Stijn David

The riddle,

As mentioned, you guys (Snoopy and Prosper) has found the last part of the riddle, namely the KG 200 connection. There is a lot written about the KG 200 and some of what has been written is actually pure fantasy it seems as many plans where made but in many cases not performed due to whatever reason.

First let me share the written down units :

29.11.40 ? 04.06.41 :Segelfliegerschule der LW ( Neuhausen)

07.06.41 ? 16.06.41 : I. Staffel / K.G.z.b.V. 1

17.06.41 - 20.12.1941: I Kampfgeschwader. 2 e Staffel

21.12.41 ? 15.05.42 : 1.Go.Staffel / K.G.z.b.V. 1

16.05.41 ? 29.01.43 : 1.Staffel. / L.L.G. 2

30.01.43 - 01.05.43: Erg.Gruppe ( S) ( Langendiebach )

01.05.43 - 01.02.1944 : ? / L.L.G. 2

01.02.44 ? 08.11.44 : 5./II. /Kampfgeschwader 200

09.11.44 ? 23.03.45 : 14./ Kampfgeschwader 200

24.03.45 - ?: 4. / Erg.K.G. ( J )

In any case after the KG 200 was established and under the lead of Oberstleutnant W. Baumbach. It was compoed out of 4 Staffeln with each their own duty.

I. / KG 200 : droppings of secret agents and each individual subunit had again its own submission

1./KG 200 : long range droppings

2./KG 200 : short range droppings

3./KG 200 : training and maritime operations

4./KG 200 : later formed and also performed training

homebase was Finow

II. / KG 200 : composed once again out of 3 units

5./KG 200 : so called pathfinders - planes: Ju 90 and Ju 290

6./KG 200 : did fly the so called Mistel combo's (see picture)

7./KG 200 : training purposes and reserve + did also fly Mistel combo's.

The Mistel combo was effectively used and one of the main weaponfacts they performed was teh destruction of the bridge over teh Oder near Goeritz. Many other missions with such things where less succesfull !!! (see the image)

III./KG 200

Formed out of the Schlachtgeschwader 5 and was equipped with Fw. 190. These units where mainly used as ground support and also against enemy bombers. A few of the former 'Leonidas' members where transferred during march 1945 towards this unit.

IV./ KG 200

composed out of the following units:

13./KG 200

14./KG 200

15./KG 200

16./KG 200

This is booked in history as the unit (IV/KG 200) wich did held the so called Suicide soldiers with the Riechenberg Ger?t (the one that prosper is showing).

This is quite correct as the shown Soldbuch does belong towards a Leutnant who did belong towards the so called 'Gruppe Leonidas'. Wich was the name given towards the 14./KG 200.

What was the Gruppe Leonidas? Well these where the Luftwaffe members who did sign for the suicide missions. I have a list of 67 soldiers who where on that list, most of them where former glider pilots who where trained towards motorized pilots in order to later perform their suicide mission.

Approx 75 % of the names on the list have survived the war, the rest (25 %) did die trough accidents, missions, etc .... So a rare beast it is

This Leutnant did survive a Mistel mission for a simple reason: technical failure. he did start but his plane did have technical problems and therefore the mission had to be aborted. Due to this he survived and did return towards his unit. The end of the war came quicker and prevented a new missions for him. he was captured by the Amricans and released soon after because he was a Austrian. It was with such a combo (see image) he did fly once upon a time

So it is now up toward syou guys to figure out the first part of the riddle, what has he performed before he came towards teh KG 200

Cordial greetings,

Hello,

Both of you guys (Snoopy and Prosper) are warm on the last third of his career. Therefore i will during this day reveal that part

Thank you for the additional pictures, indeed dodgy aircraft but the first one is the He 111 Z(willing), altough it does seems very unusual and it was only built in a limited series it was used in glider units either to tow the largest glider, the Me 321 Gigant or they did tow several Go 242's at once. Therefore that one is close but no cigar !

The last picture is actually nearly spot on with the history of this man

Cordial greetings + till a bit later

Hello,

Well with the summer in front of us i tought a little quiz could never be bad, therefore.

I do post a page from one of my favorite pieces : a Lw. Soldbuch, the page is the page in wich the units are entered.

