Almost a flea-marked found.....

[Pieter Verbruggen]

Hello Scott,

Really a nice document.
It is very interesting not only because it's awarded to a Gross- Deutschland member, but it's rare to see such long names
This gives the document a very nice optical cachet.
Pieter.

[Luc]

Hi Scott

Very nice Mappe, in nice condition.
Thanks for sharing them with us. Indeed a very long name!!

Can you make a detail scan of the signature of Adolf Hitler.

thanks
Luc

[Pieter Verbruggen]

A geuss from the date and the importance level of the person....I think it's a faximille signature.

Pieter.

[Pieter Verbruggen]

The one you have Luc is an original AH signature. But yeah .....he was not somebody...hé.... .

Pieter.

[bnz. 42]

Pieter,

Anyone who received a Ritterkreuz was already not just somebody.
Those guys were he-men, real heroes, gentlemen, which knew what is the honor.. and proved it in an action.
but you can keep hé-hé

[Pieter Verbruggen]

Hi bnz.42,


Of course you are right saying that each KC-receiver was a real hero, honored by the German people. but so was a EKII carrier!

But does : Heinz Grimberg ring a bell to you?
Sepp Dietrich does isn't it?

does : Willi Jansen ring a bell to you?
Hans-Ulrich Rudel does isn't it

does : Teubel Heinz ring a bell to you?
Adolf Galland does isn't it?

does : Otto Wutzel ring a bell to you?
Günther Prien does isn't it?

Well they ALL received the Knights Cross....

So of the more than 7000 KC-winners only a certain group became real herous of their time, meaning that their names are known by everybody interested in the 2nd WW.

This was the same 60 years ago.

More importand persons of that time received more attention to their KC-winning than others.
For a certain group the Führer took time to receive them personally, so giving them more public attention to their award winning or promotion.
Some of them were shown in the German Wochenshau......not all 7000 of course, but it was the case for Michael Wittmann, Felix Steiner, Kurt Meyer, Gordon Gollob...

I hope it makes it easier to understand by what I meant with "not somebody"...

But I know, understanding is a learning proces, it will come...

In the mean time I would like to keep what is before the...hé-hé

Pieter.

P.S. Every soldier, KC-winner or not, is "Somebody" and deserves all the respect he merits.

[Gordon Williamson]

Anyone who received a Ritterkreuz was already not just somebody.
Those guys were he-men, real heroes, gentlemen, which knew what is the honor.. and proved it in an action.
but you can keep hé-hé

Lets not go overboard with the hero worship stuff where Ritterkreuzträger were concerned. For sure many were brave and honourable men, but just remember that mass murdering scumbags like Oskar Dirlewanger, Friedrich Jeckeln, Fritz Knöchlein and their ilk were awarded the Knights Cross, and higher, for their "brave" deeds. A little reality check needed here I think.

[Dez H]

Hello all

Very interesting thread, stunning pictures, these document sets to the Knights Cross series are true works of art. Could someone please elaborate more on the heinous crime that was committed against Erich Topp? When did this occur? What information is available regarding this? Something like this makes me very angry and sick inside, I can’t even begin to imagine how Mr Topp would feel. Simply shocking, some people should just be stood up against the wall.

[Luc]

Pieter

Very nice Mappe of Erwin Clausen.
Don't you have a picture of the inside of the Mappe?
That would be great.

Luc

[David F]

These are fantastic things to see.this must be one of the best things i have seen since i started collecting.truely amazing!
David F

[Pieter Verbruggen]

David,

Seeing nice things is the advantage of this forum.....
Pieter.

[W. C. Stump]

Could it be Harmel, Heinz Kommandeur SS-PzGrenRgt 3 "Deutschland" 31.03.1943

ALL the Obersturnbanfuhrer's KC's.


