Beobachtungs-Abteilung 24.

[ruddersrangers44]

Hey guys can someone please help me with a question I have regarding this Erkennungsmarken it's a unit which was part of the 24th infantry division however this unit was a part of 9 armee which went to the ODER? no mention of Courland,so as i have two discs belonging to the same division want to add this but a little confused regarding the units movements and engagements,any help would be very appreciated,thank you.

[Daarom]

It is possible that this unit first fought in Kurland and was later evacuated and then, when it arrived in northern Germany, was incorporated into the 9 th army for the final battle. Certain important parts were evacuated from the Kurland boiler. It was a time of great chaos.Maybe you know where the ekm was found. That also tells us a lot. Georg Tessin has a lot right, but not everything. I have at least 6 ekms found in kaliningrad of parts that according to records never left denmark.

[Daarom]

Kurland pocket kept a lot of Russian tied. And that was the intention.But troops that they thought could be useful elsewhere have also been evacuated. 1944–1945
The division, along with the rest of the III SS Panzer Corps arrived at the front near Leningrad and was put into action against the Soviet Red Army attacks aimed at breaking the German encirclement of the city.[2] The Red Army forced Nordland to withdraw to Oranienbaum. On 14 January 1944, the Soviet Krasnoye Selo–Ropsha Offensive succeeded in collapsing the German front. The follow-on Kingisepp–Gdov Offensive pushed the German forces to the city of Narva in northeastern Estonia to a new defensive line.[2]

From 27 July 1944, Nordland fought alongside the 20th Waffen Grenadier Division of the SS (1st Estonian) and elements of the Grossdeutschland Division In the Battle of Tannenberg Line. During these battles, the commanders of two regiments were killed. While visiting the front line, the division's commander, Gruppenführer Fritz von Scholz was caught in an artillery barrage and received a head wound. Scholz died on 28 July 1944. Thereafter, Brigadeführer Joachim Ziegler took over command of the division.[4] It retreated into what was known as the Courland Pocket. From late October to December 1944, the Nordland remained in the pocket; by early December the divisional strength was down to 9,000 men. In January 1945, the division was ordered to the Baltic port of Libau, where it was evacuated by sea.[2]