Hauptmann

Hi all, Here's my newest. I took a chance on it... got it cheap and am hoping that perhaps it's original, though if so I'm assuming a later period piece. Here's the scoop. It was titled on the auction (Ebay) as a "German Iron Cross". As I say I got it cheap... figured it was worth the chance. I'd shown the auction to Grant and we both agreed it was worth the gamble if it went cheap enough. It looked like it had been in a fire or something... nearly totally black as you can see in these pics: The suspension of course is incorrect for sure so just ignore that.

Very nice and many thanks for posting it. I'm guessing there couldn't have been many KM personnel who received that one. Great photo!!!! Also guessing it depending on how the recipient felt... ie were they party members/supporters or not. If they were then the excesses went right along with their philosophy and would be more acceptible whereas those who didn't like the party or the SS would likely have not been very proud of that particular award. A shame you didn't get that IAB. May have been the vets original that he had altered in order to be able to wear it before the 57's were created/provided. Most seem to have just denazified in some way... cutting off the swaz, or filing it down, etc. Some I've seen were nicely done, probably by a jeweler but some seem to have gone that one step beyond. Would have been a great one to have. Dan :cheers:

Many thanks my friend!!!! Out of curiosity, what is the stickpin that looks liike it has the enameled red cross on it? Can't wait to see your para!!!! Dan :cheers:

And last for now my CCC in it's new house : Dan :cheers:

Here's some more shots of my recent 57's including reverse views... and a couple more of some stickpins I got a bit ago:

Thanks PK. That's true... I'd forgotten that the Uboats with diamonds had not been considered "official" state awards. And I too was always amazed that they'd included the anti-partisan award as from what I've read most of the German troops at the time and since considered this to be more of a Waffen SS award than a general one. Those in the other branches who were awarded it often downplayed it or simply did not wear it, whereas those in the Waffen SS were extremely proud of the award and wore or displayed it at every opportunity. Dan :cheers:

Hi Paul, Sorry about the late reply my friend... between work, travel and computer problems I've been up to my ears. But things seem to be settling down for a bit at last. Now if only we don't get another blizzard...! A good friend of mine who is one of our towns two paramedics was just on a transport taking a patient from Carrington to the hospital over in Fargo. The weather took a nasty turn just outside Fargo and they ended up rolling in a ditch. The patient was pronounced dead at the hospital, the driver was okay but my friend has serious back injuries and had to be transported over to Minneapolis for surgery and treatment. He and his family are still over there and we're all worried sick. Just praying he'll be back to his old normal cheery self before too long. On the DDR pieces, they are indeed starting to show their age (except for the later to current production). As far as values, I can mostly speak on those I see on Ebay. Seems there are two or three sellers who always list the same pieces at what I feel are well beyond top dollar. But if you're careful and keep an eye out they pop up for cheap on occassion. Biggest problem is seeing good pics or pics of the reverse of the awards. And that especially tells the tale. So you have early (very desireable), middle (still very good and looked for) and later (many consider junk and not worth bothering with) production pieces and of course what they are still churning out. As I've said before, back in the day when I was into TR I only wish I'd gone with my instincts back then and bought up every 57 I could lay my hands on. They'd practically give them away as hardly anyone was intro'd. But those supposedly in the know kept saying they were junk, would never be worth anything and no one would want them kept me from diving in full force and getting all I could. It's much more of a challenge to find really good deals now but over time anything is possible. Oh, before I forget I wanted to mention that the Uboat badge is definitely a fantasy piece. This one is very well made but still not an original production piece. They definitely didn't do the Uboat with diamonds... but had they done so this would have been a definite way to go! I would have stated this before but was not 100% positive about whether the Uboat diamonds had been reissued. Strange that they didn't as they kept making the diamonds re: the RK's (save the one in gold for Rudel). So now I'm keeping my eye out for the standard issue 57 Uboat badge. Dan :cheers:

Hi Grant, My friend... once again you've been outdoing yourself... some terrific additions to your DDR collection! That cap badge is one I didn't even know about... but that's the great thing about all this as we learn something new each and every day. Keep up the great work... you'll have enough to fill a wing in a museum before too long. Dan :cheers:

Oh, nearly forgot this one. Not sure if it's supposed to represent the Doenitz special diamonds award (never reissued) or the standard Uboat badge with diamonds award... and I'm sure not an official issue in any case... but got it cheap and I love it! If not an official issue... perhaps it should have been. Dan :cheers:

Dan :cheers:

RK... oaks are a set I happened to have and pop on... they're not 57 period.

IC 2nd:

Minesweepers Badge:

And here's some others I'd not had time to post yet. And please, forgive me for the quality of the pics... I'm still not able to get to my scanner... but hoping I will soon. KVK 2nd w/o swords: That one was the sellers pic. From what I gather this one is a late period piece as the attachment ring runs side to side instead of front to back. :speechless:

Anti-Partisan Badge in bronze, Panzer Assault Badge in bronze, Gold Wound Badge, IC 1st, IC 2nd and two stickpin bars: Hope to post reverse views tomorrow.

Hi all, Here are my latest additions to the 57 collection. Many thanks to Christian for both the awards and his kind permission to use his photos. My deepest thanks my friend! Close Combat Clasp in bronze: Which has a case waiting for it when it arrives... will do a pic in same once it gets here. :jumping:

Hi Sivart, On page 377 of John Angolia's For Fuhrer and Fatherland (second printing) he shows two Mother's Crosses... one full sized and one mini. The full size is indeed fitted out with what looks very much like the pin back on your example. The mini has a different type of pinback. But both were then able to be worn as a broach instead of on the ribbon. I don't know for sure but assume this was done by jewelers on a private order basis. Hope this helps. Dan :cheers:

A bit more info from the auction: 1. COUNTRY of ORIGIN : East Germany (DDR) --------------------------- 2. CONTEXT : Medal Plaque commemorating a Soviet soldier saving a small German girl (see below for more details) --------------------------- 3. ENGRAVER : no attribution --------------------------- 4. COMPOSITION : appears to be Bronze, but may be a less expensive ?bronzed? metal ? no markings --------------------------- 5. MINTMARK(S) : none --------------------------- 6. CONDITION : Excellent --------------------------- 7. DIMENSIONS : 94 mm x 40 mm --------------------------- 8. WIDTH : 3.75 mm --------------------------- 9. WEIGHT : 102 grams. With Presentation Box 240 grams. --------------------------- 10. COMMENTS : The Soviet War Memorial (sometimes translated as the Soviet Cenotaph), is a vast war memorial and military cemetery in Berlin's Treptower Park. It was built to the design of the Soviet architect Yakov Belopolsky to commemorate 5,000 of the 80,000 Soviet soldiers who fell in the Battle of Berlin in April-May 1945. It opened four years after the war ended on 8 May 1949, and served as the central war memorial of East Germany. The focus of the ensemble is a monument by Soviet sculptor Yevgeny Vuchetich: a 12-m tall monument of a Soviet soldier with a sword holding a child, standing over a broken swastika. Vuchetich's inspiration for the monument was Soviet soldier Nikolai Masalov (1922-2004), who on 30 April 1945 found a German girl wandering near Potsdamer Platz during the Battle of Berlin and brought her to safety. Despite rumors that this episode was Soviet propaganda, owing to a journalist use of a different name for the girl's rescuer, officially confirmed documents exist that substantiate at least five cases of Russian soldiers delivering small German children to orphanages during the Battle of Berlin. The base of the statue contains a small room lined in mosaics, in which wreaths are usually laid. Dan