Observation Department 9
The observation department 9 (Beo.Abt.9) of the National Socialist German Reich was set up on October 6, 1936 in Fulda , in the military district IX (Kassel) . The department was set up by donations from observation department 5 and observation department 19 and placed under the 9th Infantry Division . The division was initially housed in the artillery barracks. The first recruits joined the department in October 1936. On May 1, 1937, the department moved into the new barracks on the Münsterfeld in Fulda. In the summer of 1937 the department had two short stays at the Zossen military training area . On October 12, 1937, the department was renamed Observation Department 15 and placed under the 15th Infantry Division .
Calls
As a replacement , a new observation department 9 was set up in Mühlhausen , also military district IX, on October 12, 1937 . The department was set up by dividing the old department and donating the observation and teaching department, observation department 1, observation department 4, observation department 18 and observation department 28. The new department was also subordinated to the 9th Infantry Division. The measuring battery was parked in the summer of 1938 for preparatory tasks on the Siegfried Line in the Trier - Prüm area . In September 1938, the rest of the department followed into the same room, so that operational bases for the 100-kilometer wide operational area could be created. During the Sudeten crisis , the department was relocated to Austria on September 24, 1938. On October 11, 1938, the department crossed the border into South Bohemia . As early as October 15, 1938, they began to march back from the Znaim- Zwettl area to Mühlhausen . On November 1, 1938, the department was moved to its final location in Marburg , also military district IX.
In 1939 the department was moved back to the Siegfried Line. There the department received a mobilization order in the summer of 1939. As a result, the department had to cede half of its staff to the newly established observation department 29 and was replenished by reservists . From August 26, 1939, the department then moved into positions in the Zweibrücken - Pirmasens area . There the department was used in the area of the general command of the Saarpfalz border troops in the 9th Infantry Division . The first job for the department during the war was artillery reconnaissance in the Bitsch area . In December 1939 the department became an army force, but initially remained subordinate to the 9th Infantry Division.
In the spring of 1940 the unit was moved to the Eifel in the area between Prüm - Daun. The was now the 23rd Infantry Division at III. Army Corps subordinated. During an exercise on May 9, 1940, the department received the order to march into the staging area in Neuerburg bei Jucken. On May 10, 1940, the department crossed the border into Luxembourg . The march into Belgium and through the Ardennes went off without a hitch. It was even possible that the division's combat squadrons were able to smuggle into tank formations in order to advance faster. The first planned reconnaissance mission no longer came to fruition, as the department passed La Grandville on May 17, 1940. On May 18, 1940, the department turned south to Rethel an der Aisne , from where, west of the city, from the beginning of June 1940 they could detect and fight numerous enemy batteries deep into the rear terrain. With the crossing of the Aisne on June 11, 1940, the effect of the reconnaissance could be seen. It went on quickly in an easterly direction until Dijon was reached on June 21, 1940 . In Dijon all vehicles of the department for the transport of the infantry were parked, which brought their troops over Lyon in the rear of the French alpine front. The department also hurried towards Lyon, where they took up position about 65 kilometers from Lyon. With the armistice on June 26, 1940, the combat squadrons returned to Dijon. The entire department remained there as an occupation force until July 23, 1940. On July 24, 1940, the order to march to Dunkirk was given to monitor the canal. After eight days, the department was assigned the area south of Saint-Quentin as the area of occupation.
