Addenum:HUS Kosten (* 01.04.1943 ; numbered 14 in nov 1944) then
jan 1945 Kdr Oberstleutnant Johannes Pintschovius
Pintschovius succeeded Oberst Karl Krüger as Kdr.


Jan-Hendrik
Addenum:HUS Kosten (* 01.04.1943 ; numbered 14 in nov 1944) then
jan 1945 Kdr Oberstleutnant Johannes Pintschovius
/ Berndfirst paragraph : It mentions in passing "many units were briefly stationed there", including HQ of ArmeeGruppe Mitte, and that elements of the Turkmen Legion, later 162nd Infanterie Division were formed there.
One of the formations which made the Remebrtów Grounds its "home" for longer was the Armoured Trains Depot. Initially its full name was "Depot of Armoured Train Replacement Unit" ("Ersatz-Abteilung fur Eisenbahn Panzerzuge" or "Panzerzug-Ersatz-Abteilung"). Initially it consisted of HQ Staff and two coys. The commander was Major Ernst Naumann, previously commander of Armoured Train PZ 10.
The adjutant was Lt. Hermann Imm, the Paymaster Eberhard Steinweg. The coy commanders were Lt. Max Warda (replaced in Sumer of 1942 by cpt. Edward Seele) and c kpt. Rudolf Winterberg. Soon after its formation Lt. Hermann Hoppe was assigned to it, as an officer of the engineers. The formation was under the command of the so-called Fast-Troops (mechanised) Command, formed way back in WWI in Insterburg, and later to the Armoured Trooops Command. Thus, from the very begining, support and personell replacements for armoured trains were in the hands of competent commnaders.
To cater to the needs of the replacement formation, in 1942 a separate siding was added to the Rembertów railroad station. From that day onwards the depot had the "Naumann-Bahnhof" code for correspondence and field-post purposes. On 1st October 1942 at this location a training armoured train unit was formed. Its commander was cpt. Werner Franke. This unit was assigned both coys from the replacement unit, as the 1st and 2nd training coys.
The replacement formation was to be retained through fresh levies as a cadre-company, replacement coy and reconvalescents' coy. The first to be established was the replacement coy under Lt. Rudolf Oppenhorst. The cadre-company existed but briefly before the reorganisation from March 28th 1943, while the reconvalescents' coy never constituted more that the crew of a single armour train as part of/ included in the replacement coy. On March 10th a march-company was formed next to (part of?) the depot/replacement unit, with command given to Lt. Rudolf Opitz.
On 28th March 1943 the staffs/ (HQs) of the replacement and training units were combined into the Eisenbahn-Panzerzug-Ersatz-Abteilung. Its commander continued to be mjr. Naumann. His 2nd in command and [officer] responsible for training issues was kpt. Franke from the training unit (he was replaced in October 1943 by Lt. Frank Drexler). The chief-of-staff was Lt. Hans Feuerlein, the adjutant (and at the same time officer for personell) Lt. Willi Leggewie, replaced in June 1943 by Lt. dr Hans Klaus Höcker. The Doctor of the unit was dr. Jerg, and Erwin Trzaska [was] the Quartermaster. The command of the replacement coy was assumed by Lt. Grabke, who was at the same time responsible for Reconaisance (counter-intelligence) (after the attempt on Hitler's life on July 20th 1944 he became the Nazi Political Officer of the Depot).
The 1st training coy was renamed the 1st Infantry coy (head: lt. Johannes Crasselt), which trained infantry, engeneering and signals. The 2nd coy was now called the 2nd Armoured coy (head: Lt. Gustav Gelhaar), which was responsible for artillery training. The formation of armoured train crews from trained personelle took place in the march company, which remained under the command of Lt. Opitz.
As company commanders it was also possible to identify Lt. Helmut Rohm (at the same time a officer for armoured troops) [this is written awkardely - I wonder if it is a failed attempt at saying that he was an officer of the Panzertruppen], Lt. Messer and Lt Joachim Shonberg. In March 1944 cpt. Drexler's place was taken, as 2nd in command and at the same time chief of staff - by Major Heinz Dieter Becker. At that time training issues were separated, which were assumed by Lt. Horst Creutzburg. The adjuntant and chief for personell matters became cpt. Helmut Fischer. At this time, also working at the Staff were Dieter Seegal (expert on mechanised equipment) and Erwin Jahn (judicial-investigative officer). According to the returns for 12th July 1944 the unit had on strength two majors (Naumann and Becker), 11 captains, 28 lieutenants, and 54 2nd lieutenants.
This was related to - naturally in same degree among officers, NCOs and Other Ranks - not only staff changes brought about by the manning on new positions, but also with the high rotation and the presence of remanents of crews at the Depot. Those crew remanents, due to quickly increasing losses in armored trains in 1944, ever more quickly returned to the Rembertów Depot waiting for a new assignement. The crews of armoured trains were considered to be a specialist group, which should be returned to their depots as quickly as possible. This made them [the crews] usualy avoid - and this continued until the end of the war – "hero stealing"*, carried out by HQs who, at critical moments, rounded up all possible soldiers to plug holes in the front.
