Rob Johnson
1st September 2008, 22:18
Hello guys-
I’d like to share this new addition with you, it’s a recent purchase that just arrived the other day.
This Soldbuch was issued on 10.October 1939 to Josef Pickl, born 27 December 1919. As you can see, this book is rather worn and tattered, a silent testament to the combat Pickl witnessed fighting on two fronts; the eastern front from 1941 to 1944, and then the western front during the Allied invasion of Normandy in the summer of 1944.
The inside cover has a very nice photograph of Pickl in his field tunic, with his EKII ribbon clearly visible. Inside are the standard entries you would expect to see; gear, weapons, pay entries, and on page 22 his awards: EKII (08.May.1942), IAB in Bronze (01.June.1942) Eastern Front medal (07.September 1943) and black wound badge (13.Augbust 1943)
Pickl’s first unit was the 4.(M.G.)/Infanterie-Ersatz-Battalion 20, a training and replacement unit, and in the late summer of 1940 he was transferred to the 12.(M.G.)/Infanterie-Regiment 20 (mot.), 10. Infanterie-Division. Pickl was promoted to Gefreiter on 01.Oct.1940, and on 22.June 1941, as part of Panzergruppe 3, Heeresgruppe Mitte, he – along with the rest of his regiment - entered Russia through Bialystok, participating in the fierce fighting that took place in the Battle of Bialystok-Minsk. By September, the 10.Infanterie-Division, now part of the 16.Armee, under command of Heeresgruppe Nord, was fighting in Tichwin.
On 01.November 1941, Pickl was promoted to Obergefreiter and with his regiment, now attached to the 18.Armee, was fighting in the regions of Wolkhow and Welish. In January of 1942, Pickl was evacuated from the front due to frostbite (code 33 entered on pages 12/13) and spent the next four months recovering in Reserve Lazarett Geldern. By May of 1942, Pickl was released from Lazarett and rejoined his training and replacement unit, I.E.B.20. On 08.May 1942 Pickl was awarded the Iron Cross second class, was granted some much-needed leave, and on 01.June, he was awarded the Infantry Assault Badge in Bronze (bronze due to the fact that Pickl was motorized Infantry). His frostbite must have been rather extensive, because for the next 4 months Pickl remained with I.E.B.20. He was granted leave a few more times and in September 1942, Pickl was awarded the Eastern Front Medal through I.E.B.20.
In November of 1942, Pickl was transferred to 7./Festungs-Grenadier-Regiment 854, 344.Infanterie-Division, stationed in the Bordeaux region of France. In February 1944, the 344.I.D. was placed under the command of the 15.Armee, Heeresgruppe D, and transferred north to the Channel coast. For the next year and a half, Pickl was on occupational duty, and on 13.August 1943 he was awarded the black wound badge. My only guess is that this was awarded due to extensive frostbite he suffered in January of 1942, which would also help explain his transfer to a non-combat costal defense unit (due to the loss of some toes, or a finger perhaps???) This is just speculation of course, but all things considered, it does make sense.
The 344.I.D. was destroyed in August 1944 during the Battle of Brest, one of the most intense and destructive battles of Operation Cobra. The last entry in Pickl’s Soldbuch is dated 01.August 1944 when he was issued a spade, perhaps to help dig defensive positions amongst the rubble; as you know, Brest was almost completely razed to the ground. The fighting was fierce, with plenty of stories of house-to-house and hand-to-hand combat.
There is what appears to be a POW number, “386453” entered on page 01, and it can only be deduced that Pickl was taken prisoner along with the rest of the surviving members of his regiment when the unit surrendered in August.
What I find most appealing about this Soldbuch is that it once belonged to a true Ostfront veteran who won the EKII and IAB in bronze fighting the Russians on the eastern front during the opening stages of Operation Barbarossa in 1941 and early 1942. So many of the Normandy KIA or POW Soldbücher you see pop up are to young, inexperienced enlisted men who’s only real combat experiences were what they witnessed post-06 June 1944, but not Pickl. I am sure that, despite being a frostbite casualty, he was admired by his fellow comrades in the 344.I.D. and performed admirably against the American forces that he would eventually surrender to. Better them than the Russians!
