Kriegsmarine KM KVK doc to water customs

[Gordon Williamson]

At least, I'm assuming that if a doc is issued by the Kriegsmarine to a customs employee then its likely that they were in the water customs branch rather than land. Interesting in that despite being a KM document issued under D?nitz name, the ink stamp is for the Reichsfinanzministerium.

[Paul R]

What an amazing document. This is the first KVK document to this branch of service I have seen. This must be among the rarest! Congratulations.

[nesredep]

Hello!

Gordon

Just amazing.

All the best

Nesredep

[Guest Rick Research]

Yup! There weren't exactly a lot of water frontiers NEEDING customs personnel on 1 September 1944!!!!

Maybe they were pressed into action as auxiliary troops, like Police filling in as army personnel in the Balkans?

Lots and lots of unanswered questions this one raises! WHERE WAS HE???????????

[Gordon Williamson]

Yup, there is just something about these non-military recipients that makes one want to know just what they were doing, as opposed to the "yawn" factor of finding a KVK2 doc to, for example, a soldier in a bakery company who spent his day baking loaves for the troops. Essential work maybe, but bo-ring.

[Simon Orchard]

What an oddball doc. The Finance bean counters borrowing a KM KVK doc, very strange.

On the subject, have you ever come across KVK or other 'military' award docs to Wasserschutzpolizei or K?sten polizei officers?

[sef1962]

Hello found this post I am currently researching Hans Heinrich Paul Möller a WW1 vet after which he joined the customs in Bremen his service continued into WW2 and these scans are of parts of his fragebogen as he continued his career into the occupation government, as you can see he recieved KVK II klasse m. Schw. on 8.10.44 while he was Oberzollsekretar I presume this was a non combat role, so why recieve it with swords ? Thanks Mark

Edited April 3, 2010 by sef1962

[Gordon Williamson]

Probably because he was a member of a uniformed organisation contributing to the war effort. The with or without Swords aspect of the KVK is nowhere near as clear cut as you would think.

There are loads of examples of people you would think should get an award with swords ( an Army General as an example) getting one "without" whilst civilians got one "with".