Lehr Division:
Offizieranwäter, Panzer Regiment 130:
The Panzer Lehr Division was formed on 01.10.1944 in the Nancy - Verdun area of France. It was made up by grouping together various German Army Training, and Demonstration units aka Lehr Abteilung.
Initially, stationed in France, the complete division was transferred to the “Meat Grinder” of the Eastern Front, it fell back to Hungary, and returned to France in May of 1944, not so much for R & R, but to re-group and repair for the expected Allied landings of France, and began planning their counter-offensive.
And when they finally came, in June, the Panzer-Lehr was one of the strongest German units to respond, putting up a good fight against the continuously growing Allied Forces, particularly at Caen and St. Lo, until it was so depleted, it was relieved to fall back and withdrawing back across France, for rest and refitting, along with all the rest of the German forces in the area, began to crumble, and suffered heavily because of blocked roads and air strikes, and artillery surrounding them, but they were rebuilt in the Saar, and finishing in Paderborn.
Panzer-Lehr, not fully refitted or rearmed was sent into combat in the Saar, and then in December 1944, as part of Wacht am Rhein, where it took part in the Seige of Bastogne. When the Ardennes offensive failed, Panzer-Lehr saw action in Battles for the Maas Line in the Netherlands, and then in the counter-attacks against the bridgehead at Remagen. The Division was worn down and disillusioned and surrendered in the Ruhr in April 1945.
This Offizieranwäter wears the standard Heer-cut Panzer “Wrap” uniform with the rank of Obergfreiter. The Lehr cipher is embroidered directly to the Shoulder Boards in the “Armor” Waffenfarben the “LEHR”, this was Training Command, serving with the school, He’s been selected to attend the next “Offizierschule” is shown by the double tress rings over the shoulder insignia. At the time of the Cross Channel / Normandy Invasion, the entire staff became their own fighting force and were drawn into the battle. He wears the button flap, black panzer trousers, and a black, overseas cap. He has earned the Panzer Assult Badge, and the Iron Cross second class, probably earned in the fighting in Normandy. Still an enlisted soldier he wore the standard belt and Heer buckle.
Hauptfeldwebel, 2. / Panzer-Grenadier-Lehr Regiment 902:
The Panzer-Lehr-Division was commonly known, as just “Panzer-Lehr”. But they were one of the most elite units of the German Wehrmacht. It was formed in 1943, taking several elements from the training schools and demonstration units of the German Heer-Wehrmacht and merging them into one, they were well-groomed one might say. They were to provide extra strength, in order to help repel the anticipated Allied Invasion, and stop them at the beaches … and were well ready, but their Fuhrer totally dropped the ball when it came and reacted far too slowly.
Its sole weakness was that it concentrated the cream of Germany’s tank commanders, and elite personnel all in a single unit. Due to its “Elit"e” status, it was lavishly equipped in comparison with the ordinary Panzer Divisions, though on several occasions, it fought itself almost to destruction, in particular during the “Allied operation “Cobra”.
Lehr fought in the withdrawal from France, the Ardennes Offensive, Remagen Bridgehead, and the Rhur where it surrendered to the Americans.
As mentioned before they were completely rebuilt several times, and each ended in complete destruction.
The regiment was originally equipped with the Sd. Kfz. 251 series of semi-track armored personnel carriers for the panzer-grenadiers, with a full set of armor and Sp-guns, and support vehicles.
The Hauptfeldwebel is a company Speiss (Senior NCO) of the unit, and he carries the double set of tress on both of his cuffs on the tunic showing this position. The Lehr Panzer-Grenadiers very much liked the look of the Self-Propelled Gun crewman’s special uniforms, so much so, they adopted them and it is common to see them in use in photographs. He has a metal “L” cipher pinned to his shoulder insignia.
He wears matching trousers with the wrap, and it was common with the Lehr to have the splinter camouflage helmet covers, though some had custom hats made up in the pattern, he could have easily had an M-43 cap or Overseas cap as an option, or even a Schirmmuts, or Crusher (as in photograph), boots and a bread bag, gas mask container, water flask, and likely we would be armed with an MP-40 with 2 ammo pouches. connected to his Y-straps
Unterfeldwebel, Lehr Pioneer, 2nd Regiment:
Obergefreiter, Panzer-Flak Zug, Stabskompanie, II Abteilung, Panzer. Lehr Regiment 130:
Designed to protect the moving panzer columns from enemy aircraft, two of the 2.0cm Flakpanzer “Wirbeelwind” batteries wor placed with the II. Abteilung of the Panzer Regiment. The vehicles used the Panzer 4 hull, and superstructure, changing the turret, with a lighter on with a “Flakverling” anti-aircraft mount in it, helping to protect the crew using it, and for the crew to protect the armored vehicles around it. The idea was that they could keep up with the moving tanks cross country and on roads rather than have to be a towed-weapon, and have to be fixed in place before operating. There were additional weapons added to the Flak Abtieling, 8.8cm, as well as the 3.7 a 2cm flak guns assigned to Heers Flak-Abteilung 311, providing air-defense for the whole division and with several different layers.
