Description
HEER SOLDBUCH – STURMGESCHÜTZ ABTEILUNG 209 + 286
Very nice Soldbuch issued to Obergefreiter Rudolf KÜHL. Has original photo of him wearing Feldgrau StuG tunic. He served in STURMGESCHÜTZ ABTEILUNG 209 + 286. Appears he served with StuG Abt. 209 into the later part of 1943 when he was transferred to StuG Abt. 286, according to dates entered in the Soldbuch. Awards entered include KVK2, EK2 and Sturmabzeichen. Soldbuch was issued October 1, 1941. He survived the was as there are postwar POW stamps inside. Well filled out with many entries. Great Soldbuch to a true StuG crew member. In November 1942 209 was fighting in the Rshew area and by the end of the year was deployed West of STALINGRAD.
StuG Abt. 286 was formed with three batteries in Burg on October 1, 1943. In December 1943, the battalion was relocated to Tours, France, where it was equipped with its Sturmgeschütze. It was then transferred to the Kiriwigrad area on the Eastern Front. On February 14, 1944, the battalion was renamed 2Sturmgeschütz-Brigade 286e. Fighting followed on the Dniester bridgehead east of Kishinev and in Transylvania. On June 10, 1944, it was renamed 286th Army Assault Gun Brigade. After the collapse of the Romanian front in August 1944, the brigade withdrew westward. Fighting in Hungary followed. The brigade was involved in heavy defensive fighting in the Gran bridgehead near Bratislava and Horn. After the establishment of a grenadier escort battery, the brigade was renamed AHeeres-Sturmartillerie-Brigade 286 on 4 April 1945.
