Feldpost number & translatión name of german military unit

[TabsTabs1964]

Hi mates.

I have a small collection of photographs of a young Afrika Korps soldier, with annotations on their backs.
In fact I know his name and his military rank: Gefreiter K. Standke. I also know where and when the photographs are taken: Benghazi, November 1941; Ain el Gazala, June 15, 1942.
Yesterday I posted a few to the new Stonemint thread: What is your preferred TR uniform "look"?
So reviewing them today, I have noticed that in two photos appears the number of Feldpost of his unit.
About five years ago I wrote a little work on these photos, which I could now complete, translate into English and share on the forum.
Furthermore, the soldier wrote on the back of another photo the name of his unit: "2 Berichtertrupps der Pz, PK Afrika" I have never been able to find the translation of "Berichtertrupps" (I have assumed it could be translated as Reconnaissance Unit)
The number of the Feldpost is: Fp.-Nr. 39496 P.K.
I have always thought it was a member of the 15th Panzer Division.
Thanks in advance with that number of Feldpost and with the translation of this soldier's unit type.
I upload the backs of the photos with the annotations and those that I already published in the Stonemint thread.






Tobruk has fallen!

This is the man





Thanks in advance for the help of the experts: It would be great to know more about this young and always smiling soldier.

Sorry if it is not the appropriate place in the forum, please then, if an administrator can put it in the appropriate place.

[BlackCat1982]

A cheerful chap.

A look at casualties on Ancestry only through up one Standke, but rank and age did not match.

The VDK database lists 8 named K Standke, of which there are 2 whose age (20-22) might match but again ranks and locations did not match.

So I would say there is a fair chance his family got to see that grin at wars end.

[TabsTabs1964]

Thanks Black Cat!!!!.
it´s impressive what some members of the forum manage to find out. Let's see if with the help of some other friend we can find out what his unit was. As a reward I upload another of his photos and I solemnly promise that in a few days I will upload a thread with all the ones I have (some are fantastic) and this young soldier always appears smiling.



OK.... one more



Santi

[BlackCat1982]

The Fp.-Nr. 39496 has 3 options:
OB Kdo Heeresgrüppe Afrika

Astronom Messtrüppe 721-725

Armee Ob Kdo Pz Afrika - which from the text on the photograph would appear to be his unit. Could P.K stand for Propaganda Kompanie?

[hucks216]

The Feldpost Number for the date of 1941/42 is for Deutscher Verbindungsoffizier beim italienischen Oberkommando in Afrika which is the German liaison officer at the Italian High Command in Africa. Berichter is a war reporter, such as one who wrote articles for propaganda publications and news reports so that unit written on the back is 2.Berichtertrupps der Panzer-Propaganda-Kompanie Afrika.

[TabsTabs1964]

Thank you very much for the help. Many things make sense with this information.
The story of this boy is clarified, because it always intrigued me that in all the photos he was smiling and looking at the camera, but if the photographer was from P.K. it is obvious that he made him pose, saying : Smile!!! Say cheers!!!! .....
Another detail for those of you who are not familiar with the ribbon bars; on his chest he wears the ribbon of the Erinnerungsmedaille für den italienisch-deutschen Feldzug in Afrika and another ribbon of an Italian decoration.

And finally. If indeed by the number of Feldpost this boy belonged to the Deutscher Verbindungsoffizier beim italienischen Oberkommando in Afrika, should we understand that he did not belong to a specific German Infantry or Panzer division????

[TabsTabs1964]

Hi friends.

I thought I'd open a new thread to upload the photos of Gefreiter K. Standke. But since thanks to the help of BlackCat1982 and other members we have been able to identify the unit in which this smiling boy served during the war (and possibly even survived it) I have preferred to continue in this thread.

Thanks again to the members who identified his military unit.
I will be uploading the photographs of him (some from my collection and ohers, unfortunately, that I could not get) with the writings on their backs and their translation.

Regards
Santi

[TabsTabs1964]

Below is a series of personal photographs of a soldier. On the back of some of them, this young German wrote the date, place and circumstances in which they were taken.

The annotations of this soldier, almost entirely legible, combined with the images captured by the photographer and contextualized at the time they were taken, constitute an exceptional historical document on the African scene of the Second World War and on the actions of a unit belonging to the Afrika korps.


Arriving in Benghazi

[TabsTabs1964]

[TabsTabs1964]

ADVANCES AND WITHDRAWALS WITH THE AFRIKA KORPS.



On November 18, 1941, British forces began Operation Crusader with the aim of relieving the forces besieged in Tobruk. The 15th Panzer Division was placed to the east, and on 20 November it joins the 21st Panzer Division to fight the armored forces of the British XXX Army Corps, located nearby.

Rommel deploys his Panzer divisions in a rapid advance to the east, threatening the British rear. However, they were unable to stop his advance, reaching their objective on November 27 and forcing the Axis forces to withdraw.

Retreating, Rommel stopped at El Agheila on December 31, 1941 to reorganize his battered forces. Reinforcements received provided 7 Panzer IIs, 61 Panzer IIIs, 7 Panzer IVs and a command car. The men of the division resumed the offensive, together with the 21st Panzer and the rest of the Italian Army forces, reaching Gazala in February 1942.



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