General Historical Information

Report for the War Diary

24. July 1942

1. The Division has held the following instructional courses on the handling of weapons since January 1942:

1. Russian hand grenade model 1933,
2. Russian light machine gun “Degtyaryov,”
3. Russian heavy machine gun 39/41,
4. Russian heavy machine gun “Maxim,”
5. Russian mortar (Manuals were translated into German by the Division),
6. Mine detection and clearing courses.

In addition, instructional courses for vehicle drivers and signals units were held.

Starting on July 27, 3 additional courses for training on mortars are scheduled.

[Translator note: besides the Maxim machine gun, the other weapons are more commonly known in English by their Soviet designations of the RGD-33 hand grenade, DP-29 machine gun and, I believe, the DS-39 machine gun. This Division, the 281. Sicherungs-Division, was at this time in the northern sector of the Eastern Front, in the occupied USSR.]

Wilhelm Pfister was born in Bieswang in 1901. He was married and was employed as a stone worker. In March of 1941, when he was 40 years old, he was drafted and sent to a training unit, Landesschützen-Ersatz-Bataillon 13, in Prachatitz (Prachatice in the Czech Republic, annexed by the German Reich in 1938). After a couple of months he was sent to France, to Feldgendarmerie-Feld-Ersatz-Kompanie 7, where he spent two months on occupation duty before returning to his former training unit in Prachatitz. During his training, he was instructed on the use of the German K98 rifle, the French Berthier rifle Fusil 07/15 (Gewehr 302(f)) and the Czech ZB26 machine gun (MG 26(t)). In August 1941, he was assigned to Landesschützen-Bataillon 807, in Nuremberg, where he remained for over a year. After more than a year in the Army, he finally got a new rank, Oberschütze, in April 1942. Eventually, in February 1943, Pfister was deployed outside Germany once again, this time as part of Sicherungs-Bataillon 797. This unit was at that time in the occuped USSR, as part of Army Group Center. Pfister’s Wehrpass indicates that from February through November, 1943, he was engaged in combat against partisans in the area around Polozk and Witebsk, in what is now Belarus. In March, after 2 years of service, he was promoted to the rank of Gefreiter. In February 1944, Pfister became ill and was sent back to Germany to convalesce with Landesschützen-Ersatz und Ausbildungs-Bataillon 12. After a month, he had recovered and was sent back to his field unit, Sicherungs-Bataillon 797, now active as part of the 16th Army. The Red Army reached the border of Latvia on July 17, 1944. A week later, on July 21, Pfister was killed in action in Latvia. It’s not clear if his unit was at that time engaged again in combat with partisans, or (perhaps more likely) fighting defensive actions against Soviet regulars. Such details probably didn’t matter much to the family Pfister left behind. He was 43 years old.

The local Nazi Party district leader sent a letter of condolence to Pfister’s widow, full of patriotic jargon.

It may be easy to look at the desultory combat performance of Landesschützen units and conclude that they were completely ineffective. But as this document from the files of Sicherungs-Division 207 reveals, these units did serve an important role. Landesschützen units were trained to guard important objectives and, it seems, were better at this task, than units without this specialized training. The war demanded constant observation in the vast occupied lands.

Translated from “Hilfsbuch für den Hauptfeldwebel” by Hans Rödel, 1942.

On the March.

Every Kompanie wants to have as few people as possible drop out of the march due to injury. This can be achieved by:
-Instructing the enlisted men on taking care of their feet;
-Checking the fit of footwear;
-Distributing powder and foot sweat salve.

On the march, the Hauptfeldwebel has a bicycle available to him, his place is with the field kitchen. In peacetime marches, though, he will always find the opportunity to march with his Kompanie. Here, he supports the Kompaniechef in inspecting the march discipline. If the unit is to rest, whenever possible he reconnoiters the resting place, which he travels to in advance on the bicycle. If the unit is to receive rations, he inquires at the right time and gives his instructions to the field kitchen. During the rest he takes care of the receipt of rations and checks that everything is in order with marching injuries.

In Camp.

In reconnoitering a camp place, it must be ensured:
-That water is available for the horses to drink, for the enlisted men to wash up, and for filling the field kitchen;
-That the ground is not too soft and damp, even when it rains;
-That a latrine can be set up.
Constructing the tents is mostly carried out by the Zugführer according to the instruction of the Kompaniechef. When orders are given out, which takes place as soon as possible, the following should be mentioned:
-Additional duties (cleaning weapons, etc.);
-Assignment of guards, the password;
-Uniform and conduct in camp;
-Location of the latrine, and the vehicles;
-How far and for how long it is permitted to leave the camp;
-Curfew;
-Conduct during alarms;
-Wakeup and departure on the next day:
-Exact time.

Through proper conduct and good singing, the Kompanie can win over the heart of the cantonment host as soon as they enter the quarters. The person in charge of the quarters will almost always approach the Kompanie and report on the accommodations of the Kompanie and where they will be staying. It is practical, when the Kompanie arrives at the quarters for the first time. Here the rations and the packs of the enlisted men will be given out. The Hauptfeldwebel assigns the guards, gives the time and location of the foot inspection, the next location and exact time is made known. On rest days he proposes a weapon inspection to the Kompaniechef. Before he seeks out his own quarters, he inspects the accommodations of the Tross and a part of the Kompanie. Through the foot inspection, he determines the state of march injuries.