It is up towards you guys to answer the following :

* what kind of specialization (read Lw. qualification) did this person had ?

* Where would he have been active / theathers of war ?

The keys are offcoarse in his uits, a hint is to list the units up and then start searching from there on.

Have fun + will help from time to time

Otto Bracht = Hehehe, i know that one

Hello Stan,

Very nice badge, thank you for sharing

I concur with the others on the wreath, etc ...

Cordial greetings,

the date

Close up from the swas.

Hello,

The cross and the case

More to follow.

Hello,

Thank you for the efforts already, i will make a better scan and post it.

The Ek did come also in its original case - also unmarked but it has a square push button.Mayby that can help?

Can also post a scan of the case iff needed

Cordial greetings,

Hello,

And here is the reverse

Thanks in advance + for looking

Hello,

I received this Iron cross 1 e class earlyer this week directly from the winner (a glider pilot).

It is a near perfect condition, there is no maker mark on it. Is t possible simply by looking at the caharcteristics to ID the producer?

Thanks in advance,

Hi jacky,

Thanks for the fast answer, and now we go towards a more difficult one =>

What is meanth with the "Avanti Orden".

This award is to situate between 1940-45 and was awarded towards German soldiers, however it was not a German award. What was it then?

Cordial greetings,

Hello forumfriends,

Yesterday i did visit a archive here in Belgium and came along the following french descritption of a award:

l'ordre Albert le Valeureux

I have never ever heard of that one before, it is for certain a foreign (read non belgian) award towards a belgian subject.

All help is welcome

Cordial greetings,

Hi Glenn,

I admire actually the way you can find so fast these persons, thank you for that.

Thank you,

Hi Glenn,

Thank you, thats the one i am also looking for i think.

He also did get a Belgian Crown order - knight at the very same time as his brother in arms Leutnant von Wiese und Kaiserwaldau.

Cordial greetings,

Hello,

Thank you both Glenn & Tom, this person had quite a international (European) medal bar

Cordial greetings,

Hello,

What awards are behind these codes? => thanks towards the online info here i could already find out quite a few but a few otehrs do stump me

KO 4 = Prussia / Crown order - 4 the class

BrH4 = Brunswick / House order - 4 the class

MK3 = ?

MG3 = Mecklemburg / Griffin Order - 3 the class

SA3B = ?

WF3b = W?rrtemburg / Friedrich order - 2 e class (peacetime)

BKO4 = ?

NHSa = ?

?ek3 = ?

This one did have for sure a very nice medal bar, the person behind these awards is the later Major von Wiese und Kaiserwaldau

He was awarded the Belgian crownorder in 1908 for colonial efforts.

Looking forward to find out more

Thanks

Hello,

Glenn, thank you very much for this excellent info, very much appreciated.

von Wiese und Kaiserwaldau was awarded the Belgian Crownorder for his participation in the expedition with the Duke of Mecklemburg through Afrika 1907-1908.

Any idea iff you also could trace his brotehr in arms:

Oberleutnant Weiss - also with the Schutztruppen active in the same expedition

Thanks !

Hello,

Does anyone have information on the following officer:

Leutnant von Wiese (Schutztruppe D. Ost-A)

He did held this rank during 1906.

I would be curious to find out his awards, etc ....

Cordial greetings + thanks

Hello,

Is there anyone who can tell me the whereabouts of Oberfeldwebel Walter Richter?

I have the following info on him :

* Bordmechanic

Did win the :

* honour goblet - date 20.04.1942 (altough his goblet is dated: 16.04.1942, and it is a Alpacka type)

* german cross in Gold - date : 17.10.1943

The fact that he did win the German cross does point out that he was a member of a very succesfull crew + he must have survived quite a bit.

He was with the 2. / KG 1 when awarded the German cross.

Any idea iff he did survive the war or any other info available?

Thank you in advance,

Hello,

Oh yes, and his pinned awards should be :

* Nischan-el-Iftikhar-Order - Tunesia ( Breaststar towards the Grandcross - model 1882 - 1902 )

* Civil merit Order - Bulgaria (Breaststar 2 nd. class)

Then several Russian awards :

* Badge from the Russian University graduates (right upper)

* Badge from the schools under the protection of Emperes Maria Fedorowna

* others = unkown

Cordial greetings,

Hello,

As we have seen now alread a few of these stunning birds, we still have not mentioned the producers who where active to produce (restore) them once upon a time.

