Grouping to a Stalingrad KIA

[TWS]

Poignant grouping to Unteroffizier Paul Schütze who was killed 15 August 1942 during the 6th Army’s approach on Stalingrad. He was 28 years old. Uffz Schütze was a signals NCO on the battalion staff of II. Battalion, Infanterie-Regiment 276 of the 94. ID. This is the same battalion as Adelbert Holl who wrote the two great and popular books, “An Infantry Man in Stalingrad” and “After Stalingrad: Seven Years as a Soviet Prisoner of War”. Schütze was born in Weidenhof in the district of Breslau in Schlesien (now Poland), the son of Paul and Hedwig and had trained as a baker. His father passed away in 1933 when he would have been 18-19 years old.

Schütze’s Nachlass came by way of his wife’s family (Werner). Reading the death notice and the newspaper Anzeige, it becomes apparent that he and Katharina had been separated for 17 months and then had only one reunion, Paul’s 20 days of leave in May 1942, since becoming married. Sadly, Paul would be dead three months later. Even as a signals NCO, Paul apparently had committed some act or acts of bravery because he had been awarded the Iron Cross 2nd class in December of 1941. His award document is signed by Georg Pfeiffer who commanded the 94. ID in Stalingrad.

Interestingly, in his Wehrpaß the description of his fatal wounding is blacked out, possibly to spare family members the details. Although in the death notice it mentions shell fragment. Also in the Wehrpaß is the taped addition of a poem to the fallen. The author is given as “Dr. Lipok”. My limited research has pointed to the possibility he may be the doctor of III. Bataillon /SS-Rgt. "Deutschland", Erich Lipok. If true, perhaps Lipok’s poem was so popular that it was even adopted by Heer units.

A neat piece to the grouping is the pencil sketch of Schütze’s bivouac site in a gulch/gorge near Abganerovo, a village South of Stalingrad. Its train station was on the line going to Stalingrad and was an objective for 6th Army troops.

[TWS]

The Wehrpaß:

[MAP]

Really like that pencil sketch!

Great gouping

[Kohima]

There is a sadness to the entire grouping.
I have a broadly similar collection of photographs, from an army cook, killed in Russia, which gives one the same feeling of sorrow when looking through these moments of a life.

Once again, a story preserved and protected in an outstanding collection.

[TabsTabs1964]

Once again, well done Todd.

A great group and another soldier's story preserved.
Congratulations

Regards
Santi

[Pauls1970]

An historical, but sad grouping, thank you for sharing
Paul

[AndyM35]

A fantastic grouping Todd! I think it’s a great thing that another soldier’s memory has been preserved due to your research and this post.

I have a similar grouping that I have not yet posted or researched. It is for young soldier who started out in the Hitler Youth and then went missing in action at Stalingrad. The saddest thing is that his father apparently searched for him well into the 1970’s.

[ME110]

Thanks for sharing. Very interesting.
Colin

[Willmore]

Thank you for sharing this very interesting and poignant group Todd.

Here are his casualty cards.

Name: Paul Schütze
Rank: Unteroffizier
Birth Date: 17 December 1914
Birth Place: Weidenhof
Military Unit: Stab II./Infanterie Regiment 276
Death Date 15 August 1942
Death Place: Stalingrad

On the rear of the green casualty card his cause of death is noted as Granatsplitter Steckschuß Lunge, Rucken und Kopf (Shrapnel stuck in the lungs, back and head).

Steckschuß = a projectile retained in the body.

From the Volksbund - Paul Schütze has probably been transferred as an unknown soldier to the military cemetery Rossoschka, Russia.

Unfortunately, during our re-interment activities, we were not able to recover all the fallen German soldiers from his original burial place and transfer them to the cemetery Rossoschka. It is, however, possible that Paul Schütze is one of the German soldiers whose remains have been recovered, but whom it has not been possible to identify, in spite of all our efforts.

Gravesite: wahrscheinlich unter den Unbekannten

Kind regards,

Will.

[TWS]

Thanks to all for looking and for your kind comments.

Huge thanks to Will for posting the casualty cards. I really appreciate it because they are completely in line with information in the grouping, down to the detail that he was originally buried by a windmill. Sad that his current resting place is unmarked.