German Army Sergeant
334th Infantry Division - Tunisia, North Africa
Unteroffizer Franz Gulovics
Killed In Action - March 29th 1943
Buried at: Bordj-Cendria (Tunisia) Cemetary Hof NAS Ossario 2 Plate 23
Rear skirt of the M-35 Helmet, above left photo.
The inside is marked 4673 on the rear of the rim as well as hand painted name U.ffz. Gulovics.
Inside left of the M-35 Helmet, above right photo.
The inside left rim is marked ET64 indicating manufacture by Eisen-und Hüttenwerke, AG Thale/Harz, size 64.
Heer M35 Camouflage Helmet, above left and right photo.
This German Helmet has the Heer (Army) Eagle on the left side. The three color national shield was removed
from the right side per 1940 regulations. The helmet was originally painted in apple green and later camouflage
painted in tan. The inside is marked 4673 on the rear of the rim and ET64 on the inside left of the rim, indicating
manufacture by Eisen-und Hüttenwerke, AG Thale/Harz, size 64. The inside rear of the helmet is hand marked
in gothic letters U.ffz. Gulovics.
This helmet was owned by Unteroffizier (Sergeant) Franz Gulovics. Unteroffizier Gulovics was born on
November 25th 1903 and was Killed In Action (KIA) on March 29th 1943 in North Afrika.
He is buried in the Bordj-Cendria (Tunisia) cemetary Hof NAS Ossario 2 Plate 23.
Left side of the M-35 Helmet, above left photo.
Inside of the M-35 Helmet, above right photo.
SERVICE HISTORY
Unteroffizier (Sergeant) Franz Gulovics was born on November 25th 1903 in Vienna Austria. He was drafted into the German
Army (Heer) in 1940 at the age of 37. After his initial recruit training, his unit moved to Poland. On June 22nd 1941 Franz
Gulovics served in "Operation Barbarossa", the German invasion of Russia. Shortly after arriving in the city of Brest he was
wounded with a bullet wound to his foot and was removed for six months of recovery. After recovery, Gulovics was promoted
to Unteroffizier and assigned the role of training recruits in a replacement battalion of the 755th Motorized Infantry Regiment,
XVII District - Wien, north of Vienna Austria. In the fall of 1942 he became part of the new 334th Infantry Division. In November
1942, the 334th was loaded onto trains and moved down through Italy. They arrived in Tunisia just before Christmas of 1942
subordinate to the 5th Panzer Army (Pz.A.O.K. 5 - 5. Panzerarmee) in an attempt to reverse Axis misfortunes in Tunisia. In North
Africa, Uttz. Gulovics was assigned the task of leading a mortar section of two 8cm Mortars.
The first major action in which the division participated was during "Unternehmen Eibote I" on January 18th 1943, operating as
an element of "Korpsgruppe Weber" in support of von Arnim's drive on Bou Arade, Tunisia, where it sustained moderate losses.
The division remained continually engaged in northern Tunisia throughout February and March of 1943 in a series of fierce and
costly engagements that cost the division dearly in casualties that it could not replace.

Unteroffizier Franz Gulovics was Killed In Action (KIA) on March 29th 1943 in North Afrika.
His family received a letter from a military hospital that said he was returning home on leave when his aircraft crashed during
takeoff on March 26th 1943. The crash was neither confirmed as an accident or an act of hostility by the enemy.
He died three days later.

In April of 1943 "Gruppe Audorff" of the 334th Infantry Division participated in an attack on the heights of Medjez el Bab. By
May 7th 1943, the hard fought division was out of fuel and found itself immobilized near Chonigui Pass. It was encircled by
advancing British forces and without option surrendered on May 8th 1943.

Franz Gulovics is buried in the Bordj-Cendria (Tunisia) cemetary Hof NAS Ossario 2 Plate 23.

Maria Gulovics, Franz's niece worked for the OSS (Office of Strategic Services) during WWII.