Description
SOLDBUCH – WILHELM SCHMECHEL – OBERFELDWEBEL – INFANTERIE-REGIMENT “FELDHERRNHALLE”
DETAILS:
Zweitschrift (duplicate) Soldbuch issued to Wilhelm Schmechel, born 4 February 1909 in Jablonowo. Protestant; civilian occupation Landwirt (farmer). Includes a striking uniform portrait photograph showing Schmechel wearing a field-grey Sturmgeschütz (StuG) wrap tunic. This uniform was common for crews of self-propelled guns and was frequently adopted by the infantry gun companies of elite units like the “Feldherrnhalle” due to their use of armored support vehicles.
Schmechel was a highly experienced NCO serving with the 13. (I.G.) Kompanie, Infanterie-Regiment “Feldherrnhalle”. As part of the 13th company, he was a specialist in Infanterie-Geschütz (infantry support guns). The “Feldherrnhalle” was an elite formation with strong ties to the SA; service in this unit, combined with the specialized StuG-style tunic, indicates a high level of tactical status within the regiment.
Pages 3 through 6 are missing from this example, which is common in combat-used books but means specific details regarding his initial award citations and full unit transition history are absent. However, service on the Eastern Front is heavily documented through medical and equipment entries. In September 1941, he was wounded in the leg, followed by a severe admission in October 1941 for multiple shrapnel wounds (Granatspl. Verletz.) to the buttocks, left arm, and left hand. Further medical entries in March 1942 show a hospital stay for Nasenkatarrh (severe nasal infection) during the brutal Russian winter.
Rank progression reflects a steady and distinguished career, culminating in his promotion to Oberfeldwebel on 1 July 1944. As a senior leader, his equipment entries are extensive, including the issue of professional-grade optics (Doppelfernrohr) and a marching compass (Marschkompaß) for directing gun fire.
The book shows continuous field use through the very end of the war. Multiple entries from March and April 1945 record the issue of a new gas mask and gas sheet, as well as final vaccinations. These late-war stamps from the Zahlmeisterei Stab g.R. “Feldherrnhalle” confirm Schmechel remained in the line during the final defense of the Reich.
AWARDS:
Award pages (Page 21-22) are missing, but his shrapnel wound entries (Page 12) confirm eligibility for at least the Verwundetenabzeichen in Schwarz (Wound Badge).
PROMOTIONS:
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Feldwebel – (Pre-1943)
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Oberfeldwebel – 1 July 1944
UNITS:
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13. / I. R. “Feldherrnhalle” (Infantry Gun Company)
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J. G. Ers. Kp. 76 (Infanterie-Geschütz Replacement Company 76)
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Infanterie-Ersatz-Regiment 208 (Replacement unit)
STATUS:
Active service documented through the final weeks of the war (April 1945).
CORRESPONDENCE:
The postwar letter is a poignant addition to this group, written approximately 37 years after the conflict (likely in the early 1980s) by a former comrade named K. Görer to “Werter Herr Schmechel” (Dear Mr. Schmechel). In the letter, Görer confirms their shared service in the 13. I.G. Kompanie (Feldherrnhalle), specifically naming Lt. Heinze and Feldwebel Becker as their respective platoon leaders. He provides a detailed trace of the unit’s combat path, moving from the Orel/Orel-Bogen sector on the Eastern Front to Southern France, before returning to the East for the heavy fighting at Vitebsk, Orsha, and Mogilev. The narrative takes a dark turn during the Soviet summer offensive of 1944 (Operation Bagration), where Görer describes being captured in the “Kessel” (pocket/encirclement) in July and remaining in Soviet captivity until November 1945. The letter concludes on a somber personal note; Görer mentions that he has not encountered any other survivors from their company and details his own declining health following a major surgery, which has physically hindered him in his later years.
