Soldbuch WIA Southern France 361 VGD Westfront ‘44-‘45

Soldbuch first edition with original attached photo to Otto Haase.

The Soldbuch opens at 25-3-1944 with Flieger ersatz Battalion XII.

On 1-6-1944 after his basictrainings he became part of an fieldunit; 14./Flieger Regiment 63 based in souther France. After the Allied invasion in southern France his unit got involved in battles around Remoulins. In this area he got wounded and entered a hospital on 10 September 1944 with woundcode 31a ( Bulletwounds) + 31b (shrapnel).

On 23-10-1944 he was medically fit and went to an training and replacement unit.
On 17 December 1944 he became part of an fieldunit; Feld ersatz Battlion 361 of the 361. Volksgrenadier Division.

Two weeks later on 31 December 1944 the Germans launched another operation in the West named “Operation Nordwind” to support the Ardennes offensive.

The offensive, which was only partially seen as reconnaissance by the Allies due to bad weather, began without artillery preparation - as a surprise attack - in the last evening hours of December 31, 1944.

The attack by Sturmgruppe 1 encountered the deeply echeloned defense of the 44th and 100th US Infantry Divisions and, with the exception of a three-kilometer-deep breach, remained in the Bliesbrücken-Rimlingen area. After German attack leaders took Großrederchingen on January 3rd and temporarily broke through to the town of Achen, this attack finally came to a halt on January 5th.

The attack by Sturmgruppe 2 was significantly more successful. The mountainous and wooded area in the Vosges was only held by the 'Task Force Hudelson', which had little to counter the attacking German forces. However, the lack of reconnaissance had a disadvantage on the German side, which left the attacking units disoriented. The 361st Volksgrenadier Division, which had been involved in retreat fighting there a few weeks ago, gained the most space thanks to its knowledge of the terrain. Over the next four days, Storm Group 2 advanced at least 16 kilometers.

On 12 January 1945 he entered a hospital Kriegslazarett 4/604 with woundcode 33 (frostbite).

He received a tarnnetz.

He should have been entitled at least the Wounded badge in Black but this was never added to the Soldbuch.

Used condition, complete with all pages.

It also comes with a Meldekarte and a POW paper.

The map was taken from the web and does not come with the item.

code: B24258