Brian R

And, here is an image of the cross' reverse. Although he could have committed acts of bravery on both dates, I feel certain that the act was July 15th and the award was dated September 22nd. Award dates of the EK, especially during the WWII, were almost never the date the act or actions took place.

I completely agree. One of the reasons I have been a vegetarian for 23+ years... overuse of antibiotics in factory farmed animals.

According to the "Histories of the 251 Divisions...", 15th Bavarian Division fought at the Battle of Rheims and on July 15th was "... engaged in the offensive east of Prunay. It advanced to north of Thuizy, suffering very heavy losses, estimated to have been 30 to 40 per cent." So, an EK1 for Fritze. He suffered a bullet wound to the leg but likely continued to treat wounded soldiers before he allowed himself to be admitted to hospital and away from the front lines. He probably saw some heavy shite with such high casualty rates on that first day of the offensive. An EK1, well deserved. This is pretty extraordinary. A lot of history in one little piece of metal.

Wonderful information, Dave. Thank you. The Saxe-Meiningen medal, as opposed to cross, is a brain fart on my part. That said, these EK equivalent medals always confuse me a bit. In his case, given that he was a native of Saxe-Meinengen he was decorated by his "home" despite his service with a Bavarian unit? As for the July 15th wound and its relation to his EK1... I wonder if he was committing some kind of act of bravery at the time he suffered the bullet wound given that he has both dates listed on his EK. As expected, many acts of bravery ultimately resulted in one being wounded (and this is likely not your typical wound related EK award which happened so often in both wars. In those cases it was generally an EK2). Even at this stage of the war, the EK1 still held its status, far better than the EK2. So, I would guess this EK1 was for bravery on that fateful day in July, during the Fifth German Drive.

Guys - I was recently lucky enough to obtain an engraved 1914 Iron Cross First Class to a doctor with Bavarian 30. Infanterie-Regiment. Then, I found even more luck, when Chris B. provided me with the doctor's service record. Iron Cross awards are my ultimate collecting theme but I know far more about the 1939 EK than that of the 1914 EK and World War I. I have tried to decipher some of the attached info but I'm hoping the members here can help me with some more details. W. Fritze was born in Meiningen on March 5, 1889 and (it appears) went on to work as a doctor in Munich. He was an Oberarzt and, I'm guessing, was activated on August 8, 1914 and served throughout the war. His service brought him to both the Eastern and Western Fronts and he went on to win a number of awards including the... Iron Cross Second Class March 26, 1916 Saxe-Meiningen Medal for Merit in War August 21, 1916 Military Merit Cross 4th Class with Swords June 4, 1917 Iron Cross First Class September 22, 1918 Wound Badge in Black December 1, 1918 What is of particular interest to me is the information on the left pertaining to his service in 1918. Specifically, he appears to have done something to warrant the award of the EK1 on July 15, 1918. The reverse of his EK reads 15.7./22.9.1918 so I'm guessing he earned his EK in July but was awarded it on the 22nd of September. This timing makes sense given what I know about 1939 EKs, the Vorschlagsliste process, and the typical turnaround time for an award. Any information you guys could share is greatly appreciated. And please correct me on any thing I have incorrectly interpreted. Thanks, Brian

Guys - Thanks for the replies. I was definitely thinking $650 minimum as mounted 1870 EK2s with Oaks are going for 600 or so these days. Honestly, I was thinking this bar would be worth at least double that given that he was a vet of 1866 and 1870 (fought with the Prussians and against them), was at least a Captain in the FP war and was awarded the rare Saxon Albert Order Knight 1st Class with Swords in which very few were awarded. The 2nd Class didn't even exist until 1876.

Hi Guys - I have been sorting through some things lately and have come to the conclusion that I may sell off a few items in my collection. They are various odds and ends but some are items that I never thought I'd part with. One of them is the 1870 Saxon Bar shown below. Some of you may remember it from the WAF about ten years ago. It came with a an Albert Order Knight Second Class with Swords, which was ultimately incorrect for this bar. The medals are the following... Saxon Albert Order Knight 1st Class with Swords 1870 Prussian Iron Cross Second Class w/ 25 year Oakleaves Saxon 1866 War Medal 1870-1871 Franco-Prussian War Medal 1897 Kaiser Wilhelm Centennial Medal From what I can tell, this is a VERY RARE bar because of the (FP Era) Albert Order Knight First Class. The thing is, however, all the medals are there with the exception of the Albert Order. Nevertheless, just the fact that the ribbon is representative of the medal, its quite extraordinary and, odds are, no one will ever find an actual medal to replace it with. So, I'm thinking this is really valuable but I just can't decide what it would be worth. Any thoughts on what it could be worth? Thanks in advance. Brian

