Espenlaub Militaria - Top
Display your banner here
Page 1 of 2 1 2 LastLast
Results 1 to 10 of 13

Wehrpaß - Panzer

Article about: Hello folks. The second of two recent additions to my growing collection of German identity documents. This one belonging to a gentleman named Rolf. Neither I nor the seller was able to read

  1. #1

    Default Wehrpaß - Panzer

    Hello folks.

    The second of two recent additions to my growing collection of German identity documents. This one belonging to a gentleman named Rolf. Neither I nor the seller was able to read his surname.
    This is another very interesting wehrpaß. It seems that Rolf served in the Reichsarbeitsdienst for the early years of the war before joining the Wehrmacht in November 1941. He served in a number of Panzer Regiments on the Ostfront, and would have experienced both the advance into and the retreat from Russia. Rolf received extensive weapons training, becoming proficient in the use of the K98 rifle, the MG 34, the Czech MG 37, The Luger P08 and Walther P38, as well as the MP40 and MG42.

    He also received heavy weapons training, to include multiple variations of the KwK [Kampfwagenkanone]. Namely the 3.7cm, 5cm and 7.5cm variations. He was also trained in the use of the Granatwerfer 8cm Mortar. Going on this training, it would be reasonable to guess that Rolf was a Panzer crewman for at least part of his service in Russia.

    He was unfortunately killed on the 2nd of February 1944, near Dubno in Ukraine. The seller states his cause of death was a shot to the head. This resonates with me quite heavily, as he was my age - 22 - when he died. How privileged I am today, that I live in a time of relative peace.

    Some preliminary research leads me to believe he was a casualty of the Battle of the Korsun-Cherkassy Pocket: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle...erkassy_Pocket

    A nice wehrpaß to a 'Panzer Man' and a sobering reminder of the cost of war. I shall continue to collect these. They serve as comprehensive records of those who lived and died in the Second World War. These KIA Wehrpaß in particular serve almost as small paper tombstones. As long as these documents survive, the memory of those lost remains.

    Regards, B.B.
    Click to enlarge the picture Click to enlarge the picture Wehrpaß - Panzer   Wehrpaß - Panzer  

    Wehrpaß - Panzer   Wehrpaß - Panzer  

    Wehrpaß - Panzer   Wehrpaß - Panzer  

    Wehrpaß - Panzer   Wehrpaß - Panzer  

    Wehrpaß - Panzer   Wehrpaß - Panzer  

    Wehrpaß - Panzer   Wehrpaß - Panzer  

    Wehrpaß - Panzer   Wehrpaß - Panzer  

    Wehrpaß - Panzer  

  2. # ADS
    Circuit advertisement Wehrpaß - Panzer
    Join Date
    Always
    Location
    Advertising world
    Age
    2010
    P
    Many
     

  3. #2

    Default

    His name was Rolf Christian Wilhelm Stummeier.

    The cause of death may or may not be true:

    You will find that a disproportionate percentage of KIA Wehrpässe state headshots and heartshots as the cause of death.

    The reason for this was that a fallen soldier's Wehrpaß was sent back to the family after the paperwork had been completed. In order to spare the relatives from additional grief, it was common practice to enter the kinds of fatal wounds that imply a mercifully swift and painless death, especially if the truth was far grislier.

  4. #3

    Default

    Quote by HPL2008 View Post
    His name was Rolf Christian Wilhelm Stummeier.

    The cause of death may or may not be true:

    You will find that a disproportionate percentage of KIA Wehrpässe state headshots and heartshots as the cause of death.

    The reason for this was that a fallen soldier's Wehrpaß was sent back to the family after the paperwork had been completed. In order to spare the relatives from additional grief, it was common practice to enter the kinds of fatal wounds that imply a mercifully swift and painless death, especially if the truth was far grislier.
    Thank you for this piece of information. I'd imagine a family would be best spared the details if their loved one had succumbed to frostbite or perished inside a burning tank.

    Is the information I've gleaned from this wehrpaß entirely correct? I'm getting better at reading these, but I feel I've still got a long way to go.

    B.B.

  5. #4

    Default

    Panzer-Abt 118 was part of 18.Pz.Grenadier-Division and as such it wasn't involved in the Battle of Cherkassy. Dubno is over 500km away from Cherkassy.

  6. #5

    Default

    Quote by hucks216 View Post
    Panzer-Abt 118 was part of 18.Pz.Grenadier-Division and as such it wasn't involved in the Battle of Cherkassy. Dubno is over 500km away from Cherkassy.
    Thanks for the correction. I've tried to research battles that fit with the date of his death, but haven't come up with anything yet.

    B.B.

  7. #6

    Default

    There were thousands of engagements up and down the Eastern front on any given day ranging from big battles like Cherkassy to the small stuff that goes unrecorded like a small scale attack to seize a village just to keep the pressure on.

  8. #7

    Default

    Quote by hucks216 View Post
    There were thousands of engagements up and down the Eastern front on any given day ranging from big battles like Cherkassy to the small stuff that goes unrecorded like a small scale attack to seize a village just to keep the pressure on.
    A case of lost history, then. A shame, but a testament to the sheer scale of the conflict. His date of death is immortalised, at least. I often wonder how many soldiers on the Eastern Front - both German and Russian - never got that privilege.

    B.B.

  9. #8

    Default

    Leutnant Stummeier listed as Todes or Vermisse on 02.02.1944 at location Podhaice Ca. 10 km v. Dubno. As a panzer officer it is conceivable that his might have been shot in the head whilst in the turret of his tank (again this is purely hypothesis). Nice interesting WP.

  10. #9

    Default

    Quote by BlackCat1982 View Post
    Leutnant Stummeier listed as Todes or Vermisse on 02.02.1944 at location Podhaice Ca. 10 km v. Dubno. As a panzer officer it is conceivable that his might have been shot in the head whilst in the turret of his tank (again this is purely hypothesis). Nice interesting WP.
    I was thinking along those lines. Seeing as a tank crewman's head would be the only part of his body frequently exposed, the cause of death makes sense.
    I can't help but wonder if he has a marked grave somewhere.

    B.B.

  11. #10

    Default

    Quote by BrodieBartfast View Post
    ...I can't help but wonder if he has a marked grave somewhere.

    B.B.
    His body has never been recovered so he is laying in an unmarked grave.

Page 1 of 2 1 2 LastLast

Similar Threads

  1. My New Wehrpaß

    In Soldbuch, Wehrpaß, Ausweis, etc
    06-17-2023, 03:36 AM
  2. Wehrpaß - KIA

    In Soldbuch, Wehrpaß, Ausweis, etc
    06-15-2023, 04:54 PM
  3. Pre-War Wehrpaß

    In Soldbuch, Wehrpaß, Ausweis, etc
    01-16-2018, 07:29 PM
  4. SS Wehrpaß

    In Soldbuch, Wehrpaß, Ausweis, etc
    10-06-2015, 12:37 AM
  5. Need help with a Wehrpaß

    In Soldbuch, Wehrpaß, Ausweis, etc
    05-02-2011, 08:17 AM

Bookmarks

Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts
  •  
Lakesidetrader - Down
Display your banner here