Aperats, Karlis Kommandeur Waffen-GrenRgt 32 (lett. Nr.1) der SS 21.09.1944
Beßlein, Georg-Robert Kommandeur SS-FestungsRgt 1 "Beßlein" in der Festung Breslau 30.04.1945
Bock, Friedrich-Wilhelm Kommandeur II./SS-PolArtRgt 4 28.03.1943
Bühler, Karlheinz Kommandeur SS-PzGrenRgt 9 "Germania" 06.05.1945
Collani, Hans Kommandeur niederl. SS-Freiw.PzGrenRgt 49 "De Ruyter" 19.08.1944
Darges, Fritz Führer SS-PzRgt 5 "Wiking" 05.04.1945
Drexler, Oskar Kommandeur SS-PzArtRgt 12 "Hitlerjugend" 06.05.1945
Eberhardt, Erich Ia 3.SS-PzDiv "Totenkopf" 23.08.1944
Ehrath, Fritz Kommandeur SS-PzGrenRgt 9 "Germania" 23.02.1944
Galdins, Nikolajs Kommandeur WaffenGrenRgt der SS Nr.42 "Voldemars Veiss" 25.01.1945
Gesele, Karl Kommandeur SS-SturmBrig "RFSS" (sp. 16.SS-PzGrenDiv) 04.07.1944
Gottstein, Rainer Kommandeur SiPo und SD Budapest u. Fhr. einer Kampfgruppe 06.02.1945
Hanke, Hans Kommandeur Waffen-GebJägRgt 28 03.05.1945
Harmel, Heinz Kommandeur SS-PzGrenRgt 3 "Deutschland" 31.03.1943
Harzer, Walter Ia 9.SS-PzDiv "Hohenstaufen" 21.09.1944
Joerchel, Wolfgang Kommandeur niederl. SS-Freiw.PzGrenRgt 48 "General Seyffardt" 21.04.1944
Karl, Friedrich-Wilhelm Kommandeur SS-Freiw.PzArtRgt 11 "Nordland" 26.12.1944
Kausch, Paul Albert Kommandeur SS-PzAbt 11 "Hermann von Salza" 23.08.1944
Knöchlein, Fritz Kommandeur SS-Freiw.PzGrenRgt 23 "Norge" 16.11.1944
Kumm, Otto Kommandeur SS-InfRgt (mot.) "Der Führer" 16.02.1942
Lehmann, Rudolf Ia 1.SS-PzDiv "LSSAH" 23.02.1944
Liecke, Karl Kommandeur Waffen-GebJägRgt 27 der SS 03.05.1945
Lombard, Gustav Kommandeur SS-KavRgt 1 10.03.1943
Meyer, Otto Kommandeur SS-PzRgt 9 "Hohenstaufen" 04.06.1944
Mohnke, Wilhelm Kommandeur SS-PzGrenRgt 26 "Hitlerjugend" 11.07.1944
Ostendorff, Werner Ia SS-Div "Reich" 13.09.1941
Paetsch, Otto Kommandeur SS-PzRgt 10 "Frundsberg" 23.08.1944
Petersen, Heinrich Kommandeur SS-GebJägRgt 1 "Prinz Eugen" 13.11.1943
Reitzenstein Frhr. v., Albin Kommandeur SS-PzRgt 2 "Das Reich" 13.11.1943
Richter, Joachim Kommandeur SS-PzArtRgt 5 "Wiking" 23.02.1944
Riipalu, Harald Kommandeur SS-FreiwGrenRgt 45 23.08.1944
Roestel, Erwin Kommandeur SS-PzJäg(SturmGesch)Abt 10 "Frundsberg" u. Fhr. e. KampfGrp 03.05.1945
Rumohr, Joachim Kommandeur SS-ArtRgt 8 "Florian Geyer" 16.01.1944
Schäfer, Max Kommandeur SS-PiBtl 5 "Wiking" 12.02.1943
Scheibe, Siegfried Kommandeur SS-Freiw.PzGrenRgt 48 "General Seyffardt" 11.05.1945
Schellong, Conrad Kommandeur SS-Freiw.SturmBrig "Langemarck" 28.02.1945
Schönberger, Georg Kommandeur SS-PzRgt 1 "LSSAH" 20.12.1943
Schönfelder, Manfred Ia 5.SS-PzDiv "Wiking" 23.02.1944
Schuldt, Hinrich Kommandeur SS-Totenkopf-Rgt 4 05.04.1942
Siebken, Bernhard Kommandeur SS-PzGrenRgt 2 "LSSAH" 17.04.1945
Stoffers, Arnold Kommandeur SS-Freiw.PzGrenRgt 23 "Norge" 12.03.1944
Suhr, Friedrich Führer einer Kampfgruppe(Bfh.Sipo Frankreich) 11.12.1944
Swientek, Josef Kommandeur SS-ArtRgt 3 "Totenkopf" 16.06.1944
Tappe, Martin Kommandeur II./SS-PolPzGrenRgt 8 28.03.1945
Zehender, August Kommandeur SS-KavRgt 1 "Florian Geyer" 10.03.1943

[Kyle Harrington]

Award criteria

Gordon has rised a very important point here. We all must remember that the awarding of such orders was not confined to single or multiple acts of bravery.Take General Jurgen Stroop
awarded the EK1 for the brutal crushing of the Warsaw rising in the spring of 1943.The odious Odilo Globoknic, a recipient of both German crosses in gold and silver, just think of the criteria here!!
Also those who crushed the risings in Auschwitz and Treblinka
wre awarded EK1'S and EKII's fortheir actions.So the hobby we love must be tempered with caution, yes many brave Germans
deserved their awards, however the history of these awards
has been tarnished by the bestial activities of many plain and simple sadists and murderers.

[Luc]

W.C. Stump

Thanks for the long list of all the Obersturmbannführers of the WSS who got the KC. I don't think Harmel ever received his Mappe... In your list you can eliminate a lot of KC owners who have for sure never received the Mappe, only the 'Vorläufige Besitzeugnis'.

And yes... the man you are looking is in your list....

Luc

[Luc]

Kausch, Paul Albert Kommandeur SS-PzAbt 11 "Hermann von Salza" 23.08.1944

Here you can see Herr Kausch some years ago during my visit.
He died some time ago.

On the table you see the book 'The last knight of Flanders' written by my good friend Allen Brandt, who wrote a book about Remy Schrijnen, the only Flemish KC owner. Kausch was in 1944 also in Narwa when Remy got his KC and therefore he knew Remy very well.