Obergefreiter: Panzer-Lehr-Pionier-Bataillon 130

(Author's Collection)

     Sturmpioniere (combat engineers; literal translation assault engineers) of 2nd. Kompanie, Panzer-Lehr-Pionier-Bataillon 130 make ready to launch an attack against an enemy position...or, it could very well be a training exercise. The main subject of the photograph, an Obergefreiter (the equivalent to a Lance Corporal), as denoted by the two chevrons on his feldbluse's sleeve, makes ready with a Nebelhandgranate (fog hand grenade). This was a modification to the standard M24 Stielhandgranate (stick hand grenade; better known as the "potato masher") in which the explosive warhead was replaced with one which generated smoke. To ensure there was no mistaking the smoke grenade for the M24, it had white bands around the warhead and also in white, the initials Nb.Hgr.39B which stood for the grenade name and the model which was M39B. If that was not enough, many examples had a white band around the shaft and grooves cut into the bottom which allowed the soldier to know which grenade was which by feel if he could not see or was in darkness as the regular M24 grenade did not have such grooves. The smoke issued from vents along the bottom of the warhead. 

     Of interest is the fact he is armed with Karabiner 98a rifle. This was a rifle designed in 1908 as the 98AZ and in 1914 when Germany went to war, it was issued to cavalry, telegraph/telephone operators, artillery troops, transport drivers, and pionieres. These rifles would again go to war in 1939 with the only real modification being grasping grooves in the stock and a new designation (98a). The key identifier is the stacking hook seen underneath the barrel. 

     On his back is the backpack portion of the full Pioniersturmgepäck (Engineer Assault Pack) and this backpack housed the soldier's mess kit (kochgeschirr), shelter half (zeltbahn) and accessories, two Nebelhandgranaten, and one 3kg explosive charge. If need be, the two smoke grenades could be replaced with another 3kg charge. The remainder of the Pioniersturmgepäck is hidden by his body but consisted of two special pouches which held his rifle ammunition (40 rounds total), his gas mask, and a stock of Model 1939 Eihandgranaten ("egg" grenades). In some cases, Stielhandgranaten were carried despite not fitting fully within the pouches or one to two 1kg explosive charges could be carried along with another 3kg charge. That these men belong to 2nd. Kompanie, Panzer-Lehr-Pionier-Bataillon 130 is from another photograph of the same Obergefreiter in which his shoulderboard is visible showing the embroidered "L" for Lehr (which meant "teach") and the number "2" which was for 2nd. Kompanie.

     Much of the initial Panzer-Lehr-Division (which formed in December 1943), of which Panzer-Lehr-Pionier-Bataillon 130 belonged, was made up of instructors, training cadre, and demonstration units which gave the division an elite status from the beginning due to their high level of training and ability. By March 1945, Panzer-Lehr-Division had been ground down to a mere 300 men and 15 tanks and on April 15, what remained after further losses, surrendered to the U.S. 99th. Infantry Division.
 

Vultee A-31 Vengeance: Training Mishap

(Author's Collection)

     A Vultee A-31 Vengeance after a belly landing, waiting for recovery. The Vengeance was a dive-bomber originally designed to meet a requirement for the French Armée de l'Air and suitably impressed with the aircraft, submitted an order for 300 examples with delivery to begin on October 1940. However, the fall of France in June 1940 put an end to the order. Fortunately for Vultee, the British were seeking a dive-bomber as well, having seen the success of the German Junkers Ju 87 “Stuka” first hand. In short order, Vultee had a new order for 300 aircraft. 

     Following the U.S. entry into World War Two, the U.S. Army Air Force (USAAF) repossessed any available Vengeance and soon requested Vultee to produce more for both the USAAF as well as for Lend-Lease. The Vengeance was flown by the Royal Air Force (almost all in the Burma Theater of operations with others serving as target tugs), the Royal Australian Air Force, Brazil, and the Free French Air Force. 

     The U.S., however, never deployed the Vengeance into combat. Instead, the aircraft it possessed served as trainers and target tugs. USAAF Vengeance aircraft were devoid of any weaponry and often, like this one, carried little in the way of markings. This particular Vengeance was likely utilized as a training aircraft as it does not appear to be carrying high visibility paint which was typical of target tugs. Brazil was the last operator of the Vengeance, removing them from service in 1948.
 

Vickers E Type A: 12th. Light Tank Company, Warsaw Armored Motorized Brigade

(Author's Collection)

     A gebirgsjäger of the 1. Gebirgs Division (1st. Mountain Division) pauses to examine an abandoned Polish Vickers E Type A which once belonged to the 12th. Light Tank Company, Warsaw Armored Motorized Brigade (WBP-M). The WBP-M had been engaged with the German 4. Infanterie-Division and 14. Infanterie “Sächsische” Division starting on September 10, 1939. The unit acquitted itself well, repulsing the German attack and even counterattacking the German forces who retreated back towards the Vistula River. However, the Germans renewed the attack, forcing the WBP-M to retreat towards Lwów. However, by this time, the Battle of Lwów was in its opening stages. On September 15, the unit’s commander, Stefan Paweł Rowecki, ordered that any equipment that was no longer necessary or was judged to be unserviceable was to be abandoned and the unit would, on September 17, be engaged in the opening phase of the Battle of Tomaszów Lubelski. By September 19, the unit was all but decimated and Rowecki ordered any remaining heavy equipment (such as tanks) be destroyed and each man seek to escape the German encirclement on their own.

     The vehicle in the ditch behind the Vickers E is a TK-3 tankette. The TK-3 was suitable as a reconnaissance or infantry support vehicle thanks to its low profile. However, with only a machine-gun for armament, it was utterly useless for tank-on-tank combat. Thus, losses of the TK-3 were high. The Polish purchased a license to build the Vickers E and also bought components to construct 50 examples. 38 were built with the parts for the remaining 12 kept as spares. All 38 were built as Type A which had the twin turrets, each with a Vickers machine gun. Later, 22 of the tanks were converted to the Vickers E Type B standard which featured a single turret with a 47mm gun.