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Can anyone tell me the significance of this unit, at this time (through May 1940 )?

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What's interesting about this page?

norway and denimak in april 14 .operation weserubung .first jump of the war .now do i get to own this kindregards

i think its says 10 reguirements with the photo.cant see the rest.

quote:

Originally posted by Eric Queen:
What's interesting about this page?

I find 2 things interesting.

Can it be that he was first issued with a dogtag on which the FJR was actually stamped on?

Also, he has all his awards on the photo which would mean it was put there after he received them.
Was it common to change the photo on the soldbuch to show current staus?

Giday Eric,

Could it be that among the information recorded on page 2 are the serial number and date of the J�ger's jump licence?

Best wishes,

Ian

You guys got it. For me anyway, what was interesting about this was 1.the fact that the nomenclature on the dogtag actually read "57/F.J.Rgt.1", 2. the fact that the FSS number and date is recorded on the first page and 3. the fact that he is wearing the awards in the photo.

Yannis, I don't think this photo is a replacement. Lw. Soldbuchs were not required to include a photo of the holder until 1943, and by that time, he had already been awarded all this. So when it was time to add a photo to his book, this is what he looked like.

Any thoughts on the unit?

EQ

If I�m not mistaken, this man belonged to the unit commanded by Horst Kerfin. He jumped together with around 50 men onto the Feyenoord Footballstadion (Rotterdam), captured a electric tram and drove through Rotterdam to the Willemsbrug. He lost 14 death/wounded on his way during figthing nearby the place called "Afrikaanderplein."

Kerfin and his man reached part of 11./IR16 (...120 men from this unit, Oblt. Schrader, had landed before in 12 He 59 seaplanes) on the north side of the bridge(called Boompjes). The Dutch counter-attacked, the German had heavy losses and got cut off their men at the other side of the bridge (Noordereiland. Suffering heavy losses, parts of 9./IR16 and a heavy MG group, previously landed on Waalhaven, reached Kerfin�s group. They got cut off surrounded by Dutch troops until the city of Rotterdam surrended. He hold on with only 36 of his men, but it�s said that he had "ready" the white flag...

In short, Eric, you have another "rare pearl"...
Regards. �scar

That's exactly right �scar. I think anything having to do with Lt.Kerfin and the Willems Bridge is very interesting, and quite hard to come by. The fact that he was one of the 14 KIA/WIA makes it, to me, even more intersting. From 6.40 to 8.40 he was assigned to the jump school (Stendal) while, I assume, he was recovering from his wound(s). From 8.40 he was re-assigned to 11./1.

Eric, didn't I trade you a Wehrpass a little while back to another man who was with Kerfin on the bridge and WIA there?

quote:

I think anything having to do with Lt.Kerfin and the Willems Bridge is very interesting, and quite hard to come by.

In April and May 1940 there were some daring actions carried out by the Fallschirmj�ger. They showed both the special training and "attitude" - so to speak - of the Fallschirmtruppe. I compare the Willems Bridge action with the raid on Elverum, Norway, on 9-10 April 1940. Around 96 FJs from 2./FJR1, included Hauptmann Walther himself. They got into enemy territory 150 kms. to capture the King and the government. They failed in this objective, but captured 600 soldiers and officers, approximately... The German casualties were 4 men.
Regards. �scar

quote:

Originally posted by �scar:

quote:

I think anything having to do with Lt.Kerfin and the Willems Bridge is very interesting, and quite hard to come by.

In April and May 1940 there were some daring actions carried out by the Fallschirmj�ger. They showed both the special training and "attitude" - so to speak - of the Fallschirmtruppe. I compare the Willems Bridge action with the raid on Elverum, Norway, on 9-10 April 1940. Around 96 FJs from 2./FJR1, included Hauptmann Walther himself. They got into enemy territory 150 kms. to capture the King and the government. They failed in this objective, but captured 600 soldiers and officers, approximately... The German casualties were 4 men.
Regards. �scar

I have to say this time that I don't agree with you Oscar. BTW How's live over there?
I think we should not forget the fact that the only problem Kerfin had was the fact that he couldn't move. Reinforcements couldn't reach him most of the time as it was almost impossible to cross the Willemsbridge. However, the Dutch had the same problems. They too couldn't cross the bridge. On the other side of the water the Noordereiland was a German strongpoint, with all their sMg's, Mortars, IG and AT-guns etc. And they revused to let the civilians who lived on the Noordereiland go. It would have been easy to let them leave using the Koningsbridge to leave the Island and walk into the south of Rotterdam, but instead they were used by the germans as human shields. And indeed, the Dutch didn't bomb or shell the hell out of the Noordereiland thus leaving Kerfin well coffered by German troops on the Noordereiland.

Whilest this all was going on German troops were flown in constantly, using Waalhaven airfield and, when it got shelled by arty to much, the Rotterdam-Dordrecht "highway".

To this we also have to add the fact that the Germans had air-supriority, Dutch Airforce was down, there were no AA's at Rotterdam(only 1 AA-MG platoon whitch was used as a "normal" MG platoon).

I do agree that it wasn't a party, but I do think the heroism by Kerfin was also a very well organised propaganda. If you have elite troops, you sell them to the public as being elite. All credits go to the FJ and Kerfin whilest 11 and 9/16 IR did a hell of a job too. We do have to remember that, while Kerfin and his men already took the buildings as the Dutch weren't reaction strongly, many men of 9 and 11/16 IR crossed the bridge under heavy Dutch fire, getting many killed and wounded.

And let's not forget, Olt. Schrader was also awarded the RK, but never got the public honour Kerfin was given.

Cheers,

HugovD

Post 2:
I am happy seeing this soldbuch. If I'm correct the 1939-1942 signs are those of leutnant and later oberleutnant BECKER. Proving that Kerfin was NOT the KP-fuhrer of 11/Fjr1 like so many writers have put to paper and so many have put on internet.

Cheers

HugovD

Hi Hugo! Thanks for the accurate and deep additional information. You�re right: the "propaganda factor" is something we have to deal with when analising the facts. However, the sense of my post was to emphasize the special strategy, war "viewpoint - so to speak -, of the Fallschirmtruppe. We can see it in the first operations carried out by them. Some of them (Albert Kanal, Kerfin�s men, Elverum, Masned� or even Dombaas...)took the form of sending an advance force to take important targets, and hold the objective until the attacking forces arrived. The special training and a sort of "willpower", typical of the high-motivated soldier, led them to achieve the success, despite the "logical". They made profitable their skill, in short. Kerfin, Wenzel on the plateau of Eben Emael, but also Walther in Norway, taking as examples.
The latter could cross a bridge by means of a "bluff". The position was strongly defended by larger Norwegian soldiers, while coming back from the raid on Elverum on 10 April 1940. He told the Norwegian parlamentary, who asked Walther to surrender, that three Fallschirmj�ger Regiments had jumped behind his group (around 96 men) and were ready to attack if the Norwegian didn�t let them cross the bridge. At last, the group, 50 trucks and all the POWs they have made, resumed their march to Oslo...
Regards. �scar