Germany – Third Reich: A Highly Unusual Special Badge for the Single-Handed Destruction of a Tank Document Group to Unteroffizier Ludwig Ehrle, 3rd Company, 5th Machine-Gun Battalion (motorised), Army Troops; 3rd Company, 5th Heavy Mortar Battalion (motorised), 78th Assault Division, and finally 3rd Company, 19th Heavy Mortar Battalion (motorised), Army Troops, who was noted in a Battalion Order of the Day for Destroying a British MK III Valentine Infantry Tank on 4th July 1944 during the Russian encirclement and destruction of the German 4th Army. Ehrle however escaped this encirclement only to be killed on 19th October 1944 in the Defence of the East Prussian Border Area.
A rare Wehrpass and Document Group to a combat proven member of a heavy mortar Battalion, who was also awarded a certificate for the Single-Handed Destruction of a Tank Badge, he was killed on the Eastern Front on 19th October 1944. Award Certificates: The General Assault Badge awarded by Army HQ on 8th March 1942 as an Obergefreiter, 3/5th Machine Gun Battalion (motorised). Facsimile signature of Schmidt as Generaloberst and Commander-in-Chief 2nd Panzer Army. Signed for correctness by an Oberst and Adjutant.
The Ostmedaille awarded on 14th August 1942 as an Unteroffizier, 3/5th Machine-Gun Battalion (motorised). Signed by Lemp as Hauptmann and Battalion Commanding Officer.
Lemp was awarded the German Cross in Gold on 21.8.1942 as Hauptmann and Battalion Commanding Officer.
Note: This document is the preliminary award certificate.
The Ostmedaille awarded on 14th August 1942 as an Unteroffizier, 3/5th Heavy Mortar Battalion (motorised). Signed by a Hauptmann and Battalion Commanding Officer at Battalion HQ on 10.2.1944.
This document is the official award certificate signed at a much later date.
The Vehicle Driver’s Proficiency Badge in Bronze awarded by Battalion HQ on 5th June 1943 as an Unteroffizier, 3/5th Heavy Mortar Battalion (motorised) signed by Lemp as Major and Battalion Commanding Officer.
Extract from 5th Heavy Mortar Battalion (motorised) Order of 25.8.1944.
II. Decorations:
‘I award the ‘Special Badge for the Single-handed Destruction of a Tank’ to Unteroffizier Ehrle, 3rd Company, for the destruction of an enemy MK III tank on 4.7.1944 in Krasne and I express my complete recognition for the outstanding guts shown’
Signed by Prinzing as Leutnant and Battalion Commanding Officer:
Notes: A British Mk III Valentine Infantry Tank. – Krasne, now Krasnyy Dor was in the pocket where 4th Army was cut off by the Russians and destroyed. Ehrle escaped and lived to fight another day.
Wehrpass: Second Issue started on 2nd August 1944 after the first was lost through enemy action (probably when his unit was destroyed as part of Operation Bagration – Shows personal details, including date and place brith, details of units served in, decorations, promotions, training, wounds and details of the campaigns in which he served.
Documents:
A note dated 13.4.1942 from the Garrison Allowances Officer, Offenburg
To: Obergefreiter Ludwig Ehrle, FP No 27 733
Reference: Your card of 21.3.1942
Subject: Your Iron Savings Account No 32243 with the Region Savings Bank Offenburg.
Summary of Note: States an Iron Savings Account has been opened. Confirmation by the Regional Savings Bank is enclosed. The account can be transferred after the war to the Uberlingen Branch.
The Regional Savings Bank Offenburg Confirmation slip covering the opening of an Iron Savings Account No 32243 with the Bank.
Ludwig Ehrle was born on 2nd December 1915 in Unterreitnau, Kreis Lindau, Bavaria, his civil occupation was given as Waiter. His father was a Restaurant Owner and his parent (mother died on 21.3.1943) lived in Uberlingen.
Ehrle was a pre-war soldier who joined up on 5th November 1937, he initially served with the HQ Company of 5th Machine Gun Battalion until 10th November 1938 when he transferred to 3rd Company, 5th Machine Gun Battalion with whom he served on the outbreak of war.
Serving in the West during the winter of 1939-40, he was awarded the German Defence Wall Decoration on 15th March 1940, before taking part in the invasion of France in May 1940, where his unit advanced through Luxembourg and along the River Somme before attacking southwards towards and over the River Loire, he ended the campaign in south-west France.
After the campaign in France, he spent some time in the Recuperation Company, 4th Machine Replacement Battalion before on 8th May 1941 he transferred to the 3/5th Machine Gun Battalion (motorised) in time for the invasion of the Soviet Union.
As part of Army Group Centre Ehrle was involved in the advance via, Bialystok, Minsk, the Dnieper, the Duna, Smolensk, Roslavl, Krichev and Gomel before turning south to take part in the giant encirclement battle that took place to the east of Kiev. After this Ehrle’s unit was involved in Operation Typhoon, the assault on Moscow, where he was involved in the double encirclement battles at Bryansk and Vyazma, before driving on Tula to the south of Moscow.
Taking part in the defensive actions that came about as a result of the Red Army’s winter counterattacks around Moscow, Ehrle was awarded the Iron Cross 2nd Class on 11th February 1942 for an act of gallantry in the area around Bolchov, shortly afterwards on 18th March 1942 he was awarded the General Assault Badge, this most likely for his role in the attacks before Moscow the previous autumn.
Ehrle received his final promotion to Unteroffizier on 1st April 1942, continuing to fight in the Orel area he remained with his unit throughout 1942, receiving his Ostmedaille on 14th August 1942 for his role in the fighting the previous winter. Ehrle’s unit was modified to a heavy Mortar Battalion, in the 78th Assault Division on 1st February 1943, with this unit he was awarded the Driver’s Proficiency Badge in Bronze on 5th June 1943 before he was involved in Operation Citadel (Battle of Kursk) in July. After the defeat of this offensive, the Red Army began a general offensive in the Orel area, pushing the forces in the salient there back.
Ehrle was awarded the Close Combat Bar in Bronze on 10th November 1943 while his unit was fighting defensive battles on the Dnieper shortly after the recapture of Smolensk by the Red Army. Under severe Red Army pressure, the Wehrmacht in the area continued its retreat slowly westwards.
In June 1944 Ehrle’s unit was caught up in Operation Bagration, the Red Army’s decisive summer offensive, Ehrle’s unit being destroyed in this fighting. Early in the offensive on 4th July 1944, Ehrle single-handedly destroyed a British Valentine MK III Infantry Tank (presumably given to the Red Army as part of the lend-lease agreement), and he was decorated for this on 25th August 1944 with the Special Badge for the Single-Handed Destruction of a Tank.
Shortly after this, Ehrle transferred to Transit Company, 5th Heavy Mortar Replacement and Training Battalion, with this unit between 1st and 13th September 1944, he quickly transferred to 3/19th Heavy Mortar (12cm) Battalion, 23rd Army Corps.
Fighting with this unit to the north of Warsaw as the Red Army attempted to push into East Prussia. Ehrle received an Iron Cross 1st Class on 4th October 1944 for his part in the fighting in the area. Wounded on 15th October 1944 he returned to his unit on the same day, before on 19th October he received a severe shrapnel wound, from which he died near Czerworka while being transferred to the rear and was buried in Mlodzianowo Cemetery
