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Panzer-Division "Feldherrnhalle"

Discussion in 'WWII General' started by Kai-Petri, Sep 4, 2003.

  1. Kai-Petri

    Kai-Petri Kenraali

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    Panzer-Division "Feldherrnhalle"

    "The SA-division"

    Generalleutnant Otto Kohlermann, 6.??.43-4.3.44
    Generalmajor Friedrich-Carl von Steinkeller, 4.3.44-7.8.44
    ??, 7.8.44-9.1.44
    Generalmajor Günther Pape, 9.1.44-5.8.45


    The Division "Feldherrnhalle" was formed in the South of France on the 20th of June, 1943 as a Panzergrenadier-Division. When the 60.Panzergrenadier-Division was destroyed at Stalingrad, the Germans started to rebuild it in Danzig. While forming, the 60.Panzergrenadier was renamed as the Panzergrenadier-Division "Feldherrnhalle". ( unusually, the new division did not bear the title of the old but that of "Feldherrnhalle" )


    The formations' title celebrates the Munich monument which was the scene of the bloody crushing of the 1923 November Putsch, an event which through commemoration of the martyrs in NSDAP ritual, bestowed an aura of elite status on the several military and paramilitary formations so denoted, first and foremost the motorized SA-Guard Regiment drawn up from contingents from every German region, which, although not itself a combat formation, fed constituent elements into the Infanterie-Regiment (mot.) 120 of the 60. Infanterie-Division (mot.), and the Infanterie-Regiment 271 of the Berlin-Brandenburg 93. Infanterie-Division.

    The division was sent to the front in January of 1944.

    The division was destroyed in July 1944 in the region of Minsk.( for battles see the sites below ).

    A veritable constellation of "Feldherrnhalle" formations arose late in 1944, not only a reformed Panzergrenadier-Division (actually only of Brigade strength), which was sent to Hungary but also two new-model Panzer Brigades, the 106. Panzer-Brigade which fought until the end of the War against the Americans in the West and the 110. Panzer-Brigade, rapidly absorbed into the 13. Panzer-Division, which thereby became the 13. Panzer-Division "Feldherrnhalle," fighting and eventually being destroyed alongside the Panzergrenadier-Division "Feldherrnhalle" in the cauldron of Budapest that winter.

    After the fall of Budapest the two divisions had to be reformed yet again, as the Panzer-Division "Feldherrnhalle 1" (ex-Pz. Gr. Div. "FHH") and "Feldherrnhalle 2" (ex-13. Pz. Div.) respectively. The Korps fought in the Hungarian-Slovakian-Austrian border region until the final capitulation swept it into history.

    On January 24th of 1945, Colonel Bäke took training course for division commander.On March 9th of 1945, according to the special order Dr.Bäke was to lead the 13th Panzer Division "Feldherrnhalle 2", eventhough he was too young for the position but best suited. The position was interim although if performed well there would be a promotion out of line for him. From April 20th of 1945 until the end of the war, Colonel Dr.Bäke acting as General-Major commanded understrength 13th Panzer Division "Feldherrnhalle 2". On May 8th of 1945, Dr.Bäke became prisoner of war and remained in captivity until his release in 1947.


    [​IMG]

    The "spiritual" center of Nazism was the Feldherrnhalle on the Odeonsplatz. Here, at the side of this memorial to fallen German military leaders, the Nazi putsch of 9 November 1923 came to an end when Bavarian police fired on the marchers.

    [​IMG]

    Memorial to the fallen putschists was erected on the east side of the Feldherrnhalle, opposite the spot in the street where the dead had fallen and the putsch had been halted

    http://www.thirdreichruins.com/munich.htm

    http://www.germanmilitaria.com/Heer/photos/H06149.html

    http://www.achtungpanzer.com/gen7.htm

    http://www.angelraybooks.com/books/shelf/0003sh.htm

    http://www.feldgrau.com/heerfp.html
     
  2. C.Evans

    C.Evans Expert

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    Great info my friend--thank you for the searching of it.

    There is so little that is really kjnown about them. I wonder if anyone is planning doing a book or two on them anytime soon?
     
  3. Kai-Petri

    Kai-Petri Kenraali

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    Thanx Carl!

    It was actually very interesting to note there was a division(s) that had the SA as its origin. Note vs the Waffen-SS.
     
  4. Onthefield

    Onthefield Member

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    Was colonel Dr. Bake an experienced soldier or just had that training when he was placed in the leadership position. thats good info though, thanx for takin the time to write.
     
  5. C.Evans

    C.Evans Expert

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    Quite welcome Kai, and thanks for digging up this great info on that unit.

