IDing German soldiers from awards?

[Rick C]

Just wondering if there's a database of sorts where one might establish a probable ID based upon branch of service and awards & rank?

I recently picked up a watercolor from a member here of a Kapitianleutnant wearing an array of awards in the painting & would love to see if I couldn't ID the guy.

In a perfect world I would think, had the records ever been databased & collated one could put in search criteria: branch, rank & awards & pop out some likely candidates.

Does anything like that exist?

Rick C.

[Simon O.]

A Kptlt. with the DKiG and within the minesweepers and smaller branch of surface vessels is going to be quite a long list. The two long service ribbons will help narrow it down some, removing all those who's service wasn't long enough to earn them.

The place to start would be the Gericke's book on KM German Cross holders.

[Rick C]

Hi,

I don't have access to the book but I thought, use the odd-ball award pictured 'Marinefrontspange' since I can't imagine those were handed out like popcorn, and see what pops up via Google search. What I came up with here: located here: http://jeffooi.tripod.com/Ek1-Trager/A-Z.htm was a guy with a close array of awards: HORN HANS-HELMUTH VON 26/09/1942 LEUTNANT Z.SEE "KANALFLOTTILLE" VORPOSTENBOOTES (WALL PLAQUE IN GROUPING) AWARDED "STABSQUARTIER" DKIG, EKII, MINESWEEPER, MARINEFRONTSPANGE * KRIEGSMARINE * BEFEHLSHABER SICHERUNG WEST VIZEADMIRAL RÜGE KM URKUNDE WWW.DETLEV-NIEMANN.DE YES J.OOI

Serching that name further here (although I don't know how complete this listing is: http://www.ww2awards.com/person/14668 I got the following data:

PERSONALIA

Name: Horn, von, Hans-Helmuth
Date of birth: June 2nd, 1901
Nationality: German
BIOGRAPHY:
Promotions:
15th April 1936: Leutnant zur See der Reserve;
1st December 1939: Oberleutnant zur See der reserve (RDA 2nd October 1939).

EHRENKREUZ FÜR KRIEGSTEILNEHMER
Rank: Diplom-Ingenieur
Awarded on: December 7th, 1936
Details: Nr. 124/36.

EISERNES KREUZ 2. KLASSE
Rank: Oberleutnant zur See (1st Lieutenant at Sea)
Awarded on: January 12th, 1940

KRIEGSABZEICHEN FÜR MINENSUCH-, U-BOOTS-, JAGD- UND SICHERUNGSVERBÄNDE
Rank: Oberleutnant zur See (1st Lieutenant at Sea)
Unit: 7.Vorpostenflottille
Awarded on: October 29th, 1940

EISERNES KREUZ 1. KLASSE
Rank: Oberleutnant zur See (1st Lieutenant at Sea)
Awarded on: December 14th, 1940

VERWUNDETENABZEICHEN 1939 IN SCHWARZ
Rank: Kapitänleutnant
Unit: 7.Vorpostenflottille
Awarded on: December 5th, 1943
Details: Received for a single wound inflicted on 29th November 1943.

KRIEGSORDEN DES DEUTSCHEN KREUZES IN GOLD
Rank: Kapitänleutnant der Reserve
Unit: Kommandant Vorpostenboot "715" / 7.Vorpostenflottille
Awarded on: April 26th, 1944

Still searching... RC

[Rick C]

Here's the other painting (which belongs to Daniel still) it shows this officer with dress awards (including the Black Wound Badge) which seems to further tie in to this guy's record.

Rick

[Simon O.]

The Marinefrontspange indicates to us that it's either a very late painting or postwar but it helps us in that he probably ended as Kptlt. however they were starting to be awarded 'like popcorn' during the closing days of the war.

From his long service medals it looks like he joined in the late 1920s, i'd guess as an enlisted man. That would preclude Horn as he was a WWI veteran and this man is not unless WW2awards has got his Hindenburg cross mixed up with a KVKII. It would be dangerous though to make assumptions without first going through all likely KM DKiG holders

[Ed Taylor]

I agree that the match with Horn is unlikely unless the artist mixed up the WW1 War Merit Cross with the KVK2 with Swords. That of course is a possibility with an artist, but the ribbon in the first picture also looks like the KVK2 with the black in the middle. In addition he is wearing the Oct 1, 1938 Commemoration Medal for the Occupation of the Sudetenland and I would expect that it would be listed with the others. I also don't imaging very many naval officers were involved in the Sudetenland venture. The award was given to individuals who were actually in the Sudetenland on that date. He must have been on river patrol duty. This might limit it somewhat. He also has National Sports Badge in both pictures.