Already on 1st September 1943 a 2nd march coy was created, initially under the command of cpt. Albert Hellstem. However, in November of same year he took over the command of PZ 30, and it was not possible to establish who was his successor. For crew training purposes, from Spring 1943 onwards, an armoured train was available. Among others, the PZ27, which was partly composed of the pre-war Polish "Pierwszy Marszałek" armoured train. The training coys were barracked in block 22 (pre war barracks of 32 Light Artillery Battalion, today the Airforce and AA Department of National Defense Academy) , while the march coys were barracked at the site of today's Liberal Arts Dept. and Dormitory, and near the stadium near the Officers' Colony. The reconvalescents' coy was baracked in the building at today's Gierczak 6 St., where the hospital, dentist and infirmiry were located. The civilian personell of the Depot was barracked at today's Chruściela 104 St. Training activies, particulary theoretical classes, were mostly held in block 25 (pre-war barracks of 3rd Rifle Battalion, today the Strategy-Defence Dept. of the NDA). Firing training was mostly performed at the Rembertów Artillery Firing Range, near Zielonka and Wesoła, and during field trips, to e.g. artilery training ground near Brest Litovsk.
The Depot on its own organised training for officers in the reserve (in block 01, todays ??? of the NDA), which was run first by Lt . Wilhelm Mauß, and later, in 1944, by kpt. Hermann Hoppe.
In September 1942 next to the Depot a NCO school of the armoured troops was set up ("Feld-Unteroffiziers-Schule der SchnellenTruppen", later "Feld-Unteroffiziers-Schule der Panzertruppen") and a training coy of the armoured troops. The teaching cadres/Officers were barracked at e.g. Admiralska St., while classes and barracks were located at block 14, i.e. where the Library is today. The commanders of the coy were: cpt. Paul Schültke (Sept. 1942 — May 1943), Lt. Rolf Lorscheidt (May - Dec 1943), Lt. Herbert Haschick (Jan- May 1944), cpt. Helmut Walter (from June 1944).
A group of the Engineer Troops from the replacement unit at Rembertów (so called Pionier-Kommando), with a strength of 2 Officers and 42 Other Ranks took part in the fighting against the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising . In the first phase of the fighting their role was blowing up strongpoints and using flame throwers. Afterwards they blew up underground strongpoints and buildings defended by the issurectionists. The Engineer Troops were afterwards praised for Dedication to Duty. The units from Rembertów were also used in antipartisan operations, chiefly in light of their [partisans] attacks on railroads running to the East. At certain moments it was necessary to interrupt training and send the whole establishment to fight against partisan units. As in the Summer of 1944 the front was getting closer, the Depot/training infrastructure and part of the training were evacuated on July 23rd to Milowitz. Some elements of the march companies were inducted into the panzergrenadier training battalion "Krampnitz" (also called "Lehrtruppen Krampnitz/Panzergrenadierlehrregiment 902") which was part of the 9th Armii of gen. Model.
Prepared by Sławomir Bielicki, from book by W.Zawodny "German armoured trains 1904-1945" and archival materials from Bundesarchiv in Koblentz and Freiburg
Ersatz-Abteilung für Eisenbahn-Panzerzüge / Panzerzug-Ersatz-Abteilung RembertowPanzerzug-Ersatz-Abteilung Warschau-Rembertow (subordinated to Kdr. Schnelle Truppen)
??
supplement :Feldunteroffiziersschule für Schnelle Truppen, Rembertow (* sept 1942)
(at former polish KS Rembertow near Warschau)
[Lehrgang time : 12 weeks ; after breakdown HGr Mitte school was transfered to TrÜbPl Wischau in july 1944 ; feb 1945 transfered again to TrÜbPl Wildflecken/Rhön]
april 1943 renamed
Feldunteroffizierschule der Panzertruppen
Kdr
Feb 1943 - Jan 1944 O Fritz Seele (1944 a. d. Ostfront gef.)
Jan 1944 - Ende OTL / O Kurt Leuschner
Is it possible to find out whether this school actually had reached TrÜbPl Wischau?Feldunteroffiziersschule für Schnelle Truppen, Rembertow (* sept 1942)
(at former polish KS Rembertow near Warschau)
[Lehrgang time : 12 weeks ; after breakdown HGr Mitte school was transfered to TrÜbPl Wischau in july 1944 ; feb 1945 transfered again to TrÜbPl Wildflecken/Rhön]
april 1943 renamed
Feldunteroffizierschule der Panzertruppen
Kdr
Feb 1943 - Jan 1944 O Fritz Seele (1944 a. d. Ostfront gef.)
Jan 1944 - Ende OTL / O Kurt Leuschner