Adventures in My Youth

Publishers’ Note

Many military terms have been retained in their original German, and readers are directed to the glossary for English definitions.

The publishers’ wish to extend their thanks to the author, Dr Armin Scheiderbauer, for his patience and support for this book. He has dealt with all our enquiries and requests with the utmost politeness and promptitude. Dr Sarah Williams kindly agreed to write the prologue, and the publishers’ would like to express their gratitude for her accurate work.

To provide some background to the author’s experiences, it was felt that a brief summary of the wartime activities of the 252nd Infantry Division might prove useful to readers.

The division was created on 26 August 1939, as a so-called ‘4th Wave’ division, from replacement units of Wehrkreis VIII. At that time it consisted of:

Inf.Rgts. 452, 461, 472

All divisional-level units numbered 252

1939

Polish campaign – formed part of Kampfgruppe Gienanth, seeing action at Miltitsch, Herrnstadt, Krotoschin-Lissa, Görschen, Kröben, Jarotschin and Wreschen. Security work in the Konin-Klesczew area, and Posen. Transported to the Western front, October 1939.

1939–40

West/French campaign – assigned to 1st Army, attacked through the Maginot Line at Geblingen, Schweix, Willerwald, the Saar canal. Further offensive operations in the Vosges, Badonviller and Celles. Transferred to Poland in July 1940, where it remained until the invasion of the U.S.S.R.

1941

Eastern Front – formed part of 4th Army, Army Group Centre, where it fought around Bialystok and in White Russia, June-September. In October it was with 4th Panzergruppe around Vyazma, and the drive on Moscow. On 11 November Inf.Rgt. 452 was disbanded, and replaced by Inf.Rgt. 7, from the 28th Inf.Div.

1942

Eastern Front – With 4th Panzer Army until April, around Gshatsk, then with 3rd Panzer Army in the same area until the end of the year.

1943

Eastern Front – Transferred to 4th Army, with which it served at Jelnja, February to October. In November it returned to 3rd Panzer Army, around Orsha and Nevel. Grenadier Regt. 472 was temporarily inactive between 25 February 1943 and July 1944.

1944

Eastern Front – Remained with 3rd Panzer Army for much of the year, through Operation Bagration and the withdrawal to Lithuania. In July, the Division was reorganised as follows:

Gren.Regts. 7, 461, 472

All divisional-level units continued to be numbered 252

Transferred to 2nd Army in October, around the Narev bridgehead, Poland.

1945

Eastern Front – Defended the Narev area in the Soviet Vistula-Oder offensive, and subsequent retreat to West Prussia. Although much of the remnants of the Division escaped to Bornholm, they were ‘repatriated’ to Kolberg, and Soviet captivity.

For those wishing to read more about 252nd I.D. and Grenadierregiment 7 the following are recommended:

Walter Melzer Geschichte der 252. Infanterie-Division 1939–1945 (Podzun Verlag, 1960)

Romuald Bergner Schlesische Infanterie. Grenadier-Regiment 7. Das Infanterie-Regiment 7 und seine Stamm-Truppenteile in Krieg und Frieden. Eine Chronik schlesischer Infanterie 1808–1945 (Pöppinghaus, 1980)