Wehrpass for Herbert Sussmann  The Wehrpass was issued in June 1943, Sussmann was born in 1926 in Graz, he was unmarried and worked on the land.  After initial training and a short stint in 1944 fighting partisans on the adriatic coast line with various mountain units, he was assigned in October 1944 to:  Füsilier Battalion 61  Sussmann was killed in action in Eastern Prussia (Sonnenmoor) and is according to the records likely buried as an unknown soldier.  Included:  Various photos of Sussmann, one in service uniform wearing an M43 Cap.   

Soldbuch to Stabsgefreiter Ludwig Wagner  Wagner was born in Espern, and worked as a landworker in his civilian life.  His Soldbuch was opened in 1939 by a training unit for Kradschützen.  Frontline Units: Aufklärungs Regiment 9  In the western campaign, the regiment joined the paratroopers who had jumped off at Moerdijk on May 11, 1940 and pushed into Rotterdam fighting. After moving to the Somme to deploy near Dunkirk, the regiment advanced on June 5, 1940 via Amiens towards Paris to Clermont. Turned south, it went on June 10th from Coulommiers-La Charité, where the secret files of the French General Staff were captured. We continued in the direction of Lyon and Roanne, which was taken on June 19th. From there the regiment was thrown around to the southwest, the regiment got as far as Bordeaux before France surrendered. Following the immediate home march, the regiment was disbanded on July 31, 1940, after almost exactly two years of its existence. Wagner was wounded by a French bullet on the 4.6.1940 Kradschützen Bataillon 59 ( 9 Panzer Division)  During the Balkan campaign, the battalion fought on the Stracin Pass, near Skopljes and Prizrens and, from April 13, 1941, against the British expeditionary force via Bitolj, Klidi and Kozani to Aliakmon, Venetikos, Elasson and Larissa as far as Volos. Then we went to Moravian-Silesia in a country march to freshen up. From June 22, 1941, the battalion participated in the attack on the Soviet Union with the coup d’état on Tarnopol on July 2, 1941 and in closing the Uman pocket on August 2. Krivoy-Rog was reached on August 16, and Dnepropetrovsk-South on August 25, 1941. On September 11, 1941, the battalion was pulled out to close the Kiev pocket on September 15, 1941 and after the thrust over Ssumy-Fatesh, after overcoming the autumn mud period on November 3, 1941, Kursk fell, from where on November 20, 1941 Tim was achieved. The battalion spent the wonter at Shchigry. On April 13, 1942, the battalion was merged with the reconnaissance division 9 and now designated motorcycle rifle battalion (AA) 59. Reinforced in this way, the battalion moved out of its winter position to jump out of Voronezh on June 28, 1942 as part of Operation Blau I, but had to fend off violent flank thrusts by the Soviets west of the Don from July 5, 1942, until it was on August 11, 1942 Relocated via Orel, in the Wirbelwind company on which Shisdra was deployed. On September 3, 1942, the trench strength of the division was still 55 men! Wagner would be one of these last men, winning the Iron Cross Second class in December 1941.  Panzer Aufklärungs Regiment 9  Deployed on July 5, 1943. On July 12, 1943, they were thrown into the Orelbogen, where they fought south of Szuchinitschi. The division stayed in the Orelbogen and took part in the retreat battles of Army Group South. On October 7, 1943, the division fought near Zaporozhye. From February 8, 1944, the department was in action at Nikopol and Apostolowo. From February 22, 1944, the division was used at Krivoy-Rog. The Vossnesensk area was reached by mid-March 1944. From there, the division with the 9th Panzer Division was loaded to the south of France for refreshment. However, they did not achieve its full target and was posted on July 27, 1944 to reinforce the invasion front.  Alencon was reached on August 10, 1944, but the division was then removed from division leadership and deployed further north. After that she stayed in the Falaise basin with mass and after a short defensive deployment on the Seine at the end of August 1944, the Reich territory was reached. In the run-up to the West Wall, the defense of the Reich began with fighting at Stolberg from September 4th to 23rd, 1944. This was followed by fighting around Arnhem from September 27th to October 8th, 1944. Between October 25th and 29th, 1944, the division was involved in fighting used around Venlo. This was followed by the defensive battle near Geilenkirchen from November 10, 1944 to December 4, 1944. After that, the unit  with the division was made available for the Ardennes offensive. During the Battle of the Bulge, the department was used from December 25, 1944 to January 4, 1945 around Rochefort and then at Houffalize. In February 1945, after being taken back to the Siegfried Line, the department was deployed near Brno in the Eifel and then further north of it. In the Cologne-North – Worringen area, the unit bled to death by March 7, 1945 and was worn out on the left bank of the Rhine. Awards:  Wounds Badge in Black – 31 (Bullet)  in France June 1940  Panzer Assault badge in Bronze  Eastern Front Medal  Iron Cross 2nd Class  Wounds Badge in Silver – 31b Shrapnel March 1943 Clearly it is stated in the Soldbuch that Wagner is to be used as a Kradmelder (Motorcycle Dispatch)  Equipment: Luger P08  Signal Pistol  Included: Iron Cross Second Class Certificate – Signed by Knights Cross winner Generalmajor Scheller (KIA) Rare Signature  Allied Captured Papers , also describes his wounds as giving him trouble again.  Comments  A nice Soldbuch to a Soldier who saw the full war, for the most part in different vehicles as well as being a designated Motorcycle Dispatch rider, a nice and unusual entry. 

