Oberarzt Tunic - Medal display question

[bratwurstdimsum]

A 2 parter...I'd like to say, Thanks to Albert, my favourite person at the moment that I'm the proud owner of my first wehrmacht uniform, don't know what the protocol is for showing off but here it is anyhow.

My question to all you in the know is...is this arrangement of medals kosher? I had it up an hour ago with an ek2 ribbon in the buttonhole but realised that I already had a ribbon bar with the ek2 there! I have subsituted it with a proper period kvk 2 ribbon but think it may be wrong somehow

[Paul Walmsley]

Heavily combat decorated isn't he, for a medical Doctor??
Infantry assault, EK1 and 2?

A 2 parter...I'd like to say, Thanks to Albert, my favourite person at the moment that I'm the proud owner of my first wehrmacht uniform, don't know what the protocol is for showing off but here it is anyhow.

My question to all you in the know is...is this arrangement of medals kosher? I had it up an hour ago with an ek2 ribbon in the buttonhole but realised that I already had a ribbon bar with the ek2 there! I have subsituted it with a proper period kvk 2 ribbon but think it may be wrong somehow

[bratwurstdimsum]

Good point, but not untypical ... undoubtly one of my greatest 'heros', and one whom I'm trying to represent was Dr Heinrich Haape, Assitenzarzt to the 18th Infantry Regiment, 6th Division Army Group Center. In 3 years he won the following awards:

Ek2
Ek1
Infantry Assault
Tank Destruction badge
German Cross in Gold

He got these through having to defend his aid post from continuous attacks by Russians who did not respect the Geneva convention, and for evacuating every one of his live patients, never leaving them to the Russians.

He fought at Rzhev, singlehandedley treated over 200 patients on his own once.

Here is a photo of another medic with an infantry assault badge:

[Frank Scheepers]

You should replace the EK with a KVK 1st class.
As the sewn in ribbon is a KVK 2nd class ribbon.

Frank Scheepers

[bratwurstdimsum]

You should replace the EK with a KVK 1st class.
As the sewn in ribbon is a KVK 2nd class ribbon.

Frank Scheepers

hmmm...the KVK2 is just pinned on for this display shall I replace it for a ek2 ribbon then...will I have to change the ribbon bar?

[Paul Walmsley]

hmmm...the KVK2 is just pinned on for this display shall I replace it for a ek2 ribbon then...will I have to change the ribbon bar?

Bratwurst, thanks for the great info! Any more details you have of this oberarzt would be greatly appreciated. I do 1/6th models. He would be a great subject!
The corporal shown wearing the sleeve caduceus- I thought only sergreants wore these? I'm confused. I assume he is a support unit medic and would wear blue waffenfarbe rather than white infantry?

I am in Reserve Medical Bn USN/USMC so am especially interested in medical stuff!

[Paul Walmsley]

Oh Bratwurst, my email Pwalmsley@aol.com

[Seigfried]

.

[bratwurstdimsum]

I am in Reserve Medical Bn USN/USMC so am especially interested in medical stuff!

Nice to see some facts and figures, I'd always wondered at the award criteria for bravery in different fields...sure its great to get a ritterkreuz for shooting down 10+ planes but how about defending a medical station with an mp40 and looking after hundreds of wounded and taking on t-34s with t-mines?

I am going to soon "publish" the out of print book written by Heinrich Haape on a website about his experiences in 1941-1942 at the russian front so there will be plenty of material in a month or two. Meanwhile Paul, I'll have some material about how he won his decorations soon.

[bratwurstdimsum]

Heinrich Haape

[bratwurstdimsum]

Ok this is from page 378, from the book "Moscow tram stop" by the good doctor himself:

