alcius wrote: ↑14 Nov 2023 16:21
There are various names: Unteroffizier Ebner-10 kills and Essig-8 kills, Obergefreiter Bauer and Herzog, and the Feldwebel Hochst with 14 kills (er schoss vierzehn panzer ab).
Hello Antonio,
ah, well ..., not really easy. We just know that these were heavy fights in the Orel area, newspaper from 21.8.1943, so could have been in August 1943.
And, these men were from an 14.(Pz.Jg.)/G.R. xxx from Schwaben (Swabia). I have no means to figure out the exact unit, unfortunately. This is Infanterie-Pak and I'm no expert in this units.
The only hint could have been Fw. Höchst, who obviously ..., died during these engagements. But there's no Höchst in the Volksbund database. That doesn't mean he was not there, but it's also possible that the names of this PK-Bericht are not correct. Usually, they tell us the real names of the soldiers, but I'm not sure to be true.
Anyway, I broke down this article like this:
Unteroffizier Ebner with Richtschütze Obergefreiter Bauer
On the first day in the forenoon they destroyed 4 tanks (3x 26 tons, 1x 44 tons) with 5 shots at 1.400 m range, than in the afternoon another 6 tanks within 6 to 8 min., the first one a 26 ton tank at 400 m range. After one crew member was wounded and 3 men altogether were absent, Uffz. Ebner as the gunner and Ogfr. Bauer as the loader destroyed another 4 tanks within 1 1/2 hours, the first one a General Lee.
The next day they were attacked by 3 tanks, but the breech was damaged from the artillery fire and they had to blow up their PAK.
This means: Uffz. Ebner with 14 tank kills of thom Ogfr. Bauer had 10 tanks as a Richtschütze!
Unteroffizier Essig
He with his Richtschütze (no name given) destroyed 2 tanks, than the Richtschütze was wounded.
Uffz. Essig than as a gunner destroyed another 6 tanks and fought against soviet Infantery.
This means: Uffz. Essig with 8 tank kills.
Feldwebel Höchst
He during these fights destroyed 14 tanks. Once he destroyed 8 out of 20 attacking tanks, damaged another 4 tanks, the rest broke off the attack. Than he had another tank kill at just 40 m range (a 26 ton tank). He finally was killed (run over) by an soviet tank and the PAK damaged.
This means: Fw. Höchst with 14 tank kills.
Oliver
EDIT:
I got it, was thinking of searching for an Uffz. Essig within the Volksbund database, one Uffz. with that name died on 18.8.1943 and fold3 told me, that he was from 1./Pz.Jg.Abt. 25. So, not the 14.(Pz.Jg.) company from an Grenadier-Regiment, but an Panzerjäger-Abteilung, so here are all the men from above:
Uffz. Alfred Ebner (1./Pz.Jg.Abt. 25), died June 1944, Minsk area
Ogfr. Ferdinand Bauer (1./Pz.Jg.Abt. 25), not in Volksbund database
Uffz. Ernst Essig (1./Pz.Jg.Abt. 25), died 18.8.1943 near Bujanowo
Ofw. Roman Höchst (2./Pz.Jg.Abt. 25), died 31.7.1943, obviously was promoted p.h.
Höchst got the EK2 on 27.7.1943 and the EK1 p.h. on 14.8.1943.
Ebner and Essig got the EK1 on 6.8.1943, while Bauer got the EK2 this day.
