SS FJ 600 document signature check

[NickG]

Is this the original signature of SS-Obersturmfuhrer Fritz Leifheit?
(Commander SS-FJ Btl.600)

[kuratorium]

Is this the original signature of SS-Obersturmfuhrer Fritz Leifheit?
(Commander SS-FJ Btl.600)

Original ?!? IMHO the achieved price speaks for itself...

Click !

[kapitein]

I think this auction may have ended before closing and that achieved price is unknown.
Still interested to learn about the signature (not based on achieved price...)
An original and very rare Leifheit signature of this unit was posted before on WAF....anyone?
kapitein

[NickG]

Here's a look at the full document, uncensored.
Appears to be the real deal!
Rare unit and late date makes it an interesting item for sure!

[NickG]

The whole group

The whole group

[bsmith56]

Very interesting! Do you know who won it?

[kuratorium]

These "SS-Fallschirmjg. Btl.600" related citations (original IMHO) I found in my computer archives. It is part of two document for one person. Unfortunately I do not know where on the Net I found these pictures back then, just know that it was in 2004. The second picture shows a comparison with the discussed citation - make your own judgments...

[mr.dogtag]

I would say these two signatures weren't done by the same person. Apart from obvious differences originating from 2 different pens some letters have just different shape.
But I have just a limited kowledge of graphology so I may be wrong.
Al

[kapitein]

What do we think of Schumanns IAB award doc and Leifheits signature on this paper compared to his Sturmabz doc signature? I think OK!
I believe this doc group was sold in Sweden and than got seperated? Who owns the rest?

I read on Axis forum following: (post feb 2004 - pictures gone...) so apparantly Schumann did indeed get both IAB and GAB awards?

Schumann also won the Infantry Assault Badge (Silver) as the above certificate shows. Note that it is signed by Fritz Leifheit who commanded the 600 while Milius was put in overall command of Kampfgruppe Solar. Leifheit was Scheu's OC back in Yugoslavia in the days of the 500 and was also the commander of the two SS-Fallschirmjäger-Btl companies that went with Skorzeny to the Ardennes. Schumann was attached to Scheu's company at one point. He ended the war with a Close Combat Clasp - but never got a certificate - and the rank of SS-Unterscharführer. That a signaller was so decorated in such a short space of time in a unit in which awards were sparingly given attests to the ferocity of the fighting in which the 600 was involved as a mobile 'fire brigade'.

What do you guys think? Very interesting group! On the post with the photographs we see a visiting card of a Schumann family aswell:
"Ernest Schumann und Frau". Son or family ? Whole thing put togethor by some devious collector ....? I doubt this and believe its OK!

Kapitein

[kapitein]

I have been looking closely at these 2 docs for some time and found following: the signatures does look a bit different but that could be the pen... way he signed it.
On the IAB doc his name is Hans-Jochim Schumann, on the EK2 doc & GAB doc its Hans-Jochen Schumann. Is this a typo?

Did he really get both awards? I dont think so.

Or did he only get the IAB but on a GAB-paper with added "silver" typing? Is the IAB doc real ?
If it is did he get that one some days later as a replacement doc for the wrong GAB award paper, with added ''silver" which should have been the proper IAB award paper in Silver?

Also the stamp is a bit different the SS letters are smaller on GAB doc...?

We know Schumann got the EK2, and IAB and a CCC but without its doc. No mentioning of regular GAB here which makes sense as FJR inf.

Something weird going on? IAB silver award doc a smart fake?

kapitein

[bsmith56]

When you compare those 2 documents side by side I think the one up for discussion is a fake.

First, the paper and typewriter font/print does not fit with the others (which may be cause it's a poor scan though).

But the signature definitely does not match with the others. It looks very close, but it does not look like a natural signature... Especially considering they were supposedly signed only a few days apart. It looks like someone practiced it a lot. The L on Leifheit looks pretty fake to me.... The curves don't look natural.

[kapitein]

Thanks for comments so far!

I will try to get a better scan from current owner. I agree with the signature, looks a bit fishy to me aswell but maybe....

Would a soldier get a new IAB doc if a GAB doc (marked silver?) was mistakenly written out first instead of the right infantry one which maybe was not available at the time ? (Meaning he has 2 awardpapers for the IAB)

kapitein