This Obergefreiter wears a “Red” divisional “L” cipher on his shoulder boards by way of a slip-on loop. He is a radio operator for a Flak vehicle, with his red-”Blitz” lightning bolt above his rank chevrons. His position in the “Wirbelwind” was to the right of the driver, and he had a machine-gun mounted in front of him, but this was little use against any aircraft. He’s been in enough engagements to have received the Heeresflakabz. as well as an Iron Cross II. Class. He wore standard panzer style trousers but in the feldgrau color, and feldgrau shirt with a tie, boots, enlisted belt, helmet 0r overseas cap, but this particular troop has a feldmutz.
Unteroffizier, Werfer-Lehr Regiment 1:
Officially established at the Nebeltruppenschule in Celle, Germany in January 1942, the Werfer-Lehr Regiment 1 was in action in southern Russia as part of the I. Panzer Armee in July of the same year. From November 1942, was under the LIX Armeekorps and was fighting at Velikiye Liki until pulled from the front lines and sent home to Germany for Rest and Refitting in April 1943.
The battle had nearly destroyed the III. Abteilung, of the Regiment, was now rebuilt to include two new Armored batteries, 21 & 23, equipped with the new Panzerwerfer 42 vehicle, with 10 launcher tubes in a small turret, with the vehicle with an armored “SWS Maultier” chassis.
Initially using a single-barreled chemical mortar as the concept to include protection of rocket-propelled high explosive grenades production using the newly developed new systems also came into use such as the 15cm Nebelwerfer 41 consisting of six circularly arranged tubes which had been mounted on the Spreizlafette of the 3.7cm PAK 36/36 so it could b towed by a vehicle.
The launcher crew could load it and fire it in about five minutes, and then would quickly relocate to another area, in order to avoid counter-fire and have air-attacks called in on them, and directed back at the huge plume of smoke from the rocket trails right back to them. The life span of a rocket tube was about 650 hours, or about 3 months of combat conditions before requiring replacement with a new set. made at the Frama-Werks in Hainichen / Saxony and the Saxon textile machinery factory in Chemnitz.
In May 1943 the regiment was assigned to the II SS-Panzerkorps, they were not even fully operational until the defense of Kyiv-Zhytomyr and Berdichev. By the end of February, the battered regiment again had to be returned back to Germany, along with the II. SS-Panzerkorps. They were refitted and moved to the Normandy area in early May. By September 1944, the Allied War of Attrition had completely worn out the Regiment again. Once again they were refitted, and became part of Werfer-Brigade 8 located in the Eifel Mountains supporting Operation “Wacht am Rheine”.
The Trem “Nebelwerfer was actually a code name for the banned chemical weapons troops.
Mounting a 10-barreled 15cm Rocket Launcher atop an Armored Maultier (Half-Tracked-Truck) the Panzer 42 began production in 1943 with around 300 made up to March 1945. And to follow the rocket launching vehicles all over, was the Turretless”, pretty much defenseless, “Sd. Kfz. 4, Munitionskraftwagon” and it was produced in similar numbers. They were used to quickly re-supply the Panzerwefer, who went through rockets real fast, the vehicles were capable of reaching speeds around 40 kph.
Unteroffizier, Panzer Nachrichten-Abteilung 130:
Commanding an Sd.Kfz. 251/6, this Unteroffizier insures that radio communications equipment is maintained, and functioning for his vehicle, to the rest of the division. The vehicle is designed to work well both with the Armored vehicles, and the Infantry elements as well, and at the same time (panzer-grenadiers), and it provided the radio operators, their radios, and the rest of the crew in it with some protection against some rifle fire, and the vehicle mobility to keep up with the mobile forces across the battlefield. Often they would move commanders or their staff officers, or forward observers about the Battlefields.
As a member of an Armored Vehicle, This crewman wears the popular uniform for armored troops. But working with ground forces as well, it is feldgrau color, but then, this was very popular amongst “all” the Panzer-Lehr Division itself. He carries the yellow piping of the Army Signals Branch, and the “L” cipher as well showing his affiliation with the Lehr.
Like many Panzer Lehr members, this Unteroffizier has come from the training schools, in Germany, to come together with the rest, and form together to throw the enemy back into the sea. Before he had fought on the Eastern Front where he gained much experience in battle. He had proven himself as a combat leader and carry’s on the uniform, both EK-II and I decorations as well as the Rare General Assult badge, with 25 individual engagements marked on the wreath. He is quite qualified in Radio Communications and fully a technician, and wears the Funkmeister badge on his lower right sleeve. When not wearing his issued helmet, he has an overseas cap that matches his uniform.
Missing in the photo shoot is his matching trousers, marching boots, leather belt with whatever kit he may have wanted with him, his bread bag and water bottle maybe, and possibly a side-arm.