On February 24, 1941 the order was issued to relocate the department to the east. The department was relocated to Neu-Bentschen by rail. From here the march went to Schwainingen, east of Posen . From there, in May 1941, the department moved further east to the Gnesen area . At the beginning of June 1941 the department was transferred to the Mielau military training area. The last positions before the attack on the Soviet Union were southeast of Raczki and Jaski along the border in the Suwalki area . In mid-June 1941, the Arko 18 division was under the 9th Army . After breaking through the Soviet border positions at Augustowo on June 22, 1941, further deployments were carried out at Siderka from June 24 to 26, 1941, and at Sidra from June 26 to 28, 1941. The division quickly followed the tank units via Sokółka - Lida - Vilnius- Margonie- Molodeczno to Minsk . There the department came under the command of the 12th Panzer Division , which charged it with the collection and guarding of prisoners in the open field. In early July 1941, the department was assigned to the LVII. Subordinate to Army Corps and advanced to the Daugava via Lepel . This river was crossed from July 10 to July 12, 1941. Thereafter, the detachment was used to secure the left flank of the 18th Infantry Division (motorized) at Suid, southeast of Polotsk, infantry. The department was later used again until July 17, 1941 for reconnaissance at Gorodok. Then the department was used from July 18 to 23, 1941 for reconnaissance further north near Newel . Thereafter, the division was deployed 80 kilometers north-northeast of Welisch from July 26 to 29, 1941 on the Daugava. Then it went back to Welisch and from there further east. Until July 30, 1941, the marching distance of the division was 1,500 kilometers. From July 30, 1941 to August 29, 1941, the department cleared up with great success from the Bor area in the direction of Bjeloje. The department was subordinate to the 18th Infantry Division (motorized) until August 10, 1944 and then to the 129th Infantry Division . In mid-September 1941, the department was assigned to Arko 125. During this time, the department cleared up many enemy positions around the forming pocket around Vyazma. The beginning of the mud season resulted in several forced stays in the next few weeks, so that the department did not intervene again in the fighting until November 15, 1941. They had occupied positions on the Lama north of Wolokolamsk with sound and light in order to prepare the attack on November 17, 1941 in the direction of Moscow . Despite heavy resistance and snow, it was possible to advance to Klin, 60 kilometers from Moscow. It was here that the department suffered its first major losses. From December 5, 1941, at temperatures of minus 48 degrees, the detachment was thrown back from Siberia by the intervention of Soviet reinforcements as far as Klin and on to the Lama, north of Wolokolamsk, near Jaropoletz.
The year 1942 began for the department in the positions ten kilometers northwest near Lataschino. By the end of January 1942, the department had moved 30 kilometers north of Gshatsk. Here again numerous enemy batteries were successfully cleared up. In the spring of 1942 the department was reclassified into a light observation department (motorized) with the dissolution of the 1st (survey) battery. At the end of June 1942 the unit led under the Arko 126 of the VI. Army Corps carried out a difficult reconnaissance mission west of Rzhev to a width of 35 kilometers. The department's right neighbor was observation department 6. According to a report dated July 7, 1942, since the beginning of the war against the Soviet Union, 8 soldiers have died, 72 wounded, 106 soldiers treated with frostbite and 15 assault badges awarded. At the beginning of October 1942, the sound radio relay of observation department 6 was subordinated to the department. Together, the expected attack on both sides should be better cleared up by Rshew . However, this attack did not materialize. From December 1942 the rear parts of the department were then near Smolensk and were used for artillery location.
On February 27, 1943, the front was shortened to the "buffalo position". During this withdrawal movement, the division in the rear with combat reconnaissance did so well that the Ia of the corps was often at the command post of the division in order to follow the course of the operation. After arriving in the Smolensk area, the detachment east of Velish was used for artillery reconnaissance. When the expansion of the positions was just completed, the unit was moved 40 kilometers south to the front northeast of Demidow . The department was ready for action after just 24 hours, despite the onset of the mud period. This quick change of position was made by the commanding general of VI. Army Corps mentioned in a special commendation. From these positions the department was able to clear around 135 enemy batteries by August 1943. Due to these excellent reconnaissance results, the enemy artillery grouping could be recognized in time and fought by the own artillery. The summer offensive of the Red Army, which began in August 1943, forced the unit from September 15, 1943 to October 10, 1943 to withdraw as planned to "pant production". But as early as November 1943, the "bear position" 15 kilometers to the west was used, with parts of the department being used as infantry. The new focal point was southeast of Vitebsk , where the artillery and combat reconnaissance division operated.
