AlecH

Picked up - a private purchase - Gebirgsjäger Mannschaft's Schirmmütze last week considering the age of the piece - coming up to around 70 years, its in remarkably good condition without a single moth hole. A bonus was on getting it home and having a bit of free time I found on the reverse side of the sweat band a green ink stamp - Gepruft. 3Kp. Geb. Jäg. Regt.100 which I find a nice additional touch, knowing which regiment the visor is from. Enjoy.

Generalmajor Oskar Eckholt Born: 4th November 1894 - Freisenbruch Died: 12th August 1982 - Theesen Commander - Artillerie Regiment 251 Commander - Artillerie Regiment 178 Commander - 291 Infantrie Division Badley Wounded in action - 12th July 1944 Ritterkreuz - 9th April 1943, Deutsches Kreuz in Gold - 18th May 1942, Image: EK2 Citation - 4th January 1943 I

Infantry General Werner Kienitz Born: 3rd June 1885 - Kallies nr. Hamburg Died: 31st December 1959 - Hamburg Commander General 17th Army Korp Ritterkreuz - 31th August 1941, Deutsche Kreuz in Silver - 22nd April 1945, Repeat Spangen to EK1 & EK2, Image: 1st October 1938 Citation - 13th November 1939

Artillery General Theodor Endres Born: 25th September 1876 - Ansbach Died: 19th January 1956 - Traunstein Commander of the 212th Infantry - Division Ritterkreuz - 13th July 1940, Repeat Spangen to EK1 & EK2, Image: EK 2 - 17th August 1942

I didn't get the medal bar stayed in until the bar hit 600 euro. It eventfully cost the buyer 1353 euro. The final price will go higher, if he decides to bring the bar in order.

Bought this 1942 Tirol shooting set - large 51,5 mm diameter KK - Gewehr Shooting Badge and his mini brother 23mm diameter at the weekend.

Thanks for the post Pete - I have to say I don't have any issues with its enamelled sister. I know Don and now yourself don't like them - However they do from time to time come up for offer on serious German dealer sites Hüsken, Weitze and Tieste always includes them in his catalogues in fact he list them in three classes Gold, Silver, Bronze. Its hard to imagine a compiler of such hefty volumes doesn't have some in-depth knowledge of what his subject is ? At the end of the day, I suppose, it boils down to whose judgement you decide to back.

Kevin - The war time photos continue to the summer of 1944 with them going on holiday, as coincidence would have it - being transported from the port of Turku, Finland on the ship Gneisenau (mentioned in your last post, see picture top left) to Danzig via Riga. I too, think its been compiled after the war due to the type - written subtitles, but long before the memorial pictures were taken. They are tucked in loose at the back of the album. As you say in a earlier post, SS albums don't turn up every day. I consider myself lucky to have it.

HJ - Nesselwang Mannschaftslauf 1935/36 - Metal

Kevin - I've been thinking over your point - private or unit photographer's pictures. I always thought Waffen SS soldiers were under orders not to take photos at the front which seems at odds to them being officially accompanied by a unit photographer? However these pictures have materialized from somewhere and reading under-title label slips they are factual but give somehow the impression of being detached, the compiler types always in the third person, never in the first person except here and there are the unit number or a family name. Which makes me think the photos come not from the original owner, he probably didn't know many of the soldiers in the pictures so seems more than likely perhaps a unit photographer. Here's three more (1) Finnish soldiers (2) life in the front line (3) a 1975 visit to German War Graves in Finland. Cheers

Kevin - I can't really answer you, as far as I can tell and there are over two hundred photos - most are possibly a mix of private photos / unit photos, on some of the descriptive labels the compiler has hand-written soldiers names on them. There are also pictures of the generals Dietl, Kleinheisterkamp, some of the convey ships these are printed on paper with explanatory label which have been cut out from some kind of official handed-out material. A number of photos are enlargements mainly without labels which I think the original owner may have had done after the war possibly exchanged with former comrades. The owner was again in Finland, there are loose colour pictures cards dated on the back 25.8.75 of the German War Graves and a commemoration plague to - 6SS-Gebirgs-Division "Nord". Not a easy album for a collector, then again it was never intended for a collector. If you want any more pictures, I can send them private, don't want to dominate this thread.

Here are four pages from the 6.SS-Gebirgsjäger Div. Nord - Pionier Photo Album I have. First deal with basic training at Pionierkaserne Dresden 1940. (2) Fighting around Salla (3) also fighting around Salla (4) Finnish & German soldiers near the Murmansk railway

Gentlemen, Many thanks for your posts and links, special thank you to Ciao for his time and information. It would seem to be that I would need to replace the Austro-Hungarian and Kyffhäuser medals in order to bring the bar into correct order. I'm not normally a medal collector ( apart from Third Reich pieces) - have very little interest in them, however now I know what they are, I may take a punt. Again thanks for the help. Best Wishes

Came across this Medal Bar on offer at a action house, some of the medals I see for the first time, could members tell what they are and the possible value. Left to Right (1) WW1 Austro-Hungarian Veterans Medal (2)Unknown (3)Perhaps Feurwehr (4)Unknown (5)maybe 25yrs Feurwehr service ? (6)WW1 Veterans Organization Medal (7) Unknown. This is the only picture I have any information appreciated

Kevin, I'll have a trawl later, through a couple of German Miltary Forums the sale price may have generated some heat and steam there. Andreas Thies had some very nice high-end pieces up on offer. One was Görings diamond impregnated sabre valued for 75000 euro. I think they'll get 40k for the Soldbuch, after all Rommel is one of the most iconic WW2 generals. Although again, generally paper items don't seem to be rated so highly (as I think they should) except when I try to sneak something tasty and cheap, then usually the prices go off the graph.

