Hello,
I would like to present in this article the case to the Oakleaves with Swords. To me three Swords-Groups are known, with those with certainty can be said, Swords and case have not been replaced or exchanged by traders or collectors.
The three recipients are:
• Generaloberst Hans-Georg Reinhardt, awarded on May 26, 1944,
• SS-Standartenführer Otto Baum, awarded on September 2, 1944,
• General …, awarded on August 1944 (Name known; decoration in my collection).
All Oakleaves with Swords pieces from these recipients are visible worn and made from Godet marked “900” and “21”. And all these Swords come inside the same case: black leather skin with a silver-grey line around the upper outer edge of the lid, silk inside lining and black flocking base like on the photos below. The case size is: 103 mm long, 80 mm wide and 26 mm high with the usual tolerances.
Therefore, I cannot join the opinion of Dietrich Maerz in the chapter of the Sword Cases in his book The Knights Cross of the Iron Cross after which only the early L/50 Swords were presented (or bought on the private retail market) in the black leather skin case (pages 286 to 287). And I can also not join the opinion that later on the Swords are only presented in the Oakleave style cases (pages 288 to 291).
The on pages 286/287 illustrated black leather skin case is undoubtedly a case for the Swords. But the case illustrated there does not belong originally, however, to the L/50 Swords inside this case. This black leather skin case was sold without a decoration before longer time by Kai Winkler. You can see this case still on his homepage in the archives under the article number 8065 (here wrongly described as a case for the Diamonds). Since some month the same black leather skin case is now offered with L/50 Swords by Helmut Weitze for sale (article number 91089). For this reason no conclusions can seriously be done by this Swords set, because case and Swords have not belonged together originally.
It should be correct that some Swords were presented (or sold) in the Oakleaves style case. But this was the exception and not the rule. The Oakleaves with Swords were one of the highest German military bravery decorations and accordingly it was also put on the quality of the award case special value. Oberleutnant Ernst-Wilhelm Reinert, for example, awarded on February 1, 1945 his Swords in a case for the Diamonds, perhaps because no Swords case was available at the time of delivery to the Präsidialkanzlei.
On the other side I know traders and collectors who put Swords in changed original Oakleaves cases for better sale, for safe keeping or for exhibition the rare decoration.
I would be glad if other collectors could give their knowledge about the case to the Oakleaves with Swords in this Forum.
Andy
P.S. Marcus Hatton is so friendly to post as soon as possible for me both photos here.
I would like to present in this article the case to the Oakleaves with Swords. To me three Swords-Groups are known, with those with certainty can be said, Swords and case have not been replaced or exchanged by traders or collectors.
The three recipients are:
• Generaloberst Hans-Georg Reinhardt, awarded on May 26, 1944,
• SS-Standartenführer Otto Baum, awarded on September 2, 1944,
• General …, awarded on August 1944 (Name known; decoration in my collection).
All Oakleaves with Swords pieces from these recipients are visible worn and made from Godet marked “900” and “21”. And all these Swords come inside the same case: black leather skin with a silver-grey line around the upper outer edge of the lid, silk inside lining and black flocking base like on the photos below. The case size is: 103 mm long, 80 mm wide and 26 mm high with the usual tolerances.
Therefore, I cannot join the opinion of Dietrich Maerz in the chapter of the Sword Cases in his book The Knights Cross of the Iron Cross after which only the early L/50 Swords were presented (or bought on the private retail market) in the black leather skin case (pages 286 to 287). And I can also not join the opinion that later on the Swords are only presented in the Oakleave style cases (pages 288 to 291).
The on pages 286/287 illustrated black leather skin case is undoubtedly a case for the Swords. But the case illustrated there does not belong originally, however, to the L/50 Swords inside this case. This black leather skin case was sold without a decoration before longer time by Kai Winkler. You can see this case still on his homepage in the archives under the article number 8065 (here wrongly described as a case for the Diamonds). Since some month the same black leather skin case is now offered with L/50 Swords by Helmut Weitze for sale (article number 91089). For this reason no conclusions can seriously be done by this Swords set, because case and Swords have not belonged together originally.
It should be correct that some Swords were presented (or sold) in the Oakleaves style case. But this was the exception and not the rule. The Oakleaves with Swords were one of the highest German military bravery decorations and accordingly it was also put on the quality of the award case special value. Oberleutnant Ernst-Wilhelm Reinert, for example, awarded on February 1, 1945 his Swords in a case for the Diamonds, perhaps because no Swords case was available at the time of delivery to the Präsidialkanzlei.
On the other side I know traders and collectors who put Swords in changed original Oakleaves cases for better sale, for safe keeping or for exhibition the rare decoration.
I would be glad if other collectors could give their knowledge about the case to the Oakleaves with Swords in this Forum.
Andy
P.S. Marcus Hatton is so friendly to post as soon as possible for me both photos here.
) and the later sets (900 21) from Klessheim also have the (later) style I describe.
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