Wehrpass Corporal Army Pioneers and Infantry 131.ID Russia EK2 and camp Blechhammer prison

(D22471)

Gerhard Szezina, Corporal (Obergefreiter) Army Pioneers, labour units and Infantry

Wehrpass, 18.6.40. Perforated.

Entitled to: Iron Cross 2nd Class (25.6.42), Wound Badge in Silver (23.9.42) and Winter War Medal (9.12.42).

Construction worker born 1921 in Grafenweiler Oppeln (nowadays named Kolonowskie in Poland). RAD service Oct.40-Jan.41 working for the Luftwaffe. He served: Feb.-Jun.41 for basic military training with pioneer replacements unit Pionier-Ersatz-Bataillon 28 in Strassburg; Jun.-Jul.41 with Standort-Bataillon z.b.V. Breslau; Aug.-Oct.41 with Stabskompanie Oppeln; Oct.41 again with Standort-Bataillon z.b.V. Breslau; Oct.41-Jan.42 with Standort-Bataillon z.b.V. Gleiwitz; Jan.-Feb.42 with Verfügungs-Kompanie Oppeln while working at the Wehrmachts-Gefängnis-Abteilung Blechhammer, military prison and penal unit at the the forced labour concentration camp, largest of the Auschwitz sub-camps, located in Sławięcice near Blachownia Śląska (German: Blechhammer), near the synthetic fuels plant belonging to Oberschlesische Hydrierwerke AG.; Feb.42 with Feld-Ersatz-Bataillon 131 and Feb.-Apr.42 with Infanterie-Regiment 432, both of the 131.Infanterie-Division active in Russia (Juchnow, Wjasma); shot in his left arm and his arm had to amputated; hospitalized and discharged from military service on 22.11.43.