I fully agrea with you Chris on your points. I meet at the ODR a member who said he had wone the KC, had photo of him wearing same on his SS uniform. He was accepted as such in the organisation, but was latter seen as A CHARLETON. In the case of the Vet , he had no idea of what the shield was accept it was for his service in the region. He gave me the items as a thank you for what my father did to get medicin for his mother in Rumania. Like many of the vets in my region, they say little about their war service. It is very hard to get any thing from them.
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I knew a Handschar officer who did not know if he had the KVK or EK2, and vaguely knew he had a second medal.
Turned out from his Soldbuch he had the EK2 and Croation "Zovanier" (buggered if I can remember what its called).
Vets memories can be very, very hazy...Comment
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Chris:
If the only evidence that this shield was awarded is one veteran-then it's very weak evidence indeed. About 200,000 troops would've been eligable for these awards, yet secondary documentary evidence is lacking. I've interviwed hundreds of vets-none of them ever saw this award. German vets magazines don't mention this award at all.
These shields (or types thereof, as in the cannery shields) weren't difficult to produce and given the status of awards and the fact that this award "surfaced" in the UK, where money, duplicity and faking were rampant in the 1970s (and I was there in Ely in the 1970s I might add and I've asked other German vets in the area about this guy and nobody knows of him) I doubt this is a pre 1945 award.
Lastly, when speaking to vets, I, like Reagan trust-but verify. I've spoken to a number of SS vets and one guy who used to live a scant 3 miles from my house always swore blind that he'd been in a signals section and his war had been quite uneventful. That is until the FBI showed up and hauled him away for war crimes for his 2 years in a Sonderkommando.
Construction wise-looks well done, whcih gives one pause for other Krim, Narvik and Cholm shileds.Comment
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The gift was in 1958, not in the 70's. The Vet was in the Camp at Ely, but as you perhaps know, this camp was the centeral camp were the prisoners were sent after they had been landed at Colchester. The Ely camp had saterlit camps at Fridaybridge, Thorney Toll, Warboys, Ramsey and Whittlesy. The Vets were employed in landwork in the Whittlesey area. Olesh lived in Whittlesey. So the chances of anyone knowing him in the Ely area are very remote. The Rumanian one were kept here. I had George Rohess paybook and Where pass. I still have Szegerdies Soldbook. Interestingly he was in RFSS and was guarding Musso. His paybook is made out until 1947.Comment
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My Nan's sister lives in Whittlesey and has since 1925. Where did Olesh work?Comment
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i do not believe they existed, other then on paper,
in anyway if the shield is the only one original; its worth nothing our the same price as a copy, because noboby would believe it, without proper proof, and even then its going to be difficult.
AlexComment
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I think we should come back to the thread, the shield shown is a fake. This has nothing to do with the information given by Olesh. His statement was clear, approx 250 shields were sent to his unit to be distributed. He was the compant seargent, and gave these out. He had one for himself. Subsequently he was wounded and sent to hospital. This saved him from being returned to the Yogoslave government. His comrades were and were dealt with. This is a matter of factual history. He ended up in Ely were this together with his watch and arm eagle were confiscated. I have never had or seen an original Balkan Shield. But the facts remain the vet has stated that he had one and distributed the other pieces mentioned. He also said while he was in his office no more came.Comment
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That in itself sounds a bit strange... since when does a company Sgt distribute awards? Must be a first. Usually the awards are approved for individuals, some paperwork is done, entries are made... and sometimes even then the guy didnt get the physical award. Here the company Sgt distributes them with the bread ration?Comment
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Added to the above, a company had guys coming and going, replacements, guys who may not qualify beacuse of a host of reasons etc. etc.
Its not something an NCO does on his todd. "Okay, everyone line up, I got a pressie for all a ya!"Comment
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