A couple of rare ones...

[Luft62]

Here is a photo (sorry about the small size) of a Fallschirmjager veteran's awards.



You will notice a couple of rarities amongst them !
The EK1 is the 1957 version.

Regards and a very merry Christmas !
Tim

[Chris Boonzaier]

dont always want to sound like a stick in the mud, but this is a perfect example of a NOT untouched since 1945 group.
He probably bought himlest the close cbrt clasp and tank badge around the same time he bought himself the 57 EK.

Soldiers replacing awards after the war is very comman, as is cóllectors doing it for them.

This thread couls become a long one if the die hard conservatives and the "late awards " guys get in here.

Whats the origin of the group ?

[cicero]

nice grouping Tim
is there also a story that goes with this grouping?

merry christmas and a happy new year Tim

glenn

[Luft62]

I know I'm the one that posted the pic, but I am also someone that has always doubted that awards such as the Luftwaffe CCC and the Luftwaffe numbered ground awards were ever awarded.
I will do my utmost to check the originality of these awards pictured but for the time being I'll post some details regarding them:

The Panzerkampfabzeichen der Luftwaffe was awarded on 18.2.1945 and the Nahkampfspange der Luftwaffe im Silber was awarded on 20.2.1945.
Both awards are listed as such in his Soldbuch.

After first seeing this picture and doing some very basic checking on its source I was very excited, but now until I do some further research I do tend to think as Chris does that perhaps more than one of these pictured awards was produced post 1945.
"I will be back..."

Merry Christmas!

Tim

[Jos L C]

Hi Tim,
Can we see the page of the soldbuch the badges are listed on ?
Merry Xmas,
Jos.

[Prosper Keating]

It would be very interesting to see the relevant pages of this Fallschirmjäger's soldbuch. The LW CCC and the Tank Battle Badge were probably purchased by the veteran in question long after WW2. Or by a member of his family. I remember seeing Germans buying copies ranging from cheap-o representations to Souval-quality reproductions to replace lost awards in places like Portobello Road antiques market in London in the 1970s. On many occasions, when shown medals and badges by living veterans, I have seen repros and fakes amongst them. In German military culture, you see, the badge isn't important, medals like the RK aside. It's the certificate - rather than the badge that just shows that one has the certificate - that is the important component of German military awards. And the entry in the soldbuch. Which brings us back to this paratrooper's soldbuch and awards: can you scan and post the relevant pages? That would be fascinating.

Best regards,

Prosper Keating

[ 24 December 2001: Message edited by: Prosper Keating ]

[CSP]

Tim:
Have to be careful of Soldbuch's and Wehrpaßes too. Not to sound negative, but these documents are also doctored after the war.
I was very excited to get one for a GD soldier. Upon colse scrutiny original entries were added to some post war...how else would one explain that he was killed as a gefrieter in 1942 and almost a year later was promoted to Unteroffizier. Posthumous promotion?? I have muy doubts. I still have the buch, as it is alegitimate GD document - but also a s a remineder and example that one must look at the entire picture to get close to the truth....and it was only $150.
Scott

[Richard]

A collector friend of mine acquired a grouping from a Luftwaffe veteran that had the Luftwaffe Tank Badge clearly entered in the Soldbuch. Interestingly enough he was never awarded a Luftwaffe Tank badge but a regular Tank badge like we all see awarded to the Wehrmacht tank crews. I wonder if this was standard procedure for most of the war?
Richard V

[Gene]

The two HG vets whom I knew while I lived in Germany both were awarded the Nahkampfspange, and were so listed in their Soldbuchs. But, they were awarded the Heer versions and never saw or heard of a Luftwaffe variant. Same goes for the Luftwaffe tank badge and numbered Erdkampfabzeichen; and I'm more inclined to believe them (call me crazy) than a latter day author. Especially one who produces a ludicrously bogus document attesting to their existence.