    I wouldf give my teeth to own some nice minty Feldherrnhalle uniforms.

    Welcome to the forums Onthefield.

    I don't have anything with me today but--Bake was very experianced but--I don't know much about his career.

    This is all I have with me at the moment:

    Dr. Med. Dent. Franz Bake, Major der Reserve & Commander of: 2/Panzer Regiment 11, RK Date: January 11/1943. # 262nd recipient of the Oak Leaves on: May 17/1943 & # 49th recipient of the Swords on: February 21/ 1944.

    Hope this helps you.
     
  6. daft

    daft Member

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    Bäke was indeed a experienced soldier. I can't remember the exact total of destroyed tanks he was credited with, but he ranked as one of the highest scoring panzer aces of the war. In addition to the awards cited in the post above this one, he also recieved a number of tank destruction badges.
     
  7. Kai-Petri

    Kai-Petri Kenraali

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    Another Heer panzer division bearing a cuffband was the Panzer-Division "Feldherrnhalle". Originally established as Infanterie-Regiment "Feldherrnhalle" by order AHM No. 770, dated 9 August 1942, the regiment evolved to Panzer-Grenadier-Regiment 60 "Feldherrnhalle" before expanding to a panzer division in the late war years. The Feldherrnhalle cuffband was 2.7cm wide with a brown backing with silver-gray thread edging. The lettering was machine-woven in Sütterlin script using silver aluminum wire thread. The cuffband was worn on the opposite sleeve cuff as the Grossdeutschland, on the right cuff. In the Spring of 1943, while the "Feldherrnhalle" was still designated as Panzer-Grenadier-Regiment 60, the S.A. Feldherrnhalle "Kampfrunen" emblem was introduced for wear on the shoulder boards and shoulder straps of "Feldherrnhalle" personnel. Officers wore this stamped metal device in gilt, NCOs in silver or aluminum and other ranks embroidered directly onto their shoulder straps.

    Shoulder Boards and Shoulder Strap Ciphers, and miscellaneous insignia
     
  8. T. A. Gardner

    T. A. Gardner Genuine Chief

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    A few notes on these unit's employment.

    The rebuilt 60th PzGr Div was in AGC in the summer of 1944 and destroyed during the Soviet summer offensive Bagration near Mogilev.

    Franz Bäke's 106th Pz Bde was committed in late September to counter attack the US advancing across France in the Lorraine area near Mairy where it was decimated by the US 90th Division in less than 24 hours after being committed. The main problems for the unit were lack of experianced personnel, an inability to coordinate effort, lack of combined arms support, and an ignorance on the part of the command staff, Bäke included, in how to effectively fight the US versus how they had learned to fight the Soviets in the East.
    So lopsided was the outcome that the official 90th Division histories barely discuss destroying this panzer brigade brushing off the encounter as little more than a minor diversion of attention.
     
  9. Hawkmoon432k

    Hawkmoon432k Dishonorably Discharged

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    Bake attacked with a mobile brigade of around 55 Panthers and about 2500 men plus a battalion of infantry vs a whole seasoned American division. How many personal in the 90th Division at that time? No doubt it was one of Bake's few less than stellar moments of command but sounds like the sides were rather lopsided to begin with.
     
  10. Za Rodinu

    Za Rodinu Aquila non capit muscas

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    As former Sec.Def. Rumsfeld said, "As you know, you have to go to war with the Army you have, not the Army you want." :D
     
  11. T. A. Gardner

    T. A. Gardner Genuine Chief

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    Bake's attack on the 90th followed what had become standard practice for German mobile formations in the East. It also broke virtually every tenant of military thinking.
    The 106th Pz Bde entered their fight with the 90th with 36 Pz V, 11 Jgpz IV/L70 and 115 halftracks carrying a battalion of infantry (including a number of support halftracks like the Sdkfz 251/9). The unit was further reinforced by troops from the 59th VG division riding on the tanks. The brigade had no organic artillery or reconnissance element and one small unit of engineers as part of the panzergrenadier battalion.

