Panzerwrecks 3 : German Armour 1944–1945

100 Pages·2006·53.17 MB·English

by  Lee Archer

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FEATURES:

Schwarzbach 7 May 1945 . 1

The end for 1.1s.Pz.Jg.Abt.51 2 . . . . . . 31

Pz.Kpfw.lV of 6.1Pz. Rgt.15 . 69

Surrender at Oldenburg 87

Many of the images in this book were taken by servicemen using basic Our third volume of Panzerwrecks is a bit of a personal milestone for me in that I
equipment; they are included for their interest and historical value, not finally get to present images I first saw thirty odd years ago. Back then, copying
necessarily their photographic quali"(y. photos well with a film camera was a hit or miss proposition; usually miss. Copying
a frame of film was even more challenging. Today, digital technology has advanced
For the use of their photos we would like to thank: John Nicholson, Carl.F.
to the point where we can reproduce these images with the clarity and detail they
McDaniel, Vladimir Kos, Marek Solar and Denis Toomey. US National Archives,
deserve, with a lot less screaming.
Vojensky Historicky Ustav (VHU), Library and Archives of Canada (LAC),

Polish Institute and Sikorski Museum (PISM), Military Photo Archive of Bulgaria
Three of the features in this volume are based on 35 mm US Army Signal Corps
(MPAB), Hadtorteneti Muzeum.
motion picture film shot during the final stages of the war. It was no easy task, then
We would also like to thank the following for their help: Hans Weber, Martin
or now, to photograph moving tanks, and we are deeply indebted to the men behind
Block, Barry Crook, Daniele Guglielmi, Werner Geier, Marek Solar, John Nelson,
the cameras. We hope the images we've selected, and the pains we've taken to
Kamen Nevenkin, Matthias Radu, Stefano Di Giusto, Michael Kenny and Detlev
scan them frame by frame, do justice to their talents, and bring these long ago
Terlisten. Particular thanks to Sue for her patience and encouragement.
events back to life for you, our reader.
(<:)2006 Lee Archer and William Auerbach. Created by Lee Archer in the UK,
Lee has reliably balanced these longer features with a rich assortment of AFVs
prilill ~d in Melli;.) . All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced
from every theater imaginable, and Hans Weber, Martin Block, Marek Solar and
III II; 1I1~;llIill( :<I ill , Illy forlll or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including
Daniele Guglielmi have done an outstanding job of identifying units from the
pili )1111 :opV, 11'1 :01 dilll J III ; Illy illfonnation storage and retrieval system, without
slimmest of evidence. It is my pleasure to be in their company, and to present to
Plllllll::::II)1I111 wllllll!! 110111 1111l 1IIIIlIisllcr~~ .
you, Panzerwrecks 3. W. Auerbach, Monroe. October 2006
I. •• hll llilo (i hy: Wdll flill /\111 )1 1),11 :11 IJ;III/ (Jlwluck~; . 1".0 , Box 2332 Monroe, New York 10949-2332 USA. [email protected]
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I May 1945. The war is over for these Jagdpanzer 38s. The following series of
1I1 1:lges were shot by a US Army cameraman attached to the US 26th Infantry
I ))vision. The graffiti on the side of the Jagdpanzer is interesting, but more of t-hat
I.li nr. . . . US Army

II Ii10ught that the series was shot in Cerna v Posumavf (then known as
I' ,
' " Ilwmzbach) on the Czech/Austrian border and shows the surrender of mixed
1l l' Jl II( ~nts of both 11.Panzer-Division and Pz.Jg.Abt.553 to the 16th S&R Platoon,
I(J 1::1 Rgt, 26th Infantry Division. This heavily camouflaged Jagdpanzer 38 has a
on the muzzle. 2x US Army
I I'VI)!
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What follows is an e-mail from Martin Block whi
goes some way to showing the work involved i
getting to the truth about the last days of the
in Europe:
"Thank you for sharing those nice photos! Hans did
excellent job in establishing the location. Little if
doubt that we see motor transport of the 11. PO h
The armor was a tough nut to crack, but I think I did it!
On the Jagdpanzers I have a very good clue! You
correct, the 11. Pz.Div. was never officially issued
Checked and re-checked the allocation files and
reports prepared by Arb.Stab (Pz.Jg.) about arrival an
departure of Jagdpanzers 38 units from Milowitz
tried to establish if any may have ended up with
PZ.Oiv. instead. Couldn 't find anything and had al
given up when I remembered the file with daily
of the organisations department (Abt.Org .) of the Gen
Insp.d.Pz.Tr .. Guess what I found: From the Arb
(Pz.Jg.) file I knew that on 17.4.1945 an order h
been issued to form several ad hoc 'gemischte Pz.Jg
Abteilungen' from available Jagdpanzerkompanie
on the Milowitz training area. One of these units
formed using Stab Pz.Jg.Abt.553, Jagdpz. Kp. 115
and two so called Personaleinheiten (P.E. 10 d, P.E
48 c). The two P.E.s had received their 10 tanks
on 16,/17.4.1945, those for 1159 arrived a little
(exact date is not given), Initially these three units
intended to become the Jagdpanzerkompanien for
three RAO divisions.
Now the daily notes by Abt.Org. come into
According to this document the trains with Pz.Jg.A
553 and its 3 companies left Milowitz during the nig
of 24.125.4.1945 westward bound. On 26.4.1945 t
notes state that the train was stuck in the Pilsen
and couldn't carry on as planned due to rail disruption
Therefore Ob. West had ordered a new desti
Wallern, northeast of Passau!!!
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A Panzerjager man turns in a Sternantenne as others mill about a pair of Sd. Kfz.251 s. Inside the building is a
collection of gas mask canisters, while outside a small pile of rifles, ammunition and the ubiquitous Panzerfaust That's the last time Pz.Jg .Abt.553 is mentioned in
is forming. US Army notes but isn't that simply too good to be true." 11 11
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1\ I:lltdser catches a lift on the fender of this DKW car as it passes a line of Maultiers. The car has an interesting
Ihe I ( dllt()uflage pattern, probably painted over the Panzergrau base coat, as the unit insignia on the fender of 11.Panzer­
....

ll\llsion has been left untouched. The Maultier on the left of the photo has two different types of roadwheels.
1
US Army '--'------ ---'--".---- --'---------'--------l
Maultiers coming in to surrender, again from 11.Panzer-Division and suitably draped one reason or another the windscreen has been replaced by a sheet of metal wit
with soldiers. The battered , combat weary vehicle on page 7 is a later production rectangular holes cut out for the driver and passenger. The all important kettle
example as it has the flat section fenders, small bumper and small head lamps. For been wedged behind one of the headlamps. 2x US
.511
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These two shots show the Jagdpanzer 38 on the far left of the photo on page 2. on i~ wearing a side arm in a holster. The hatches on the Jagdpanzer 38 we
It is a Befehlswagen - command vehicle, outfitted with a long range Fu 8 radio. small, and the side arm must have made entry and exit difficult. Space was tight
The Sternantenne D and its armoured cover can be seen on the hull side. It is the Jagdpanzer 38 and if the loader's hatch was open the Rundumfeuer MG had
.:.

interesting that the crew member sitting in the loader's hatch with the headphones be turned, this can be seen on all of the Jagdpanzers in this series. 2x US