PzAbt8 Honor Role Clasp recipients

[Fish]

Hello All, I know its probably been posted a hundred times.

I am searching for recipients of the Honor Role Clasp from Panzer Abt 8 of the 20th PGD.

I know of four men from the Abt who received the ward in 1944, namely the Abt and Company Commanders, but I have nothing for 1945.

Any assistance, either with names or websites would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks
Fish

[Jerry]

Lt. Hansjoachim Glück - 1/Pz.Abt.8 is the only '45 winner from Pz.Abt.8 listed in Die Deutschen Divisionen #4.

Jerry

[Fish]

Jerry, thats great, thanks so much and have a good New year

best

Fish

[Jerry]

You're quite welcome Fish, and Happy New Year to you.

Jerry

[Gastolli]

...
I know of four men from the Abt who received the ward in 1944, namely the Abt and Company Commanders, but I have nothing for 1945.
Any assistance, either with names or websites would be greatly appreciated.
... Fish

Hi Fish,

please look for further details of Oberleutnant Heinrich Mayser here: http://forum.panzer-archiv.de/viewtopic.php?t=8384

including the recommendation for the "Nennung im Ehrenblatt" !

Found these Information in the personal file of Olt. Mayser at the Bundesarchiv.

Also, you should have five men with the "Ehrenblattspange" for 1944, i.e.

Hauptmann Carl-Heinz Knorr, 15.05.1944
Leutnant Hubert Blumentritt (2. Kp.), 05.10.1944
Oberleutnant Dr. Hans Ruete (2. Kp.), 05.10.1944
Oberleutnant Heinz Mayser (1. Kp.), 17.10.1944
Hauptmann Richard Weiss (Kdr.), 27.10.1944

Oliver

PS: very good book on the Panzer-Regiment 8, do you plan to publish another one on the Abteilung ?????

[Fish]

Oliver, thanks for the information. Yes, I will be writing another book detailing the history of the Abteilung. This research has already begun and I hope to make it a continuation of the story of the regiment. This info will come in handy, as I attempt to tell the tale of the Abteilung and piece together every scrap of info I can find to do it. I do have the others listed.

In what archive did you find the Mayser info, Koblenz or Frieberg?

Thanks for the compliment on my first book. As it was in English, I hope to follow it up with a detailed photographic record of the regiment's service. Many of the veterans and families are interested, but cannot understand English too well. A photo book should help tell their tale. Even though they cannot read they all are just so excited about a book that tells the story of the regiment. I still cannot believe a veterans assosciation, as strong as theirs, never detailed the history. Well at least a few of them have something now.

Thanks again
Kevin

[Jerry]

Hey Fish,

I didn't know you had a book on PR8 and in English no less!! Wow. Tell me about it.

Jerry

[Fish]

Jerry, the book PR8 just came out around Thanksgiving. Yes its all in english, a bit of a problem for some of the vets, but thankfully they all seem to have kids or grandkids who can understand english pretty well.
Don't let the location on my signature fool you, I am a recently retired GI (27 years) still stationed here in Germany and now working for the Special Ops Command Europe.
I hit apon the idea a few years back when I met the vets at a gathering here on the kaserne, their old barracks, and things went on from there. I lived very close to many of them and discovered nothing major had ever really been written about the regiment.
The book covers in detail the regiment's role in the Polish French and North African campaigns. I have attempted to keep out alot of Rommel and the parent divisions since I had so much material and first hand accounts from the vets. I wanted the vets to tell their story and show what it was like from inside their panzer. I wish now I had really followed 3-4 or them from start to finish and given a detailed account. Regardless i think for a first timer I did a pretty good job teling the story and even filling in a bit of the battle history that they fought in
So now after 6 years of hobby writing on the regiment I am turning my attention to Panzer Abteilung 8 which continues the story as they fought on the Eastern Front from 43-45. I certainly won't be able to gather the material I did for the first book, but will try anyways.
Hope that gives you an idea of what I have been and what I will be working on.

Regards and again thanks for the help
Kevin

[Jerry]

Very interesting Kevin. I'm going to see if I can find it via ILL (book budget's kinds slim these days).

Thanks again.

Jerry

[Gastolli]

Helle Fish,

the personal files of officers of the Wehrmacht are held at Freiburg, the officer you are looking at should be dead for 30 years at least or you should have an release form from himself or his family.

The next step is to ask the staff to check if there is any surviving document from this officer, so you may draw a blank with your request.

The recommendation for an award NOT usually belonged to an personal file, it was pure luck that it was with Mayser's file...

Good luck into your research, you have to hurry up to ask the surviving vets, time is against us

Oliver

[Fish]

Oliver, thanks for the info, I will have a guy I know do a bit of hunting around in the BA later this year.
You don't have to remind me about how fast the WWII veterans are going. I see it almost everyday and really appreciate every visit with them. The scarry thing is when they pass away right after a reunion.
I knew something was up over Christmas when I did not receive my Christmas Eve phone call from Alex Uhlig, and sure enough I find out a week later he passed away.

The only good thing is a lot of German veterans wrote their stuff down a long time ago, and if your lucky enough and can track down a son or daughter then you just might get lucky. I just had this happen this weekend when a daughter made her father's notes available and they will go along way to filling in the gaps in the history of Panzer Abteilung 8.

v/r
Kevin

[Gastolli]

Kevin,

yes, this "notes" from the Vets you have to see as an replacement for the missing "war diaries" of all this units, literally nothing survived to tell the story, so the Veterans must do it.

Let's hope you will have continuing luck with this, or even better, the Veterans will TELL you what happened...

Oliver

[Roger]

Hi Kevin

well, have a look at: http://www.20pzgrendiv.eu/Dekoriert.htm

cheers

Roger