Oberstabsgefreiten 260.Inf.Div Part 1

This advertisement consists of the Waffenrock, the schirmmutze, and the lacklederkoppel (parade belt) with the kastkopppelschloss (belt buckle) belonging to the same person. It comes from the estate of Oberstabsgefreiten Albert Scheibe, who served in the 260th Infantry Division.

The tunic:
This piece is in near-flawless condition. There are a few very small moth holes (I think I counted four), but nothing noteworthy. All decorations are originally mounted: the Oberstabsgefreiten sleeve insignia, the collar tabs, the shoulder pieces, the hand-woven breast eagle, the Iron Cross 2nd Class ribbon, and a Kraftfahrerbewahrungsabzeichen (Warrant Officer's Badge) on the left sleeve. This man was quite decorated, as evidenced by the 15 loops on the jacket. The jacket has a vertical row of eight buttons and three eyelets in the collar for the collar tie. The lining is completely in good condition and well-stamped.

The visor cap:
The visor cap has a very nice saddle shape, features the original three-piece storm strap, aluminum eagle, and cockade. The peak looks neat and is securely fastened. There is a fair amount of moth damage, particularly at the top, which is actually not visible. The interior is in beautiful condition, the sweatband is supple and pliable, and the lining is in mint condition.

The belt and buckle:
The belt buckle is full length and measures 93 cm. It still has its original black paint, the leather tongue is present, and the buckle is in very good condition. This ensemble would make a beautiful display piece. This from a rare unit that was virtually destroyed. A true survivor.

Something about his unit:
The 260th Infantry Division was formed in Karlsruhe (Wehrkreis V) on 26 August 1939, the day of German mobilization, as a division of the fourth Aufstellungswelle. It initially consisted of the Infantry Regiments 460, 470, and 480, which were formed from various replacement battalions. Infantry Regiment 460 was formed from the Replacement Battalions 14 (Weingarten), 56 (Biberach), and 119 (Esslingen), Infantry Regiment 470 from the Replacement Battalions 34 (Heilbronn), 13 (Ludwigsburg), and 35 (Tübingen), and Infantry Regiment 480 from the Replacement Battalions 21 (Nuremberg), 42 (Hof), and 55 (Würzburg). Additionally, the 260th Infantry Division was equipped with the four artillery detachments of Artillery Regiment 260 and the Division Units 260, the later Pioneer Battalion 653. The initial commander of the division was Hans Schmidt. The division was sent to the Upper Rhine region in October 1939, and spent the Battle of France in the reserves of OKH. It subsequently was placed on occupation duty in France and remained there until July 1941. On 30 January 1940, the division passed an infantry battalion and an artillery battery to the 296th Infantry Division of the eighth Aufstellungswelle, and later an additional third of the division's strength to the 125th Infantry Division of the eleventh Aufstellungswelle on 21 October 1940. These transferred units were later replaced with division reservists and fresh recruits. The 260th Infantry Division joined Operation Barbarossa between July and August 1941, and subsequently fought at Kiev, Babruysk, and Moscow before participating in the defensive operations against the Soviet winter campaign of 1941–42. Walther Hahm, twice commander of the 260th Division during 1942/43 (photographed in May 1943). On 1 January 1942, Walther Hahm took command of the division. Walther Hahm during his time as commander of the 260th Division, pictured in the Soviet Union. In 1942, the third battalions of each of the three divisional regiments were dissolved due to casualties, downgrading the division from nine to six battalions across three regiments. Dietrich von Choltitz, divisional commander of the 260th Division in mid-to-late 1942. Between May and August 1942, the 260th Infantry Division fought at Spas-Demensk. On 27 August 1942, Dietrich von Choltitz took command of the division. He would hold the post until 6 October, upon which Hahm returned to a second tenure as division commander. In summer 1943, Grenadier Regiment 470 was dissolved and its two battalions became the third battalions of each of the other regiments, thus shifting the 260th Infantry Division from a division of three regiments with two battalions each to a division of two regiments with three battalions each. Between September 1943 and May 1944, the 260th Infantry Division took part in the defense of the Mogilev sector. On 9 November 1943, Robert Schlüter took command of the division. In October 1943, the second battalion of Grenadier Regiment 367 of the 214th Infantry Division in occupied Norway was given to the 260th Infantry Division as Division Fusilier Battalion 260. In April 1944, the two battalions of the dissolved Grenadier Regiment 470 were taken out of their respective regiments and the Grenadier Regiment 470 redeployed. With the addition of the Division Fusilier Battalion 260 of October 1943, the 260th Infantry Division had thus become a Division neuer Art 44, a division of three regiments of two battalions each that was additionally strengthened by a seventh independent battalion. On 21 April 1944, Alexander Conrady took command of the division, before he was replaced by Günther Klammt on 1 May 1944. Klammt would be the last commander of the 260th Infantry Division. The 260th Infantry Division was captured and destroyed near Minsk on 9 July 1944. The divisional commander, Günter Klammt, was taken prisoner by the Red Army and would remain in captivity until 1955. Its status is listed as "unknown" in the German documents of July 1944. The division was not redeployed.