German Armored Forces & Vehicles

Another worn-out Landser?

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Actually the photo shows Walther von Hünersdorff (born November 28, 1898 in Cairo/Egypt) as Colonel and commander of Panzer-Regiment 11 during Operation Wintergewitter, the attempt to relieve the 6th Army at Stalingrad, December 1942. Oberst von Hünersdorff eventually DOW at the military hospital at Kharkov (Kriegslazarett mot. 1/610 Charkow) on July 17, 1943 as commander of 6th Panzer-Division. He was wounded during the German Kursk offensive four days before when he received a grazing shot in the morning of July 13 and a head shot in the afternoon. The next day, July 14, he was awarded the oak leaves and was posthumously promoted to Lieutenant General. He was buried in Kharkov, in presence of his wife who served as a Red Cross nurse in the very same Ukrainian town. Lt. Gen. Hünersdorff's final resting place is unknown by today, his name is registered in the memorial book of the German Military Cemetery at Kharkov/Ukraine. See here for a photo of the funeral including hte widow holding the wreath: http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Bundesarchiv_Bild_101I-022-2940-22,_Russland,_Beisetzung_Oberst_Walther_v._H%C3%BCnersdorff.jpg