Kurt Leidnecker
Kurt Leidnecker was born on 20-02-1920 in Goldap, East-Prussia.
Kurt's Soldbuch states that he had no father. His mother lived in Leipzig, Germany.
Kurt was first unmarried, but later during the war married with Annemarie Landt who lived in Stettin, Germany.
On 5 september 1941 the Soldbuch pictured in this article was issued to Kurt by Infanterie-Nachrichten-Ersatz-Kompanie 228. This Signals training unit was based in Goldap at this time, as part of Infanterie-Ersatz-Regiment 228. Kurt received basic infantry training and specialized signals/radio training.
After his training was completed, Kurt was send to a combat unit in 1942. This was to be Infanterie-Regiment 43. Kurt was assigned to the 14th company of this unit, this company was the anti-tank company of the Regiment.
Infanterie-Regiment 43 was part of the 1. Infanterie-Division. In 1942 this unit was stationed in the Leningrad-Wolchow area on the eastern-front. I do not know at what exact date Kurt was with his combat unit, but it must have been early/mid 1942.
The 1. Infanterie-Division was engaged in heavy battles with the Soviet forces. On the third of Mai 1942 Kurt received the Wound-badge in Black. Kurt must have suffered a small wound at the front and stayed with his unit as this wound was not noted on the hospitals page of his Soldbuch.
In early June 1942, at the Wolchow-front, Kurt was hit by (artillery) grenade shrapnell at his right eye.
Kurt was moved to a hospital and arrived at Kriegslazarett 608 on the 11th of June. 4 days later Kurt was send to Reserve-Lazarett Lötzen in East-Prussia. Kurt did not stay here, after 4 days he was send to a hospital in Berlin, Germany. Kurt Arrived at Reserve-Lazarett 136 on 21 June 1942. After a short month, on 17 July 1942, Kurt was released from the hospital and send to an Ersatz (training/replacement) unit.
The Ersatz unit was Infanterie-Ersatz-Bataillon 1 based in Theresienstadt, Czech. Kurt received convalescent leave from 21 July till 18 August 1942. During his leave, his Ersatz unit was moved to Königsberg in East-Prussia and Kurt was awarded the Wound-badge in Silver. The silver grade of this badge was given to soldiers that received 3 or more combat wounds or one or two severe combat wound(s). Mostlikly Kurt received his due to the severe shrapnell wound at his right eye. Maybe he lost part of his vision? On the 28th of August 1942 Kurt was awarded the Iron-Cross II class, probably for his frontline service in combination with his (severe) combat wound.
After his leave and some time with Ersatz units Kurt was send to a new field unit, this was Landes-Bau-Bataillon (B) 14. Kurt was put in the 2nd company. This was a construction unit filled with men not fit for active front duty. This indicates that Kurt was not fit anymore for frontline duty due to his previous wound, which must have been severe. The locations that this unit operated in are not known to me.
On 1 November 1942 Kurt was promoted to Gefreiter (private first class). Later this unit was re-named to Landes-Bau-Pionier-Bataillon (B) 14. From 25 August 1943 till 3 September 1943 Kurt was hospitalized at Reserve-Lazarett III Bremen due to Influenza. At some date in 1944, Kurt was transferred to 3rd Company of Bau-und-Arbeits-Bataillon (It.) 199. This construction and labour unit was made up from Italian prisoners of war with a German cadre. This unit was based in Neu Isenburg, close to Frankfurt am Main, in Wehrkreis IX and numbered about 700 men.
In late 1944 Kurt was with Pionier-Ersatz-Bataillon 14 in Weissenfels. As the Russian closed in on the borders of the Third Reich, every able man was needed on the front. In late 1944 and in 1945 many ad-hoc units got created from soldiers on leave, non-combatants, soldiers not fit for front duty and partly untrained conscripts. Kurt was ordered to one of those Kampfgruppen. Kurt was send to the Pionier company of Kampfgruppe Brukat. This unit was also known as Kampfgruppe 2/IV with fieldpostnumber 22570. Mostlikly its commander was Rittmeister Kurt Brukat, although i havn't found 100% prove of this yet. Rittmeister Brukat was the holder of the German Cross in Gold.
With this unit Kurt fought in the Steinau, (Schlesien) area in 1945. Here the Russians had made a bridgehead at the Oder river. On 27 January 1945 Kurt was fighting at Rädlitz, aprox. 12 km south-west of Steinau. During the battles here Kurt died. Kurt was burried in Ossig (now part of Poland as Osiek), 9 km north-west of Rädlitz. South of Lüben (now called Lubin). Rittmeister Brukat died a few days later on 2-2-1945 at a fieldhospital with Fieldpostnumber 43583. Its location at that time is not know to me. Someone took the Soldbuch and personal items from the body of Kurt. I do not know how, but his Soldbuch and the ripped off Iron-Cross II Class ribbon ended up with a collector of whom i bought it many years ago.
