Sewastopol May 1943

Brian67 · Post by **Brian67** » Sun May 23, 2004 2:20 am

The Bataillon of my grandfather was destroyed in Sewastopol in May 1943 (and he survived). Who can tell me what happend there?

Achilles · Post by **Achilles** » Sun May 23, 2004 3:04 am

You mean May 1944?

Shadow · Post by **Shadow** » Sun May 23, 2004 3:39 am

Hello Brian 67,

I think Achilles is right. If memory serves me, nothing much was going on around Sebastopol in May 1943. The Germans took the city around July 1942 and the Soviets recaptured it in May 1944.

Any idea what regiment your grandpa’s battalion belonged to?

Best regards -

Brian67 · Post by **Brian67** » Sun May 23, 2004 3:55 am

Perhaps there was a typing error with 43 and 44.
Take a look at http://www.feldgrau.net/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=10883.
But my grandfather was in Bau Bataillon 51 only till 1943. Since October 16th 1943 he belonged to 1. Genesungskompanie Bau-Pionier-Ersatz- und Ausbildungs-Bataillon 5 in Schwäbisch Gmünd.
So it is more interesting for me, what happend in Sewastopol betwen 1942 and 1943 incl. the conquest of Sewatopol by the Germans (Perhaps he was there too.).
Was Sewastopol encircled by soviet army before October 1943?
I remember, that my grandmother told us, my grandfather was encircled on the Krim.

Achilles · Post by **Achilles** » Sun May 23, 2004 4:02 am

The Crimea was cut off from land communications in October 1943. The Soviet offensive of April 1944 caused the German units in the Crimea to fall back to Sevastapol by May 1944...some were evacuated, most were not.

Achilles · Post by **Achilles** » Sun May 23, 2004 4:12 am

Brian67,

Actually looking at your father's units he was not in the Crimea in October 1943...he went into hospital in September and didn't emerge until January 1944. He then spent sometime witha convalescent unit before being posted to Pz Pi Btl 27 in May 1944.

Bau Batallion 51 was in the Crimea from 1942-43 but as Shadow says there was no fighting there after July 1942.

The error about the unit being destroyed in May 1943 comes directly from Tessin (which is the source WaSt uses for it's info). If you look at the Tessin entry it states it was destroyed in Sevastapol in May 1943...then staright after gives the date of its demise as 27th May 1944. Tessin shouldn't be taken at face value.

Bau-Bataillon 51

1. Aufstellung:

* 26.8.1939 im Wehrkreis V aus RAD; Baupionier-Bataillon 51 seit 19.8.1943; Mai 1943 in
Sewastopol vernichtet und nicht wieder aufgestellt; aufgelöst 27.5.1944.

2. Unterstellung:

Heerestruppe: Westen, Südrußland (Krim)

3. Ersatz:

5 Schwäbisch Gmünd, Wehrkreis V

Shadow · Post by **Shadow** » Sun May 23, 2004 4:26 am

Hello Achilles,

THANKS

.

I was going nuts trying to figure out how grandpa could be destroyed with Bau.Bn.51 in May 1943 (when nothing was going on in Sebastopol) and then, possibly, destroyed in May 1944 (when everything was going on in Sebastopol) with 17 Pz.Div., which was in May 1944 z.Vfg.-PzAOK1-HGrp.Nord Ukraine.
Very confusing stuff.

Best regards -

Brian67 · Post by **Brian67** » Sun May 23, 2004 5:50 am

Thanks, Achilles and Shadow.
Achilles, you wrote: "Heerestruppe: Westen, Südrußland (Krim) "
Can you (or somebody else) tell me, what a "Heerestruppe" is. I know Heeresgruppen, but I have never heard about "Heerestruppen" as a kind of military command-structure.

Achilles · Post by **Achilles** » Sun May 23, 2004 6:01 am

Heerestruppen were units that were not attached permanently attached to a division or Korps. They were usually assigned at Armee level but could be found at Heeresgruppe level.