Bio of Generalleutnant René de l'Homme de Courbière

Generalleutnant René de l'Homme de Courbière
Born: 24 Jan 1887 in Sanskow, District Stolp, Pomerania (Pommern)
Died: 07 May 1946 in Wildeshausen, Oldenburg

Promotions:
Fähnrich (18 Nov 1904); Leutnant (18 Jun 1905); Oberleutnant (05 Jun 1914); Hauptmann (16 Jun 1915); Major (01 Apr 1928); Oberstleutnant (01 Feb 1933); Oberst (01 Mar 1935); Generalmajor (01 Apr 1938); Generalleutnant (01 Jun 1940)

Career:
Entered Army Service (14 Apr 1904)
Fahnenjunker in the 9th Grenadier-Regiment (14 Apr 1904-10 Dec 1915)
Detached to MG-Training-Course (01 Jan 1913-31 Mar 1913)
Company-Leader with the Infantry Replacement Troops in Warsaw (10 Dec 1915-27 Mar 1916)
Company-Leader with the MG-Instruction-Course in Döberitz (27 Mar 1916-24 Oct 1916)
Hauptmann with the Staff of the 9th Grenadier-Regiment (24 Oct 1916-31 Jul 1917)
Staff-Officer with the Staff of the 9th Grenadier-Regiment (31 Jul 1917-14 Jan 1919)
Company-Leader in the 9th Grenadier-Regiment (14 Jan 1919-01 Oct 1919)
Transferred into the 3rd Reichswehr-Infantry-Regiment (01 Oct 1919-01 Oct 1920)
Company-Chief in the 4th Infantry-Regiment (01 Oct 1920-01 Jun 1926)
Hauptmann with the Staff of I. Battalion of the 4th Infantry-Regiment (01 Jun 1926-01 Apr 1927)
Transferred to the Staff of the 2nd Division (01 Apr 1927-01 May 1927)
Transferred to the Staff of the Training-Battalion of the 4th Infantry-Regiment (01 May 1927-01 May 1928)
Company-Chief in the 4th Infantry-Regiment (01 May 1928-01 Oct 1928)
Transferred to the Staff of the 4th Infantry-Regiment (01 Oct 1928-01 Mar 1929)
Transferred to the Staff of the 2nd Division (01 Mar 1929-04 Mar 1932)
Detached to Course for Infantry Arms (28 May 1929-21 Jun 1929)
Commander of the Training-Battalion of the 5th Infantry-Regiment (04 Mar 1932-01 Oct 1934)
Transferred to the Staff of Artillery-Leader I (01 Oct 1934-15 Oct 1935)
Transferred to the Staff of the 1st Division (15 Oct 1935-06 Oct 1936)
Commander of the 96th Infantry-Regiment (06 Oct 1936-10 Nov 1938)
Landwehr-Commander Glogau (10 Nov 1938-26 Aug 1939)
Commander of the 213th Infantry-Division (26 Aug 1939-15 Mar 1940)
Commander of the 213th Security-Division (15 Mar 1940-12 Aug 1942)
Commander of the 153rd Field-Training-Division (15 Jan 1943-08 Jun 1943)
Führer-Reserve OKH (08 Jun 1943-08 Sep 1943)
Delegated with the Temporary Leadership of Division 432 (08 Sep 1943-15 Oct 1943)
Führer-Reserve OKH (15 Oct 1943-01 Nov 1943)
Commander of Landesschützen-Division 410 (01 Nov 1943-20 Dec 1943)
Führer-Reserve OKH (20 Dec 1943-10 Jan 1944)
Commander of the 338th Infantry-Division (10 Jan 1944-18 Sep 1944)
Führer-Reserve OKH (18 Sep 1944-19 Jan 1945)
Commander of the Catch-Staff in Military-District VIII (19 Jan 1945-05 Mar 1945)
Commander of the Catch-Staff with Army High Command 4 (05 Mar 1945-29 Mar 1945)
Taken ill, in Hospital (29 Mar 1945-00 Jan 1946)
In Captivity (00 Jan 1946-24 Feb 1946)
Released (24 Feb 1946)

