I first saw this Soldbuch for Oberleutnant Helmut Kiel in 1986 at a show in Baltimore. Bill Shea of the Ruptured Duck offered it. Bill purchased it from one of his main pickers in Germany, a soldier in the U.S. Army, who pulled lots of items out of the trash and acquired many other items from veterans and their families in the 1980s. In 1986, I didn't have the money to buy the Soldbuch, but never forgot about it. Gary Armitage bought it and ended up selling it to another collector, George Robinson. At the Show of Shows in February 2012, George informed me that he owned the grouping. I told him I was interested in buying it - he brought it to the MAX Show and I bought it. The grouping includes Kiel's Soldbuch, all of his award documents, and many photos. As you can see, Kiel served in North Africa as part of the 90th Light Division. His last unit is not noted in the Soldbuch, but I did learn through writing the city of Paderborn that Kiel was killed on 12 April 1945 in Havel, Germany.
Barry
Barry
Comment