If there is to be a ball at the end of maneuvers, the Hauptfeldwebel is to attend and to check on the orderly conduct of his people.

In the field.

The tasks of the Hauptfeldwebel in wartime will be carried out under much more difficult circumstances. But if he has constantly worked to care for his Kompanie in peacetime, he will also master these difficulties.

What follows is translated from an original cookbook titled “Östliche Speisen nach deutscher Art” (Eastern Dishes in German Style), with recipes tested and compiled by the Oberkommando des Heeres. It was published during the war by Alfred H. Linde Verlag in Berlin and was intended to be used as a field cookbook for German soldiers in the East. This section entitled “Improvement of Cold Fare” is particularly interesting and useful for living historians, as it gives insight into some easy ways that German soldiers may have prepared canned meat and other field rations.

“Improvement of Cold Fare

To stimulate the appetite, and especially during the warm season, cold fare should be prepared in a flavorful way.

The following instructions can be combined with each other to be adapted in various ways.

Bread spread from canned meat

300 g beef (canned)
100 g sardines
100 g tomato paste

Finely chop the beef and sardines, add the tomato paste and prepare as a pate.

Note: If the mixture is too dry, add some butter, margarine or oil.

Fleischsalat (Meat Salad)

400 g canned meat
200 g diced tomatoes (fresh or canned)
100 g finely chopped onions
Vinegar, oil, salt, pepper

Cut up the meat, gently combine with the tomatoes and onions. Mix with a marinade of the oil, vinegar, salt and pepper.

Note: Bell peppers can be used as a substitute for the tomatoes.

Cold Meatballs with Potato Salad

To make fried meatballs from canned meat, the meat must be finely chopped and then air dried for a time. The meat is then seasoned with salt and pepper and well-mixed with flour. This can also be mixed with bread crumbs, soaked bread, finely chopped onions, egg or only egg white, or egg substitute. Mix everything well together and form into meatballs. Coat with flour or bread crumbs and fry in hot oil until cooked through.

For the potato salad, boil the potatoes with the skin on, peel while hot and slice. Immediately mix with a marinade of water and vinegar brought to a boil and seasoned with salt, pepper and finely chopped onions. Pour this over the hot potato slices and either shake or carefully mix until the salad is bound together.

Note: The salad can be refined with oil, finely chopped herbs or diced pickles.

Canned meat and sausage

Canned meat and sausage are particularly appetizing when fried and roasted together with finely chopped onions and tomatoes.

Canned sardine salad

Mix sardines for five potions with 200 g sliced tomatoes. Marinate with the oil from the sardines, 200 g finely chopped onions and lemon juice.

Note: If tomato paste is used, it should be mixed in to the marinade.

Ölsoldaten

Fry the sardines in their own oil while adding finely chopped onions. Drizzle with lemon juice as a dressing.

Canned sardines in the style of fried herring

Fry the sardines and lay them in a pot. Make a marinade from vinegar, onions, salt, pepper, bay leaf and allspice, allow to cool and pour over the sardines.

Tuna fish in oil

Tuna fish in oil can be prepared just as the canned sardines.”

Note: For reference, a couple of pictures of original Wehrmacht-issue aluminum food cans. Here are two variations of a can that held fish or perhaps some other kind of meat. The one in front is stamped with a 1944 date code.

Here is a tin of Norwegian sardines, these are commonly recovered from former German positions. This one was found at Stalingrad.

For more information about steel and aluminum food cans issued to Wehrmacht soldiers, check out the fantastic reference “Rations of the German Wehrmacht in WWII” by Jim Pool and Tom Bock. Thanks to Peter Speiser for providing the original cookbook mentioned above.

From “The Soviet Partisan Movement 1941-1944” by Edgar M. Howell.

The following six page document is from the files of the 285. Sicherungs-Division. This was disseminated to all units of the 4. Panzergruppe in July, 1941. It is part of a combat manual for Soviet partisans, translated into German (and then by me into English). This document contains information about how partisan groups were organized in 1941, and how they were instructed to fight.

These pictures are from the spring and summer of 1943. They are all from the same album, and document the training of a driver in a Panzerjäger unit, possibly Panzer-Abwehr-Ersatz-Abteilung 3. It’s my experience that private photos from this time are not easy to find, as film was growing scarce by 1943. A notable aspect of this set of photos is that this training unit was using large quantities of prewar and early war kit including M36 tunics, white shirts, white HBT, aluminum belt buckles, M34 caps and even 1934 pattern tunic and cap insignia. Some of the soldiers wear prewar shoulder straps with embroidered Panzerjäger cyphers, and the creator of the album is pictured in a Waffenrock, the use of which had been generally discontinued years before. The photos also show mismatched uniforms and insignia, a captured and reissued Czech tunic, and patch repaired trousers.

I took this set of photos each showing 10 basic German Army uniform and equipment items. I chose the items to be representative of original examples (for the most part). The photos are intended to show variation in original items side by side in the same lighting conditions.

The range of variation seen in the photos is a result of the following factors:
-Changes in materials and construction as the war progressed
-Wear and use
-Modification by/for the wearer
-Patina and toning from age
-Manufacturer variation with regard to construction; variations in raw materials used