Description
HEER OFFICER SOLDBUCH & AWARD DOCUMENT GROUPING – STURMGESCHÜTZ BATTERIE 667 – GOLD WOUND BADGE – AACHEN 1945
Excellent StuG Soldbuch named to Leutnant Herbert GASSNER. Comes with great uniform photo of the man wearing Feldgrau StuG tunic. He served in STURMGESCHÜTZ BATTERIE 667. Awards entered include KRIMSCHILD, EK2, Black Wound Badge, Silver Wound Badge GOLD WOUND BADGE and Sturmabzeichen. Also comes with his EK2 award document with original signature 268 Inf. Division commander Generallt. Heinz GREINER as well as his wound tag. He was awarded the Gold Wound Badge on April 29, 1945. Super grouping to a StuG commander who saw much front action in Russia!
The 667th Assault Gun Battery was established as an independent assault gun battery in Zinna by order of May 28, 1940, with operational readiness by August 1, 1940. The formation was completed in July 1940. The battery relocated to France and participated in several loading exercises for Operation Sea Lion. At the end of 1940, the battery returned to Germany and was relocated to the Döberitz military training area. In March 1941, it was relocated to the Heilsberg district in East Prussia. Shortly before the start of the Russian campaign, the battery was placed under the command of the 30th Infantry Division, in whose formation it crossed the border near Memelwalde on June 22, 1941. The Russian enemy was driven across the Niewiza River toward Kedaniai. The pursuit battles in eastern Lithuania and then in Latvia lasted until July 7. The Dvina River was crossed near Liewenhof. On July 8, heavy fighting broke out around Sebezh. Near Opochka, the battery, as part of the 30th Infantry Division, forced a breakthrough through the Stalin Line and immediately reached Noworzhev. After reaching the Lovata, the battery advanced towards Leningrad. Between August 19 and 27, the battery fought at the crossing over the strait northwest of Luga. Between September 12 and 15, it successfully broke through the Izhora Line and subsequently captured the city of Slutsk. The fighting outside Leningrad lasted until December 8, 1941. On December 9, the battery was relocated to the northern Volkhov River and deployed there in the winter of 1941/42 in the heavy defensive operations of the XXVIII Army Corps. At the end of March 1943, the remnants of the battery were withdrawn from the front and relocated back to Zinna in Germany. On June 19, 1942, Wehrkreis III ordered the formation of Assault Gun Battalion 667 with three batteries. Assault Gun Battery 667 was incorporated into the new battalion as the 1st Battery.
The 667th Assault Gun Battalion was established on June 24, 1942, by expanding the 667th Assault Gun Battery to four batteries in Jüterbog. After its formation, the battalion was loaded in Jüterbog at the end of July 1942 and moved by rail via Daugavpils and Vitebsk to the Vyazma area. As part of the 5th Panzer Division, it was deployed for the first time at the Khleppen bridgehead. Battles followed near Gredyakino and Kholm. Heavy fighting broke out in the Rzhev-Sulzov area. Fighting in the Rzhev area continued over the following months. By January 31, 1943, the battalion had destroyed 468 enemy tanks. At the start of Operation Buffalo Movement on March 1, 1943, via Vyazma to the Dnieper and from there to Dorogobuzh, the battalion secured the German retreat. The detachment then secured the airstrip southwest of Vyazma, where it was subordinate to the 98th Infantry Division. Operations in the Yelnya, Roslwl, and Krichev areas followed. In the fall of 1943, the detachment was relocated from Mogilev to Smolensk. Until the summer of 1944, the Mogilev, Smolensk, Vitebesk, and Nevel front sectors remained the detachment’s main operational areas. On February 14, 1944, the detachment was renamed Assault Gun Brigade 667. On June 10, 1944, it was reorganized into Army Assault Artillery Brigade 667. For this purpose, the brigade received a 4th (Grenadier Escort) Battery. After the start of the Russian summer offensive on June 22, 1944, the brigade was largely wiped out. Remnants reached Poznan, where they were rebuilt. In the Posen area, the 245th Assault Gun Brigade was incorporated into the brigade. The brigade was transferred to the Western Front and deployed in the Aachen area.
