Soldbuch 326. VGD Ardennes – Eifel 1944 – 1945

Soldbuch first issue to Gefreiter Hans Gunther Teuschow.

The Soldbuch opens at 5-4-1944 with Ersatz Kompanie Infanterie Reiterzug 416.

After his basictrainings he became part of II./Grenadier Regiment 753 wich was part of the 326. Volksgrenadier Division.

History

The 326th Volksgrenadier Division was formed on September 4, 1944 in Galanta in Hungary by renaming it the 579th Volksgrenadier Division as a replacement for the 326th Infantry Division, which was destroyed in Normandy. From November 21, 1944, the division was relocated to the Western Front in the Gerolstein area. It was considered to be fully equipped with personnel and materials. However, around 400 horses and 1/3 of the communication device were missing. On December 10, 1944, the division arrived in the Kall / Gmünd area (North Eifel). On 16 December at the start of operation “Wacht am Rhein” or the Ardennes offensive the 752 Grenadier Regiment was deployed in the fighting in the Monschau - Mützenich area. The other two grenadier regiments were also deployed on both sides of Monschau during the division's attack as part of the Ardennes Offensive. The division's task was to penetrate the enemy front on both sides of the Monschau-Eupen road and advance into the Weser section. However, this intention was frustrated by the American attacks on the southern wing of the 272nd Volksgrenadier Division, which resulted in the temporary loss of Kesternich.
The division's three regiments were stranded on the first day of the Ardennes Offensive due to tough resistance from US troops and had to be returned to their starting positions. On December 18th the division went on defense. On December 25th, the 246th Volksgrenadier Division replaced the 326th Volksgrenadier Division on both sides of Monschau, while the latter then replaced the heavily decimated 62nd Volksgrenadier Division in the Vielsalm section.

The division had suffered heavy losses during the Ardennes Offensive. The 753 Grenadier Regiment (his Regiment) has been disbanded. He became part of I./Grenadier Regiment 752 of the same Division.
In the course of the retreat in January 1945, the division set up a resistance line on January 26, 1945 along the St. Vith - Thommen road. Only two days later the XIII. Army Corps was ordered to go back to the so-called Our position. On January 30, 1945, US troops attacked the weakly manned German front and pushed it back to Bleialf. As a result, serious house-to-house fighting broke out around the place. On February 2nd/3rd, 1945 the division was taken back to the West Wall. Just one day later, US troops managed to break into the German HKL around one kilometer north of the Prüm - Bleialf road. A day later, the US units were able to expand the break-in area and take the town of Brandscheidt. The division was at the end of its strength. The Grenadier Regiments 751 and 752 were combined to form Combat Group 752 and subordinated to the 276th Volksgrenadier Division. The division staff was detached from the front area and tasked with reorganizing the division. On February 26, 1945, the division staff received the XIII. Army Corps received the order to replace the 340th Volksgrenadier Division deployed on the right wing of the corps. For this purpose, the division had formed a regimental combat group 751 from cables, which meant that the new HKL could only be very thinly manned. After the American attack on the new HKL on March 3, 1945, the division was smashed again. The remnants were able to move to the Kyll position via Birresborn on March 4th. The division's infantry strength was still 200 men. By March 7th, the infantry strength had fallen to 150 men. The division was finally destroyed in the fighting for Boxberg and then no longer existed as a divisional association. With a few scattered soldiers, the divisional staff made it safely through to Cochem and reached Zell an der Moselle on March 11th. From there, the division, which had been melted into a combat group, was deployed in the Neiwied - Niederbieber section. On March 22nd, US units attacked Neuwied. Remnants of the division were able to hold out there until the evening. In the following days, the attacking US units succeeded in tearing open the divisional front in the Engers and Vallendar area and gaining the high ground of the Westerwald. On March 29, the divisional staff received orders to set up a new defensive front on the Eder. There she was supposed to take over the parts of the 166th Infantry Division that had been brought from Denmark. Just one day later there was heavy street fighting in Fritzlar, at the end of which the so-called Eder position had to be abandoned. At the beginning of April 1945, the remnants of the division moved to a new front line on the Fulda. They were pushed back by US troops on April 3, 1945 during the fighting for Kassel in the Overvellmar area. On April 7th the division reached the Werra on the Meensen - Witzenhausen line. On April 10th, the remnants of the division were in Wollbrandshausen and on April 12th, 1945 between Osterode and Herzberg. There is no longer any evidence that the division was deployed any further; only splinters of the division were deployed separately from each other under changing orders.

Somewhere during the last months of the war he was taken POW.

The Soldbuch is complete with all pages but the photo was removed.

Heavy used condition, cover is a bit loose.

code: B23256