Giday everyone,
Several weeks ago I purchased five photographs from a vendor on ebay. The photographs were part of a large assortment of Fallschirmjäger related photographs that were for sale.
One of the photographs I purchased I believe was taken in late 1940 and shows some Jäger of the 2nd Kompanie of the Luftlande Sturm Regiment. A second photograph from the same group I believe is an airial view of the Akrotiri Peninsula. Both photographs, based upon residue on the back thereof, appear to have been torn from the same album.
As many of you would know, the objective of the 2nd Kompanie of the Luftande Sturm Regiment during the invasion of Kreta was the capture of an antiaircraft battery on the Akrotiri Peninsula.
The three remaining photographs each show one or more Fallschirmjäger.
Given that some Jäger from Sturmabteilung Koch were used to form the 2nd Kompanie of the Luftlande Sturm Regiment and other indicators that suggested that the Jäger shown in the photographs may have belonged to Sturmabteilung Koch, I took a punt and bought them.
In my opinion, the three photographs were not taken around the same. Nor do they show the same Jäger.
However, I have noticed that each of the Jäger is wearing one or more safety pins on the left breast of their flieger blouse where normally one would expect to see a ribbon bar. One of the Jäger who is wearing the ribbon of the Iron Cross, second class, adjacent to the second button hole of his blouse has five, vertically orientated, safety pins attached to his blouse. Another Jäger in a different photograph is also wearing the ribbon of the Iron Cross, second class, adjacent to the second button hole of his blouse. He has three, vertically orientated, safety pins attached to his blouse.
Has anyone ever seen this before?
I suspect that the safety pins may have been used to attach a ribbon bar, (possibly for the EK II), to the wearer's blouse. However, what I find strange is that each of the Jäger has continued to wear the pins after the ribbon for the Iron Cross, second class, has been sewn on their blouse. Hence could there be another reason why the Jäger have chosen to wear the safety pins?
Could this be something that was peculiar to members of Sturmabteilung Koch?
What do you think?
All the best,
Ian Tannahill
Several weeks ago I purchased five photographs from a vendor on ebay. The photographs were part of a large assortment of Fallschirmjäger related photographs that were for sale.
One of the photographs I purchased I believe was taken in late 1940 and shows some Jäger of the 2nd Kompanie of the Luftlande Sturm Regiment. A second photograph from the same group I believe is an airial view of the Akrotiri Peninsula. Both photographs, based upon residue on the back thereof, appear to have been torn from the same album.
As many of you would know, the objective of the 2nd Kompanie of the Luftande Sturm Regiment during the invasion of Kreta was the capture of an antiaircraft battery on the Akrotiri Peninsula.
The three remaining photographs each show one or more Fallschirmjäger.
Given that some Jäger from Sturmabteilung Koch were used to form the 2nd Kompanie of the Luftlande Sturm Regiment and other indicators that suggested that the Jäger shown in the photographs may have belonged to Sturmabteilung Koch, I took a punt and bought them.
In my opinion, the three photographs were not taken around the same. Nor do they show the same Jäger.
However, I have noticed that each of the Jäger is wearing one or more safety pins on the left breast of their flieger blouse where normally one would expect to see a ribbon bar. One of the Jäger who is wearing the ribbon of the Iron Cross, second class, adjacent to the second button hole of his blouse has five, vertically orientated, safety pins attached to his blouse. Another Jäger in a different photograph is also wearing the ribbon of the Iron Cross, second class, adjacent to the second button hole of his blouse. He has three, vertically orientated, safety pins attached to his blouse.
Has anyone ever seen this before?
I suspect that the safety pins may have been used to attach a ribbon bar, (possibly for the EK II), to the wearer's blouse. However, what I find strange is that each of the Jäger has continued to wear the pins after the ribbon for the Iron Cross, second class, has been sewn on their blouse. Hence could there be another reason why the Jäger have chosen to wear the safety pins?
Could this be something that was peculiar to members of Sturmabteilung Koch?
What do you think?
All the best,
Ian Tannahill
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