A few weeks back, I dipped my toe back in one of my absolute favorite aspects of WWII collecting, Wehrpasses and Soldbuchs. As everyone knows, soldbuchs were carried with the troops, which makes them ooze even more history than almost any other document with the exceptional attribute of being able to say they’ve been there. These are always a real treat for me.

Here we have the soldbuch, dogtag, and Infanterie Sturmabzeichen award document for Hauptfeldwebel Werner Butze. The soldbuch is complete, although sections of the pages have come loose.

Here’s what I know about the records contained within, much of which comes from the seller:

The soldbuch was opened in October 1939, when Butze served Infantry Regiment 465. In February 1940 he joined Infantry Regiment 515, and by October 1940 he joined Infantry Regiment 574. Around mid 1942, he joined Infantry Regiment 339 which was based at Haarleem at that time. After recovery from a sexual disease (Tripper) he joined the Restkommando III/4. Regiment in Brandenburg, and then he served with III/4. Regiment Brandenburg.

In November 1943 he was wounded by a gun shot which took him nearly 1.5 years to recover from.

Here’s where it gets harder for me to follow through the units on page 17, since they’re not dated. I found Gren Regiment 339 in the Lexicon, and it seems like it could fit that after he was released from the hospital, he would end up here. Oddly, the ISA award is attributed to the 339th, but during a period of time when the lexicon records it was not in service (it was dissolved Jan-15-1944, and brought back in October of that year). Chalk that up to delayed record entry no doubt.

After being resurrected, the 339th was folded into the 167th as noted which was transported to the western front in Dec 1944, but the lexicon doesn’t record anything about the Ardennes and rather says "unknown" about that period of time where this battle takes place. It does show the unit destroyed at Eifel a few months later, which certainly could have put them there prior. I’ll post the Lexicon info below the photos. I’d be thrilled to have more concrete info tying this guy to the Ardennes at the time of the Battle of the Bulge. But, I’m not 100% sure it follows from the evidence I’ve found, even if it certainly seems conceivable.

In December 1944 he joined Grenadier Regiment 339 which was part of the Infanterie-Division Niedergörsdorf and part of the 167. Volks-Grenadier-Division. Here he took part in the Ardennes Offensive.

On New Years Day, the 167th Volksgrenadier and 5th Parachute Divisions aided the panzers in defending the area around the Belgian town of Lutrebois in Luxembourg.

In April 1945 he was once again back in a hospital suffering from a sexual disease again (that time he had Syphilis). Our Casanova apparently couldn’t find a "clean" lady.

Awards issued: Eastern Front Medal, Wound Badge in Black, Iron Cross 2nd Class, Infantry Assault Badge in Silver.

In any case, it’s a nice soldbuch representing someone who carried it through some thick action, and earned recognition for his combat performance. As usual, any clarification, correction, or assistance on this research is a tremendous help, and greatly appreciated.

Lexicon regarding Gren Regiment 339:

Originated on 15 October 1942 by the renaming of the 339 Infantry Regiment and the 167th Infantry Division subordinated. On October 20, 1943, the Second Battalion was dissolved and the Third Battalion was dissolved. Battalion in II. Renamed. On 15 January 1944 the regiment was dissolved and distributed to the regimental groups 331 and 315.

Reconstructed in October 1944 at the Döllersheim military training ground from the second regiment of the Shadow Division Niedergörsdorf, which is located there . In March 1945, the regiment in the Hunsrück was destroyed.

Lexicon regarding Infantry Division Niedergörsdorf

Since September 28, 1944, the 585th People’s Grenadier Division has also been designated as the Shadow Division Niedergörsdorf . The division had been stationed on the Döllersheim military training camp since September 3, 1944, and was renamed to the 167th People’s Grenadier Division at the beginning of October.

Lexicon regarding 167. People’s Grenadier Division

The 167th Volksgrenadier-Division was set up at the end of October 1944 from the Shadow Division Niedergörsdorf, which was placed at the Döllersheim military training ground. The division was relocated to Slovakia and was to be transported to the west on 14 December by Pistyan in Hungary. After being destroyed in the Eifel, the staff on April 4, 1945, was used for the Scharnhorst Division.

1944

date army Corps army army group place
November BdE Döllersheim
December BdE Slovakia

1945

date army Corps army army group place
January unknown
February XIII 7. Army B Eifel
March LIII 7. Army B Eifel
April Reclassification OB West

Click to enlarge the picture