Soldbuch + docs 262. ID – 100. Jager Division

Soldbuch to Obergefreiter Josef Hessel.

He went into military service in September or Oktober 1940 when he joined Infanterie ersatz Battlion 482.

After his basictrainings he became part of an fieldunit:

Infanterie Regiment 482 wich was part of the 262. Infanterie Division.

With this Division he fought in Russia at Brody, Miropol and north of Schitomir. For these battles he was awarded the Infanterie Sturmabzeichen on 1-11-1941.

In November 1941 he entered a hospital in Warschau with hospitalcode: -25- wich stands for Skin and connective tissue problems.

In December 1941 he was released from the hospital and served within Landesschutzen Battalion 893 and and ersatz unit.

From at least 13-6- 1943 he had joined another fieldunit;

11./ Jager Regiment 54 of the 100. Jager Division.

Already at the end of May 1943, the Division was transferred to the Syrmia area. The division's quarters were free of partisans, allowing the division to continue its reorganization undisturbed. At the beginning of July 1943, recruits born in 1925 arrived at the division, including more and more members of Volksliste 3 (Slovenes and Poles) who only spoke broken German. From the beginning of July 1943, the division was used to fight partisans. During "Operation Paula" the division was deployed in the Bilo Gora and in the Papuk and Psunj mountains. The partisan units operating in this area had been crushed by July 16, but the partisan units were not decisively defeated. At the end of July 1943, the division was transferred to the Skoplje area, and at the end of August to Albania. The division was deployed here until the end of February 1944 to fight partisans. In September and October 1943, the division was also involved in the "Axis Fall", the disarmament of Italian units in Albania.

On February 23, 1944, the order of the   XXI. Gebirgs-Armeekorps to move the division to the Belgrade area. On March 3rd the divisional section was handed over to the 297th Infantry Division and from March 6th the division moved by rail to the area north of Belgrade to be ready for the invasion of Hungary. Finally, on March 23, the division received orders to move to Budapest and disarm the Hungarian army units stationed there. On the way to Budapest, however, the division was diverted to Galicia and assigned to the II SS Panzer Corps (9. SS Panzerdivision Hohenstaufen & 10. SS Panzerdivision Frundsberg) in the Brzezany area.

The division then advanced eastwards to the Strypa as part of the II SS Panzer Corps in order to relieve the Kamenets-Podolsk pocket.

The division then dug in for defense on the west bank of the Strypa. The division remained here until the Russian offensive in the Tarnopol - Brody area began on July 13. In the case of the 100. Jäger Division, however, the offensive had the effect that the division's front line had to be extended to the north. Weaker attacks on July 10 on both sides of Bieniawa and on July 15 on both sides of Sosnow were successfully repelled by the division. On July 19, the division received orders to retreat to the Koropiec River during the night of August 20. This began the retreat through the Carpathians. On July 22, the division reached Ostalowice and Hulkow and thus the Lemberg defensive position. On July 28, the Dniester was crossed west of Khodorov. Then the division fought for the mountain entrances to the Carpathians in the Dolina area. The division's return march led via Polanica and Jammerstal to Brzaza and then up to the heights near Skole. A new HVAC was set up here after a three-week retreat. Until September 19, 1944, it remained quiet in this section of the fort. Then the left wing of the XXXXIX.  Gebirgs-Armeekorps retreated and the 100. Jager Division was forced to retreat further, marching first west then south-west. On September 22, the division crossed the San.

In October, the division fought on the Ciroka Valley Pass Road and by the end of the month reached the "Ludwig Line" on the Slovak-Hungarian state border.

On 7-10-1944 he enters Reserve Lazarett Sternberg in Ostsudetenland with woundcode -31B- wich stands for Handgrenade, mortar, artillery (shrapnel). For his first wounding he was awarded the Wounded Badge in Silver wich means he was seriously injured!

He stayed untill at least February 1945 in a hospital.

The Soldbuch is heavy used with loose pages and a loose cover.

Page 1-2 is missing.

It comes with the Wounded Badge in Silver document and half of the Infanterie Sturmabzeichen document. Awarded 1-11-1941.

He received a Tarnetz

Code: B23222