During the winter of 1943/44, the unit often had to abandon systems and move west. On March 1, 1944, these strong fighting brought the division the 4500th target of the war against the Soviet Union, which was also reported in the front newspaper of the 3rd Panzer Army . Heavy enemy attacks forced the unit to withdraw further and further until shortly before Vitebsk. The increasingly critical situation ended on June 22, 1944 with the enclosure of Vitebsk. The tumultuous events tore the department apart. Only a small part of the division managed to get through to the west. In October 1944, the unit in East Prussia was expanded in terms of personnel and material. Some of them were also used to jump into positions close to the border. In mid-October 1944, the rail transport department was relocated from Johannisburg to work at Wirballen. There, on October 16, 1944, another enemy offensive began, which penetrated into the contested area around Gołdap . The commander fell in the ground of the balloon train.
The 4th Army was able to hold the position until mid-January 1945 . Then there was another offensive, which seemed to encircle the 4th Army far left and right. On January 21, 1945 the order to dismount was finally given under the direction of Captain Düll. Across East Prussia, through deep snow and with panje sledges, always heading west over Lötzen , Rösseln, Bartenstein to Mehlsack. At this point the 4th Army was encircled by the advance of the Red Army on Elbing . Due to an attempt to escape via Landsberg , Zinten along the lagoon to the Heiligenbeil airfield , the unit came with almost no losses. On the evening of March 10 or 11, 1945, the detachment near Rosenberg was disbanded by the last commanding officer, Captain Düll. The evaluators and radio operators were assigned to observation department 1, the others distributed to different units.
Replacement force for the department was the observation replacement department 31 in Braunschweig, in military district XI.
Commanders
| person | Beginning | The End |
|---|---|---|
| Captain Baron van der Hoop | October 6, 1936 (installation) | January 31, 1937 |
| Captain Ehdam | February 1, 1937 | October 12, 1937 (renamed) |
| Lieutenant Colonel Hüther | October 12, 1937 realignment | October 30, 1939 |
| Lieutenant Colonel Hilliger | November 1, 1939 | December 20, 1942 |
| Major Rauch | December 1942 | April 16, 1944 |
| Captain Hans-Dietrich Stecher | April 1944 | October 1944 (fallen) |
| Captain Düll | October 1944 | March 1945 |
| function | person |
|---|---|
| Department Commander | Lieutenant Colonel Hüther |
| Department Adjutant | Lieutenant Rauch |
| Ordinance officer | Lieutenant Ganst |
| Officer at the staff | Major (E) Dr. Koeninger |
| Boss 1st battery | Captain Tröller |
| Platoon leader | Lieutenant Falls |
| Platoon leader | Lieutenant Altmann |
| Platoon leader | Lieutenant Bauer |
| Boss 2nd battery | Captain Schulze |
| Platoon leader | Lieutenant Schenk |
| Platoon leader | Lieutenant Mehlan |
| Boss 3rd battery | First Lieutenant Stessani |
| Platoon leader | Lieutenant Wohlleben |
| Platoon leader | Lieutenant Mehrgardt |
Field Post Numbers
Field post numbers from mobilization : The 1st battery was deleted from the field post overview in 1942. In 1943 the units were renamed to light observation department 9. On June 9, 1944, a reinforced weather train was registered with the department. On December 11th, 1944, this was renamed to Wetterpeilzug 504.
| unit | Field Post Number | annotation |
|---|---|---|
| Rod | 07405 | |
| 1. Survey battery | 07483 | canceled 1942 |
| 2. Sound measurement battery | 07975 | |
| 3. Light measuring battery | 25557 | |
| reinforced weather train | 26513 | from June to December 1944 |
swell
- Hans Joachim Froben, history of the observation departments and independent observation batteries up to 1945. Munich 1972.
- Dirk Wilke, Ritter - Order booklet 4, September 2007, Kowal Verlag, ISSN 1862-1368
- O. Henkel, Comradeship B 9 Stadtallendorf.
- Georg Tessin : Associations and troops of the German Wehrmacht and Waffen SS in World War II 1939–1945. Volume 3: The Land Forces 6-14 . 2nd Edition. Biblio-Verlag, Bissendorf 1974, ISBN 3-7648-0942-6 .