An amazing photograph, displaying him with dust glasses taken from the British Army. Geyr von Schweppenburg (2 March 1886 – 27 January 1974) was a German general during World War II who is noted for his pioneering stance and expertise in the field of armoured warfare.[2][3] He commanded the 5th Panzer Army (formalised as Panzer Group West) during the Invasion of Normandy, and later served as Inspector General of Armoured Troops. After the war, he was involved in the development of the newly-built German Army (Bundeswehr). Freiherr von Geyr was born in 1886 in Potsdam into the Prussian military aristocracy and descended from a family that had produced two Prussian field marshalls.[4] He joined the German Army in 1904. In World War I, he fought on several fronts and rose to the rank of captain. After the war, he remained in the army, becoming an Oberst in 1932 and a Generalmajor in 1935. From 1933 to 1937, he was a military attaché to the United Kingdom, Belgium and the Netherlands and resided in London. Promoted to Generalleutnant upon his return from London, he took command of the 3rd Panzer (armoured) Division in 1937.[5] World War II From 1 September to 7 October 1939, Geyr commanded the 3rd Panzer Division during the invasion of Poland, where it was the most numerically powerful Panzer Division, with 391 tanks.[6] For a victory at Kulm, he was praised on the battlefield by Hitler, who had visited the division in recognition for its achievements in Poland.[7] He was promoted to General der Kavallerie of the XXIV Panzer Corps on 15 February 1940. In 1940, he commanded the XXIV Panzer Corps in the Invasion of France. In 1941, in the invasion of the Soviet Union, Geyr’s XXIV Panzer Corps was part of General Heinz Guderian’s Second Panzer Army, and consisted of all of Guderian’s major tank units.[8] On 9 July 1941, he was awarded the Knight’s Cross of the Iron Cross as General der Panzertruppe.[9] By early November 1941, Geyr’s Panzer Corps commanded the 3rd, 4th, and 17th Panzer Divisions, the panzer regiment from the 18th Panzer Division, as well as the Infantry Regiment Großdeutschland, and spearheaded the advance of Army Group Centre during the Battle of Moscow.[8] From 21 July 1942, taking over from the court-martialed Georg Stumme,[10] to 30 September 1942, he was commanding General of the XXXX Panzer Corps, taking part in the fighting in the Caucasus. Geyr was relieved in a command cadre shakeup at the end of September 1942.[10] In the spring of 1943, Field Marshal Gerd von Rundstedt ordered Geyr to prepare a force of 10 Panzer and motorised infantry divisions. On 19 November 1943, Geyr’s command was formalised as Panzer Group West, which had responsibility for the training and formation of all armoured units in the west. The group of armoured divisions near Paris constituted the Germans’ main force of tanks in France. In the event of an Allied landing on the northern French coast, Panzer Group West was expected to counterattack northward and to halt the invasion force.[11] The Allied invasion of Normandy took place on 6 June 1944. By 8 June, Geyr had moved three panzer divisions northward against British and Canadian forces advancing on the town of Caen. On, Royal Air Force aircraft attacked his newly-established headquarters at La Caine in Normandy. Geyr was wounded and many of his staff officers were killed, which forced the cancellation of the counterattack.[12] Geyr’s reinforced tank units managed to prevent the British advance for another month, but he was nevertheless relieved of his command on 2 July after seconding Rundstedt’s request for Hitler to authorize a strategic withdrawal from Caen.[13][14][15] He was succeeded by Heinrich Eberbach on 4 July and served as Inspector General of Armoured Troops until the closing phase of the war

An interesting grouping, and not often met with Soldbuch and Photo album with training and Frontline photos. Awards: August 1942 – Iron Cross Second Class August 1942 – Eastern Front Medal September 1942 – Infantry Assault Badge in Silver January 1943 – Wounds Badge in Black August 1944 – Wounds Badge in Silver Soldbuch was issued in Feb of 1941, by his training unit which is in the photo album. Interesting points in the Soldbuch: Wounded multiple times, with grenade splinters, he was also suffering from freezing wounds on his feet which meant he needed a three month hospital visit in Narva Estonia. Interesting Point Photo Album: Photos of the unit commander a German Cross in Gold Holder, Camo Helmets, Frontline in the Trenches, this is not often seen and adds a nice element knowing where the Soldbuch actually was. Equipment: Issued a Rifle 43 in June of 1944 a very nice entry. Frontline Unit: Grenadier Regiment 505 (291 Infantry Division) The German 291st Infantry Division, was an infantry division of the Wehrmacht and served in World War II. It was formed on February 10th 1940 as a division of the 8th Wave at the Troop training ground Arys im WK I (Prussia). 