Battr. Wildelau ( Le Havre )

Discussions on the fortifications, artillery, & rockets used by the Axis forces.
jopaerya
Member
Posts: 19236
Joined: 21 Jun 2004, 14:21
Location: middelburg

Battr. Wildelau ( Le Havre )

#1

Post by jopaerya » 27 Jan 2015, 20:20

I am searching for other information on this Flak battery , Regards Jos
Attachments
0885.jpg

User avatar
Manuferey
Member
Posts: 4082
Joined: 17 May 2007, 15:52
Location: Virginia

Re: Battr. Wildelau ( Le Havre )

#2

Post by Manuferey » 28 Jan 2015, 03:57

Jos,

This 8,8 cm “Wildelau” Flak battery seems to correspond to the static battery that General Hoecker, CO of 17. LFD, mentions near the French village of Notre-Dame du Bec between Le Havre and Etretat, in his postwar report to the Americans (FMS # B-014):

Image

Hoecker also positioned this static 8.8 cm battery on a map that he drawn for the American report and in which he remembered the positions of German units as of July 24, 1944. The static 8,8 cm battery (but not quite with a Flak symbol) appears in the 89 ID area and at a location near N.D. du Bec indeed:

Image

Emmanuel


jopaerya
Member
Posts: 19236
Joined: 21 Jun 2004, 14:21
Location: middelburg

Re: Battr. Wildelau ( Le Havre )

#3

Post by jopaerya » 28 Jan 2015, 09:18

Thanks Emmanuel

Yes,that seem to fit perfectly. there should be some traces because it was a static flak battery .

Regards Jos

User avatar
Manuferey
Member
Posts: 4082
Joined: 17 May 2007, 15:52
Location: Virginia

Re: Battr. Wildelau ( Le Havre )

#4

Post by Manuferey » 01 Feb 2015, 17:50

Jos,

I have noticed that the first letter of "wildelau" was not capitalized. But I cannot find this word as a common word in German, only as a last name. Should it be "Wildelau" with a capital "W" then? In which case, it could be the name of the battery commander. :idea:

Emmanuel

jopaerya
Member
Posts: 19236
Joined: 21 Jun 2004, 14:21
Location: middelburg

Re: Battr. Wildelau ( Le Havre )

#5

Post by jopaerya » 01 Feb 2015, 18:28

I was thinking in the same direction, Emmanuel

Regards Jos
Attachments
0858.jpg

jopaerya
Member
Posts: 19236
Joined: 21 Jun 2004, 14:21
Location: middelburg

Re: Battr. Wildelau ( Le Havre )

#6

Post by jopaerya » 01 Feb 2015, 18:37

Found our friend Oblt. Wildelau ex-commander of the Ost-Art.Abt 621 .

Regards Jos
Attachments
1011.jpg

User avatar
Manuferey
Member
Posts: 4082
Joined: 17 May 2007, 15:52
Location: Virginia

Re: Battr. Wildelau ( Le Havre )

#7

Post by Manuferey » 01 Feb 2015, 23:34

Thanks, Jos. :thumbsup:

Here is a picture from Bundesarchiv showing a 8.35 cm Flak 22(t) inspected by soldiers of Ost-Artillerie-Abt. 621 in 1944 somewhere in the Pays de Caux. Several HBKs of HKAR 1252 located in the same general area were equipped with this type of Flak guns in 1944 so I thought that the BA picture showed a 8.35 cm Flak 22(t) of one of these batteries (in particular 9./1252 or 10./1252). However, I could not explain why the gun would be inspected/surrounded by soldiers from Ost-Art.Abt. 621.

The fact now that the commanding officer of the static Flak Batterie Wildelau was from Ost-Art. Abt. 621 makes me think that the guns of Flak Batterie Wildelau could have been 8.35 cm Flak 22(t) instead of actual 8.8 cm Flak. :idea: Oblt Wildelau may even be on the picture!

Image

Emmanuel

User avatar
Manuferey
Member
Posts: 4082
Joined: 17 May 2007, 15:52
Location: Virginia

Re: Battr. Wildelau ( Le Havre )

#8

Post by Manuferey » 26 May 2015, 19:42

Here is a picture from "Small Arms, Artillery and Special Weapons of the Third Reich: An Encyclopedic Survey", by Terry Gander and Peter Chamberlain posted on Dec. 13, 2002 here:
http://forum.axishistory.com/viewtopic.php?f=70&t=11867

It shows a crew manning a 8.35 cm Flak 22(t). I've realized that it shows the same insignia as on the Bundesarchiv pictures above and below is visible on a soldier that looks very much the same as the soldier (NCO?) below. Therefore, there's a good chance that it is part of the same series of German pictures.

