advance stalled. On October 23, the 9th Panzer Division moved into Fatesh and the 278th Infantry Regiment moved into positions south of the city on a security mission. On October 26, the regiment was able to drive out the enemy at Miroljubowo. On October 27, the regiment set up a backup line at Fatesh. In the evening hours the regiment was lying in front of the enemy-occupied towns of Shirovka and Chotemskaya Pluta. On October 29, the regiment had to continue the advance despite being exhausted. In the late afternoon the regiment was at Bayevo. In the night of October 30, heavy rain showers again fell on the bottomless paths and streets. At Tschaplygin, the 278th Infantry Regiment encountered a weaker infantry unit that was retreating and was covered by a tank. Around noon on October 31, the 2nd Company was still fighting in the local battle in Ssotnikova. The II Battalion advanced on Ssapogowo, the III. Battalion with one company from the north against Ssotinikova and with a mass against enemy-held positions on both sides of the road east of Melevoye. The attacking elements of the regiment received artillery fire from the area of Height 115.4. At 1.45 p.m. the enemy, under pressure from the 11th Company coming from the north, broke away from the positions of his north wing and retreated. On November 1, 1941, the regiment’s attack on the city of Kursk began. At 9.30 the regiment encountered the enemy at the bridge near Hf. Bejkoff and east of the Kura. The III. Battalion got stuck around noon 500 m north of the road fork (north of Kursk) and had to dig in under heavy defensive fire. The 2nd Battalion had also encountered enemy who blocked the ridge at Hf. 3 km south-west of Ssapogowo. At noon the regiment took the factory north of the fork in the road (north of Kursk). That day the regiment lost 7 dead and 17 wounded. By the early morning hours of November 2, the regiment’s reconnaissance had penetrated the northern outskirts of the city without enemy counteraction. Here it was able to capture 41 Russians. At midday, Lieutenant Buch and the 6th Company quickly seized the railway bridge at Popowka and crossed the river. The 2nd Battalion reached the western part of the Yamskaya suburb. At 12.30 p.m. the 95th Infantry Division was able to report the capture of the city of Kursk. Subsequently, the division received orders to expand the bridgehead over the Tuskerj. On November 3, the regiment was deployed north along the railway outside of the city. The 2nd Battalion had taken up positions to guard the bridge at Kamenowo. The III. Battalion fought the kolkhoz at Yamskaya free and secured the outskirts. On the morning of November 4, the regiment, using a tractor borrowed from the 9th Armored Division, brought in a captured anti-aircraft gun (8.8-cm) against the armored train that kept making itself felt. However, the armored train could not be hit. In the days that followed, the regiment remained in the positions it had reached and used the time for refreshment and repairs. In mid-November 1941, the 95th Infantry Division received the order to advance on Shchigri. November 16 was devoted to the further preparation of the Shchigri operation. In the early hours of November 19, Infantry Regiment 279, reinforced by the 2nd Engineer Battalion 195 and the 2nd Artillery Regiment 195, launched an attack to the east in the biting cold. Leaning to the right, the III. / Infantry Regiment 278. The III. / 278th Infantry Regiment reached Winnokowo during the day, the engineer and bicycle platoon Besobrassowskiji Wysselki. The 279th Infantry Regiment was in front of Okhotchevka and planned to take the place for the next day. On the morning of November 20, the 7th / Artillery Regiment 195 could be added to the regiment and placed under its command. On November 24 the battalion had reached Borisovka. After the regiment had pushed east in the direction of the Tim in the following days behind the 279th Infantry Regiment, it began to advance north-east on November 30th. It reached Sherepyonok on December 1 and took Arkhangelskaya in the afternoon. Despite significant supply difficulties, the regiment was able to take Wyschneje Dogoje on December 2nd. In the evening hours of December 4, the regiment was able to drive the enemy out of Kobylya and advance to Nizhnee Oljschanoe (about 4 km south of Valova). The 2nd Battalion was at Rogachik. On December 5, the regiment came into contact with the enemy in the cold of 27 degrees in the area of Jurskaya, about 30 km south-southeast of Livna. The cycling squadron was completely absent that day, almost all men had frostbite on their hands. On December 6, the regiment repulsed an attack by 300 men and 30 cavalry from the south-southeast on Vishneye Boljshoye. At 4:10 p.m., II Battalion occupied the eastern edge of Vizhneye Boljshoye against a stubborn enemy. On December 7th the regiment was halted at Olympus, where it was to position itself for defence. However, the regiment came under heavy Russian counterattacks. The 10th and 11th companies were surrounded. By the evening the 2nd Battalion had had to give up its positions at Sachowka and retreated to Zurikova. Heavy losses had occurred in the 10th and 11th Companies. In addition, the regiment commander, Colonel Kremling, was absent due to illness. On December 8, the regiment moved the regimental command post to Gatishche. The regiment set up a security line in the positions reached that day. Around noon, the regiment’s II Battalion was attacked by strong Russian forces, and the positions were breached. The remnants of the regiment held the positions they had reached while the other parts of the division tried to seal off the break-in area. On December 9, the remnants of the regiment managed to make their way to Liwny, where they were collected and reorganized over the next few days. On December 12, the fighting flattened out, so it was possible to reorganize the remains of the regiment. In the days that followed, the Russian enemy repeatedly attacked the thin positions in the area of the 95th Infantry Division, but was largely repulsed. At the same time, the regiment began to burn down the towns in front of their own positions so that the Russians could not use them. From December 15, the regiment began to move to the winter position on the Tim. The persistently severe frost and sharp winds led to significant failures in the regiment. In the days and weeks that followed, the regiment was in position on the Tim, where it repeatedly had to defend itself against Russian attacks.