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Family purchased grouping available to the market for the first time! It came straight of his son!
Comprehensive grouping to Hauptmann Bernhard K, recipient of the German Cross in gold. He served from 26.8.1939 until 8.5.1939! He served as a group leader, platoon leader, company and even battalion commander! From 1939 until November 1944, K. served with Grenadier Regiment 376 which was part of 225 Infanterie-Division. From November 1944 until 8.5.1945 he served with Alarm Btl.225 and Feld Ers.Btl.225. He was wounded five times! He was part of the Demjansk and Kurland battles. He survived 22 days of close combat.
The grouping contains a collection of photo albums of historical importance going back to 1939-1945! Albums which we have never seen set up like that! Every album is set up as a war diary and provides a deep inside of his wartime history! It does not only provide all information you can imagine of him, but also of his unit's history! He planned to publish a book originally as his son told us! There are hundreds of hand-written pages!
A very very rare grouping of historical importance!
Medals & awards:
German Cross in Gold in case of issue. A near mint example by Zimmermann. Fantastic condition! "20" maker marked to the reverse of the pin. No damage to the enamel.
Weight: 44,8g
Matching case of issue. Working correctly but taped to the bottom part by the veteran after the war.
German Cross in Gold. Cloth type. Unworn. A very special type of an unknown maker which is rarely seen. Excellent!
1939 Iron Cross 1st Class on L58 marked screw-back. Nice condition. Brass core. In matching case of issue with black inlay (incomplete). Opening and losing correctly.
1939 Iron Cross 1st Class without case. Unmarked. Looks like a piece by Meybauer. Very nice condition.
Two unmarke Iron Crosses 2nd Classes with ribbons. Nice condition.
Demjasnk shield with original cloth and paper backing. Nice condition. Unworn.
Infantry Assault Badge in silver. Zinc. Hollow. Unworn.
FLL made Close Combat Clasp in bronze. Worn. Maker marked. Nice condition. Bronze finish nearly worn off.
A very nice Souval made period time Close Combat Clasp in bronze. "R.S." maker marked. Nearly 100% of the original bronze finish. Back-plate missing.
Zinc Wound Badge in silver. 65 marked. In matching "S&L" marked back of issue in good condition.
HJ leader's Sport's Badge. Numbered. Well worn. Good condition. RZM M1/101 marked.
A mint L/11 marked Wound Badge in black, his East mEdals and a shooting badge. Sport's Badge in cloth. His ribbon bar.
Certificates:
- Certificate to the German Cross in Gold issued on 18.3.1945 to Oberleutnant K. serving as leader of "Feld-Ers.Btl.225". Facsimile signature of Keitel. Folded once. Two holes.
- Certificate to the Iron Cross 1st Class issued on 3.1.1943 to K. as a Leutnant serving with II./Gren.Rgt.376. Ink signature of the division commander. Not folded. Two holes.
- Certificate to the Iron Cross 2nd Class issued on 21.12.1940 to K. as a Unteroffizier serving with I./Inf.Rgt.376. Ink signature of the division commander. Not folded. Two holes.
- Certificate to the Close Combat Clasp in bronze issued on 20.4.1944 to Oberleutnant K. serving with I./Gren.Rgt.376. Issued on 20.4.1944. Folded once. Two holes. Signed by the regiment commander.
- Certificate to the Demansk Shield issued on 1.4.1944 to Oberleutnant K. serving with I./Gren.Rgt.376. Signed of age. Folded, taped. Holes.
- Certificate to the East Medal. Folded. Two holes.
A large size color service time certificate dated 7.10.1937. Folded.
Insignia:
Two single shoulder boards as well as a pair of officer's collar tabs and one unworn officer's breast eagle.
Officer's dagger portepee. Visor cap's chin strap.
Photos:
Small private holiday album:
32 postcards from "1926 until 1929". Private holidays.
Another small postcard album "1930".
Important large size photo album set up like a war diary providing full information on his entire service time! A treasure trove for every historian!
