Luftwaffe Ribbon Bar

[Paul R]

This ribbon bar is on a tunic I am in the process of obtaining from the Collector's Guild. Is it traceable? I know that there were not too many Lifesaving medals issued during the TR period.

[Paul R]

The tunic is even named!! I hope that there is a way to verify the bar! :jumping:

[luftguy]

I could not help myself.... I peeked!

Congrats on another sweet tunic. I like the early piped NCOs. It even looking like there are loops for a flak badge.

Bill

Edited September 11, 2007 by luftguy

[Naxos]

Paul,

what is the rank on the shoulder boards of Helmut Maier's tunic?

Regards, Hardy

[Naxos]

Helmut Maier, 2. I. Fl.Rgt.49

belonged to the second Battery of the first Battalion of the Flak-Regiment 49 - in the summer of 1942 near Stalingrad the first battalion Fl.Rgt.49 was placed under the command of the Stab / Flak-Regiment 37.

The first Battalion, Flak-Regiment 49 fought with distinction beside the 16.Panzer-Division at Stalingrad - there it was lost in the north sector of the Stalingrad cauldron (tractor factory Tschersinsky).

Hardy

Edited September 11, 2007 by Naxos

[luftguy]

Paul,

I hope you do not mind.

Here is the board on Paul's latest score.

Bill

[Naxos]

Paul,

I hope you do not mind.

Here is the board on Paul's latest score.

Bill

Thanks Bill,

Unteroffizier

Hardy

[webr55]

The ribbon bar cannot belong to this tunic. 18-24 years of service (2 silver eagles) - and still an Unteroffizier or even a Kanonier when FlakReg 49 was formed in 1939??

Edited September 11, 2007 by webr55

[Naxos]

webr55 is right, Helmut Maier was born around 1917. The earliest he could have been a Kanonier in the 2. Batterie of Flak-Regiment 49 would have been in early 1938. The I. Abteilung Flak-Regiment 49 was established on Oct.01 1937 in Mannheim.

He would have been an Unteroffizier in 1942.

Assuming Maier remained in this unit, he probably left the above tunic at home when the I.Fl.Rgt.49 was transferred from France to the Ukraine.

Maier ,if not KIA (and I couldn't find a Helmut Maier out of the 31 listed on Volksbund Website fitting the above), most likley went missing in Dec 42 or Jan 43.

Paul, if you know someone with a Vermisstenbildliste des Deutschen Roten Kreuzes (MIA picture registry of the German Red Cross) that incl. Flak-Regiment 49 it might be possible to find Maier's picture.

A lot of the Stalingrad MIAs found in the lists of the Red Cross are not listed with the Volksbund.

Hardy

Edited September 11, 2007 by Naxos

[Naxos]

The last commanding officer of I./49 (the first battalion of the Flak-Regiment 49 was by then part of Flak-Regiment 37) was Major Gaidu?.

On Jan 29. 1943 the entire battalion consisted of only 26 men, according to the diary of a surviving member of I./Flak.Rgt.49

The diary (in German) can be found on line (very heart wrenching and graphic in detail).

http://ol-sbg.at/DADBUCH2.HTM

"Am 29. J?nner,

6 Uhr fr?h, waren wir noch 26 Mann von der 9. Flak-Div., Reg.37, Abteilung

1/49, ohne Verpflegung, ohne Verbandsmaterial und ohne Munition. Major

Gaidu? sagte: "Was wollen wir denn noch, ergeben wir uns, es

wird das Beste sein!" Er gab uns jedem einzelnen die Hand und bedankte

sich, da? wir so tapfer waren. Die Augen standen ihm in Tr?nen.

Der Abteilungsschreiber, er war nie an der Front zu sehen, brachte mir

meine Bef?rderung und Auszeichnungen, die ich sofort im Schnee vergrub."

Hardy

Edited September 11, 2007 by Naxos

[Paul R]

WOW I am surprised!! That is a lot of information. Thank you all!! With the ribbon bar... oh well. It is still a great bar with a very uncommon combination.

Maybe I will replace the bar with a simple EK2/Ost medal combination. There are loops for three badges, so maybe an EK1, Flak, and WB would be most appropriate.

Thank you Bill for adding the needed photos.

I can hardly wait to read all of the data you kindly offered, Hardy!! It seems like this is a well known unit!! Where can I find that MIA book you mentioned?

