Knight Crosses today.

[donlon]

Damn, that RK with oakleaves is a beaut

[Gran Sasso]

Knight Cross with oaks and swords from Major Josef Wurmheller.

A good friend of mine had his dagger with engravings, given by comrades when he won the KC.

[Sepp45]

Ok gents, thanks to the contribution and research, so far we have the Knight Crosses of the following soldiers:

*Major Josef Wurmheller (04.05.1917 - 22.06.1944)
*Oberfeldwebel Johann Schwerdfeger (24.11.1941 - )
*Oberleutnant Kurt Kruck (08.03.1914 - 22.04.1981)
*Oberstabsarzt Dr. Rolf Jäger (01.11.1912 - 06.06.1984)
*Hauptmann Willi Dous (01.03.1912 - 07.08.1941)
*General der Infanterie Walter Hoernlein (02.06.1893 - 14.09.1961)
*Oberleutnant Erwin Koopmann (01.01.1900 - 18.11.1943)
*Hauptmann Hans Klaemann (23.04.1910 - 06.09.1944)
*General der Infanterie Friedrich Fangohr (12.08.1899 - 17.04.1956)
*Generalmajor Gustav Adolf von Nostitz-Wallwitz (11.07.1898 - 31.05.1945)
*Leutnant Willi Reschke (03.02.1922 - )
*Hauptman Prof. Dr. Bodo Spranz (01.01.1920 – 01.09.2007)
*Oberst Heinrich Eberbach "1957 type" (24.11.1895 – 13.07.1992)
*Feldwebel Otto Wuerfel (03.02.1920 - 22.12.1944)
*Major Martin Drewes (20.10.1918 - )
*Major Wolfgang Darius (02.04.1911 - 18.10.2000)
*Oberleutnant Hans Guhr (24.10.1916 - 1969)
*Unteroffizier Jacob Fuchs (01.08.1920 - 03.11.2003)
*Oberleutnant Franz Kech
*Oberfeldwebel Paul Stoll (26.10.1920 - )
*General Emilio Esteban Infantes (18.05.1892 – 06.09.1962)
*Standartenführer Leon Degrelle (15.06.1906 – 31.03.1994)
*Fieldmarshall Carl Gustaf Emil Mannerheim (04.06.1867 – 27.01.1951)
*Korvettenkapitan Klaus Feldt (14.04.1912 – 07.09.2010)
*Generalmajor Horst Niemack (10.03.1909 – 7.04.1992)
*Oberst Kurt Matern (killed 01.12.1943)
*Obersturmbannführer Otto Skorzeny (12.06.1908 - 06.07.1975)
*Unterscharführer Harald Nugiseks (22.10.1921 - )
*Oberstleutnant Johann Austermann (24.06.1906 – 12.08.1973)
*Oberst Friedrich Friedmann (20.02.1899 - 21.08.1943)
* Oberleutnant Karl Heinz Greve
*Oberst Hans-Ulrich Rudel (02.07.1916 – 18.12.1982)
*Oberst Werner Molders (18.03.1913 – 22.11.1941)
*Oberst Gordon Gollob (16.05.1912 - 8.09.1987)
*Leutnant Otto Carius (27.05.1922 - )
*Mayor Erich Hartmann (19.04.1922 – 20.09.1993)
*Oberfeldwebel Ernst Neufeld (29.03.1915 - 05.10.2010)
*Oberst Herbert Ihlefeld (01.06.1914 – 08.08.1995)
*Leutnant Rudolf Frank (19.08.1920 – 27.04.1944)

Let's keep it coming!

What do you think of this?
RK with Oakleafs, Swords and Diamonds awarded to Generalfeldmarschall Erwin Rommel


I really have no background no this photo, could this be true?



The next items are located at Munster Museum, in Germany. Most possibly fakes or 1957 RK?



His famous "Pour le Merite", original?

Source: http://themarshalsbaton.com/ (Munster Museum, Germany)

Regards,
Sepp.

