Interesting experience

[Luftm40]

I had a neat experience recently with one of my groupings. I had purchased this group awhile back..DKiG group to a Heer Obergefreiter. The group is his cased DKiG, plus all of his other medals and badges, and some period pics. When I got the group, I knew the recipient was still living in Germany, and I even had his address. Last November, on a whim, I made up high quality pics of the items in the group, along with a letter of originality and some postage $ and mailed them off to this man in the hopes that he would sign them, thus giving first hand provenace. Several months went by, and I deployed over to Afghanistan...forgot all about it. A few weeks ago I got a package in the mail from the man's daughter. It seems he had sighned the pics and document, but had unfortunately passed away in December before he could mail them. She found the package and money in his papers, and very kindly mailed everything back to me. My only regret is that I never got a chance to really correspond with the recipient..that would have been interesting. Since then, I learned from the daughter that she also had some more items from her father's estate, including a cloth DKiG, 1957 cased DKiG, several stick pins and 60 more wartime photos. I had a friend acquire these from the daughter, and will hopefully get them within the next few weeks. I'll post pics of the whole thing when it is together.

[George Stimson]

Andy

I think it's very interesting! It's just too bad that you weren't able to hook up with the old gent. But alas, time is marching on....
I look forward to the pictures of the other material when you get it!

George

[bhholst]

Hello Andy and all readers.
First off thanks for sharing this story with us.
I have recently made a tally of D.K.i.G. recipients in the army who held the ranks of Gefreiter, Obergefreiter and Stabsgefreiter: 206 recipients held these ranks. So your group is a very rare one.
The official total of 15,461 recipients as of 27. Jan. 1945 are given for the army with of course additional such awards taking place subsequently.
Bernhard H. Holst

[Luftm40]

Here are the signed items. his name was Friedrich Metzger. The group is interesting because he was so junior...an Obergefreiter. The DK is cased, and is a Juncker. It has some enamel damage, but is still great. I originally thought both CCCs were bronze, but after looking hard, I think the unmarked one may be gold. hard to tell. He doesn't appear in Dorr's book as a recipient, but that might not be definitive. His daughter told me that he was very very seriously wounded (in fact he ultimately died from complications from his wartime wounds). This probably explains the gold wound badge, which is an unmarked '30" example in it's somewhat squashed box. BTW, the EK1 is an L/11 in a box under the catch type

[George Stimson]

Andy

Fantastic!

George

[Mark S.]

Really nice! Looks like Herr Metzger kicked some serious butt.

One question, though....died from complications of his wounds...60 years later? I dont suppose old age had anything to do with it did it?

Nevertheless, thanks for sharing Andy!! Something about seeing the same badges in your hand as the ones in the war time picture that just gives them a whole other dimension, doesnt it?

[Luftm40]

This group is one of my favorites. The pic of troops in a line is the DKiG award ceremony in the field. The pic of metzger wearing the cross was taken right after the ceremony

[Stijn David]

nice one

Hello,


Thanks for showing this superb grouping, any change in bringing up what this Metzger did fot receiving his German Cross? , i guess he was a pretty hard one in the frontline => otherwise he would never have had that great award

Are the award documents or any related material also in your collection ?


Friendly Greetings,

[Luftm40]

Stijn, sorry for the delay in answering. I really don't know what he did to get the DK. He must have been a good soldier, but never made rank for some reason. I asked his daughter about award docs or ID booklets, as the vets often keep these as proof of entitlement to pensions etc. No luck...they must not have survived the war, or perhaps she just wanted to keep them, which is totally understandable.

[W. C. Stump]

FANTASTIC AND FABULOUS GROUPING

Seldom does a collector acquire such a personalized grouping with such a province. To be the custodian of such a personalized group is surely an honor. May the next person after you keep it together and preserve the legacy of that man's heroism to his country is a time now part of the history of warfare and his past glory.