honor cross doc and questions ...

[Christian L]

i'm not able to show any kind of special and rare items - but i like this small "grouping".

its an often seen frontfighers doc for a baker with the rarer seen "shipping" paper - and as they have on the left hand side a form for other things they shipped with it, i wonder if many of them used it (for getting the military pass entry for recieving the honorcross)

also i'm interested if they shipped it to the recipients or if they had to collect it up at the office / or at an awarding ceremony (as no adress is fild in)

beside the doc i have the original cross which came with it as well

(and the marker mark is: 87 R.V. Pforzheim - whoever it was, it was not that far away of the recipient so i'm interested as well, if the officies purchased the honorcrosses directly or if berlin bought them and send them those with different mm's around germany?)

now the doc (if someone wants to see the cross, let me know )

christian

[Guest Rick Research]

That is the first congratulations/forwarding letter I've ever seen!

For similar weird "thrown away" paperwork, here is the APPLICATION APPROVAL to be sent in for a Hindenburg Cross:

[attachmentid=30621]

Bavarian charakterisiert Oberstleutnant aD ALOIS Louis was a WW1 amputee who would later serve in the Abwehr during WW2.

Here is another oddball Hindenburg paperwork item--

despite the above, he was sent his award document (note the time delay) with the WRONG first name, crossed it out, sent it back, got THE SAME DOCUMENT back with his name incorrect AGAIN, and then scribbled on it "attesting" angrily ("Gottesmutter!!!!!!") to himself

[attachmentid=30622]

He saved all sorts of weird stuff-- the forwarding letter for his wartime Bavarian XXIV Years Service Cross and award document, pay records from the Abwehr, etc etc.

[Christian L]

wow! thats a really nice forwarding letter you have there (much more infos containing than mine!)

but the hindenburg doc is GREAT

thats only possible when civil servants akt with a high bureaucracy!

i'd say that this is the most interesting one i've ever seen, as so much is behind it you'd never would guess!!!

and with other papers from the same person - its wonderfull for research i guess!

christian

[Wild Card]

Hi Christian,

This is fascinating. Think about it. With all of Hindenburg crosses we see, I for one, have never given any thought as to the documentation connected with them. A true learning experience.

Thank you,

Wild Card

[David Gregory]

Good topic - Honour Cross documents are probably one of the least considered items of militaria related to WW1 service.

It would seem that not every former soldier was sent his Honour Cross. The note below sent to Edgar B?sch, a former Gefreiter with 7. Kompagnie/Infanterie-Regiment Nr. 32 and recipient of the Schwarzburg Silver Medal for Merit in War, informed him that that he could collect his Honour Cross and certificate from his local police station on presentation of the notification. I do not know if he bothered to pick it up, as neither the award document or the cross were with the few papers of his that I now have.

[attachmentid=30681]

[attachmentid=30682]

It would seem that he was also offered the deluxe case for the cross at some time:

[attachmentid=30683]

Edited March 13, 2006 by David Gregory

[Christian L]

wow - the box advert is rare and interesting but i have never seen the informing postcard for getting the honorcross!

as it was stated in the postcard itself, i always thought that you need to apply for recieving it.

its really a "shame" that we know the awarding numbers, production varieties, ... on rare and often not affortable awards but nearly nothing on awards we are able to get and to study!

added a front and reverse picture of an application i ones owned:

(which proofs that they really required some sort of service for recieving the cross!)

[Christian L]

and the reverse:

[Guest Rick Research]

This is turning into QUITE an eye opening "forgotten paperwork process" thread!!!

I've never seen a "come in and pick it up notice" before EITHER...

and that FULL CAREER "application" is as detailed as any Auszug aus der Kriegsrangliste, and aeven more thorough than the sort of "Fragebogen" officers being considered for Wehramcaht recall ever filled out.

So we have these stages:

1) The BIG full career filled out service entitlement form

2) The receipt back saying You ARE Eligible Turn This In

and

3) All ready Come By And Get It!

Great stuff guys! Even the most common of items had undreamed of "depth."