David Gregory

tankers' EK1 document.

Not a tanker ...

Johnny,

To be honest, I find eBay very hard to beat for photos. Dealer sites are worth checking, but you only find bargains if the dealer is selling something he doesn't rate very highly. Unfortunately, they do their homework fairly well.

I focus on documents to Imperial German combattants, their awards and photos. There is so much offered on eBay that I don't really need to bid very much, unless the image is really something special.

Like most areas of collecting, it pays to be patient and to watch the market for a while. My rule of thumb is only to bid what I am prepared to pay and to place my bid as late as possible. I win most of the auctions I bid on and will only bid very high if the documents or image subject matter are really relevant to what I collect.

Most of the photos I have are fairly mundane, but checking the minute details with a good magnifying glass often reveals features that make them special to me at least. I also try to collect by themes, i.e. specific units, towns, regions, battlefields and types of equipment. I deliberately try to avoid aviation photos because there are simply too many people chasing them, for example.

Before long, I am sure you will develop a taste for a particular theme or themes. I find that specialisation, rather than trying to buy everything, helps to keep my spending at acceptable levels (to me, but not my wife) and I feel fairly confident I know what I am doing.

As your taste for specific themes develops, you will probably find yourself collecting related items, such as maps, unit histories, badges, awards. Welcome to the slippery slope.

David

Johnny,

Unfortunately, it is not difficult to reproduce images like this on old photo paper and then to use an edge cutter to achieve the desired effect. Old photo paper is not hard to find, either. I haven't used my darkroom equipment for many years and I still have a large box of old unused photo paper that came from the DDR. It would be ideal for creating reproductions on photo paper that would be virtually impossible to distinguish from period prints.

The majority of anonymous and "boring" images sold on eBay are usually attic or flea-market finds that are often stripped from albums. Although prices for even fairly common images are rising beyond the point that seems justified for items that are not rare, the risk of falling for a copy is still pretty low.

However, images such as well known personalities and rare items of equipment and vehicles should, in my opinion, be avoided unless you can be sure they are not modern prints. If I were collecting Third Reich personality images such as the one shown above, I wouldn't bid more than what I would be prepared to pay for a modern print, i.e. not very much.

Millions of private photos were taken during the war and as people sort out their deceased grandparents' belongings, huge amounts of them are finding their way onto the collecting market via online auctions.

Personalities and "desirable" images were widely used for press and propaganda purposes, but there seem to be too many of them on offer too regularly for them all to be original.

I know the temptation is large not to miss an image that might be unique, but Otto Baum images are not rare, probably for the reasons above.

David

Johnny,

That seems to be Otto Baum, who was awarded the Ritterkreuz as commander of III. Bataillon/SS-Totenkopf-Infanterie-Regiment 3 on 8 May 1942.

Reproductions of this photo turn up on various online auction sites from time to time.

David

I know for a fact that this will be very, very hard to better.

It should be noted that both the Mecklenburg-Strelitz Cross 1st Class for Distinction in War and the Krieger-Ehrenzeichen in Eisen of Grand Ducal Hesse were also awarded to officers, and, as is typical of such awarded, disproportionately so. So those numbers may not accurately reflect how rare the honor was for an enlisted man. Is there a breakdown for officers versus enlisted men? I don't have any of my references or research notes handy.

Dave,

You make a good point, but enlisted men were certainly eligible for both.

Unforetunately, the only documented award information for the Mecklenburg-Strelitz Cross 1st Class for Distinction in War in my collection is a private photo of two GR89 officers during a parade in 1916. I understand that Rick has a copy of the rolls and should (given enough time and deciphering skills) be able to provide a breakdown.

I have the award documents or Milit?rp?sse to five recipients of the Krieger-Ehrenzeichen in Eisen, the highest-ranking of whom was a Vizewachtmeister. I would love to know more about the actual number of awards bestowed (approx. 2000 I have been told) and a breakdown of awards by ranks.

David

The highest award for bravery bestowed to enlisted men by Mecklenburg-Strelitz was the Kreuz 1. Klasse f?r Auszeichnung im Kriege "F?r Tapferkeit". According to the award roll, just over 400 were bestowed:

[attachmentid=62478]

[attachmentid=62479]

Hessen' highest decoration that an enlisted man could be awarded was the Krieger-Ehrenzeichen in Eisen, of which some 2000 are said to have been bestowed:

[attachmentid=62476]

[attachmentid=62477]

And the reverse:

[attachmentid=62471]

Saxony's highest bravery award to enlisted men was the Medaille des Milit?r St. Heinrich-Ordens in silver and gold. This is an example of the silver medal:

[attachmentid=62470]

Tom,

Great stuff! It is amazing to see how language evolves.

