WSS Fallschirmjäger group

[Peter v L]

Here are some nice WSS Fallschirmjäger document items, I thought I would share with you.

Peter v L.

[John Hodgin]

INCREDIBLE! Thanks,
John

[Gene]

I like the oil painting! Heer eagle on the sleeve, Heer para badge and what looks like to be an upside down EK1. All in all a very cool grouping.

[Prosper Keating]

Peter! You'll give people heart attacks! I'm sure you won't mind if I enlarge on Scheu a bit...but I'll leave the best bits for you to tell!

Pictured as an SS-Untersturmführer, also his rank when he won the EKI, Walter Scheu ended the war as SS-Hauptsturmführer and Officer Commanding HQ Company of the SS Airborne Battalion in the fighting retreat from the Oderfront in 1945.

Here are a couple of citations from one of the men under his immediate command at the end, SS-Rottenführer Schumann, a young signaller who, like Walter Scheu, would also win the NKS in Bronze in the final couple of weeks and be promoted to SS-Unterscharführer.





Note the EKII citation. It's the same as Scheu's EKI document, awarded on March 30th 1945 and signed by Generalleutnant Lendle, commander of the nominal Infanterie-Division 610, to which the SS-FJ were attached. The 610th was never actually a division. The divisional stamp is more accurate in defining the 610th as a special purpose unit: Div Stab z.b.V 610.

Schumann would end the war with the NKS in Bronze and a promotion to SS-Unterscharführer. That a young signals NCO with the Battalion HQ was decorated in this way indicates to some extent ferocity of the combat in which the SS paras were involved in those final months. Like the majority of recruits to SS-FJ Btl 600, Schumann is not recorded as being para-trained and probably wasn't. Walter Scheu, on the other hand, was para-trained...but I'll leave it to Peter to show you that! If you haven't already seen it...

I think Scheu was wounded and was in hospital when the end came but I'll have to check the War Diary of the Signals Platoon which came under his command.

PK

[Denis]

Hi
The "scribble" from the C.O. of the 610. Inf. Div. would be the one from Gen.Lt. Lendl who was previously Kdr. of the 213. Sicherungs Div.
These awards were made during the fierce fights around Schwerdt where there was also Otto Skorzeny.
At that time, the Fallsch. Btl. 600 was rattached to the 610. Inf. Div. which was as Prosper said a Div. Stab z.b.V.
If my memory serves me, in the batl., a company commander was Ostuf. Markus.
Scheu was known as Ober-Scheu since there was another Scheu in his company (a Uscha.) this latter being called : Unter-Scheu. Funny.
Regards
Denis

[Steve T]

Peter,
Super document set Thanks for sharing.

The painting is an odd one, it looks like a hand colored photograph that has been overpainted? The head area is superbly detailed whereas the tunic area is poorly painted.

Regards