Feldgrau.net

Dear All

As before, still, I remain keen to locate and have extracts, perhaps from the Kriegsmarine Archives, from the April and May 1945 War Diary, Ops and Int Logs / ANY relevant docs, of the 163rd Marineschutzen Regiment.

As noted in my earlier posts, the regiment was the principal unit sent from the North-West Holland mainland to counter the 06 April - 20 May 1945 mutiny and partisan campaign on the Dutch island of Texel of the Wehrmacht's 822 Georgia Infantry Battalion.

I know that at least 1 battalion of the 163rd regiment was, circa 08 May, based in and around Beverwijk, near Den Helder.

WHERE can I access any remaining 163rd, and 164th, regimental documents..or, indeed, documents relating to the various naval infantry, ship security, Stamm and other Den Helder, Texel, Beverwijk Kriegsmarine units? There were Wehrmacht troops on Texel and around Den Helder who would nominally have been subordinate to the K-marine? I am always keen to update my lists of all such naval and Wehrmacht formations and to have access to their War Diaries and Ops Logs.

Finally..can anyone tap me into Marineschutzen veterans' associations or associated organisations?

I remain ever ready to reciprocate with research help for fellow members or guest users.

Besten..Alan

Alan, most field command documents after July 1944 were destroyed in an air raid. Do you know one way or another if records of this unit still exist ? NARA, or BAMA may some records, but I am not familiar with KM records. The British may also have some captured records, but I know little about their holdings. I have yet to see any references to this unit in records of west front commands (so far).

I have some Lage West maps for late March - I can look at these to see if the unit is placed on the map.

Mad Dog

Hey up, MD..

Bless for your reply, your interest and your info...

Thanks for the reminder about NARA and BAMA..

I have seen no evidence ref Allied or German paperwork about the regiment other than a British Army regiment War Diary ref to dealings with and search visits to the battalion of the regiment which was, in early - May 1945, based in and around Beverwijk, near Den Helder, in North-West Holland.

Thanks for your offer of checking Lage West maps for March 1945..Are these 25th Army - Festung Holland staff maps of Reichelt / Busch? Any unit in and around Den Helder, on Texel and on Vlieland, Terschelling or Ameland islands would be of interest. Is the 16 Marine Infantry Division, a possible 'ghost' unit mentioned?

Maybe if I can find the above Beverwijk-based British unit's Ops Log, INT lOG or similar records there will be documents giving useful information. Similarly ref the Ops Log, Int Log, etc., if such exist, of 1 Survey Regiment, R.C.A., the Canadian regiment which, from 18-21 May 1945 assembled for evacuation the German garrison, mostly Marine Infantry, Marineflak, Marinekustenartillerie troops.

1 Survey Regiment's War Diary ends on 31 May 1945, was disbanded on 15 June 1945 and seems not to have evacuated the Texel Mutiny Georgian survivors (on 17 June 1945).

I might strike it lucky and find similar Canadian 2nd brigade, Divisional level or 1st Canadian Corps level documents.

I know from correspondence with the Canadian Department of Defense that a Search Room official in the National Archives of Canada followed up the Department's request-on-my-behalf and found and copied a number of a relevant local Allied Army Group documents about the evacuation of German troops from Texel to Den Helder. In spite of several requests from me to the Search Room guy for copies of those documents, and an offer to pay for the dossier, he has never replied to my requests. Can't understand it, though I will again try to elicit a reply and the despatch of those materials.

Having remembered and revisited Feldgrau's and Axis History's profiles of the 163rd regiment, I am reminded that the regiment was formed from a Groningen-based, coastal artillery, training Abteilung in March 1945.

In those final weeks of the war much administrative chaos existed in the German military. Many Heer units obeyed an order to destroy War Diaries and other key documents (so did Kriegsmarine units do likewise?)...and, as you say, there was the destruction by bombing of many such documents. The chances of finding contemporary 163rd regiment documents are, therefore, quite slim..though I 'never say never' :->...hence my query about Marineschutzen regiments' veterans' associations or veterans' memoirs. I simply soldier on and hope / assume that I will eventually strike it lucky.

I can add that I have established contact with a fellow military history enthusiast who has ties with the Royal Canadian Military Intelligence Corps museum library. Who knows what gems may some day emerge from that presently-being-renovated source?

Being, effectively, in early reirement I have the time to indulge in such digging :->.

Meantime...thanks a lot for your swift reply and your encouragement. If you have any ideas or can call on anyone else's knowledge and experience in such matters I am all ears.

Needless to add, if I can help you in any way, just ask.

Besten and groetjes

Al:->