Awards & Decorations:
- Deutsches Kreuz in Gold: am 23.11.1944 als Generalleutnant und Kommandeur der 338. Infanterie-Division
- 1914 EK I
- 1914 EK II
- Kgl. Bayer. Militär-Verdienstorden IV. Klasse mit Schwertern
- Hamburgisches Hanseatenkreuz
- Fürstl. Lippisches Kriegsverdienstkreuz
- Verwundetenabzeichen, 1918 in Schwarz
- Ehrenritter des Kgl. Preuss. Johanniter-Orden
- Ehrenkreuz für Frontkämpfer
- Wehrmacht-Dienstauszeichnung IV. bis I. Klasse
- Spange zum EK II
- Spange zum EK I

Source :
Bundesarchiv B 206 Bild-GD-07
http://www.geocities.ws/orion47.geo/WEHRMACHT/HEER/Generalleutnant/HOMME_RENE.html

 

Waffen-SS StuG Unit

There is no information about the unit of this Waffen-SS soldiers. It's either the 1. SS-Infanterie Brigade or the SS-Kavallerie Division, but in the winter of 1943/44 regardless. The photographer was named Ahrens, and there were several Waffen-SS war reporters with that name (both units had one of them). Both units also had a single battery of around 10 Sturmgeschützs.

 

 

Source :
https://www.facebook.com/photo/?fbid=10219232699879847&set=gm.751279962465553

Bio of Generalmajor Dr.phil.Dipl.Ing. Bernhard Heydenreich

 

Generalmajor Dr.phil.Dipl.Ing. Bernhard Heydenreich
Born: 03 Jul 1894 in Charlottenburg
Died: 28 Jan 1978 in Forchheim
Doctorate In Philosophy 1960
Diploma In Engineering: 17 Apr 1929

Promotions:
Fähnrich (01 Mar 1914); Leutnant (12 Aug 1914); Oberleutnant (18 May 1918); Hauptmann (01 Mar 1927); Major (01 Oct 1934); Oberstleutnant (01 Apr 1937); Oberst (01 Nov 1939); Generalmajor (01 Apr 1943)

