Paul R

At some point, soon after his enlistment and training, he crossed the equator and was "initiated". On the back, his rank is noted as a PhM3. Unfortunately, the date is 18June(must be 1943), without a year. He was assigned to the SS DELBRASIL. The SS DELBRASIL was a transport/landing craft. This ship was later renamed the "USS George F Elliott", in 1943. http://www.navsource.org/archives/09/22/22105.htm

My grandmother is moving into a retirement community because keeping the house was more than she is willing to tackle at this stage in life. Before signing it over to the "kids", she parted certain things out to family members who would most appreciate their hereditary "value". As you all know, I am a corpsman in the military. I have been in this career for the past 18 years. When I opened the box of relics, I noticed the items contained within were the military artifacts of both my grandfather and great grandfather. I knew that they were both veterans of WW2(grandfather) and WW1(Great Grandfather). What I did not know is that they were both Combat medics! My Great Grandfather was in WW1, with the Army Ambulance Corps and my Grandfather was a Pharmacist mate in the US Navy. The purpose of this thread is to tell their stories, as narrated by the items received in that parcel... I will start with my grandfather(as he has less stuff to post). He enlisted in the US Navy from New Orleans Naval Recruiting office in 1942 or early 1943. This is his initial uniform issue card.

Great stuff!! Keep it coming!

I agree. my assumption is that the job was more of a collateral duty than a speciality, and that waffenfarbe was that of the parent unit.

Waffenfarbe looks dark. I bet that it was more of a collateral duty than a speciality, so I dont think that waffenfarbe would have been a factor here. What do you think?

Great job Larry!! Second pattern Sonderfuhrer boards are not easy to find. I love that cypher!! Congratulations! Roman, another amazing board. Early Admin boards are also very rare, especially in that high ranking!

Thanks for the information Hendrik. This is the first instance where a Reserve medal was more attractive those of the Active components.

Thanks Dave!! In your experience, when you do find these items, do they go for large sums of currency? Thanks to Mr Littlejohns last book, I have learned much about this organization and have gained a relatively new level of regard for these emergency responders.

That is a beautiful looking order. Do you know the number of these awarded thus far? What were they awarded for?

You are most welcome! :cheers:

You are correct regarding the boards. They had the same devices as the other branches of the military, except in the Navy the board underlay stayed dark blue.

So early on, these men would have worn a Luftwaffe uniform? Did they have any unique specialty insignia on this uniform? Outstanding tally and photo! A first for me! Regards Paul

Another awesome piece of German military Law Enforcement documentation. How do you manage to find all this rare stuff? Please tell me your technique!

He would have been close to 50(49) by the end of the war. Hopefully he was a "paper cop" by that time! Great find Gordon!

Thanks Christer, I look forward to seeing a scan of the reverse when you get a chance.

That was my thought exactly. LSW or maybe TENO like boards. Perhaps they were improvised for the tunic?

Great stuff Rick! Was the Bishop recognized in the Wehrmacht in the same catagory as a General Officer?

Very impressive array of medals, Ed. The Russians have always seemed to have shown appreciation for their veterans.

Although I am not able to translate Arabic, I can tell you that those are some great documents and when the time is right, even researchable!

Most impressive Dave! In all of my time of collecting, I have not been able to find any collar tabs for this organization to add to my collection. Your pieces are truly outstanding. I look forward to seeing your collection grow! Paul

Naoki, Can you please post more images of the Oberfeldwebel uniform?

The Heer did have Religious Officers and Officials. I believe that the general officers were Bishops(?). I will have to check my references. I will write back with more information soon. Regards Paul

Hello Alexandre, Welcome to the GMIC! The Luftwaffe did not have any Religious Officers or Officials. The Luftwaffe drew upon the services of the Heer for Chaplains and associated personnel. Regards Paul

That photo is for a LW Sonderfuhrer, NCO level(Oberfeldwebel). The shoulder boards are very strange though!! Very interesting photo!! Anything written on the back? Check out this link! http://gmic.co.uk/index.php?showtopic=17190 Paul

I agree!! You have some great uniform items! Can I please see some more photos of the Feldwebel's uniform?