hucks216

All RN medals have the rank, name, service number & RN inscribed around the rim. The only one that doesn't is the Golden Jubilee medal which is blank.

My dad's medals and a photo from one of his photo albums showing shell damage from a Communist coastal battery.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Knacker

Due to the time frame I would expect the list of ships involved in the Malayan Emergency to be quite long. My father served onboard one ship during the Emergency, both at sea and also as a member of an IS Platoon in the area of Ipoh (I believe). You may well get the information you seek at the following forum... http://www.worldnavalships.com/forums/index.php

I can't find any other source that mentions this officer as having received the DKiG. He isn't listed in the Ordenstrager records although I can not check my DKiG books as I don't have them here with me and his entry on www.ww2awards.com states that this piece of paper is the only source they have for the possible awarding of the DKiG. The FpNr on the stamp, and related to the date, is for... (8.9.1943-22.4.1944) 7.2.1944 Luftflottenkommando Reich ...and Generaloberst Stumpff's last 3 appointments were... Luftwaffe-Commander Centre (06 Jan 1944-08 Feb 1944) Commander-in-Chief of Air-Fleet Reich (09 Feb 1944-08 May 1945) Chief Of The General Staff of the Luftwaffe and Acting-Commander-in-Chief of the Luftwaffe (08 May 1945-23 May 1945)

Hello Alec, Nice little grouping. I have done a little bit of digging and posted the info earlier today over on the WWM post. Basically it looks like this soldier was KIA in Romania in September 1944.

Final pic - his fate...

Training...

Units...

I have just acquired a wehrpass to a member of a Streifendienst unit, but he was subsequently killed while part of a train escort unit (the train he was on was blown up by a mine) and I was just wondering if such units came under the remit of the Streifendienst or would the Zugwach-Abt z.b.V be an entirely seperate entity....

Very nice grouping. I like that you have both the formal & prelim DKiG citation.

Thanks for the additional information about Feldpostamt 432 & 532. I will have to give the SB another good look through to see if there are any clues as to why he was transferred.

That is a good image. I wonder what the criteria was for serving with Feldpost units? Did 'your' soldier serve with any frontline units prior to the Feldpost postings? Mine did and I originally thought he might of been reassigned to the Feldpost due to injuries but he doesn't have a lazarett entry until long after he had transferred into the Feldpost system.

That's a nice SB/WP set. Any chance of a close up of the photo in the SB, I like the look of it - does it show any cyphers on the epaulette? The Aermel Kanal is the English Channel.

Final Pic...

Pic 4...

Pic 3...

Pic 2...

This is one of my favourite soldbucher that resides in my collection. It probably isn't anything special but I have not seen another soldbuch to a member of the Feldpostamt, and I particularly like the photo in the SB that shows his FP cyphers on his epaulettes - little things please little minds Valentin Westenhauner was originally a member of Infantry Rgt 179 (57 Infantry Division) and fought in the 1940 French Campaign where the 57 ID distinguished itself. And then by March 1941 he had joined Feldpostamt 532 before moving to FPA 432 which during the Russian campaign were both units of AOK 9. Much research remains to be done but one Feldpost in the SB (FpNr 09238) is for 'Feldpostamt 432 & Alarm Btl C AOK 9' during 1943 & 44. During his service he was awarded the Ost Medal & the KvK 2nd Class With Swords.

Final Pic...

Pic 3...

Pic 2... He certainly saw the inside of a few hospitals!

I certainly can - apologies for the condition of the images which has been caused by reducing them to a size that allows upload.

Did members of the Streifendienst wear any cyphers on their shoulder boards, and if so which ones - or are they ones to identify the Wehrkreis he is serving under? I have a soldbuch to a member of the Streifendienst and in the SB photo a set of insignia can just be made out on his epaulette, although not in enough detail to tell what it is.

I have to be honest and say I don't know, but considering medics (not those operating in field hospitals, but actually ones with the fighting troops) & engineers were usually not too far from the scene of action and could of been caught up in the fighting (especially assault pioneers) it could be a possibility. I would think also that 'days in combat' would run along the lines of the Close Combat Clasp in that someone higher up would determine if a day in contact actually counted towards the total or not.