Enjoy the pictures!
Rob
I’d like to share this new addition with you, it’s a recent purchase that just arrived the other day.
This Soldbuch was issued on 10.October 1939 to Josef Pickl, born 27 December 1919. As you can see, this book is rather worn and tattered, a silent testament to the combat Pickl witnessed fighting on two fronts; the eastern front from 1941 to 1944, and then the western front during the Allied invasion of Normandy in the summer of 1944.
The inside cover has a very nice photograph of Pickl in his field tunic, with his EKII ribbon clearly visible. Inside are the standard entries you would expect to see; gear, weapons, pay entries, and on page 22 his awards: EKII (08.May.1942), IAB in Bronze (01.June.1942) Eastern Front medal (07.September 1943) and black wound badge (13.Augbust 1943)
Pickl’s first unit was the 4.(M.G.)/Infanterie-Ersatz-Battalion 20, a training and replacement unit, and in the late summer of 1940 he was transferred to the 12.(M.G.)/Infanterie-Regiment 20 (mot.), 10. Infanterie-Division. Pickl was promoted to Gefreiter on 01.Oct.1940, and on 22.June 1941, as part of Panzergruppe 3, Heeresgruppe Mitte, he – along with the rest of his regiment - entered Russia through Bialystok, participating in the fierce fighting that took place in the Battle of Bialystok-Minsk. By September, the 10.Infanterie-Division, now part of the 16.Armee, under command of Heeresgruppe Nord, was fighting in Tichwin.
On 01.November 1941, Pickl was promoted to Obergefreiter and with his regiment, now attached to the 18.Armee, was fighting in the regions of Wolkhow and Welish. In January of 1942, Pickl was evacuated from the front due to frostbite (code 33 entered on pages 12/13) and spent the next four months recovering in Reserve Lazarett Geldern. By May of 1942, Pickl was released from Lazarett and rejoined his training and replacement unit, I.E.B.20. On 08.May 1942 Pickl was awarded the Iron Cross second class, was granted some much-needed leave, and on 01.June, he was awarded the Infantry Assault Badge in Bronze (bronze due to the fact that Pickl was motorized Infantry). His frostbite must have been rather extensive, because for the next 4 months Pickl remained with I.E.B.20. He was granted leave a few more times and in September 1942, Pickl was awarded the Eastern Front Medal through I.E.B.20.
In November of 1942, Pickl was transferred to 7./Festungs-Grenadier-Regiment 854, 344.Infanterie-Division, stationed in the Bordeaux region of France. In February 1944, the 344.I.D. was placed under the command of the 15.Armee, Heeresgruppe D, and transferred north to the Channel coast. For the next year and a half, Pickl was on occupational duty, and on 13.August 1943 he was awarded the black wound badge. My only guess is that this was awarded due to extensive frostbite he suffered in January of 1942, which would also help explain his transfer to a non-combat costal defense unit (due to the loss of some toes, or a finger perhaps???) This is just speculation of course, but all things considered, it does make sense.
The 344.I.D. was destroyed in August 1944 during the Battle of Brest, one of the most intense and destructive battles of Operation Cobra. The last entry in Pickl’s Soldbuch is dated 01.August 1944 when he was issued a spade, perhaps to help dig defensive positions amongst the rubble; as you know, Brest was almost completely razed to the ground. The fighting was fierce, with plenty of stories of house-to-house and hand-to-hand combat.
There is what appears to be a POW number, “386453” entered on page 01, and it can only be deduced that Pickl was taken prisoner along with the rest of the surviving members of his regiment when the unit surrendered in August.
What I find most appealing about this Soldbuch is that it once belonged to a true Ostfront veteran who won the EKII and IAB in bronze fighting the Russians on the eastern front during the opening stages of Operation Barbarossa in 1941 and early 1942. So many of the Normandy KIA or POW Soldbücher you see pop up are to young, inexperienced enlisted men who’s only real combat experiences were what they witnessed post-06 June 1944, but not Pickl. I am sure that, despite being a frostbite casualty, he was admired by his fellow comrades in the 344.I.D. and performed admirably against the American forces that he would eventually surrender to. Better them than the Russians!
Enjoy the pictures!
Rob