PAul

[Naxos]

WOW I am surprised!! That is a lot of information. Thank you all!! With the ribbon bar... oh well. It is still a great bar with a very uncommon combination.

Maybe I will replace the bar with a simple EK2/Ost medal combination. There are loops for three badges, so maybe an EK1, Flak, and WB would be most appropriate.

Thank you Bill for adding the needed photos.

I can hardly wait to read all of the data you kindly offered, Hardy!! It seems like this is a well known unit!! Where can I find that MIA book you mentioned?

PAul

Paul, i have a friend working with the Red Cross in M?chen - I will ask for any info available. Maybe.....?

By the way, the Officer commanding the second battery was apparently a Knight's Cross bearer. I wll try to find his name.

Take care, Hardy

Edited September 11, 2007 by Naxos

[Naxos]

Here is another Knights Cross recipient of the first Battalion Flak.Rgt.49.

He was flown out of Stalingrad in Jan. 1943 together with two other KC holders. He was awarded the KC for knocking out twenty-four T34 tanks in about 15 minutes with 27 rounds fired from a 8.8 cannon.

http://www.das-ritterkreuz.de/index_search...chword=gem?nden

Edited September 11, 2007 by Naxos

[Naxos]

Here is another of the three lucky men flown out of Stalingrad in the last days of January 1943. Notice that he belonged to the same Battery as Helmut Maier.

http://www.das-ritterkreuz.de/index_search...&searchword=

[Naxos]

And here the third: The commander of 2./I Fl.Rgt.49 Hauptmann Johann Dietrich

http://www.das-ritterkreuz.de/index_search...&searchword=

Hardy

Edited September 11, 2007 by Naxos

[Naxos]

WOW I am surprised!! That is a lot of information. Thank you all!! With the ribbon bar... oh well. It is still a great bar with a very uncommon combination.

Maybe I will replace the bar with a simple EK2/Ost medal combination. There are loops for three badges, so maybe an EK1, Flak, and WB would be most appropriate.

Thank you Bill for adding the needed photos.

I can hardly wait to read all of the data you kindly offered, Hardy!! It seems like this is a well known unit!! Where can I find that MIA book you mentioned?

PAul

Paul, no Ostmedaille - since Helmut Maier was in France during the Winter of 1941.

Let me say this: Flak unit with not one but three Knights Cross recipients at Stalingrad!!!!

You got one killer tunic my friend

Hardy

Edited September 11, 2007 by Naxos

[nesredep]

Hi

Paul R

Congratulation with your new tunic.

Regards

Nesredep

[Riley1965]

I would LOVE to see the tunic PLEASE!!!

Doc

Edited September 11, 2007 by Riley1965

[Naxos]

And here the third: The commander of 2./I Fl.Rgt.49 Hauptmann Johann Dietrich

http://www.das-ritterkreuz.de/index_search...&searchword=

Hardy

Just found out that Hauptmann Dietrich was not as lucky as the other two KC holders of the Flak-Regiment.

He went on board a different He111 to be flown out on January 28. 1943. The plane broke a landing gear on the runway and couldn't get of the ground.

I believe Dietrich was taken prisoner at Stalingrad.

Hardy

Edited September 12, 2007 by Naxos

[Paul R]

Thanks for the outflow of data and enthusiasm on this piece!! I have learned a lot from Harvey's contributions here. I did not think that such information would be available!! I look forward to seeing anything on Helmut Maier.

I thought that this medal was awarded to anyone who took part in the Eastern Campaign...

Here are some more pics of the tunic in question...

http://www.germanmilitaria.com/Luftwaffe/photos/L000358.html

[Paul R]

"Am 29. J?nner,

6 Uhr fr?h, waren wir noch 26 Mann von der 9. Flak-Div., Reg.37, Abteilung

1/49, ohne Verpflegung, ohne Verbandsmaterial und ohne Munition. Major

Gaidu? sagte: "Was wollen wir denn noch, ergeben wir uns, es

wird das Beste sein!" Er gab uns jedem einzelnen die Hand und bedankte

sich, da? wir so tapfer waren. Die Augen standen ihm in Tr?nen.

Der Abteilungsschreiber, er war nie an der Front zu sehen, brachte mir

meine Bef?rderung und Auszeichnungen, die ich sofort im Schnee vergrub."

