Wehrmacht CITATIONS - Iron Cross & Spange

[Simon Orchard]

On the subject of LW airmen with the KM

Edited January 9, 2008 by Simon Orchard

[PKeating]

Oh...Simon! I surrender! Seriously, what a pair of corkers! Even the wording on the documents! As I sit here, knowing where most of the SS-FJ docs not in my possession are, I ask myself, looking at pearlers like these, if I ought not to diversify a bit where oddball documents are concerned. Ahh...you've trumped us in this thread with these ones. But Jeremy may well be joint-trumper with you. So, let's see who can outdo these spatial babies.

PK

[Stijn David]

Hello,

And here is one that will make our friend Prosper absolutely go nuts

This is a EK 2 document awarded towards a glider pilot for his participation in the Drvar mission

Hehehe ..... => and yes he was carrying troops without rank insignia, etc .....

Cordial greetings,

[PKeating]

I ;ouqkwkeh kwrlokjqwPWALM,S/A..............................*

[Stijn David]

Hello Prosper,

I hope you did survive?

This person was part of the gliders who landed near the so called "Schlangengraben" (= the bowy road in the center of the picture). These gliders did belong towards the Kampfgruppe "Draufg?nger". The approximate place where this glider pilot did land was where the "X" is on the Map.

The marked things with "1" are landed glider planes.

They had to atack and occupy the so called "Westkreuz" => on the map is the junction where the 2 roads do cross.

He also did tell me that he did have the most terrible night of his life after they landed. He did survive luckily without a scratch. Quite a few of his German fellows where hit during that night.

For his participation in this mission he earned:

* Iron Cross 2 nd. class (the award document shown here)

* A Croatian Bravery medal

* Erdkampf Abzeichen

Cordial greetings,

[PKeating]

Wonderful! That is the first definite Luftwaffe group for Drvar that I have seen. Fran?ois Saez has a group to a man involved in bombing Drvar in the period before R?sselsprung but this is something else.

This photo was issued to an officer of SS-Fallschirmj?ger-Btl 500 before the mission. It has the landing zones marked out. I have put a big green arrow to show the LZ where your man landed. The officers and senior NCOs of the battalion were given some maps and aerial reconnaissance photographs when they confined to the airfields the day before takeoff. This photo was carried on the mission, folded in half to fit into a pocket.

PK

[Stijn David]

Hello Prosper,

Superb picture and yes, most defeantly that area (Green arrow) is where my man did land.

Here is the picture he did get before the mission started (only a part is shown) and it clearely does show the landingzone on wich he and his fellow soldiers had to land, the size of the landing area, etc...

I will PM you during the comming days about this

Cordial greetings,

[hucks216]

Here are two SS related EK Urkunde from my collection. The first is to a member of Wiking and has the desirable signature of Felix Steiner...

[hucks216]

And the second has the signature of Artur Phleps...

[Brian R]

Here's another... awarded to Gefreiten Albert Kleinecke on 20 May, 1940 as a member of 12. (M.G.)/ IR 47 for actions in the area of Den Hague,?Holland. It was signed by Hauptmann and Batl. Kdr. Rudolf Gustav Buhse for Generalleutnant Graf von. Sponeck, commander of 22. Infanterie Division.

Kleinecke was awarded for bravery following his unit?s attempt to secure the airfields north of Rotterdam, in the Hague region on May 10th. IR 47, along with IR 65, air landed in or around Valkenburg, Ockenburg and Ypenburg with varying degrees of success. The two regiments suffered heavy casualties and failed to secure their objectives the first day (including the capture of the Dutch Royal Family and government). They were eventually successful in securing the airfields and Holland capitulated on May 15, 1940

Interesting printed text...

[Chris Boonzaier]

VERY, VERY interesting!

Have never seen one like that before!

[MasterBo]

Hello, here are very early award documents from my collection.

5 more award documents for the same person: 4 years in whermaht, annexation of Czechoslovakia, black wound badge, KVK 2 ns, KVK2 ws.

EK 2 and EK 1 more likely are for Poland campaign, as he was serving as a stadtburodirector, in Ostrowo (Poland), after being dismissed from the military service.