The wording and idioms of the text are easy to understand, but nobody (except perhaps for a conservative lawyer or lawmaker) uses German like this today.

Thanks for showing the rest.

David

Note that, while printed in German, it was issued under the aegis of ChristianVII of Denmark. Six pages in all. I'll post the rest if anyone's interested.

Excellent stuff! More please.

TIA David

Who needs a guard dog when you have one of them

Order of Victory

But he already has a guard dog!

Chris, these have certainly been worth waiting for and I look forward to seeing how you will fit them into your den.

If you ever need an MG-sitter, just let me know.

So what's next - a 77 or an A7V?

Cron, the two volumes of "Das Bayernbuch" and the two volumes of "Das Ehrenbuch der deutschen Schweren Artillerie" list the following Bavarian foot artillery regiments:

2 August 1914:

1. bayerisches Fu?artillerie-Regiment (III. 3 March 1915)

2. bayerisches Fu?artillerie-Regiment (III. 17 September 1916)

3. bayerisches Fu?artillerie-Regiment (I. and II)

1. bayerisches Reserve-Fu?artillerie-Regiment (I. and II.)

2. bayerisches Reserve-Fu?artillerie-Regiment (I. and II.)

3. bayerisches Reserve-Fu?artillerie-Regiment (III. and IV. 28 January 1916)

27 December 1916:

4. bayerisches Fu?artillerie-Regiment (I. and II.)

11 May 1918:

5. bayerisches Fu?artillerie-Regiment (I. and II.)

6. bayerisches Fu?artillerie-Regiment (I. and II.)

There were also a few Bavarian foot artillery regimental staffs (1., 2., 3., 123., 124.) and Landwehr foot artillery regimental staffs (1., 2., 3.).

However, there was an independent Bavarian foot artillery battalion numbered 15, which was raised in 1916. The only other Bavarian artillery unit I have found numbered 15 was a sound-ranging troop.

Tony,

Great images. My Mum's uncle is quite possibly in that column of soldiers marching into captivity.

He was a commando and was captured in the aftermath of the raid. My childhood memories of him are scant, but I remember that he was very bitter about his time as a prisoner.

Coincidentally, one of my father's uncles was a commando and also took part in the raid, but he managed to escape and later served in North Africa, France and, I believe, Holland and Germany.

Unfortunately, most of their belongings have been distributed among the family and we only have a few photos left.

David

how interesting i thought she was a he?could a girl win a gauseiger??

Doug,

J?rgen was a he, Irmgard was a she.

David

Remarkable!

Judging by the condition of the aircraft, the pilot might have walked away from the wreckage, if he didn't bale out.

The trees are not very old and the plane may have landed in open countryside, which might explain why it seems to be so intact.

Does anyone know when and where the plane was found and how old the film clip is? Has the wreck already been "recovered"?

Tom,

I cannot comment on the front, but the pin system and catch are textbook Floch.

David

It looks like a fairly standard jump helmet with the straps missing.

The linings and straps were regularly removed and swapped around to get a comfortable fit. I remember having a helmet with wartime and post-war parts. They were still being issued in the early 1980s.

David

the emblem is actually 3 arrows, a circle, and a bridge like item that the arrows pass through in the centre, there is this type of tab illustrated in vol. 2 foreign legions of the third reich, page 244, although the emblem is placed in a different position. It is in the italian section, was if official or unofficial ???????????

cheers

Gary

I think Hugh Page Taylor is working on a book covering the Italian SS and I recall seeing this image (or one very much like it) in a post to that effect somewhere in the past (probably at www.feldgrau.com or one of its previous incarnations).

If Hugh Page Taylor is a member of this forum or reading it, he might respond.

David

Igor,

I also wondered why this cross disappeared from eBay.

Congratulations! Nice to know it went to a good home.

David

Ebay seller: george1990

Kevin in Deva

Kev,

I am not entirely enthusiastic about the bar either, but this seller's descriptions are a constant source of amusement.

In any given month, check his auction descriptions and see how many times he manages to use the word "superb"

David

Marcin,

Congratulations on a rare document.

The large image is even better than the others that you showed me!

David

could anyone tell me more information about this 10 years service decoration?

Ingsoc,

It is a commemorative piece made for ten years' membership of a shooting club or association.

David

Ralph,

Beautiful items! Please show us more and, in particular, those certificates if you have them.

David