Hello Gentlemen - I've recently been in search of portraits and/or images of a number of Generals for my project on 1939 EK documents. I have found every one that I need with the exception of one, Generalmajor Thomas-Emil von Wickede . He was one of the men killed in the plane crash that also took the life of Eduard Dietl. Does anyone have, or know of someone who has, an image of Wickede? He was a division commander and RK winner so I'm guessing there must be a quality image of him somewhere. If anyone can provide a lead, Please send a PM. Thanks, Brian

Hey Guys - I've been working on a project concerning the 1939 EK award document for the last few years. The draft is basically complete and typesetting will begin within the next few weeks. As part of the introduction, I'm hoping to include a couple representative 1870 EK award documents - ideally, I'd like to include one example for enlisted men and one for officers. EK1 documents are quite rare so examples of EK2 documents would be fine. If any one has examples I could include, please send me a PM. Full credit will be given. Thank you in advance Brian R.

Bringing this back up - very good research and a great write-up!!

I agree, and I think the same goes for Kesselring signatures. In my experience he signed A LOT of EK documents from 1940-1943. His is an interesting signature to own but it certainly isn't uncommon. Generally, its the air units on the docs that he signed that are often more desireable than his actual signature.

I definitely would agree that the EK was automatic in this case. All very nice citations, guys!!

Here's a great document I grabbbed off the WAF estand a few months ago. It was completely overpriced at the time (the price was inflated due to the perceived ultra-value of Sperrle's signature) but I just had to have it because of the unit. Although it is basically impossible to research, the thought of an EK2 for bravery to an air-sea rescue crewman out of Cherbourg during the Battle of Britain is quite exciting and interesting.

This is a "unit specific" example of a 1939 EK citation. Specifically, this one was printed for Luftgau XI and has the stamped signature of Ludwig Wolf. They are uncommon, but not rare.

Here is an nice citation I recently picked up to a Gefreiter serving with Schützen-Regiment 104 and 15. Panzer Division. The unit was fighting before Tobruk at the time and I wonder if the signature is that of Oberst Maximilian von Herff - he took command (M.d.F.b) of the division following the wounding of Generalmajor von Esebeck.

This is a great document - any citation that includes details as to how the award was earned is extra special. I'm a sucker for them, and this one related to Gomorrah is really great given that it is for actions within Germany. Kevin gave me scans of this citation for my ongoing project and I had hoped to use it as an example of an award that was won as a result of one's death. It turns out there is no indication that the recipeint died during the actions surrounding this award. It pays to have a good translation! I was very fortunate to recently make a connection with someone who has selflessly provided me with translations of a number of pieces of period paperwork. It was his generosity, and not mine, that brought light to Kevin's document. First class all around!!

Generalleutnant Gustav Wilke Born: 6 Mar. 1898 Died: 14 Mar. 1977 Highest rank reached: Generalleutnant Kommandeur der 5. Fallschirm-Jäger-Division Image: Iron Cross 2nd Class Citation

That is, indeed, the sig of Neuffer. I have an example of his signature from when he commanded 20. Flak Division.

Oberst Bruno Bräuer Born: 4 Febuary 1893 Died: 20 May 1947 Highest rank reached: General der Fallschirmtruppe Fallschirm-Jäger-Regiment 1 (Jun. 1939 - 1940, 1940 - Sep. 1942) Image: Iron Cross 2nd Class Citation

Generalleutnant Walter Lackner Born: 5, Febuary 1891 Died: 25 September 1976 Highest rank reached: Generalleutnant Kdr 2. Fallschirmjäger-Division (Nov. 1944 - Apr. 1945) Image: Iron Cross 2nd Class Citation

Generalleutnant Hermann Niehoff. Born: 3rd April 1897 Died: 5th November 1980 Highest rank reached: General der Infanterie Kommandeur der 371. Infanterie Division Festungs-Kommandant von Breslau Image: Iron Cross 2nd Class Citation

A great and detailed list, Hucks! You can also add... Fire Brigades, The Panzer Divisions 1943-1945 by Kamen Nevenkin. This is a tremendous source for detalied info on Germany's panzer units during the final three years of the war (I learned of this book from you, actually) The various Luftwaffe Reference books, in particular... Bomber Units of the Luftwaffe 1933-1945 Volumes 1 & 2 by Henry L. de Zeng and Douglas G. Stankey with Eddie J. Clark. This is a great source for formations and locations of the Luftwaffe's bomber force throughout the war.

Great research, Kevin!! Those last pictures are excellent and show just how lopsided this engagement was. What a horrible place it must have been for the mountain troops!

Hi Dobri - the project is going well but will still take some time. Here's another doc to add to the thread.. for actions at Heraklion.

Nice Holland / Crete combo, Dobri!!