Glenn R Posted August 3, 2009 Posted August 3, 2009 Just purchased this interesting cross. Not arrived yet so will post more and better pictures when it does.
Glenn R Posted August 3, 2009 Author Posted August 3, 2009 Purchased for the engraving of course. I'm intrigued at the prospect of researching Oblt Hans Von Sommerfeld. IR 27! Research is not my strong point though. Anyone got any ideas? Looks like some sort of suspension device has been added to the top arm. Obviously lost it's pin and catch but it's not the condition makes this one a must buy for me. Cheers Gents, Glenn.
Claudius Posted August 3, 2009 Posted August 3, 2009 Purchased for the engraving of course. I'm intrigued at the prospect of researching Oblt Hans Von Sommerfeld. IR 27! Research is not my strong point though. Anyone got any ideas? Looks like some sort of suspension device has been added to the top arm. Obviously lost it's pin and catch but it's not the condition makes this one a must buy for me. Cheers Gents, Glenn. Hello Glenn; "lost" its pin and catch? It was shorn by deliberate hands. Someone obviously wanted it hang from the "loop" created at the top, perhaps so that both sides could be displayed. (That pin down across its face made it very annoying to read the engraving ) They had no concern that it made their EK1 look like an EK2. Pity we don't know for sure why it was stripped of its original fasteners. Research: I think you should start with the 27th IR history. From there, see what action it was involved in just BEFORE the date on the cross. It may be the battle that Sommerfeld was involved that earned him the EK1. Try posting a request on the "Military Research" forum of GMIC for the IR history. Hopefully someone will have a copy to look up. Good luck, and keep us informed of your progress!
Chris Boonzaier Posted August 3, 2009 Posted August 3, 2009 14.07.–24.07.1916 Schlacht an der Somme 09.08.–16.09.1916 Stellungskämpfe in Flandern und Artois 18.09.–02.10.1916 Schlacht an der Somme 09.10.1916–01.04.1917 Stellungskämpfe im Artois 02.04.–20.05.1917 Frühjahrsschlacht bei Arras Must have been for the Somme. They were there for a while in July, went to Flanders/Artois to recuperate then went back into the Somme battle. Dont know offhand where they were..
Naxos Posted August 3, 2009 Posted August 3, 2009 Purchased for the engraving of course. I'm intrigued at the prospect of researching Oblt Hans Von Sommerfeld. IR 27! Research is not my strong point though. Anyone got any ideas? Looks like some sort of suspension device has been added to the top arm. Obviously lost it's pin and catch but it's not the condition makes this one a must buy for me. Cheers Gents, Glenn. In 1909 Hans von Sommerfeld held the rank of Leutnant (16.08.07) in the Infanterie-Regiment Prinz Louis-Ferdinand von Preussen (2. Magdeburgisches) Nr.27
Chris Boonzaier Posted August 3, 2009 Posted August 3, 2009 And I have the EK2 docs to Oblt Burchardt on that page and to the soon to arrive Major Bayer who commanded one of the battalions of the regt in 1914.... 3 men who would have known each other to a certain degree... small world.... ;-)
Guest Rick Research Posted August 4, 2009 Posted August 4, 2009 Quick and messy for a messy Cross (what WAS somebody THINKING???) Generalleutnant Hans von Sommerfeld (1888-1961)-- born Magdeburg 7 January 1888 entered army as charakterisiert Fähnrich 22.03.06 Leutnant Inf Rgt 27 16.08.07 Oberleutnant 27.01.15 Hauptmann 25.11.16 Major after 1928 Oberstleutnant 01.02.34 Oberst 01.11.35 Generalmajor 01.10.39 Generalleutnant 01.09.41 Other WW1 awards: Prussian Hohenzollern House Order 3rd Class X (HOH3X) gazetted on 23 July 1918 (WW1 equivalent of German Cross in Gold), Silver Wound Badge, Austro-Hungarian Military Merit Cross 3rd Class with War Decoration (ÖM3K) CO Inf Rgt 33 15.10.35 CO Heeresdienststelle 9 01.04.39 CO Grenzschutzenkommando 9 01.09.39 CO 526th Inf Div 25.10.39 CO 306 Inf Div 15.11.40-01.11.42 CO "Division 462" 24.12.42-15.07.44 "Rheinkommandeur II" 16.10.44 I like the engraving very much. But what was DONE to that!... :speechless1:
Glenn R Posted August 4, 2009 Author Posted August 4, 2009 Gents, thanks very much for all your replies and research. Much appreciated. I'm delighted with this info. I agree that the pin removal is deliberate, I don't know why either! It will be interesting to be able to post a better picture of the home made suspension loop when it arrives. Regardless of the damage quite an interesting history to it.
Glenn R Posted August 4, 2009 Author Posted August 4, 2009 Seems from an initial bit of digging that he was a holder of the Johanniterordern too.
Guest Rick Research Posted August 4, 2009 Posted August 4, 2009 Rather odd-- his First War record was excellent, and his career proceeded nicely, with regular promotion as a General which SHOULD have moved him on to 2 pip General der Infanterie status BUT his commands during the Second War were entirely non-combat! 1939-- border defense around Aachen 1940-42-- occupation duty in Belgium (promoted to schedule just as if he'd been frontline and that IS odd) 1942-44-- in Lorraine, not so much "occupation" as what amounted to a training division in reality. With that sort of career, I'd have expected him to have "glass ceilinged" at Generalmajor and been placed on zV status for discharge as soon as the war was over. Yet he got advanced as if he MIGHT have been given a combat command... but just fell into assignments he'd only have gotten the two KVKs with Swords for. He was young, as German Generals went... only his service records will reveal what "flaw" there was that we can't see from what is known so far. (Couple of years back, a Mysteriously Impedeed type turned out to have a personnel file showing hsi wife was an embarassing fall down drunk, paw the subordinates in public harridan and SHE effectively ended his prospects.)
Glenn R Posted August 4, 2009 Author Posted August 4, 2009 That's intriguing Rick. Excuse my ignorance on these matters but is it possible to access service records and how would I go about it? Glenn.
Guest Rick Research Posted August 4, 2009 Posted August 4, 2009 Not my usual war, but as I understand it, there is some sort of website online in England showing records of those who were POW on your green and pleasnat shores, while microfilm of captured personnel files on Generals and random other persons then of interest are at the U.S. National Archives in Washington, DC. Have seen printouts of some of the latter from people who've been there, and VERY interesting personal evaluations from higher up the chain of command. Apparently generals rated each other, and some of the comments are quite personal!
Glenn R Posted August 4, 2009 Author Posted August 4, 2009 Thanks Rick, the plot thickens! I'm told the Joanniterorden was frowned upon by HItler. Being a civilian and religious order. Perhaps an issue?
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