I was awarded the Panzer Nahbekampfungsabzeichen for having
put out of action two Russian T.34s in hand-combat. Heinrich had
done the damage to the first T.34, which was stuck in a defensive
ditch; I hoisted him up by the legs and he dropped a grenade down
the monster's gun-barrel Emboldened by our success, a few days
later I had put another T-34 out of action with a home-made T-mine
and grenades as it was menacing my dressing station.
The German Cross in Gold was also pinned on my tunic at this
time. The second half of the citation read : " During the defensive
battle north of Rzhev, Regimental M.O. Oberarzt Haape was in
charge of the dressing station at Polino. In the period 2nd to 21st August
1942, under the most primitive conditions, single-handed he attended to five
hundred and twenty-one wounded in the face of the heaviest artillery
Panzer, and infantry fire. Through intense sustained personal effort and
Excellent organisation, he succeeded in attending to every wounded soldier,
And in arranging for their evacuation to the rear areas...
" During an enemy break-through at Polunino, Dr. Haape, with
lightly-wounded men, occupied a trench adjoining the dressing station, de-
fended it and materially contributed in the success of the defence. When
field telephones and wireless were out of action during the heavy fighting,
Dr. Haape volunteered to take important reports on the situation to
Regimental H.Q. at the same time that he was evacuating his own wounded.
For several days Dr. Haape took over anti-tank defensive measures by
laying mines and constructing other obstacles. During a Russian break-
through on 18th August, Dr. Haape, as one of the two surviving officers,
gathered together isolated remnants of the battalion and effectively organised
new defensive positions, which contributed very materially towards sealing
off the enemy's break-through to Rzhev."

But for me it was a time when the hours, the days, the weeks
were steeped in blood, inexpressible horror and suffering. But I
found compensation in the act that every wounded man who passed
through my hands had been evacuated. Some died of their ghastly
wounds; on many of them I had been forced to perform the cruellest
field surgery in order to give them a chance of survival; but all had
received whatever attention it was possible to give them, and none.
had fallen into enemy hands. Losses on our side had been enormous,
and because I had somehow lived through it all, I found myself to
be, in 1942, one of the most decorated doctors in the Wehrmacht,
and was granted special promotion to Stabsarzt with the position of
Divisional Medical Adjutant to Oberfeldarzt Grief.

-------------------------

Not bad for "just a medical doctor".

[BILL]

Nice tunic! As to awards-the Infantry Assault badge does not fit. I would try a wound badge there. The tunic is set up for a longer ribbon bar also. I would also place a War Merit Cross 1st class(with swords) in place of the I.C. The War Merit Cross ribbon should go also.You can find some very,very nice War Merit Cross 1st class awards on the net that would compliment your tunic nicely.This is just my oppinion but this tunic deserves continuity. Cheers.

[Albert]

Nice to see some facts and figures, I'd always wondered at the award criteria for bravery in different fields...sure its great to get a ritterkreuz for shooting down 10+ planes but how about defending a medical station with an mp40 and looking after hundreds of wounded and taking on t-34s with t-mines?

Absolutely correct! Here is another doctor who received bravery and combat awards for treating and evacuating the wounded while under constand heavy attack, incl T34s, at Stalingrad:

[bratwurstdimsum]

Nice tunic! As to awards-the Infantry Assault badge does not fit. I would try a wound badge there.

Hey Bill, that's great but the Doc I'm trying to portray actually won a Infantry Assault Badge along with his other awards...is it the position that is wrong?

You're right about the kvk ribbon though.

[bratwurstdimsum]

What are the officers ranks in the Heer? I have seen Unterartz/Assistantart = Leutnant
Oberartz = Oberleutnant
Stabartz = Hauptmann
.....

Can you confirm this and complete the list.

Thanks a lot.

Angel

No problem, here are the ranks (with help from "Landser")

Medical Ranks and army equivalents
----------------------------------
General-oberstabsarzt (Head of Medical)
Generalstabsarz (Deputy General,Medical)
Generalarzt (General)
Oberstarzt (Oberst)
Oberfeldarzt (Oberstleutnant)
Oberstabsarzt (Major)
Stabsarzt (Hauptmann)
Oberarzt (Oberleutnant)
Assistenzarzt (Leutnant)
Unterarzt (Cadet-Doctor)
Sanitäts-oberfeldwebel
Sanitäts-feldwebel
Sanitäts-unterfeldwebel
Sanitäts-unteroffizier
Sanitäts-obergefreiter
Sanitäts-gefreiter
Sanitäts-obersoldat
Sanitäts-soldat

As to your request about Career and joining the army, I'll have to dig around a bit more!