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Reading through a German Military Magazine couldn't help but notice that a German auction house had Feldmarschall Erwin Rommell's Soldbuch up for auction on 14th June two days ago. Estimated value around 40,000 euro. Write up decribes it so - issued 18 October 1939 has the signature of Alfred Jodl in it and all of Rommels promotions from Generalmajor to Generelfeldmarschall 22.6.42. Rommel had it on him as he was forced to commit suicide. In the first picture is the doctor's statement in the Soldbuch - on 14.10.44 at 13.25pm dead on arrival at Res. Lazarett Ulm (Donau) Teillazarett: Diagnosis Heart failure due to in the West suffered service accident. A very nice piece of history but it comes with a high price tag. I've no idea what it went for perhaps Kevin may be putting it up in the near future ?

Kevin - very nice soldbuch indeed, comes from a WW2 front that was hard and long fought over and I believe the only instance in WW2 where SS troops fought under a foreign commander, however today one sees very little artifacts from this front. I do have one photo album which belonged to a SS- Gebirgsjäger Pionier unit from Dresden, which was also part of 6 SS-Gebirgsjäger Division "Nord" seems to have been a horrible terrain to fight on. When I get chance, I'll post a few pictures on the thread. Best Wishes

Kevin, of course yoü are right my mistake - Kent

Kevin, Many thanks for the extra information. One of the members on the aviation site came up with a newspaper cutting showing the plane and human remains being collected up at the crash site.Here it is - 6./ZG2 Messerschmitt Bf110D-0 (3629). Exploded over Vensons Farm, Eastry, under attack from F/Sgt J. Steere of No.72 Squadron 12.45 p.m. FF Fw Lorenz Beil and BF Obergefr Hans Oehl both killed. Aircraft A2+KL 100% write-off. Scattered human remains collected from this site were originally buried as three 'Unknown German Airmen' in Graves 137 - 139 at Aylesham Cemetery on September 5, one being incorrectly identified as Obergefr Eisold a name found on a parachute and document recovered by RAF Intelligence. They were subsequently re-interred in the Soldatenfriedhof at Cannock Chase on October 30, 1962

Hi Kevin, Thanks for your post - not only the devil, but history and interest is in the detail. I take it 6/ZG-2 stands for 6th Squadron Zerstörer Gruppe 2. I did post the Lufty card on a specialist WW2 aviation forum, came up with mostly the same information as yourself plus the plane belonged to Luftflotte 3. The place where the plane came down Eastry is near Sandwich on the Norfork coast, makes me wonder if it was on its way to London (as it exploded in the air - possibly still fully loaded)or returning empty to base ? Again thanks for your time. Best Wishes

Last Saturday a trader on the market had over 200 soldier death cards. I bought four, but four interesting ones. First - SS Sturmann Ludwig Hornung - KIA near Metz 2nd Oct. 1944 fighting against Patton's Third Army, believe he may have been a member of 17th SS Panzergrenadier Division may have to do further research. Second - A German Bomber pilot - Lorenz Beil - killed in heavy Ariel fighting during the blitz over London on the 2nd Sept.1940. Hoping to find out which squadron or battle group he belonged to. Any information welcome. Third - WW1 Soldier Georg Schlickenreider belonging to Hitler's old world war 1 regiment, KIA in France 10th June 1915 Fourth - Gebirgjäger Georg Beham - nice portrait.

Thank You Gentlemen, You are most gracious Best Wishes

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Bought a mixed paper convolute at the flea-market last weekend. One piece is a membership certificate for Freikorps Konrad Henlein. I must admit, I'd never hear of this Freikorp group before. Known also as Sudetendeutsche Freikorp and Sudetendeutsche Legion. I've high hopes this piece may be rare and valuable, it was chiefly the reason I bought the convolute. I wonder do members have any pictures of the insignia they wore or indeed any information would be welcome. Secondly, there was a small Gebirgsjäger's convolute in the mix, a citation to a soldier with the Gebirgsjäger Regt. 99 presenting him with the remembrance medal commemorating Austrian anschluss with Germany. Belonging to the same soldier is a German nationality pass for use only in inland, this pass is also new to me, do members perhaps know anything about this type of pass? Lastly in the convolute were two NSDAP weekly slogans flyers one from Hitler, one from Goebbels. A couple of small things that I'll tuck away in my collection. Regards