291. Infanterie Division was formed in Insterburg in the military training area of Arys (south-east of Königsberg, East Prussia) in February 1940 as part of the 8th Wave. Created by using cadres from previously existing units, it took part in the attack on France but played no noticeable role there. During the expansion of the Heer in the autumn the division lost 3 Btns. of Infantry (I /504th, I /505th and I /506th.) and one of Artillery (III /291st.) to the newly raised 306. Infanterie Division, but these units were replaced before the division was assigned to Heeresgruppe Nord in early 1941 as 18. Armee’s reserve as they prepared for the launching of Barbarossa. The “Elch” (Moose) division managed to advance 44 miles in the first 34 hours of the campaign in the Baltic States, but after being assigned the mission of clearing the Baltic coast, was temporarily stopped in their tracks at the naval base of Libau where Soviet Marines and 67th Rifle Division repelled their first attempt to rush the town on 25 June. Resorting to point blank artillery fire, Herzog’s men finally overran the town after four days of fierce street and house fighting and continued advancing up the Baltic Coast before reaching the Latvian capital of Riga which was already under attack from the East by Philipp Kleffel’s 1. Infanterie Division, the following day.[1] After helping secure Estonia during July and August, the division was deployed on the right wing of XXXVIII Korps’s ring around the Oranienbaum Bridgehead in early September and broke through the Soviet first line of defenses around Leningrad at Popsha before turning north and taking Peterhof, on the Gulf of Finland, sealing in the Coastal Army. After this success, the front settled down into static positions that changed very little for almost two years, but, following his receiving the Knights Cross in mid-October, there was little time for Herzog and his men to catch their breath as they were shifted to 18th Armee’s front along the Volkhov River to resist continued efforts by the Russians to break through to besieged Leningrad.[1] The division was finally withdrawn from the front in late December, but only had a few days’ rest before Andrei Vlassov’s 2nd Shock Army launched a massive offensive at the beginning of January aimed at the thinly held line at the junction of 61. Infanterie Division and 21. Infanterie Division. 505th Inf. Regt., under Oberst Lohmeyer to seal the breach , but it was only a question of time before they made another probe elsewhere. “A matter of time” was ten days, the breakthrough was slightly to the south, and it was the 291st that again stood in their way, but, despite atrocious weather, its men stood firm long enough for the Polizei and 58. Infanterie Division to cut off the Russian penetration, though fighting within the pocket went on until late June. After defeating the Soviet 2nd Shock Army’s penetration of the front over the Volkhov River, and, despite the renewal of the offensive by the Russians in the Mga sector, just to the north of their positions, they were kept on the relatively quiet sector north of Novgorod until January 1943, when they were shifted to LIX Korps sector on the junction of Heeresgruppe Nord and Heeresgruppe Mitte. During that Winter the divisions three Infantry Regiments lost one battalion each, except for one company from each which was, initially, formed into a Ski battalion, but this unit was later converted to bicycles. Remaining in defensive positions around Korotsen over the Winter the division was reinforced by the recreation of 506th Gren. Regt. in February but was nearly annihilated by the Soviet 3rd Guards Tank Army near Shepetovka in early March. By June they were back on 4th Panzerarmee’s front (XLII Korps) as they fell back through south-east Poland (also taking part in the fighting inside the Hube cauldron). The severely understrength Division rejoined XLII Korps in August and remained with them until over-run and destroyed by 1st Ukrainian Front near Czestochowa (Tschensotchau) after the Soviets resumed their offensive in mid-January 1945. Some remnants were incorporated into the 6. Infanterie Divisions 37th Gren. Regt. whilst the remainder were used to augment 17. Infanterie-Division in March.   Comments: This is a really nice set, its not often to find a nice photo album with a Soldbuch.  This particular album the soldier never finished, although had these photos with it. Including GR505 at the front in the bunkers and trenches.