Wehrpass Gefreiter 260.ID Russia and 90.leichte Afrika-Division Africa Corps KIA 1943 Tunis area

(D22436)

Artur Schmidt, Lance Corporal (Gefreiter) Army Recco. and motorized Infantry Africa Corps

Wehrpass, 28.12.42. Dritt-Schrift, third issue (for sending to his parents when he was KIA). Without pass photo as issued (not removed).

Scanned picture of his WAST card, German military registration card for fallen soldiers, that can be found on the internet.

Entitled to: Winter War Medal (1.9.42), General Assault Badge (23.10.42) and German-Italian campaign medal „Africa Medal“ (9.3.43). Not entered but he must also have been entitled to a wound badge because of his injury 1942.

Born 1920 in Calmbach Calw. RAD service May-Sep.40. He served: Oct.-Dec.40 with Infanterie-Ersatz-Bataillon 460 in Karlsruhe; Dec.40-Jan.42 with Aufklärungs-Abteilung 260, recconaissance unit of the 260.Infanterie-Division active in Middle Russia (Brest-Litowsk, Bobruisk, Kiew, Brjansk, Moscow, Juchnow, Ugra); Jan.42 got frostbite 2nd degree at his fingers and repatriated to Germany, also hospitalized for rheumatism and heart problem and till Sep.42 attached to his replacements unit Kavallerie-Ersatz-Abteilung 18; Sep.-Oct.42 with Marsch-Bataillon 22.(LL). Marching unit of the 22.Infanterie-Division, Luftlande-Division, at that moment based on Crete for garrison duty; Nov.42-Mar.43 with 10./Grenadier-Regiment 47 of the motorized 90.leichte Afrika-Division active in Africa.

Nov.42 the Western Allies landed a large Anglo-American force in Morocco and Algeria. This operation sealed the fate of the Axis in North Africa as a combined force was now set to converge on the German and Italian armies from both the east and west. By December 1942, the Germans were back at El Agheila. Next to fall were El Agheila, Merduma, and Sirte. The 90.leichte continued to serve as a blocking force at Homs and finally at Tripoli, the last bastion of the Germans in all of Libya. By mid-February 1943 all of Libya was firmly in British hands. After the fall of Libya, the Anglo-American advance on Tunisia encroached from both the northwest and the east. At the Tunisian frontier, the 90.leichte held positions in the Mareth Line which the British struck on March 23rd, 1943. The 90.leichte Afrika-Division (mot) is remembered by the Allies as a hard-fighting and determined unit that was followed with great interest by British Intelligence. It fought in nearly every battle from the first attacks into the lines around Tobruk in November 1941 to the last stand in Tunisia in 1943. In the process, it lost thousands of men and left an elite battle record second to none.

Artur was KIA on 17.3.43 and buried at the war cemetery of the 90.leichte Afrika-Division in Oase El Mdou 9km south of Gabes (near Tunis).

Recent information German War Casualties Organization:
Artur Schmidt
Date of birth 26.04.1920
Place of birth –
Death/missing date 17.03.1943
Death/missing place –
Service rank Gefreiter
Artur Schmidt is buried in the military cemetery in Bordj-Cedria .
Endgrablage: Hof DOU Ossario 1 Tafel 2