Rare Grouping – Sturmpanzer-Abteilung 216 (“Brummbär”! Spieß – Italy)

Offered for sale is an exceptional and highly desirable original WWII grouping belonging to Hauptfeldwebel Grothklage, a long-serving NCO whose career spans infantry, cavalry, panzer troops, and elite assault armor formations.

Military Career

Grothklage served with the following units during his wartime career:

• Infanterie-Regiment 5

• Kavallerie-Schützen-Regiment 8

• Schützen-Regiment 28

• Sturmpanzer-Abteilung 216 (Werkstattzug)

His final unit, Sturmpanzer-Abteilung 216, was equipped with the formidable Sturmpanzer IV “Brummbär”, one of the rarest German armored vehicles of the war, with only approximately 300–400 produced. The unit saw combat service in Italy, adding further historical weight to this grouping.

Awards and Decorations

Grothklage was already a decorated combat veteran by 1940, earning multiple awards for his participation in the Western Campaign, including:

• Eisernes Kreuz 2. Klasse

• Panzerkampfabzeichen in Silber

• DRL Sports Badge

• Sudetenland Medal

• Dienstauszeichnung 4. Klasse

Documents and Contents

This extensive and well-preserved grouping includes:

• Original Soldbuch, complete with all pages intact and a superb period photograph (front cover denazified)

• Driver’s license, signed by Bruno Kahl, commander of Sturmpanzer-Abt. 216 and Eichenlaubträger

• Driver instructor license

• Award documents for the DRL Sports Badge and Wehrmacht Service Medal

• Sudetenland Medal award document

• Field post correspondence

• Period photographs

• Leather document case

• Additional original service papers

The Soldbuch records that Grothklage was issued the MP40 submachine gun, and also notes that he carried his own personal pistol, a highly attractive detail for collectors.

Collector Significance

This is a top-tier, combat-documented Panzer grouping with:

• A senior NCO rank

• Early war combat awards

• Direct association with the rare Brummbär assault tank

• Strong provenance to Sturmpanzer-Abteilung 216

• An outstanding Soldbuch photograph and extensive supporting paperwork

A truly killer, museum-quality grouping—rarely encountered in this level of completeness and condition, and a centerpiece item for any advanced WWII militaria or Panzer collection.