These EK1 and EK2 documents are rather nice, not just because of the unit involved but because they were signed, stamped and awarded on the same day by General Lendle, CO of the 610th Special Purpose Division. We have Walter Scheu's EK1 document (see his EK2 document in the thread mentioning the Felix Steiner signature) and Hans-Jochen Schumann's EK2 document. Schumann was a member of the Signals Platoon and ended the war as SS-Unterscharführer with the EK2, GAB and Close Combat Clasp in Bronze, although he never got a certificate for the CCC.
Prosper Keating
SS-Fallschirmjäger EK documents
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Paddy Keating
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SS-Fallschirmjäger EK documents
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Prosper,
Thanks for sharing these documents/signatures with us.
Over the years I have amassed many useful papers/signatures for only a modest outlay - altho my German is weak it is amazing what still can be found. Even the most humble of Solbuchs (espescially those from the First War) can contain a highly prized signature.
Unfortunately I have no scanner but my favourite piece is an EK1 citation with Rommel signature (for the stamp collectors amongst us a special Tag der Wehrmacht limited edition sheet was produced celebrating his victories in N Africa which bears his facsimile signature) and I did not realise it was his when I first bought it at a stamp/post card fair some years ago. I have a "von Brickendrop" too sadly this has been cut from a larger document !!
Some of the nicest pieces are promotion documents.
My real interest is the NSDAP and membership books are a particularly good source of signatures - I have Rohm for example from a very early book - although I had to pay well for this. But I have many "middle rank " leaders too.
I do not have a Hitler - although I have a document to a couple celebrating their 50 years of marriage which I am convinced is a real ink signature but !who knows !!
Anyway - thanks and if you - or anyone else - can post a real Hitler signature I would be grateful.
Thanks for sharing these documents/signatures with us.
Over the years I have amassed many useful papers/signatures for only a modest outlay - altho my German is weak it is amazing what still can be found. Even the most humble of Solbuchs (espescially those from the First War) can contain a highly prized signature.
Unfortunately I have no scanner but my favourite piece is an EK1 citation with Rommel signature (for the stamp collectors amongst us a special Tag der Wehrmacht limited edition sheet was produced celebrating his victories in N Africa which bears his facsimile signature) and I did not realise it was his when I first bought it at a stamp/post card fair some years ago. I have a "von Brickendrop" too sadly this has been cut from a larger document !!
Some of the nicest pieces are promotion documents.
My real interest is the NSDAP and membership books are a particularly good source of signatures - I have Rohm for example from a very early book - although I had to pay well for this. But I have many "middle rank " leaders too.
I do not have a Hitler - although I have a document to a couple celebrating their 50 years of marriage which I am convinced is a real ink signature but !who knows !!
Anyway - thanks and if you - or anyone else - can post a real Hitler signature I would be grateful.
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Dennis Redler
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SS Fallschirmjager EK2 documents
These are terrific. Thank you for showing them.Dennis Redler
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Paddy Keating
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Hallo Dan,
The Rommel signature is a great thing to have, especially on an award document. Bravo! I am envious! I've only seen a couple of original Rommel signatures, one of which was on a Hoffmann RKT photo. Röhm is also particularly nice. I am not into NSDAP stuff - only because one has to impose some limits on what one collects! - but I have a couple of friends here who are and I have to say that I love looking at their collections.
Have you had the Hitler signature to which you refer looked at by anyone who is familiar with Hitler autographs? You never know...you might get a nice surprise! Hitler's signature changed extensively over the years. I am no expert but I know a man who comes close to it so if you have a good scan of it, feel free to e-mail it to me on <[email protected]>. Just take the NOSPAM out of the address.
Dennis,
It's a pleasure to share documents like that with people who appreciate them. As I said, Schumann never got a document for his CCC but he did get a document for his Assault Badge. Here it is.
This document is unique in that it is the only known, surviving document signed by Fritz Leifheit during his brief time as battalion commander of SS-Fallschirmjäger-Btl 600. It proves Leifheit's claim that he was CO in Milius's absence when the latter went off on Operation Solar. Milius always denied, when asked in conversation, that Leifheit held this position and never referred to it in the short battalion history he wrote for the 1986 book he co-authored with former SS-Kriegsberichter Adolf Kunzmann. At the same time, he denied that was any bad blood between them.
