the Deutscher Orden............

[W. C. Stump]

Originally posted by merdock
Hi Bill ,
glad to see your still around always like to hear from you your experiance is top notch,the way you present your self is second to none you must have made a formidible Di,
Who in your oppinion has the best collection and where on the scale do you place your self are you No1?
i am ever grateful for the forum.
Merdock

There are so many great collections today that to say which would be the best would be impossible. As for my collection, I am afraid I have very little today. I was once in the high ranking, but that was years ago in another time zone. My ex-wife has a few great pieces and I have a lot of memories and a pretty good photo file. I love researching and dispelling myths that are so much of our hobby. It gets me into trouble and causes much controversy, but the truth will stand even if he world falls. So many of these myths were started out of greed and it is a service to our hobby and history to set things straight if one can.

[Langemark]

Hallucinations ...

I apology, Mr Stump, you're right. When I look again at your first picture of the Deutscher Orden second class it definitely reveals the silver lettering.

However, on the close up, the lettering has a more 'gilt' look … and this explains why I too hastily concluded that Mr Stump had located an other Deutscher Orden with gilt lettering !

About the "skeptics" I have to put right that I always agreed that the 'normal' or most frequently encountered color for the lettering is silver, just like the classic party pin. However, I am confident that Mr Stump, in his patient investigations, will once be able to post pictures of a gold-lettered example.
In the meanwhile it would be nice if Mr Chris Ailsby could post a picture of the Deutscher Orden with gilt lettering that he got ... from Mr Stump's collection in 1980.
Also, Mr Gordon Williamson was kind to post a picture of a Deutscher Orden 1st class from an English collection and commented that he thought the lettering was gold. Mr Chris Ailsby also remembered that the lettering was gold. Could it be possible to have the confirmation or a close up of the gilt lettering on that example ?

Thanks again for everyone's contribution,
Mark

[Langemark]

Hello Bill,
Your reply on the other thread (discussing about a Blutorden anomaly) made me think that you possibly managed to obtain new information about the Deutscher Orden with golden lettering ?
Best,
Mark

[W. C. Stump]

Originally posted by Langemark
Hello Bill,
Your reply on the other thread (discussing about a Blutorden anomaly) made me think that you possibly managed to obtain new information about the Deutscher Orden with golden lettering ?
Best,
Mark

I have nothing more to add to this subject.

[W. C. Stump]

Verification Has Arrived

Today my friend and fellow researcher, Mark Costa, sent me the proof needed to state absolutely that Adolf Wagner was the FIFTH recipient of the Golden Cross of the German Order with Oak Leaves and Swords. The fourth recipient was SA-Chief Viktor Lutze on May 8, 1943. On the accepted list or recipient Gauleiter Joseph Burckel was bestowed his German Order on October 3, 1944. Here the list must be corrected as Adolf Wagner was bestowed his "Golden Cross of the German Order with Oak Leaves" on April 12, 1944, almost six month before Burckel. This makes Wagner the FIFTH recipient. However, the announcement made in the press in the April 18, 1944 issue of the Munich Volkischer Beobachter, covering the funeral of Adolf Wagner, states that Hitler bestowed the "Goldens Kreuz mit Eichenlaubs to the Deutscher Ordens" to Wagner. This confirms Dr. Doehle's assertion that Wagner was indeed a recipient. It has yet to clarify 100% that Wagner's award didn't have swords as well. Further investigation must be done to hopefully discover a photograph of the funeral pillow which would answer all the questions once and for all. My thanks are again extended to Mark. Mark credits his friend in Germany, Fabian Fricke Voelcker, as the person searching for the information.

My original article posted on the Members Forum must now be amended.

[WARLORD]

I have to add a VERY WELL DONE to Mark as well.

[Koj]

ok,
what is your opinion of this "Deutscher Orden" Steckkreuz?
Stamps: L/58 (Glaser & Sohn), and "995"
..

[WARLORD]

It is a Souval copy

[W. C. Stump]

I agree with Warlord it is a Ludwig Umlauf special for sure.

[W. C. Stump]

New Information On The German Order

I just received the book HITLER'S LAST COURIER, by Armin D. Lehmann. Lehmann was a child fighter of the Third Reich and Reich Youth Leader Arthur Axmann's courier in its most trying final days when the Russian Army was in the final stages of crushing Hitler's "Fortress Berlin". He was bestowed the Iron Cross 1st Class, a Panzer Destructino badge and a Silver Wound Badge before the city of Berlin fell. He wrote a most chilling and yet sensitive account of the last defense of Berlin by an army of Hitler Youth boys and girls led by the finatic Arthur Axman who gave the young children under is "command" the notorious "Stand fast to the last man" order to the youth of Germany. Lehmann was a courier in the Hitler Youth delivering message from Axmann to the various other Hitler Youth units. In his account of the events of the day, he observed the last recipient of the Golden Cross of the German Order, and was an eye witness of Axman wearing the highest decoration of the Third Reich. On page 392 he wrote, "Two or three days later, Rifr. Arthur Axmann received the Golden Cross of the German Order. The date was most likely April 26. Hitler surprised him with this, Germany's highest decoration. Hitler personally awarded it to Axmann.....I was present when Axmann, wearing this order like a Knight's Cross, returned to our room in the Party Chancellery."

We still have no factual evidence that Axmann received the 1st Class or 2nd Class German Order. What we can eliminate is the 3rd Class. Maybe further investigation can prove 100% for sure what class was awarded Axmann, but I still say, based on everything I can determine that only the 1st Class was bestowed during the war. My search will continue and I plan to contact the author, if possible, and see if he can give a description, after 60 years, of the German Order that Auxmann wore in the last days of the Third Reich.

[Rolf D.]

Does anybody find these medals particularly...attractive .

[Alex W.]

Does anyone know where I could obtain a German Order 1. Class (souval copy) ????.. besides the one for 16$
I've been trying to get one of these since I don't know when... IMO the best looking award of the 3. Reich.
- Alex