Career:
Entered Army Service (01 Mar 1914)
Passed Out the Cadet-Corps as Fähnrich in the 32nd Field-Artillery-Regiment (01 Mar 1914-02 Aug 1914)
In the Field with the 32nd Field-Artillery-Regiment (02 Aug 1914-21 Sep 1916)
Detached to the Recruitment-Depot of the 40th Infantry-Division for Training in Infantry Service (08 Aug 1915-06 Sep 1915)
Detached to the 181st Infantry-Regiment (20 Sep 1915-17 Oct 1915)
Transferred into the 139th Infantry-Regiment (21 Sep 1916-01 Oct 1916)
Detached to Field War School Gent (12 Nov 1916-24 Dec 1916)
Company-Leader in the 139th Infantry-Regiment (01 Oct 1916-01 Feb 1917)
Transferred back into the 32nd Field-Artillery-Regiment (01 Feb 1917-10 Dec 1918)
Detached to Battery-Leader-Courses at the Field Artillery Firing School Beverloo (04 Mar 1917-12 May 1917)
Detached to Battery-Leader-Courses in Thimongies (03 Jul 1917-29 Jul 1917)
Detached to Course at the Mountain Artillery Firing School Sonthofen (11 May 1918-18 Jun 1918)
Transferred to the Volunteer-Unit of the 40th Division (10 Dec 1918-26 Feb 1919)
Leader of the 1st Munitions-Column of the 19th Reichswehr-Artillery-Regiment (26 Feb 1919-01 Oct 1920)
Transferred into the 12th Reichswehr-Artillery-Regiment (01 Oct 1920-01 Jan 1921)
Transferred into the 4th Artillery-Regiment (01 Jan 1921-15 Dec 1921)
Transferred into the 2nd Medical-Battalion & Detached to the 2nd Transport-Battalion (15 Dec 1921-01 May 1924)
Transferred into the 4th Transport-Battalion (01 May 1924-01 Oct 1924)
Detached to Firing Course for Artillery Officers in Jüterbog (24 Apr 1924-05 Jun 1924)
Transferred into the 4th Artillery-Regiment & Detached to the Technical College Dresden (01 Oct 1924-18 Apr 1929)
Transferred to the Staff of II. Battalion of the 4th Artillery-Regiment (18 Apr 1929-01 Apr 1930)
Detached to the RWM/WaA (01 Apr 1930-01 Apr 1931)
Transferred to 3rd Battery of the 4th Artillery-Regiment (01 Apr 1931-15 Nov 1933)
Detached to Firing-Course for Artillery-Officers in Jüterbog (02 Oct 1931-29 Oct 1931)
Transferred into the RWM/WaA (15 Nov 1933-21 May 1935)
With the RKM/WaA (21 May 1935-15 Oct 1935)
In the RKM/Wa Prw.1 (15 Oct 1935-10 Nov 1938)
Commander of II. Battalion of the 65th Artillery-Regiment (10 Nov 1938-01 Sep 1939)
Commander of the 677th Artillery-Regiment (01 Sep 1939-01 Feb 1940)
Chief of Munitions-Department 2 in the Army Weapons Office (Wa I Rü Mun 2/HWA) with the Chief of Army Armaments and Commander of the Replacement Army (01 Feb 1940-22 Apr 1941)
Commander of the 235th Artillery-Regiment (22 Apr 1941-30 Jun 1941)
Führer-Reserve OKH (30 Jun 1941-25 Aug 1941)
Commander of the 3rd Motorised-Artillery-Regiment (25 Aug 1941-17 May 1942)
Artillery-Commander 129 (17 May 1942-21 Jun 1942)
Führer-Reserve OKH (21 Jun 1942-07 Jan 1943)
Detached to OKH as Director of Familiarisatokn-Course in the Army Weapons Office (07 Jan 1943-10 Jun 1943)
Artillery-Commander 140 (10 Jan 1943-29 Dec 1943)
Detached to the Chief of Army Armaments/BdE (WaA) (29 Dec 1943-01 Apr 1944)
Office-Group-Chief with Special Duties in OKH/Wa Prüf. (01 Apr 1944-22 Jun 1944)
Representative of the Weapons-Office in the Staff of the Army Weapons Office (Special Representative for Detonator-Queries for the entire Wehrmacht) (22 Jun 1944-08 May 1945)
In Captivity (08 May 2945-1947)
Released (1947)

Awards & Decorations:
Ritter des königlich-sächsischen Militär-St.-Heinrich-Ordens (27 Dec 1916)

Source :
https://forum.axishistory.com/viewtopic.php?p=2200979#p2200979
http://www.geocities.ws/orion47.geo/WEHRMACHT/HEER/Generalmajor/HEYDENREICH_BERNHARD.html

