Zugführer Verm.u.Kart.Abt (mot) 620 / 530 part 1

This lot comes from the estate of Willhem (Willi) Fröh. Willi served in several of the rarest and most essential units of the Wehrmacht throughout World War II. The lot consists of his schirmmutze, 14 documents (including his Wehrpas, passport, driver's license, and two certificates), two medals, one photo album with 116 photos (mostly military and large-format), and one professionally produced book, which he received as a gift from his unit upon transferring to another unit. This book is unique and was produced exclusively for him. It features superb graphics and professional binding, explaining, with original photos and text, all the work (and locations) performed by his unit, of which he commanded. This book is printed on exclusive, high-quality graphic paper and contains 49 exceptionally sharp, large-format photos.

Before the war, he had graduated as a surveyor (geodesy). Willi was a well-travelled man, as evidenced by his passport with numerous entries to France, Spain and Portugal. In 1937, he began his general training in the artillery. Before the outbreak of World War II and the invasion of Poland, he was assigned to Verm. u. kart. abt. (mot) 620, which stands for Vermessungs und Karten-Abteilung (motorisiert) 620, a specialized unit of the German Wehrmacht during World War II. This unit was responsible for military surveying, cartography, and the printing of military maps for the German army. The unit was established on August 26, 1939, in Murrhardt (Wehrkreis V). This is also evident from his Wehrpas, where he is registered with unit 620 on 27 August. The unit was motorized (mot.) and initially consisted of a staff, a survey platoon (Vermessungsstaffel) with four sections, a mapping section, and its own printing house. Deployment locations:

1940-1941: Active in France.
1941: Deployment in the Balkans.
1941-1944: Deployed extensively on the Eastern Front (including in Russia and Poland). Maps printed by this unit in October 1944 show locations such as Warsaw and Modlin.

In March 1943 he was transferred to Verm.u. Kart. Abt. (mot) 530 stands for Vermessungs- und Karten-Abteilung (motorisiert) 530. This was a specialized unit of the German Wehrmacht during World War II, responsible for land surveying and cartography. These units were responsible for producing, updating, and distributing military maps and performing geodetic surveys for artillery and planning. The suffix (mot) indicates that the unit was fully motorized, which was essential for keeping up with the rapidly moving troops at the front. The 530 unit was a so-called Heerestruppe (army troops), meaning that it was directly subordinate to a higher command (such as an army or army group) rather than being a fixed component of a specific division. Many of these units were renamed or restructured around June 1941 to optimize the provision of maps during major offensives, such as Operation Barbarossa.

Although specific combat reports for cartographic units are often sketchy (because they operated behind the front lines), these are the key facts about the location and deployment of Vermessungs- und Karten-Abteilung (mot) 530: This unit was a so-called Heerestruppe (army squad) and was directly under the command of the army command. Historical sources and Wehrmacht archives reveal the following trajectory: The unit was originally established as Vermessungs-Abteilung 530 and renamed Vermessungs- und Karten-Abteilung 530 on June 20, 1941 (just before the invasion of the Soviet Union). The unit was active on the Eastern Front for most of the war. They provided logistical and technical support for the advance into Russia. Assignment: In 1944, the unit was subordinate to Army Group South Ukraine (Army Group South Ukraine) and later to Army Group South. This meant they were active in the Black Sea region, Romania, and Hungary during the large-scale German retreat.

Little to very little is known about these units, both the 520 and 630 units consisted of no more than 220 men. For those reading this: if you own any military maps, chances are high that one of these units is listed on them and that these maps were produced in the field (i.e., in trucks). The beautiful book included in this lot meticulously describes the entire process in words and with original photographs. The camouflaged vehicles are clearly recognizable; some were equipped with a huge camera to capture the terrain. The images were then converted into maps, and the maps were developed and printed in the field. Good military maps were particularly lacking for Eastern Europe (and especially Russia); clear military maps were essential for the German advance and invasion. As far as I know, this process has never been documented before.

Willi was assigned to the 3rd People's Artillery Corps on October 17, 1944. From January 28, 1945, he served with the 2nd People's Artillery Corps until May 8, 1945. Willi survived the war. He wasn't exceptionally highly decorated, but the certificates he received are quite remarkable, issued and presented by military headquarters and signed by none other than General der Panzertruppen Guderian.

This is a unique opportunity to acquire a beautifully designed and extremely rare period document. It would be a good subject for a study, or for publishing a book, about these special units. I also own his uniform jacket and trousers (these are not registered, but are potentially for sale). The visor cap is registered, however, and is completely moth-free, has a fantastic saddle shape, and was manufactured by Erel.