    Bäke in typical East front fashion decided on a mulit-pronged attack using speed and surprise rather then coordinated effort to achieve his objectives. For this, he split the 106th Pz Bde into two columns (Stroßgruppe 1 and 2). Each column consisted of about half the brigade in strength or, about a battalion sized unit.
    The German attack started off in the pre-dawn darkness of 7 September at 0200. Bäke felt that a night attack would initially add confusion to the American response. Stroßgruppe 1 had the first encounter at about 0300 when it was passing (and hadn't observed) the 90th Division's artillery HQ. Sherman tanks guarding the position opened fire on the column just before it had passed the position causing several halftracks to be lost and confusion among the Germans but they managed a response bringing the encounter to a draw. Worse for them, the column was now identified and the 90th was coming awake to the Germans via telephone and radio.
    Stroßgruppe 1 continued to come under sporatic fire from not only the artillery HQ but divisional HQ personnel and tanks of the attached 712th tank battalion. This led to alot of confusion in the German column and it was soon scattered over the nearby countryside.
    By daybreak this column had now centered its attack on the town of Mairy. This was held by a battalion of the 358th infantry supported by a platoon of 3" guns from the 607th TD bn. The Germans first tried a direct assault resulting in the loss of several tanks. They then tried to outflank the position with panzergrenadiers only to lose a number of halftracks to defending fire. By this time the US defenders had called in artillery fire on the column which was pummelled by over 300 155mm rounds from the 949th Arty Bn.
    By 0900 Stroßgruppe 1 was stalled and had lost 12 Panther tanks and 68 halftracks.
    Their fate was sealed shortly thereafter when the 359th launched a battalion sized counter attack into the flank of the survivors supported by a company of the 712th tank battalion.
    The commander of Stroßgruppe 1 asked and got permission to withdraw. But, it was too late. The column was now trying desperately to fight its way out of a pocket and by late afternoon was destroyed in detail.
    Stroßgruppe 2 meanwhile managed to advance without running into opposition until mid morning when it ran into a battalion sized defense at the town of Avril. The defenders, fully alert, shot up the head of the column forcing a withdrawal. Losses amounted to 2 JgPz IV and several halftracks. This column was then ordered to withdraw and assist Stroßgruppe 1 but was effectively unable to do so.
    By the end of the day, Pz Bde 106 had suffered 764 casualties including the CO of the Panzer regiment and the PzGr Battalion, lost 21 tanks and JgPz, over 60 halftracks, and a good portion of its soft skinned vehicles as well. Panzer strength the next day amounted to just 9 runners.

    Bäke's mistakes were obvious. No coordination. Lack of reconnissance. No artillery support. Operating in small groups lacking concentration of firepower.

    In the East such attacks usually succeeded. There, the Soviets lacked the communications and orgainzation to rapidly respond to fast moving armored columns. The typical Soviet infantry division also lacked the kind of resources a US one regularly had. Against the Soviets a mechanized column had little to fear from an artillery response. The Soviets lacked the trained personnel and communications equipment at lower levels that units like the 358th at Mariy had.
    Instead, the 106th blundered into a hornet's nest of coordinated resistance and got decimated for their troubles. The 90th put little commentary on what for them was a very one sided outcome. But, the German failure lies mostly with the Germans.
     
  12. DocCasualty

    DocCasualty Member

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    My father was a 1/Sgt with Battery B 949th FA Bn and told me this story when I was a kid. Honestly, I didn't recall from then that it was the 106th Panzer Brigade at Mairy, however, in researching his military service I found Memoirs of an Artillery Forward Observer by J. Russell Major, also with the 949th, who also told the story, filling in the gaps for me.

    Interestingly, their after battle inspection revealed that the tanks were unpenetrated, but all of the tank occupants were dead secondary to concussive effects of the 155mm HE rounds exploding in proximity. I think this was a unique finding at the time, in the way Dad told the story and perhaps why I remembered it.

    My apologies to the OP for drifting OT, but I've run across so few references to the 949th on the 'net, I felt compelled to post a comment.

    I am curious, T. A. Gardner, what your reference was, as I continue to research the 949th. Dad left me with quite a few stories, but there are just so many questions I wish I would have asked when I had the chance.
     
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  13. T. A. Gardner

    T. A. Gardner Genuine Chief

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    The first is the US Army "Green Book" on the Lorraine Campaign.

    The other which you can find at most book sellers is Osprey's Lorraine 1944 Patton vs. Manteuffel by Steven Zaloga. This book also has a nice 3d map of that action.
     
  14. DocCasualty

    DocCasualty Member

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    I appreciate your references. Found the Osprey title on Google Book Search and the 3D map is pretty cool. I remember Dad speaking of the road being in a valley or "sunken" as they refer to it there. Lt. Major was the FO who directed this attack, by the account in his Memoirs.
     
  15. Jager1945

    Jager1945 recruit

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    I just recieved an erkennungs karte for an 18 year old who belonged to this division
     

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  16. Kai-Petri

    Kai-Petri Kenraali

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    Pz division Feldherrnhalle. A lesser known unit of the German Aemy.Originated from the SA troops, as well.
     
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