This is the last of the IDs that I acquired at the Show of Shows that I probably will keep for my collection. Soon I will be listing the IDs I plan to sell - seven Heer (Army) Soldbücher, all with nice photos.
The following Soldbuch, Wehrpaß and Erkennungsmarke (Dog Tag) was the first thing I acquired at the Show of Shows. I bought the group from a dealer from Nebraska, which will come into play later in this thread. The items belonged to Unteroffizier Rolf Frank, a Berliner and machinist by trade, who was assigned to various Pionier (Pioneer) units from February 1942 to December 1944. Rolf Frank married Margot Kräling on 29 April 1944 and their home address was in Berlin-Staaken. In December 1944, Frank was assigned to the 1. Kompanie (1st Company) of Heereswaffenmeisterschule (Army Armorer School), which was located in Berlin-Treptow and was the central headquarters for the technical development and production of weapons, munitions and equipment for the Germany Army. From 2-29 March 1945, Frank was assigned to Panzerjäger-Ersatz-Abteilung 3, which I believe was stationed in Denmark at the end of the war. The photo of Frank in the Soldbuch is highly interesting, especially because it shows him wearing the Steuermann (Coxswain) specialty patch on his upper left sleeve. It’s always great when you acquire a Soldbuch and Wehrpaß together. Page 21 of Frank's Wehrpaß is very revealing. Frank participated in a course at the Armee-Pionierschule (Amy Pioneer School) in Angers, France, from 7 July to 27 July 1942 and was specifically trained on watercraft, namely Sturm- und Motorboote (Assault Boats and Speedboats) and received his license to operate these boats. These boats were used by Pioneer units to quickly cross inland waters (rivers, lakes, etc.) to form bridgeheads or to drop off pioneer troops.
Frank was eventually deployed in Russia, serving with Pionier-Bataillon 333 and Pionier-Bataillon 278. On 1 September 1944, he was awarded the Kriegsverdienstkreuz II. Klasse mit Schwertern (War Merit Cross Second Class with Swords) by the 278th Infantry Division. From what I've seen in the IDs of coxswains of assault boats, they rarely were awarded bravery awards such as the Iron Cross, since their role was to quickly transport troops across rivers, lakes, etc, often making several trips. It was dangerous duty, but Frank escaped the war without injury.
After the war, Rolf Frank immigrated to Canada and later moved to Laguna Niguel, California, where he opened a machine shop. On 3 January 2009, he died at the age of 88. It’s unknown whether he came to Canada and America with his wife or if he had any children. In California, he became friendly with a woman, who inherited at least part of his estate, if not his entire estate. She later moved to Nebraska, where she opened an antique shop. The dealer from whom I acquired Rolf Frank’s items purchased the items from this woman who said he was a very nice man.
Barry
The following Soldbuch, Wehrpaß and Erkennungsmarke (Dog Tag) was the first thing I acquired at the Show of Shows. I bought the group from a dealer from Nebraska, which will come into play later in this thread. The items belonged to Unteroffizier Rolf Frank, a Berliner and machinist by trade, who was assigned to various Pionier (Pioneer) units from February 1942 to December 1944. Rolf Frank married Margot Kräling on 29 April 1944 and their home address was in Berlin-Staaken. In December 1944, Frank was assigned to the 1. Kompanie (1st Company) of Heereswaffenmeisterschule (Army Armorer School), which was located in Berlin-Treptow and was the central headquarters for the technical development and production of weapons, munitions and equipment for the Germany Army. From 2-29 March 1945, Frank was assigned to Panzerjäger-Ersatz-Abteilung 3, which I believe was stationed in Denmark at the end of the war. The photo of Frank in the Soldbuch is highly interesting, especially because it shows him wearing the Steuermann (Coxswain) specialty patch on his upper left sleeve. It’s always great when you acquire a Soldbuch and Wehrpaß together. Page 21 of Frank's Wehrpaß is very revealing. Frank participated in a course at the Armee-Pionierschule (Amy Pioneer School) in Angers, France, from 7 July to 27 July 1942 and was specifically trained on watercraft, namely Sturm- und Motorboote (Assault Boats and Speedboats) and received his license to operate these boats. These boats were used by Pioneer units to quickly cross inland waters (rivers, lakes, etc.) to form bridgeheads or to drop off pioneer troops.
Frank was eventually deployed in Russia, serving with Pionier-Bataillon 333 and Pionier-Bataillon 278. On 1 September 1944, he was awarded the Kriegsverdienstkreuz II. Klasse mit Schwertern (War Merit Cross Second Class with Swords) by the 278th Infantry Division. From what I've seen in the IDs of coxswains of assault boats, they rarely were awarded bravery awards such as the Iron Cross, since their role was to quickly transport troops across rivers, lakes, etc, often making several trips. It was dangerous duty, but Frank escaped the war without injury.
After the war, Rolf Frank immigrated to Canada and later moved to Laguna Niguel, California, where he opened a machine shop. On 3 January 2009, he died at the age of 88. It’s unknown whether he came to Canada and America with his wife or if he had any children. In California, he became friendly with a woman, who inherited at least part of his estate, if not his entire estate. She later moved to Nebraska, where she opened an antique shop. The dealer from whom I acquired Rolf Frank’s items purchased the items from this woman who said he was a very nice man.
Barry
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