Hardy

That is a powerful passage. I hate to feel what those men were thinking, at that particular time and place...

[Paul R]

This Diary is great!! I like the part where the author is injured due to the punishment of a NCO and the NCO is instantly demoted by having his shoulder boards cut from his uniform and sent to a punishment battalion!!!

Als mich der Sanit?ter sah, sagte er gleich zu mir: "Was hast denn Du ausgefressen?". Ich habs ihm kurz erkl?rt, er hat die Lage gleich erkannt und rief den Arzt an, der gleich kam. Der Sanit?ter berichtete dem Arzt, der nur so staunte und zu mir sagte: "Sie sind doch Putzer beim Hauptwachmeister?" Das wohl, aber wir haben bei der Deutschen Wehrmacht gelernt, jeden Befehl auszuf?hren, antwortete ich. Der Arzt rief den Abteilungskommandeur Major Geidu? an, der auch schnell hier war. Der Arzt erz?hlte die ganze Geschichte, der Major redete garnichts und schickte den Sanit?ter zum Unteroffizier Grauer mit dem Befehl, er habe sofort im Dienstanzug in der Ambulanz zu erscheinen. Es dauerte eine Weile, wahrscheinlich hat er die Stiefel schnell ein bi?chen gewaschen, weil sie noch ganz na? waren, als er eintrat und meldete: "Unteroffizier Grauer zur Stelle!"

Major sagte zu ihm: "Sie haben sich an Stelle eines Wachtmeisters zu einem Schweinehund gemacht. Wir brauchen gesunde Soldaten und keine Kr?ppel." Er nahm sein Taschenmesser aus dem Hosensack und schnitt Unteroffizier Grauer an Ort und Stelle die Schulterst?cke, wo auch die Wachtmeisteranw?rterlitzen schon drauf waren, herunter und sagte: "So, degradiert zum Kanonier. Vier Wochen versch?rft, en Arrest, anschlie?end Strafkompanie. Nehmen Sie die Strafe an?" Das z?gernde Ja konnte man fast nicht mehr verstehen. Grauer wurde sofort abgef?hrt. Wir haben nie wieder etwas von ihm geh?rt. Gro? war der Jubel bei allen Kameraden, da? dieser Tyrann endlich weg war, und sie waren mir sehr dankbar, da? ich auf ihr Dr?ngen doch noch zur Ambulanz gegangen war.

[Paul R]

The author was awarded a Romanian medal for rescuing wounded Romanian Soldiers from a minefield... I wonder which medal it could have been?

"Was nun passiert ist, ist grausam. Einige 100 Meter vorm Wald waren total vermint. Man h?rte nurmehr krachen und schreien. Die Rum?nen sind hier in ein ganz brutales Minenfeld geraten. Sehr viele waren tot, bei sehr vielen waren Hand oder Fu? weggerissen. Da ich in Stalino einen Sanit?tskurs gemacht hatte und aushilfsweise auch mit dem Sanka fahren mu?te, half ich, die Fu?verwundeten aus dem Feld zu holen. Das war sehr gef?hrlich, es hat auch noch sehr viele Helfer erwischt. Wir mu?ten die verwundeten Rum?nen in den Wald tragen. Wir setzten sie einfach zu den B?umen hin. Dann fingen rum?nische ?rzte zu amputieren an. Was ich da ansehen mu?te, bringe ich mein Leben lang nicht aus den Augen. Sie schnitten die Haut rundherum auf, schoben sie etwas hoch und s?gten den Knochen mit einer Knochens?ge einfach ab und hefteten die Haut wieder dar?ber. Dann setzte man sie wieder zu einem Baum. Man h?rte dort keinen schreien, sie kr?chzten nur vor Schmerzen. Es waren an die 100 verwundete Rum?nen. Ein rum?nischer Offizier verlangte mein Soldbuch, sp?ter wurde mir eine rum?nische Medaille geschickt."

[Naxos]

Paul, you've been busy reading!

Crash course in German?

Hardy

Edited September 13, 2007 by Naxos

[Paul R]

With the help of an online translator service. I am about 1/3 rd of the way through it.

I wonder of this man is still alive? Was this unit reformed after it was destroyed? I wonder what Romanian medal he could have been awarded?