Panzer Officer Wehrpass – Panther & Tiger Trained – Panzer-Regiment 33 & 39 – KIA December 1944
Outstanding and highly researchable original WWII German Wehrpass grouping belonging to Leutnant der Reserve Erich Sattler, a late-war German Panzer officer trained on the Panzer IV, Panther, and Tiger tanks, and ultimately serving with II./ Panzer-Regiment 39.
This exceptional grouping includes Sattler’s original Wehrpass with portrait photograph together with the official wartime memorial/return letter sent to his family after his death in December 1944.
The Wehrpass documents Sattler’s full wartime military progression from recruit to reserve Panzer officer, including advanced armored warfare training, officer candidate schools, promotions, and service in frontline Panzer formations.
Included in the grouping:
- Original Wehrpass with attached portrait photo
- Official Wehrbezirkskommando return/memorial letter dated
Units & Rank:
- Promotions through multiple ranks up to: Leutnant der Reserve
- Named to: Erich Sattler, born 3 October 1921 in Linz/Donau
- 2./Sanitäts-Ersatz-Abteilung 17
- 2./ Panzer-Ersatz-Abteilung 33
- Marsch-Kompanie Panzer-Ersatz-Abteilung 33
- Panzer-Regiment 33
- Panzer-Ersatz- und Ausbildungs-Abteilung 33
- II./ Panzer-Regiment 39
Particularly Interesting Features:
- Early Panzer training as:
- Ladeschütze (loader) on the Panzer IV in 1942
- Advanced 1944 armored instruction involving:
- Panzerkampfwagen V “Panther”
- Panzerkampfwagen VI “Tiger”
- Officer candidate and Panzer leadership courses
- Promotion sequence from enlisted ranks through officer candidate status to reserve lieutenant
- Included wartime memorial return letter confirming Sattler was killed in action and his Wehrpass returned to the family
- Numerous wartime entries, signatures, and official unit stamps
- Panzer and officer training records
An exceptional late-war Panzer officer grouping with highly desirable Panther/Tiger training references and direct connection to frontline armored combat during the final phase of the war.
100% original wartime material.
€195,00
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Historical Description
Erich Sattler was born on 3 October 1921 in Linz an der Donau, Austria, and entered Wehrmacht service in May 1941. His Wehrpass provides an excellent overview of the training and career progression of a German Panzer soldier during the Second World War.
After initial service and medical training with replacement formations, Sattler entered the Panzer arm through Panzer-Ersatz-Abteilung 33. His records show specialized armored warfare instruction, including early qualification as a Ladeschütze (loader) on the Panzerkampfwagen IV, Germany’s primary medium battle tank during the middle years of the war.
As the war progressed and German armored doctrine evolved, Sattler underwent increasingly advanced training. Entries in the Wehrpass indicate later instruction involving the Panzerkampfwagen V Panther and Panzerkampfwagen VI Tiger, two of the Wehrmacht’s most famous and technologically advanced armored fighting vehicles.
The Panther was introduced as Germany’s response to the Soviet T-34 and became one of the most effective medium tanks of the war, combining sloped armor with a high-velocity 7.5 cm gun. The Tiger, meanwhile, became legendary for its heavy armor and devastating 8.8 cm main gun, though it was mechanically complex and difficult to maintain.
Sattler also attended multiple officer candidate and Panzer leadership courses, reflecting the Wehrmacht’s increasing need for technically skilled armored officers during the later stages of the war. His steady advancement through the ranks included:
- Oberschütze
- Unteroffizier
- Fahnenjunker-Unteroffizier
- Oberfähnrich
- Leutnant der Reserve on 1 April 1944
His final documented frontline assignment was with II./ Panzer-Regiment 39, a combat Panzer regiment heavily engaged on the Eastern Front during the final defensive campaigns against advancing Soviet forces.
By 1944–45, German Panzer formations faced overwhelming material and manpower shortages while fighting continuous retreat actions under increasingly desperate conditions. Crews trained on Panthers and Tigers were frequently committed to critical sectors in attempts to halt Soviet breakthroughs.
Included in the grouping is the original official letter dated 20 February 1945, sent by the Wehrbezirkskommando Linz to Sattler’s father. The document states that the Wehrpass of Lt.d.R. Erich Sattler, who had “fallen on the field of honor,” was being returned to the family for safekeeping and remembrance.
This grouping represents a rare and historically compelling record of a late-war German Panzer officer whose career traces the evolution of Germany’s armored forces from the Panzer IV era through the deployment of Panthers and Tigers during the final battles of the war.
