Here's the latest bit of 60 year old paper to make it's way to me. And for this i have a fellow association member to thank.
I first saw this doc around 4 years or so ago when it popped up on E-bay in the states, i missed it unfortunately but then it cropped up again on a dealers website sometime last year. Again i was too late but then sometime later i was exchanging PMs with an assocation member about GJR139, Eduard Dietl's famous Narvik Regiment, and found out that it was he who had bought the doc. I asked him to give me a shout should he ever wish to part company with it but i didn't really think that would happen, then a few weeks ago i got a PM....
Once again the true strength and value of this forum, more particularly it's association members, shows itself. So a huge THANKYOU to our fellow member who gave me first chance at this item, you know who you are.
Ok, so to the doc. As you can see it's a preliminary award document for the German Cross in Gold to an Oberfeldwebel in Geb.Jäg.Rgt.139. This regiment as i previously mentioned was the main unit involved in the Narvik campaign of April-June 1940 whilst it was part of Dietl's 3 Geb.Div. After that campaign it was heavily engaged in the drive towards Murmansk during the summer of 1941. When the 3 Geb.Div. was moved back to the continent GJR 139 was left behind along with other elements of the division to form a strengthened regiment which was sent further South in Finland to join the XVIII Geb Korps. There it stayed, eventually in 1944 it was given the title Gebirgsjäger Brigade 139 before being used as the core of what became Division zbv.140, divisions gruppe 'Kräutler' and in the last days of the war the 9 Geb.Div.
Back to Autumn 1944, when the Finns made peace with the Soviets, part of the price was that the German troops in Finnland, the 20 Gebirgs Armee, had to leave...fast. The Finns naturally weren't too keen on turning there guns against their former allies but pressure from the Soviets forced them to open hostilities against the already retreating Germans in Oct.44. It was during this retreat that our man won his DKiG., likely for actions against former allies in the far Northern corner of Finland not too far from the Norwegian border.
On the back of the doc there is some writing and a stamp, the date 15.11.44 is visible and just below the 11. i can make out Nord Finnland. This would tie in with some of the last rearguard actions fought prior to moving into a winter defensive line known as the 'Sturmbock Stellung' which ran across the narrow Northern 'neck' of Finland leading into Norway, a truely barren and desolate place to spend an Arctic winter i can tell you.
I believe only a total of 6 DKiG were awarded to this regiment and i count a total of 494 DKiG awarded to members of the Heer and SS Gebirgstruppe.
The back. I've scanned it as a negative to enhance the writing as it's very faint. If anyone can make out any of the other words i'd appreciate the help.
The partial stamp says '1.Lehrba...' and 'Lehr u. ...'
I first saw this doc around 4 years or so ago when it popped up on E-bay in the states, i missed it unfortunately but then it cropped up again on a dealers website sometime last year. Again i was too late but then sometime later i was exchanging PMs with an assocation member about GJR139, Eduard Dietl's famous Narvik Regiment, and found out that it was he who had bought the doc. I asked him to give me a shout should he ever wish to part company with it but i didn't really think that would happen, then a few weeks ago i got a PM....
Once again the true strength and value of this forum, more particularly it's association members, shows itself. So a huge THANKYOU to our fellow member who gave me first chance at this item, you know who you are.
Ok, so to the doc. As you can see it's a preliminary award document for the German Cross in Gold to an Oberfeldwebel in Geb.Jäg.Rgt.139. This regiment as i previously mentioned was the main unit involved in the Narvik campaign of April-June 1940 whilst it was part of Dietl's 3 Geb.Div. After that campaign it was heavily engaged in the drive towards Murmansk during the summer of 1941. When the 3 Geb.Div. was moved back to the continent GJR 139 was left behind along with other elements of the division to form a strengthened regiment which was sent further South in Finland to join the XVIII Geb Korps. There it stayed, eventually in 1944 it was given the title Gebirgsjäger Brigade 139 before being used as the core of what became Division zbv.140, divisions gruppe 'Kräutler' and in the last days of the war the 9 Geb.Div.
Back to Autumn 1944, when the Finns made peace with the Soviets, part of the price was that the German troops in Finnland, the 20 Gebirgs Armee, had to leave...fast. The Finns naturally weren't too keen on turning there guns against their former allies but pressure from the Soviets forced them to open hostilities against the already retreating Germans in Oct.44. It was during this retreat that our man won his DKiG., likely for actions against former allies in the far Northern corner of Finland not too far from the Norwegian border.
On the back of the doc there is some writing and a stamp, the date 15.11.44 is visible and just below the 11. i can make out Nord Finnland. This would tie in with some of the last rearguard actions fought prior to moving into a winter defensive line known as the 'Sturmbock Stellung' which ran across the narrow Northern 'neck' of Finland leading into Norway, a truely barren and desolate place to spend an Arctic winter i can tell you.
I believe only a total of 6 DKiG were awarded to this regiment and i count a total of 494 DKiG awarded to members of the Heer and SS Gebirgstruppe.
The back. I've scanned it as a negative to enhance the writing as it's very faint. If anyone can make out any of the other words i'd appreciate the help.
The partial stamp says '1.Lehrba...' and 'Lehr u. ...'