Lehr Medical Officer, M44 Tunic:
Colonel, Pferdenanweisung und Prüfungskrankenhaus “lehr”:
The conventional image of the German Army of World War Two is that of a fully motorized organization, the essence of their technical possibilities, the top of their time. It’s the stuff of legend, the tactics depended on the speed of the movement of their forces, and it even gained the title of “Blitzkrieg”. A large part of this story is in large made but the German Propaganda itself, they had good technology and tactics, but not the number implied but the papers and a great deal of film and actual news clips of the time, were used and seen worldwide, not on TV, or computer, but on radion, and movie, theaters, and it was, quite effective the world cowered at the thought off the overpowering German Army, They were well trained for the most part and did have a modernized army, but they could not fill the ranks fast enough with Tanks and assault guns, let alone Semitracks and trucks. Some were for the assault force, but they were early Panzer I’s and II and some IIIs and IVs. They also used a lot of the captured vehicles from Czechoslovakia, and then the French vehicles, as well as any usable British Lories left at Dunkirk.
The reality was that the German Army of WW2 was a Hose-drawn army, the Wehrmacht used hoses to move everything, carts, wagons, moved towed artillery, and personnel, all by horse until the last days of the war, they were involved.
On the day the war started, 1 September 1939, the horse population of the “Wehrmacht” alone was 570,000 horses, two years later, at the start of “Operation Barbarossa”, when they attacked the Soviet Union, on 22 June 1941, there were 750,000 horses in the inventory. During the duration of the War, there had been 2.8 million horses serving in the German military, with some actually, had served throughout the entire conflict!
But the losses were quite high with an average of some 30,000 a month. This required a massive hose recruitment program, throughout the greater Reich, which required a system for testing and some basic training. This task fell to the Pferdenanweisung und Prüfungskrankenhaus, falling under the training command, and thus was staffed by many Beamte auf Kriegsdauer as hell as the Heer Veterinary Personnel.
The Uniform Colonel wears a 1st class uniform, a Feldbluse für Offizier it was worn with fitted Reithosen with Reitstiefel für Offizier. Carmine Waffenfarbe is the color for the Veterinary branch, and he is a part of the training command, and he wears the metal “Lehr” - “L” on his shoulder boards. He is also a decorated Veteran of the “First War” the War to End Wars, which lead directly to this one, he had already won the Eisernes Kreuz I u. II Klass, and wears the 1939 Spange for both, showing he has done it again! He also wears 2 Long Service awards for over a dozen years, The Sedetonland/Poland Ribbon, and Afrika/Italy Ribbon. The WW I Service Medal with Swords, and 3 other WWI, or possibly foreign decorations. His skill with horses, and as a rider is shown as well, having the Reiterabzeichen in Gold hanging on his breast pocket, he may have served in the Cavalry in WWI, or been a lancer even. With this uniform, he wears a fine custom-made gaberdine, carmine piped Schirmmütz, that has been slightly crushed from wear around the stables and the field. He had a nice black double claw belt, and a side-arm carried on it, the Germans tended to wear their holster for cross-reach-Right handed was warn on the Left side.
Lagermeister Versorgungs-Kompanie Panzertruppenschule II:
A senior non-commissioned officer equivalent to the Lagermeister is the main cog in the gear that turns the facts and figures from headquarters into the rations, ammo, & equipment that soldiers use while training. Assigned to Panzertruppenschule (Armored Troops School) II he oversees the delivery, storage, and distribution of supplies used in this large training area. Count & recount as delivery trucks and rail cars unload from the farm, factory, and depot.
A working officer who will get into a container or railcar to ensure it is empty wears a Dienstanzug Model 1943 made of durable but breathable rayon fabric. The sole modification is the addition of sewn-in Schulterklappen. A set of unofficial Aufschiebeschklaufen embroidered with the cipher ‘L’ to match the universal Waffenfarben has been added.
Panzertruppenschule was the second of two major schools set up by the German Panzerwaffe in World War II to train German armor officers. Located in Wünsdorf, Germany Panzertruppenschule was a 'branch school', where officer candidates were sent after 12–16 weeks spent in basic training and has successfully undertaken an 8-week course at a Kriegsschule.
Prospective Panzer Offizier, known as Fähnrich undertook a 16-week training course that aimed to familiarize them with the workings of a Panzer and with the tactics to be used when commanding panzers in the field. Upon graduation, the recruit was promoted to Oberfähnrich and sent on field probation. Instructors were chosen because of their skill, and many had seen action and received decorations, as here in the Sudettenland and East-Front / Winter ribbon.
In late 1943, the school was stripped of its experienced instructors, who were used to form the élite “Panzer-Lehr-Division”. Did the Lagermeister remain at Wünsdorf? One could only guess, He does wear the late-war collar tabs with the green center which could be used to indicate him as a Beramte as well, rather than the special earlier collar tabs of the Specialists. It appears he wore the uniform in a semi-casual state of wear with the overseas cap, that has a green marking around the cockade. He likely had matching trousers and black boots, he very well may have had a black belt with a side arm on it as well.