Bio of General der Artillerie Franz Barckhausen

Franz Barckhausen (21 December 1882 - 3 May 1956) joined the German Imperial Army on September 4, 1901 as a Fahnenjunker. He came to the 1st Upper Silesian Field Artillery Regiment "von Clausewitz" No. 21. In this he was promoted to lieutenant on January 27, 1903 after attending the war school in Danzig. On October 1, 1913, he was appointed first lieutenant to regimental adjutant of the 1st Upper Silesian Field Artillery Regiment "von Clausewitz" No. 21. As such he came to the front at the beginning of World War I. There he was promoted to captain on November 8, 1914. Until the summer of 1916 he was used in various positions in his regiment. He was then used in various general staff and troop positions. During the First World War, he was awarded the Knight's Cross of the Royal Prussian House Order of Hohenzollern with swords and both iron crosses with several other orders. After the war he was accepted into the Reichswehr. In the spring of 1920 he came to the Reichswehr Artillery Regiment 8 with the transitional army. When the 100,000-man army of the Reichswehr was formed, he then joined the 3rd (Prussian) Artillery Regiment. In this he was employed as the battery boss. In the spring of 1924 and 1925 he was listed as chief of the 2nd battery of the 3rd (Prussian) Artillery Regiment in Schweidnitz. On February 1, 1926, he was transferred to the Reichswehr Ministry in Berlin while simultaneously being promoted to major. There he was deployed for the next few years at the Heeres-Waffenamt (WaA). In autumn 1929 he was appointed commander of the 1st (Prussian) driving department in Königsberg. As such, he was promoted to lieutenant colonel on November 1, 1930. On October 1, 1931, he was transferred back to the Reichswehr Ministry in Berlin. There he was appointed chief of the Army Supply Department (Wa N). On April 1, 1933, he was promoted to colonel. On April 1, 1934 he was appointed field equipment inspector. On April 1, 1935, he was appointed Army Feldzeugmeister. As such, he was promoted to major general on April 1, 1936. On October 12, 1937 he was appointed Artillery Commander 24 (Arko 24). As such, he was promoted to lieutenant general on March 1, 1938. On May 1, 1938, he gave up his command. It has now been made available to the chief of the OKW. On March 15, 1939 he was appointed representative of the OKW at the Skoda Group in Prague and Pilsen. On May 1, 1939, he was appointed head of the German military mission in Slovakia. At the beginning of November 1939 he was relieved and transferred to the Führerreserve. For this he has now been appointed Armaments Inspector Upper East in Krakow. In mid-June 1940 he was then appointed armaments inspector for northern France. On July 3, 1940, he was appointed Chief of the Defense Economy and Armaments Staff France. On July 1, 1942, he was simultaneously appointed head of the main traffic control for France and Belgium in Paris. On July 1, 1943, he was promoted to General der Artillerie. On July 20, 1943, he was transferred to the Führerreserve. On August 31, 1943, he was retired from active service. On the same day he was awarded the German Cross in Silver for his previous work.

 

Source :

https://forum.axishistory.com/viewtopic.php?p=2078340#p2078340

http://www.lexikon-der-wehrmacht.de/Personenregister/B/BarckhausenFranz.htm

Young Platoon Commanders from Pionier-Bataillon 25

Four young Zugführer (Platoon Commanders) from Pionier-Bataillon 25, pictured in the summer of 1942. From left to right: Leutnant Emil Gräf (1. Kompanie), Leutnant Anton Locherer (2. Kompanie), Leutnant Fritz Molfenter (2. Kompanie), and Leutnant Karl Vögele (2. Kompanie). The battalion was an excellent blend of experience and youth. Most of the officers had been soldiers or NCOs in the battalion during the Polish or French campaigns: the battalion was one of the fortunate few where men would spend their entire careers. If they were wounded, retrained or promoted, chances were very good that they would return to their beloved Pionier-Bataillon 45.

Source :

"Island Of Fire: The Battle For the Barrikady Gun Factory In Stalingrad November 1942 - February 1943" by Jason D. Mark

Impromptu Piano Concert in Kharkov

Three Leibstandarte troopers halt their vehicles to celebrate their entry into Kharkov with an impromptu piano concert, March 1943. They wear (from left to right) the winter insulated suit, camouflage smock, and the black panzer uniform. Note the German national flag fastened over the hood of the Kübelwagen, for ground-to-air recognition.

Source :
http://5sswiking.tumblr.com/post/145023823622/three-leibstandarte-troopers-halt-their-vehicles

SS-Untersturmführer Paul Barten from Wiking Division

SS-Untersturmführer Paul Barten (foreground) with an SS-Unterscharführer from the Regiment Germania of the Wiking Division in a defensive positions in the spring of 1944. During this time, Wiking Division saw fierce combat in the Kovel sector.

Source :
http://5sswiking.tumblr.com/post/139202505392/5sswiking-ss-untersturmf%C3%BChrer-paul-barten

SS Soldiers Take a Cigarette Break during Ardennes Offensive

Soldiers from Kampfgruppe Hansen (Leibstandarte Division) take a cigarette break. Such a state was the norm during combat operations. This photograph was taken after the action with American 14th Cavalry Group on the road between Poteau and Recht during the Ardennes Offensive, 18 December 1944.