Bury Isaak

Born: 29.06.1782 - deceased: 24.02;1851

He produced all classes of the White falcon, except for the knights cross 2 Abt. As far as is known he signed his pieces (breast stars) with for example: "J.C.M?ller Bury/ und J?nger / in Hanau" as well as with "Bury & Leonhard"

Fehrmann, Johann Heinrich

Born: 07.02.1798 - deceased : after 1866

He only did produced stiched starsn he is more known from his work as produced from the prussian black eagle order, etc ...

J?nger, Johann Jakob

From 1814 he was participant in the company of Bury (see above)

Leonhard, Johann Friedrich

Born: 01.08.1795 - deceased: 05.10.1840

He was the coussin of Isaak Bury and they cooperated - see above

M?ller Theodor

Born: 04.05.1839 - deceased: 06.03.1908

Active in the production of White falcons after 1891 (see reason => Wirsing). He signed his work with "TH.M?ller" as well as with "TH.M?ller / Hofjuwelier / Weimar" . He produced all types of white falcons After his death his sons (Hans & Wilhelm) did produce further - see next

M?ller Hans & Wilhelm

Hans : born; 15.04.1875 - deceased: 04.02.1946

Wilhelm: born: 26.11.1876 - deceased: 07.10.1966

The first worked in their fathers company and took it over after his death in 1908. They produced all grades of the White falcon, including the later (1915) created "Wilhelm-Ernst-Kriegskreuz"

Toissant Charles & Pierre Etienne

Charles : born; 04.08.1720 - deceased : ?

Pierre Etienne : born; 04.10.1726 - deceased : ?

Born in berlin as son of a baker, they learend however the profession of jeweler and moved towards Hanau where they did ground the company of the Toissant brothers. They produced pieces in order for Bury. The White falcon awarded towards Goethe was also from their hand.

Wirsing Wilhelm

Between 1800 and 1870 active (read alive) in Weimar

Since 1830 he was a jeweler in Weimar, between 1840 and 1842 he first produced orders of the White falcon (Komturstern and Ritterkreuz 2 e Abt.)

Since 1850 production of all grades of the white falcon. Rarely he signed pieces, iff so the signature "Wirsing" or "Wirsing / in Weimar"

Stopped producing due to age and bad health in 1880

Wirsing, Franz

Between 1830 and 1890 active in Weimar, son of Wirsing Wilhelm.

Since the stop of his father in 1880 he took over the small bussines, from 1891 he could no longer follow the concurence and was forced to stop the production. His health was also ruined it seems.

He produced all gades of white falcons.

Then a few others (foreign) jewelers should have produced also white falcons, these are exceptions but do exist => for example Wolfers / Brussels etc ... and mostly these then produced in order of a high personality.

We also have to take into account that these orders where to be given back once the former recipient was deceased. Often these jewels where damaged and they where then restored (iff posisble) and awarded once again. It also happened that attributes (for example) swords where added, etc ... etc...

Here is a close up from the "Ritterkreuz 2 e Klasse with swords" from the shown medal bar. This cross does most probably come from the production from the M?ller company.

Cordial greetings,

Hello,

And i wonder who made that beautifull white falcon => any idea's iff it should be possible to show the reverse of that one. I wonder who produced that one

The article does mention that he did receive the White falcon 1 e class arround 1900 for "general merit"

Cordial greetings,

Hi Stan,

Thank you for your reply, this is the red cross award - 3 the model (awarded in this form between 1937 and 1939). It is then replaced by the so called "Ehrenzeichen f?r Deutsche Volkspflege" wich is much mroe common.

Cordial greetings,

Hi Stogie,

Thank you for the comment

Anyone idea's how it does come that the Austrian remembrance medal has conserved so well? where such pieces sometimes privatly gilded etc ... ? the eagle is frosted and the background is absolutely shinning like a mirror.

Cordial greetings + thanks for looking,