Unteroffizier Werner Weigel  Werner Weigel was born on the 18th of May 1921 in Albersdorf Leipzig, in his civilian career he was a painter.  Weigel was enlisted in the RAD on the 3rd of October 1940, he spent only 3 months in the RAD before he was called up to the Wehrmacht.  He arrived for training on the 10th of February 1941, by July he was sent for training as an Observer. Interestingly he was found fit for all roles in the aircraft and was sent for training.  After successful training, Weigel was assigned on the 16th of August 1942 to the: 12th Staffel, Kampfgeschwader 55  Weigel would spend until March 1943 with the IV Gruppe in Dijon France, the unit was mainly used for training runs from France to Germany, they were dropping concrete bombs. They flew the Heinkel 111, and reported only a few losses.  For more information of their stay in France, including pictures:  https://www.histavia21.net/LIEUX-HISTOIRE/BA-102/LONG-0007a1.htm On the 14th of April 1943, Weigel joined the II Gruppe,  6th Staffel, Kampfgeschwader 55  In 1943, from June 5th to 22nd, it took part in the air raids on Gorky and Yaroslavl. In night raids, together with other combat squadrons, the “Molotov” armored car plant and the Yaroslavl synthetic rubber plant were to be attacked.  282 people were killed in Gorki, 527 injured and 52 buildings of the plant were destroyed. In Yaroslavl, over 120 people were killed, around 150 others injured and over 200 buildings (including some of the rubber works) completely destroyed.  Then the staff, the II. And III./KG 55 took part in the Operation Citadel. It seems that in such a short time Weigel had earned himself the Front Flying Clasp in Bronze as well as the Iron Cross Second Class in the space of one month. On the 16th of June 1943 until Weigel was wounded in an emergency landing in a Heinkel 111 due to an engine fire due to enemy fire, the crash was so bad that two crew members were killed in the crash Weigel. Below the details of the Crash as well as the name of the young Pilot Officer who was killed in the landing.  Weigel acting as Observer survived a crash landing due to a fire on board on their return from a combat mission, in which the pilot and another crew member was killed.    WUNDERLICH, Otto. (DOB: 01.05.21 in Postelberg, Krs. Saaz/Bohemia). 17.05.43 Lt., 6./KG 55 KIA – emergency landing due to engine fire – vic Bakhekolkhos farm near Krichevo. Buried at Donezk.   Comments  An interesting Wehrpass from a highly sought after KG, Weigel flew 32 combat missions in a very short time. Weigel was extremely lucky to survive the crash, but he would never fly again.  A Heinkel 111 from KG 55 

Grouping to Oberwachtmeister Erich Thurn  Cherkassy Breakout  Erich Thurn was born in Hagen/Haspe on January 1915, and worked in his civilian life as a Saddler.  Thrun was a volunteer and started his career in Wehrmacht in 1937.  During the war, Thrun was serving with the Artillerie Regiment 389 with the 389 Infanterie Division. Thurn survived the downfall at Stalingrad and somehow made it out, and was later encircled in 1944 in the famous Cherkassy Pocket.  Interestingly, Thurn had displayed extreme courage earning the Iron Cross First Class. He featured in various wartime Newspapers some of the highlights are listed below.  Thrun explained to the newspapers that the Soviets had tried their hardest to get the Germans to surrender using leaflets, loudspeakers and propaganda. As well as constant air attacks on their positions on the ground. Thurn found himself knee deep in a cold swamp trying to push out of the encirclement, Thrun explains that the villages around him left and right were all on fire. Their group made it through the swamp and seen a tank and could hear German, they had reached the German lines! After three weeks trapped in the Pocket.  Thurn was presented to Feldmarschall von Manstein after the breakout! Original photo included! After which he was sent on leave to Berlin where he would be presented to Propaganda Minister Goebbels.  Included in the Grouping is the following Three Newspaper articles displaying Thrun and his story Photo with GFM von Manstein – Original Photo printed on Agfa Brovira Iron Cross Second Class Medal  Iron Cross Second Class Document – July 1942 Signed by Generaloberst Erwin Jaenecke (Knights Cross winner, wounded at the Battle of Stalingrad was flown out!) Wounds Badge in Black Wounds Badge Document  Marriage Certificate from 1943 A Certificate confirming his awards in August 1945 from the field police.  Certificate of Discharge 1945  Three letters from the Bundesarchive  A Certificate thanking Thrun for helping to rebuild his hometown of Hagen in 1947  An unusual grouping, but very interesting to find anything related specifically to the battles at Cherkassy!     