Edited February 21, 2009 by MasterBo

[MasterBo]

EK1

[MasterBo]

One more grouping. This person has KVK 2 with swords ( 1. 9 .1944) and KVK 1 with swords ( 1. 9 .1944) as well.

[MasterBo]

EK 1

[Brian R]

Purchased from Chris B. a few years ago...

An EK2 doc to Wilhelm Hafft, awarded on 19 October, 1940 as a crewmember of Vorpostenboot 411. It has a nice, clear signature of Admiral L?tjens who died with the Bismarck in May, 1942.

VPB 411 was built as a whalecatcher in 1934 and was later converted to a VPB. It was part of 4. Vorpostenflottille and stationed in the region off Bordeaux and Bayonne from 1940 to 1944. Although operating on the Atlantic Coast, this award could have been made as a result of heavy action in the period leading up to Operation Sealion.

VPB 411 was sunk on 26 August 1944 in the Gironde ? the result of an Allied aircraft bomb hitting the boiler room.

[Simon Orchard]

EK 1

That's the first award doc i've seen to a member of a Nachrichten Nah-Aufkl?rungs unit, very interesting.

[nesredep]

Hello!

I agree,very interesting.

All the best

Nesredep

[MasterBo]

That's the first award doc i've seen to a member of a Nachrichten Nah-Aufkl?rungs unit, very interesting.

Dear, Simon, would you please explain me what is "Nachrichten Nah-Aufkl?rungs unit" and why it is rare for its members to be awarded?

Thanks in advance.

There is more for the same person of the same unit. There is KVK 2 as well, but dont have picture on hands right now.

Edited February 25, 2009 by MasterBo

[Gordon Williamson]

One can't help wondering what a WW1 veteran, serving as a mere Steward in the Kriegsmarine did to win the EK2 again in 1940 !

Timewise, fits in with the invasion of Norway and only larger ships would have mess Stewards.

[Chris Boonzaier]

I think this is one of the guys on one of the Begleit/Tross Ships that went out with the German Battleships in 1939. The battleships went out before the outbreak of the war, each had a supply ship.

My wifes grandfather was on the Nordmark..

http://www.german-navy.de/kriegsmarine/ships/auxships/nordmark/index.html

He got his EK about the same time. He had done nothing but sail along on the cruise, no specific action.

[stgeorge64]

EKII urkunde issued to Feldwebel Bernhard Kutscha for his actions in 2./Fallsch. Fla. MG-Btl during Unternehmen Merkur.

Signed by Major Baier (later DKiG) as Kommandeur Fallsch. Fla. MG-Battalion.

Regards Richard.

[stgeorge64]

The subsequent award of the EKI followed for his actions during Unternehmen Merkur, signed by General der Flieger Kurt Student.

Bernhard Kutscha would end the war as a Leutnant having served in the following units:

2./Fallschirm. Fla. MG-Btl

Artillerie Regiment 17(L)

Fallschirm. Panzerjager Abteilung 2

Fallschirm. Sturmgeschutz Brigade 21

Regards Richard.

[Brian R]

Richard - These really are some great docs. They're especially good because they are both aesthetically pleasing and are a double pair from Crete. I wonder if he distinguished himself numerous times or did something so great that it warranted the EK1 and had to have both medals awarded simultaneously. I would imagine that these documents were processed on company level and sent up the ladder for signing.

I would like to know what percentage of FJ were decorated for Merkur. It almost seems like whoever jumped got an EK.

The subsequent award of the EKI followed for his actions during Unternehmen Merkur, signed by General der Flieger Kurt Student.

Bernhard Kutscha would end the war as a Leutnant having served in the following units:

2./Fallschirm. Fla. MG-Btl

Artillerie Regiment 17(L)

Fallschirm. Panzerjager Abteilung 2

Fallschirm. Sturmgeschutz Brigade 21

Regards Richard.

[DDD777]

EISERNES KREUZ 2. KLASSE Rank: Obergefreiter Unit: II. / Fallschirmjäger-Regiment Awarded on: May 23rd, 1940 Details: Presented in Twede Tol, the Netherlands.