The interest received for posting my story about meeting Eberhard Schmalz encouraged me to make a post about another Knight's Cross recipient, Artur Becker-Neetz. I know he's been mentioned in at least one other thread in here, so I weighed posting this alone or adding to the old thread.
While stationed in Germany I obtained Herr Becker-Neetz's contact information and wrote to him explaining that I am (was) an American armor officer working here in Germany and study WWII extensively and I would be honored to meet him if he had the time. I didn't mention anything about being a collector as I didn't want him to think it was an attempt to swindle him out of his RK.
Herr B-N responded enthusiastically and we arranged a meeting. From much more recent exchange of messages with one other WAF member, it seems Herr B-N was accustomed to these requests and had a pretty standard format of where he liked to meet up, etc. as this WAF member had a nearly identical story.
We had a great visit, so much so that I went to meet him a second time and corresponded for a while afterwards. At our very first meeting, he talked me through the battle for which he was awarded the RK, along with sketches on a napkin! One day soon after a package arrived...
While stationed in Germany I obtained Herr Becker-Neetz's contact information and wrote to him explaining that I am (was) an American armor officer working here in Germany and study WWII extensively and I would be honored to meet him if he had the time. I didn't mention anything about being a collector as I didn't want him to think it was an attempt to swindle him out of his RK.
Herr B-N responded enthusiastically and we arranged a meeting. From much more recent exchange of messages with one other WAF member, it seems Herr B-N was accustomed to these requests and had a pretty standard format of where he liked to meet up, etc. as this WAF member had a nearly identical story.
We had a great visit, so much so that I went to meet him a second time and corresponded for a while afterwards. At our very first meeting, he talked me through the battle for which he was awarded the RK, along with sketches on a napkin! One day soon after a package arrived...
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