Stabsfeldwebel Waldemar Ullmann  Ullmann was born on the 17th of March 1910 in the area of Reuthen, Germany into a catholic family. Ullmann married during his service in 1941, although oddly it seems his wife was removed as next of kin.  Ullmann volunteered for service in October 1929, with Infanterie Regiment 7 , as part of the 100,000 Man Reichswehr! His Kompanie was the 13th Kompanie which was named in honour:  Schlesisches Füsilier-Regiment “General-Feldmarschall Graf Moltke” Nr. 38 Infanterie Regiment 470 / 260 Infanterie Division – From Belarus to Moscow!  According to Ullmanns Wehrpass he served in the following actions, here an extract from the history books.  The move to the eastern front began on June 30, 1941. The train went to Siedlce, which was reached on July 4th. Unloading took place here and the march into the Wysokie Litowskie area was carried out until July 6th. As a corps reserve, the division then marched via Pruzana and Baranowicze to Lubany. There IR 470 had its first skirmishes with Russian units. On July 19, the march continued in the direction of Berezovka and on July 20, parts of the regiment attacked Romanishche together with the IR 460. At 8:20 p.m. the location could be taken. The attack continued on July 21st. The regiment crossed the Rudyanka River, passed through Pess’tschanya, and took Chernin in the evening. On July 23, the battle of Romanishche broke out and was to be retaken by the Russians. This was prevented by the 260th Infantry Division. On July 27th the regiment marched further north.   After Rudjaanka was reached, the division and the regiment set up to secure the front. From August 5th, an attack to the south was launched to close the gap between Army Groups Central and South. On August 10, the division was replaced by the 45th Infantry Division and marched north again. On the night of August 12th the Berezina was crossed at Shazilki and the Dnieper at Streschin on August 13th. They then met their army corps and attempted to prevent the enemy forces from breaking out between Rogachev and Shlobin. The regiment had to fend off difficult enemy breakthrough attempts. On August 19th the encirclement was over and the regiment marched south again towards Gomel. On August 23, the movement began with an attack in the direction of Chernigov in order to enclose the enemy armies near Kiev. Parts of the division had reached Desna by August 30th. On September 1, the regiment began its attack on Kisseleska from the heights around Tschernisch. When the 5th Company reached the bank of the Desna, a platoon succeeded in crossing the river with river boats and forming a bridgehead. The regiment extended the bridgehead to the villages of Poski, Wibli and Uborki. The next day it had to fend off severe counterattacks. Via Chernigov, Kiev was advanced further and the return route of the Russian troops was cut off. The division established itself on the Chernigov-Kiev road and repelled all Russian attacks. The badly battered division and thus the regiment no longer took part in the further fighting during the Battle of Kiev. It stayed in the positions it had reached and rested. It was not until September 14 that the regiment marched again, this time to the northeast in the direction of Bryansk and then further north to Dubrovka. The first frost occurred on September 27th. At the end of September the 52nd Infantry Division was relieved at Dubrowka.   On the night of October 2, the regiment began to attack Moscow. The regiment crossed the Dessna and formed a bridgehead. By the evening 120 bunkers had been knocked down and 200 prisoners taken. The first snow fell on October 6th. On October 7th, the Kaluga-Brjansk railway line was taken, and it continued in the direction of Kaluga. But on October 21st, the advance in the baseless mud was stopped. The regiment took up position in the Okatal. At the beginning of November the regiment and the division moved into the Kremenki bridgehead. When the German attack on Moscow resumed on November 13th, the regiment moved into its staging area on either side of Browna and made a deep break in the enemy frontline on the first day of the attack. In spite of this, the division and regiment’s attack remained concentrated in the increasingly fierce enemy resistance. On November 14th, the initiative passed to the Red Army and breached the frontline on the wings of the regiment. The attacks of the regiment did not abate on November 15 either, and only the 260 Artillery Regiment, which fired 2050 shells that day, was able to prevent a breakthrough. But the attacks began again on December 8th. On December 15, Russian units succeeded in breaking through the 52nd Infantry Division, so that the Kremenki bridgehead had to be evacuated. On December 17, the regiment repelled a Soviet attack into the seams of the 260th and 52nd divisions.    At noon, the regiment was overrun by Russian tanks and 40 soldiers were killed. The regiment went back to Radenki. The division was trapped by Russian forces and had to free itself from the encirclement at Christmas. The division withdrew to the Detschino area and moved to the new line on December 31st. Ullmann was wounded in these breakout fights and was lucky to have made it out.    It was not until January 1943 until he was back on the frontline again, now healed from his wounds and now a Stabsfeldwebel.  Serving with the Machine Gun Company of Infanterie Regiment 684 / 335 Infanterie Division  The division was then transferred to France as an occupying force and used to secure the coast in Brittany and near Marseille. In October 1942 the division was reclassified into an attack division and in February 1943 it was transferred to the 1st Panzer Army on the Don. Heavy defensive battles followed on the Donets and in the Voroshilovgrad area by August 1943. In September and…

SS- Zögling Wladimir Korytowskyj  Korytowskyj was born on the 6th of September 1928 in Sahiericzko, Ukraine. (Galizien)  He was found fit for service (With : Flieger-Ersatz-Btl.III Einstellungs-Kommando I Eger)  in September 1944, at only 16 years old.  SS-Zögling refers to a juvenile SS pupil who was not yet eligible to join the formal SS. In Eastern Europe and the Baltic states (in this case Hungary), these members were tasked to defend and guard airfields, buildings, warehouses, workshops, factories, etc. against enemy aircraft attacks. He would join Flakabteilung 755, it seems they served for a short time in Flensburg, then at the military airport Jagel. According to a survivor of the unit, they were armed with 3.7cm Flak and were later deployed on the Oder Front. Many of the young men reported missing seem to be in the area just east of Berlin in Fürstenwalde in April 1945, just as the Red Army advanced on Berlin. Although the author of the article below ended up a little further south in the Halbe Pocket.  It is unknown what the fate of this young boy was, he is not reported as missing or as killed in action.  Survivors Account:  http://www.hphansen.de/assets/applets/Allzeit_meine_Pflicht.pdf An interesting and rare book for a young SS recruit, interestingly others from this unit are seen on the market. There is not many, but they seem to be from a hoard find.