ehrentitle

Very nice indeed!

Jock, I think that you made a good choice in getting this VOPO career group, especially if it is prison related. It's interesting to see someones entire career and promotions (or in some cases lack their of) in these award documents. Much appreciated on the POGS. I collect AAFES, EFI and all of those other strange POGs that have come out of Afghanistan, Iraq and Kuwait. All because I was out on a walk at lunch 5 years ago and found one on the ground and became interested in collecting them as a result. Kevin

A nice grouping. I believe "SV" on the documents indicates that he was a member of the Deutsche Volkspolizei (VOPO) Prison Service or Strafvollzugsdienstes. Which would mean they are much rarer than your run of the mill VOPO documents.

No problem. I find the WWII Paratrooper aspect to be very interesting It looks like he worked over 40 years in the coal industry. So he may have been a coal worker before he entered the German armed forces in WWII? Here is more information in German on the Medaille für Verdienste in der Energiewirtschaft der Deutschen Demokratischen Republik: https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Medaille_f%C3%BCr_Verdienste_in_der_Energiewirtschaft_der_Deutschen_Demokratischen_Republik

Wolfgang Mitzinger https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wolfgang_Mitzinger DDR Minister for Coal and Energy 1979-89

Most of the medals are Ministry of the Interior service medals, along with a lone Civil Defense medal. So it could have been someone who had a career in the police, fire and/or civil defense.

There is a great book that covers the early days of the West German and East German Navies and the mine sweeping mission mentioned above. It's titled, The Three German Navies: Dissolution, Transition, and New Beginnings, 1945-1960, written by Douglas C. Peifer. It's also been translated and published in Germany by Winkler Verlag as Drei Deutsche Marinen. Auflösung, Übergänge Und Neuanfänge.

The badge is the abzeichen for Seefahrendes Personal worn by the Deutsche Marine.

Someone who was an early member of the Kaserne Volkspolizei and the Volksarmee who retired and later joined the Kampfgruppen der Arbeiterklasse.

Joerg,Thanks for posting these great photos! Kevin

That would be great! Would it also be possible for you to post them on our NVA Fallschirmjäger / Paratrooper Facebook page at: http://www.facebook.com/pages/NVA-Fallschirmj%C3%A4ger-Paratrooper/120662464701769

I also have a group photo somewhere at home of NVA Para inside a large natural cave or cavern, would that have been taken on one of these training exercises?

Joerg, Good to see you posting here again. That's a great photo of NVA Paratroopers rock climbing, is one of them you? I've seen a lot of photos over the years of NVA Paras climbing and rapelling in the mountains, but didn't really know the locations that they trained in. Thanks. Kevin

Thanks Paul.

I've started an East German Navy (Volksmarine) Collectors Page on Facebook. It's a community and a resource for collectors of all things NVA Volksmarine related including uniforms, medals, insignia, ect. Information about this very small sea service is hard to find so I thought why not bring collectors together that have a mutual interest in this area. http://www.facebook....239030712885695 Kevin