Description
Here we have a Soldbuch issued to Johann Blunk born in 1922.
Blunk was issued his Soldbuch in January of 1943, with “Brandenburg” (47681K).
Awards:
Italian German Africa Campaign – 5.9.42
Wounds Badge – 8.10.1942
Africa Korps Armband – 9.9.42
Infantry Assault Badge – 31.3.43
Entries:
Arrived in Africa – 13.11.1941 (Brandenburg) 45432 – 13. Kompanie Lehr-Regiment Brandenburg
z.b.V. 800
Arrived in Europe – 9.9.1942 – 16163 – 5. Feldlazarett 542
Arrived again in Africa 27.1.1943
Page 8 – Allowed to wear the Afrika Korps Armband.
Blunk contracted Malaria in Africa in August 1942, and was flown back to Germany.
Equipment Issued by following units 38951 – Verband 805 Sonderverband Brandenburg – (10.1942), 44414 – Abteilung von
Koenen Lehr-Regiment Brandenburg z.b.V. 800, then Stab III u. 1.-4. Einheit (= A-D) Verband 804 Sonderverband
Brandenburg (02.43)
Signatures:
Verband 804 Sonderverband Brandenburg – Oberleutnant Hans von Blödern (12.08.1913 – 02.07.1944) Born in Swakopmund Africa, Killed in action Lieno 1944
Unit History
The Brandenburgers (German: Brandenburger) were members of Nazi Germany’s Wehrmacht special forces unit during World War II.
Originally, the unit was formed by and operated as an extension of the military’s intelligence organ, the Abwehr. Members of this unit took part in seizing operationally important targets by way of sabotage and infiltration. Being foreign German nationals who were convinced Nazi volunteers, constituent members had lived abroad and were proficient in foreign languages as well as being familiar with the way of life in the area of operations where they were deployed.
The Brandenburg Division was generally subordinated to the army groups in individual commands and operated throughout Eastern Europe, in northern Africa, Afghanistan, the Middle East and in the Caucasus. In the later course of the war, parts of the special unit were used in Bandenbekämpfung operations against partisans in Yugoslavia before the division was reclassified and merged into one of the Panzergrenadier divisions in the last months of the war. They committed various atrocities in the course of their operations.
In Africa:
When the Afrika Korps shipped out to Libya The Brandenburgers also went there.
The men raised as 4 companies of Special Tropical Units, were made up of fluent speaking English or Arab members.
They used captured British vehicles to operate behind enemy lines in raids and reconnaissance missions, mirroring the actions of the British LRDG. Generalfeldmarschall Erwin Rommel at first disapproved of the Brandenburgers but after he saw the damage inflicted by the LRDG and Stirlings SAS, he realised their value and accepted their unorthodox methods. The unit was charged with disrupting the British lines, but it was difficult to supply them and to provide transportation, so most men were either killed or captured.
Oberleutnant von Koehnen of 13. (Tropen) Kompanie, Lehrregiment z.b.V. 800.
13. Kompanie
In the context of Operation CRUSADER, the Brandenburger played a small role. by the use of ULTRA intercepts and with the help of posters on the Axis History Forum. They had been requested to support the planned attack on Tobruk, possibly by a seaborne landing. A relatively small force was sent under Oberleutnant von Koehnen. This was from 13./Lehrregiment 800 Brandenburg z.b.V.[4], and had been sent directly from Catania in Italy by plane on 14/15 November. The remainder of this company stayed in Italy, and was ready to be moved at the request of the Panzergruppe, although there are indications that this was not going to be possible before February 1942, maybe due to the transport situation following the destruction of the Beta/Duisburg convoy on 8/9 November 1941. The strength of this detachment was likely 1 Officer, 11 non-commissioned officers, and 70 men.
It appears that this detachment was then rushed to Benghazi to shore up the defenses there, and maybe split up on the way, with part of it remaining in Agedabia under the command of an men called Doehring, maybe a senior non-commissioned officer. On 29 November, von Koehnen was in Benghazi with 1 officer, an unknown number of non-commissioned officers, and 31 men. The remainder of the company was at the time in Italy, with a strength of 3 officers, 31 non-commissioned officers, 159 men, and with 17 lorries, 8 cars, and 3 tractors.
It is possible that another company (11./LR 800) arrived in Benghazi as part of Sonderverband 288 (see this older post).
During the main battle these units seem not to have been engaged. They were basically immobile, and had little or no heavy weapons. It appears that they conducted an operation on 22 January 42 during the counter-offensive. My guess is this would have been a small operation, maybe using English-speaking soldiers wearing Commonwealth uniforms to confuse the Commonwealth forces by giving wrong traffic directions (always a favourite) or impersonating officers to give false orders.
It would seem that Blunk was captured in Africa and was taken POW.