Soldbuch - Hauptfeldwebel Werner Butze

[avenger]

A few weeks back, I dipped my toe back in one of my absolute favorite aspects of WWII collecting, Wehrpasses and Soldbuchs. As everyone knows, soldbuchs were carried with the troops, which makes them ooze even more history than almost any other document with the exceptional attribute of being able to say they've been there. These are always a real treat for me.

Here we have the soldbuch, dogtag, and Infanterie Sturmabzeichen award document for Hauptfeldwebel Werner Butze. The soldbuch is complete, although sections of the pages have come loose.

Here's what I know about the records contained within, much of which comes from the seller:

The soldbuch was opened in October 1939, when Butze served Infantry Regiment 465. In February 1940 he joined Infantry Regiment 515, and by October 1940 he joined Infantry Regiment 574. Around mid 1942, he joined Infantry Regiment 339 which was based at Haarleem at that time. After recovery from a sexual disease (Tripper) he joined the Restkommando III/4. Regiment in Brandenburg, and then he served with III/4. Regiment Brandenburg.

In November 1943 he was wounded by a gun shot which took him nearly 1.5 years to recover from.

Here's where it gets harder for me to follow through the units on page 17, since they're not dated. I found Gren Regiment 339 in the Lexicon, and it seems like it could fit that after he was released from the hospital, he would end up here. Oddly, the ISA award is attributed to the 339th, but during a period of time when the lexicon records it was not in service (it was dissolved Jan-15-1944, and brought back in October of that year). Chalk that up to delayed record entry no doubt.

After being resurrected, the 339th was folded into the 167th as noted which was transported to the western front in Dec 1944, but the lexicon doesn't record anything about the Ardennes and rather says "unknown" about that period of time where this battle takes place. It does show the unit destroyed at Eifel a few months later, which certainly could have put them there prior. I'll post the Lexicon info below the photos. I'd be thrilled to have more concrete info tying this guy to the Ardennes at the time of the Battle of the Bulge. But, I'm not 100% sure it follows from the evidence I've found, even if it certainly seems conceivable.

In December 1944 he joined Grenadier Regiment 339 which was part of the Infanterie-Division Niedergörsdorf and part of the 167. Volks-Grenadier-Division. Here he took part in the Ardennes Offensive.

On New Years Day, the 167th Volksgrenadier and 5th Parachute Divisions aided the panzers in defending the area around the Belgian town of Lutrebois in Luxembourg.

In April 1945 he was once again back in a hospital suffering from a sexual disease again (that time he had Syphilis). Our Casanova apparently couldn't find a "clean" lady.

Awards issued: Eastern Front Medal, Wound Badge in Black, Iron Cross 2nd Class, Infantry Assault Badge in Silver.

In any case, it's a nice soldbuch representing someone who carried it through some thick action, and earned recognition for his combat performance. As usual, any clarification, correction, or assistance on this research is a tremendous help, and greatly appreciated.















































Lexicon regarding Gren Regiment 339:

Originated on 15 October 1942 by the renaming of the 339 Infantry Regiment and the 167th Infantry Division subordinated. On October 20, 1943, the Second Battalion was dissolved and the Third Battalion was dissolved. Battalion in II. Renamed. On 15 January 1944 the regiment was dissolved and distributed to the regimental groups 331 and 315.

Reconstructed in October 1944 at the Döllersheim military training ground from the second regiment of the Shadow Division Niedergörsdorf, which is located there . In March 1945, the regiment in the Hunsrück was destroyed.

Lexicon regarding Infantry Division Niedergörsdorf

Since September 28, 1944, the 585th People's Grenadier Division has also been designated as the Shadow Division Niedergörsdorf . The division had been stationed on the Döllersheim military training camp since September 3, 1944, and was renamed to the 167th People's Grenadier Division at the beginning of October.

Lexicon regarding 167. People's Grenadier Division

The 167th Volksgrenadier-Division was set up at the end of October 1944 from the Shadow Division Niedergörsdorf, which was placed at the Döllersheim military training ground. The division was relocated to Slovakia and was to be transported to the west on 14 December by Pistyan in Hungary. After being destroyed in the Eifel, the staff on April 4, 1945, was used for the Scharnhorst Division.

1944

date army Corps army army group place
November BdE Döllersheim
December BdE Slovakia

1945

date army Corps army army group place
January unknown
February XIII 7. Army B Eifel
March LIII 7. Army B Eifel
April Reclassification OB West

[hucks216]

Nice Soldbuch to a senior NCO. With regards to the Infantry Assault Badge entry (and the Wound Badge & EK entries), they have been entered by the Lazarett, not his front line unit, so it is the hospital catching up on the paperwork as it wasn't possible for his unit to put the entries in as he wasn't with them. So while the ISA entry states it is awarded by Gren.Rgt 339 what it is basically saying is that he won the award with them in the past but it is being entered by the Lazarett, so basically it is entered 'on behalf of'.
There is a very good chance that his EK II was awarded because he was badly wounded rather than for any actions he undertook in action.

After he left hospital in late 1944 I don't think he ever went back in to combat again and remained in Germany. Apart from one entry for April 1945 which lacks any unit detail, most entries seem to stop around December 1944 and they have been entered by Gren.Ers.Btl 31 in Plauen and as that unit is the only one not crossed out on page 17 it shows one of two things, either: 1) he went back to a front line unit but they forgot to cross out the Gren.Ers.Btl 31 entry on page 17 and enter his front line unit in section C, or 2) he went to Gren.Ers.Btl 31 and stayed there for the rest of his service.
My money is on option 2.

[avenger]

Thanks Hucks! As always, you offer invaluable help in reading between the lines. It sounds like you're reading what I was starting to think was the case too, regarding his late war service.

It's a treat to have the dogtag with the Soldbuch too. If only they could talk.

[humble collector]

God I love these things!!!!

[sitges1990]

I really enjoy reading these as well. Thanks for the post Avenger.

[MAP]

Same here. The history in these are great. I however, don't have the patience nor expertise to tease out all this information.

I need a Soldbuch. Have a number of Wehrpasses (with complete English translations) but they to me are not as interesting.

[spodface]

What a cracking Soldbuch !