[Sepp45]

One More

RK awarded to Leutnant Rudolf Frank
A sad history, indeed, as Leutnant Frank died in 1944 while wearing this RK (as you can see the damage to it). The original ribbon was soaked in blood, so Frank's comrades got a new one, to be put in the "Ordenkissen" or funeral pillow, in 1944.

A great grouping, if you ask me.

Leutnant Rudolf Frank.




Damaged RK.


The photo album, part of the grouping, that has a photo of the burial service.


Pilot badge.


German Cross.


The hole grouping is being sold at "Germaniainternacional.com" site.
Source: http://www.germaniainternational.com/luft19.html

[Sepp45]

Oakleafs awarded to General der Infanterie Walter Hoernlein

Now I'll add the full grouping!







RK with oakleafs awarded to Generalleutnant Harald von Hirschfeld








Source: http://www.andreas-thies.de/kataloge/45_auktion.html

Regards, more to come!!
Sepp.

[frankandfrank]

More knights cross winner estates please !

[desiro]

A little sideline...I have no information why Kurt Kruck won the KC.All i have is a
period newspaper cutting saying "extreme bravery in the face of the enemy".
If anyone has any info please let me know.

Cheers
Andy

[Sepp45]

More knights cross winner estates please !

Your wishes are my command

RK awarded to Käpitan zur see Fritz Berger











RK awarded to Obertstleutnant Heribert Stather







Regards,
Sepp.

[Sepp45]

Let's go on!

RK with oakleafs awarded to Hauptman Heinz Struning














RK awarded to Leutnant Johann Badum









RK awarded to Oberleutnant Otto Tange








Regards,
Sepp.

[Lubo]

Sepp, thank you for the really amusing thread!
Here is something interesting that probably a lot of you have noticed already, the OLS device to the KC (the KC looks very strange also - like an EKII - also no "1939" in the base of the cross' arm) of Luftwaffe Pilot Herbert Ihlefeld from post # 1. This confirms once more that things weren't always "black & white" as it would've been very convenient for us (collectors)

[heinrich66]

As for the Hoernlein estate:
About the "Now I'll add the full grouping!" The original group never had a knights cross or the full collar. It had a mint pair of boards and few mint ct's and as the only "high end" award were the cased oaks (with a added loop on the back).........the docs sold separately.....

[Steinar]

So many worn KCs to KIA aces, did they or did they not wear these KCs on their missions?
I always thought so, was it common to leave badges/KCs at base?

Some had copies made of course, but I read some numbers here on WAF once, and surprisingly few had a copy KC, and the KCs in this thread seems to be well worn.

I highly doubt they had a mint KC for combat and the dirty salty KC was "saved" for the chill out later after combat....
It doesnt totally make sense or?

[Mooyman]

Martin Drewes:

From: my friend

More images:

[Leroy]

So many worn KCs to KIA aces, did they or did they not wear these KCs on their missions?
I always thought so, was it common to leave badges/KCs at base?

Some had copies made of course, but I read some numbers here on WAF once, and surprisingly few had a copy KC, and the KCs in this thread seems to be well worn.

I highly doubt they had a mint KC for combat and the dirty salty KC was "saved" for the chill out later after combat....
It doesnt totally make sense or?

I believe that the odds of recovering an (undamaged) RK from a flyer who was KIA would be fairly small. And, yes, LW personnel routinely wore their RK while flying.

The number of 2nd pieces "officially" obtained directly from the PKZ, if I recall correctly, was about 500+. What no one will ever know is how many were purchased before the "ban" on private sales as of November, 1941, or how many were "talked" (or even possibly bought in violation of the "ban") from merchants from their shop displays, or otherwise obtained through unofficial channels. Probably most recipients wore their award cross most of the time.

[Tim Calvert]

fantastic grouping of Major Wurmheller. What was the selling price? Incredible...

Regards,
Sepp.

Sepp,

The Wurmheller group sold Sept '97 for 65,000 Euro ($89,700).

Mooyman,

Thanks for sharing the Drewes photos. Very interesting that the pilot's badge he has is a repro. (post #63) Did he happen to mention losing it in the past or giving it so somebody and replacing it with the one he is showing?