Image

Image

Emmanuel

P.S. Does someone have a better picture from the above mentioned book?

jopaerya
Member
Posts: 19236
Joined: 21 Jun 2004, 14:21
Location: middelburg

Re: Battr. Wildelau ( Le Havre )

#9

Post by jopaerya » 26 May 2015, 21:39

Few remarks

(1) here the Gleiderung from the Ost-Art.Abt.621 , no 8.35 cm Flak 22(t) . ( 1944 )

(2) every I.D. in Haut Normandie had two 8.35 cm Flak 22(t) as L.A.G.

(3) the steel badge with the F on it had something to do with battle near Rschew

Regards Jos
Attachments
em 1.jpg
em 1.jpg (71.08 KiB) Viewed 1350 times
em 2.jpg
renteln.jpg

User avatar
Manuferey
Member
Posts: 4082
Joined: 17 May 2007, 15:52
Location: Virginia

Re: Battr. Wildelau ( Le Havre )

#10

Post by Manuferey » 26 May 2015, 23:17

Thanks, Jos.

My assumptions are that Oblt Wildelau took some men from Ost-Art.Abt. 621 with him to form the battery (maybe just NCOs, who were German, the ones we see with the insignae?) and 8,35 cm Flak (t) guns from surrounding units incl. HKAA 1252 along with their crews. :idea:

Emmanuel

jopaerya
Member
Posts: 19236
Joined: 21 Jun 2004, 14:21
Location: middelburg

Re: Battr. Wildelau ( Le Havre )

#11

Post by jopaerya » 27 May 2015, 13:56

The Cossack troops , on the BaMa Picture's, were mostly placed in Cossack regiment .
The Bundesarchiv Bild 101I-299-1826 and 1827 are Cossack troops with the special tank shield .

Regards Jos

User avatar
Manuferey
Member
Posts: 4082
Joined: 17 May 2007, 15:52
Location: Virginia

Re: Battr. Wildelau ( Le Havre )

#12

Post by Manuferey » 27 May 2015, 23:51

Jos,

Do we know if the personnel of Ost-Art.Abt. 621 were Cossack and wore this insignia? I originally worked on the assumption from an article in Mag 39/45 that the BA pictures showed soldiers from Ost-Art.Abt. 621 in the Pays-de-Caux (Haute-Normandie). But maybe it's incorrect then. :?

Emmanuel

jopaerya
Member
Posts: 19236
Joined: 21 Jun 2004, 14:21
Location: middelburg

Re: Battr. Wildelau ( Le Havre )

#13

Post by jopaerya » 28 May 2015, 10:12

Could be Emmanuel, I will try to search for some more information on the Cossack and Ost-Art.Abt 621 ( Schrader )

Regards Jos

User avatar
moonraker
Member
Posts: 2642
Joined: 24 Nov 2005, 23:06
Location: normandie.french

Re: Battr. Wildelau ( Le Havre )

#14

Post by moonraker » 31 Jan 2016, 19:57

hello,
I think it is not the right topic,but I find this foto. I think the 8.8 flak taken the aera le havre ?? what do you think ?I seem to recognize the deck of tancarville channel.
the caption of picture wirte "trouville sur mer" !
regards
Me belfra-team
Attachments
2016-01-31_172738.jpg

User avatar
Manuferey
Member
Posts: 4082
Joined: 17 May 2007, 15:52
Location: Virginia

Re: Battr. Wildelau ( Le Havre )

#15

Post by Manuferey » 14 Jan 2018, 01:51

Here are some interesting information regarding the creation of this battery found in the KTB of 81 AK dated June 17, 1944.
We can learn that the battery was created as a 4th battery of Ost-Art.Abt. 621 and took over 4 x 8,8 cm Flak guns from 4./AR 184 (84 ID).
In parallel, the text mentions the creation of another 8.8 cm Flak battery in the 245 ID as a 13./AR 245 armed with 4 x 8.8 cm Flak from 5./AR 184 (84 ID).
8.8cmFlakWildelau.jpg
Emmanuel

Post Reply

Return to “Fortifications, Artillery, & Rockets”