Large size album "Mein Kriegstagebuch" document the time from "26. August 1939 - 24. Januar 1940".
218 photos in total.
Damage to the cover (separated. Taped).
Album documenting the year 1941. Most of the photos were taken in France. 127 photos in total.
Album documenting the year 1942 which is mainly on the battle of Demjansk. 109 photos in total. Damage to the cover. Separated.
Album documenting the year 1943. It starts with photos of the funeral of Knight's Cross recipient Oberst Lorenz. 63 photos in total.
Album going back to June 1944 when his "Stoßetrupp" was on a propaganda trip through German visiting certain HJ units together with Reichsjugendführer Axmann. Axmann is show many times on the photos. The album comes with several newspaper articles about their visit. A very rare album! 78 photos in total.
Album documenting the year 1944 and 1945. This album only comes with 15 photos but with all information on his entire service time you can think of and of course with full documentation on the years 1944/45. All his promotions are listed, all his campaigns (including demjansk and Kurland), his injuries and all medals he was awarded!
There are the original Soldbuch pages inside this album listing his close combat days with date and locations. 22 in total! Furthermore, one original promotion certificate.
Damaged to the cover. Taped.
Visor cap:
An infantry officer's visor cap. White piping. Period time hand-attached embroidered officer's insignia. Silk lining with a celluloid diamond. One small "cut" to the piping. No moth damage.
A bit out of shape. Size 56.
Varia:
Black leather holster for a 7,65 pistole. Marked inside. Good condition. Soft.
HJ knife with maker "Hartkopf & Co." RZM marked. A used knife in good condition. Original paint to the scabbard.
A long green "Reserve hat Ruh" ribbon.
A large quantity of cigarett cards, small military instruction manuels, postcards etc.... Various cigarett card albums and books. A period time relief decoration.
A few medals and certificates are still with his son! We are in good contact and hope to get the remaining pieces from him but can not guarantee.
NAME
German Cross in Gold
DATE OF INSTITUTION
28. September 1941 as a military order in two grades. A special grade, the German Cross in Gold with Diamonds was planned and prototypes were made.
AWARD CRITERIA
The golden grade was awarded for multiple exceptional deeds of bravery or leadership and the silver grade for exceptional deeds in troop leadership. The award of the Iron Cross 1. Class, the Spange 1. Class , or the War Merit Cross 1. Class was a pre-requisite for the awarding of the German Cross. The German Cross was located above the Iron Cross 1. Class and War Merit Cross 1. Class but below the Knights Cross of the Iron Cross, respectively the Knights Cross of the War Merit Cross.
MANUFACTURERS
The German Cross was awarded by the decision of the supreme commanders of the three army branches.
The German Cross was produced by five known manufacturers and maybe one or two not yet known companies. The known manufacturers are Deschler & Sohn, who designed the cross, Gebrüder Godet, C.E. Juncker, C.F. Zimmermann, and Otto Klein.
Early crosses are unmarked and from the end of 1942/early 1943 onwards, the crosses were marked with the Präsidialkanzlei numbers of the companies.
Due to the heavy and slightly bulky nature of the award, a cloth version was authorized in June 1942. The cloth version can be found with eight different cloth backing colors: field gray (army), dark blue (navy), blue-gray (LW), black (tank forces), stone gray (assault gun), olive (Africa Heer), light khaki (Africa LW), and white (summer uniform).
AWARD NUMBERS
Accurate numbers are not known but the closest estimation based on surviving documents are 25,964 for the gold grade and 2,471 for the silver grade. A known total of eleven soldiers were awarded both grades.
The crosses were mainly stored and registered at the Präsidalkanzlei and were given out by this office. It is possible that smaller numbers were stored at the personnel offices of the three army branches.
AWARD DOCUMENTS
The Heer issued preliminary award documents in the format A5, followed by a larger (356 mm x 254 mm) formal document. The Luftwaffe and the Kriegsmarine never issued any preliminary documents, only the formal ones in the same size as the formal document of the Heer.
WEARING METHOD
The German Cross was worn at the right side of the uniform on the breast pocket.