Wehrmacht Soldbuch  Unteroffizier Ewald Hoffmann  Hoffmann had his Soldbuch issued in Cottbus on the 10th of May 1940 with 14.(Panzer Abwehr) Infanterie Ersatz Regiment 208 Promotions  Gefreiter 21.12.1940 – 14/. Infanterie Regiment 338  Obergefreiter 1.4.1943 – 14/. Infanterie Regiment 338  Unteroffizier 1.5.1945 – Stab/ Feld Ersatz Bataillon 208  Frontline Units  From 1940 till 1944, Hoffmann served with Grenadier Regiment 338, in the 14th Kompanie which was the designated company for fighting tanks and was likely armed with a small field gun. The Regiment fought under the Command of the 208th Infanterie Division.  Interestingly the Regiment was used to break out an encircled unit under orders from the Regiment commander ‘Gruppe Kuzmany’ in January 1942. According to the Lexikon der Wehrmacht the following information builds a picture of what Hoffmann and his Soldbuch bore witness to.  The Gruppe Kuzmany was placed under the 18th Panzer Division in order to liberate the Gilsa Group (216th Infantry Division) in Sukhinichi, which had been encircled since December 29, 1941. Fighting their way through Bukan, Bryni and Popkowo to Sukhinichi. Finally, on January 24, 1942, the ring was breached and Gilsa’s Group was liberated. The remaining parts of the 208th Infantry Division were fighting northeast of Shisdra at this time. These advances served as flank protection for the operation to liberate the troops in Sukhinichi. The focal points of these battles were in the towns of Paliki, Duminitschi-Stadt, Duminitschi-Bahnhof, Uwertnoje, Usty and Kasar. In March 1942 the fighting began, which ended on April 1, 1942 in the Shisdra – Drowotan position. It was here that Hoffmann was first wounded.  Soviet Counter Attack at Orel July 1943 (Also known as Operation Kutuzov)  On July 11, 1943, the Soviet major attack on the Orel front arch began. At the beginning of this attack there were strong artillery fire and ground attack aircraft on the front and rear areas of the 208th Infantry Division and the most severe defensive battles developed again in the area between Tolkatschewo and Paltschikowo in the next few days. Again and again the enemy attacked the positions of the 338 Grenadier Regiment lying there with strong infantry and tanks. The losses here were extraordinarily high. But although the enemy also suffered heavy losses, the force of his attack continued undiminished and the division ultimately had to withdraw gradually and fight. By July 17, 1943, the left wing of the division withdrew to the Mashok and the right wing to the Nugr. On the same day the enemy managed to cross the Nugr and pushed the division back to the Roshok. The situation in this section of the front was so dramatic that the 208th Infantry Division was ordered to hold the line from the grove south of the Viehfriedhof-Rjalowo-Roschok – Abschnitt-Messenka-Mashoklauf to the last man!  Arbitrary, retrograde movements should be brought to a stop with the firearm. The division commander was personally held responsible for carrying out this order. On July 18 the staff of the 208th Infantry Division was moved to Bolchow and he took over the business of the city commandant there.  Beginning on July 20, 1943, the division received the order to assemble in the area 15 km southeast of Bolchow (at the Orel-Bolchow road). On July 25th the division had to dig in again as quickly as possible in the line height 246.4 (500 m south of Nowsynez) -height 230.6-height 237.5-north edge Trubchewo, with the front to the north and east. Due to the division’s heavy losses in July 1943, it was only managed as the “Combat Group 208th Infantry Division”. The division’s losses for July 1943 totaled: 20 officers and 480 NCOs and men were killed. 76 officers and 2,450 NCOs and men were wounded. 13 officers and 630 NCOs and crews were considered missing. Hoffmann had managed to see the month of July out without injury, after seven days of Close Combat…    With Grenadier Regiment 338 / 208 ID fought hard to the end of the war, and has many mentions in the Lexikon der Wehrmacht –  http://www.lexikon-der-wehrmacht.de/Gliederungen/Infanteriedivisionen/208ID.htm 208th Infanterie Division was ordered to disengage with the enemy and make its way to the West, but it was too late and the remnants were taken prisoner in Hohenelbe – Turnau by the Red Army.    It is unknown if Hoffmann ever returned home, he is not listed in any grave lists or missing lists.    Awards 1.8.1942 – Wounds Badge Black  20.8.1942 – Eastern Front Medal  15.3.1943 – Iron Cross Second Class  – Awarded in the Orel area.  7.4.1943 – Silver Wounds Badge  5.8.1944 – Infantry Assault Badge in Silver – Awarded in the Beskiden area.    Assault Days 12.7.1943 – Paltschikowo 15.7.1943 – Reprino  4.10.1943 – Borki  5.11.1943 – Rakowka  Singed off by Oberleutnant Günter Zippel (DKiG)    Close Combat Days  12.7.1943 – Platshikowo 13.7.1943 – Chomjakowo 14.7.1943 – “ 15.7.1943 – Reprino 16.7.1943 – “ 17.7.1943 – Rjaplowo 18.7.1943 – “ Singed off by Oberleutnant Günter Zippel (DKiG)    Wounds 2.3.1942 – Arrived at the reserve hospital in Memmingen, with a sprinter stuck in his left upper leg.  22.9.1943 – Infantry Bullet again in his left upper leg, this time it went right through his leg.  24.2.1943 – Grenade Splinter right temple. 

Gefreiter Gerhard Wulf Wulf was born on the 10th of September 1923 in Hamburg, and worked as a bar tender. His Soldbuch was issued on April 1942 with: Luftnachrichten Ersatz Regiment 311 He would later serve in: Luftnachrichten Regiment 301 5. Funkmess-Ausbildungs-Kompanie in La Roche (Stellung “Rochen”) It would seem they were responsible for monitoring enemy air-traffic with Wurtzburg Radar, in Belgium It is unknown what happened to Wulf, the Soldbuch seems to just end, there was never a photo entered in this Soldbuch. Wulf is not recorded as killed or missing, and it could be safe to assume he lost this Soldbuch.