Leifheit is also noteworthy for having led the SS-FJ-Btl 600 detachment of 180 men (comprising the 1st Company of which he was OC plus personnel drawn from the other companies) attached to Skorzeny's Panzerbrigade 150 in the Ardennes. Some of the SS-FJ posed as Americans. But that's a story for another time. In fact, it's a story for the book I am currently working on.
Here's a photo by Kunzmann, from Walter Scheu's photo album, showing Leifheit with fellow SS-Fallschirmjäger-Btl 500 officers and two of their Luftwaffe parachute instructors taken at Fallschirmschule 3 in Kraljevo in the late spring of 1944 when they were doing their jump training.
From left to right, we see SS-Unstuf Grimmig, SS-Ustuf Hollanders, Uffz Wertelberger (?), an as-yet unidentified Luftwaffe parachute instructor, SS-Ostuf Leifheit, SS-Ustuf Vogelsang and SS-Ustuf Scheu. Note that Walter Scheu wears the black Panzer pattern sidehat. Scheu was one of the few SS paras given the Army Parachute Badge. Presumably the men on the same course got it too. But most of the SS paratroopers received the Luftwaffe badge as the Army badge was in short supply.
Scheu had been an NCO in 1./SS-Aufklärungs-Abteilung 5 of the Wiking Division - I've posted his EK2 document from that time in the thread referring to Felix Steiner's signature - from 1941 to 1944, when he was commissioned and posted to SS-FJ-Btl 500. He remained with the battalion after it was reformed as SS-FJ-Btl 600 in November 1944 and commanded 2 Coy and, at one point, HQ Coy in the final, savage battles on the Oder and to the north-west and north of Berlin. In one morning, 2 Coy knocked out seventeen Soviet tanks under Scheu's command.
This is a wartime print. I also have a larger postwar print, also from Scheu's album, with Adolf Kunzmann's name and address printed on the reverse. Kunzmann was, of course, the SS-Kriegsberichter attached to the SS Airborne Bn and many of the surviving photographs of the battalion and its members were taken by him.
Regards,
Prosper Keating
The Rommel signature is a great thing to have, especially on an award document. Bravo! I am envious! I've only seen a couple of original Rommel signatures, one of which was on a Hoffmann RKT photo. Röhm is also particularly nice. I am not into NSDAP stuff - only because one has to impose some limits on what one collects! - but I have a couple of friends here who are and I have to say that I love looking at their collections.
Have you had the Hitler signature to which you refer looked at by anyone who is familiar with Hitler autographs? You never know...you might get a nice surprise! Hitler's signature changed extensively over the years. I am no expert but I know a man who comes close to it so if you have a good scan of it, feel free to e-mail it to me on <[email protected]>. Just take the NOSPAM out of the address.
Dennis,
It's a pleasure to share documents like that with people who appreciate them. As I said, Schumann never got a document for his CCC but he did get a document for his Assault Badge. Here it is.
This document is unique in that it is the only known, surviving document signed by Fritz Leifheit during his brief time as battalion commander of SS-Fallschirmjäger-Btl 600. It proves Leifheit's claim that he was CO in Milius's absence when the latter went off on Operation Solar. Milius always denied, when asked in conversation, that Leifheit held this position and never referred to it in the short battalion history he wrote for the 1986 book he co-authored with former SS-Kriegsberichter Adolf Kunzmann. At the same time, he denied that was any bad blood between them.
Leifheit is also noteworthy for having led the SS-FJ-Btl 600 detachment of 180 men (comprising the 1st Company of which he was OC plus personnel drawn from the other companies) attached to Skorzeny's Panzerbrigade 150 in the Ardennes. Some of the SS-FJ posed as Americans. But that's a story for another time. In fact, it's a story for the book I am currently working on.
Here's a photo by Kunzmann, from Walter Scheu's photo album, showing Leifheit with fellow SS-Fallschirmjäger-Btl 500 officers and two of their Luftwaffe parachute instructors taken at Fallschirmschule 3 in Kraljevo in the late spring of 1944 when they were doing their jump training.
From left to right, we see SS-Unstuf Grimmig, SS-Ustuf Hollanders, Uffz Wertelberger (?), an as-yet unidentified Luftwaffe parachute instructor, SS-Ostuf Leifheit, SS-Ustuf Vogelsang and SS-Ustuf Scheu. Note that Walter Scheu wears the black Panzer pattern sidehat. Scheu was one of the few SS paras given the Army Parachute Badge. Presumably the men on the same course got it too. But most of the SS paratroopers received the Luftwaffe badge as the Army badge was in short supply.
Scheu had been an NCO in 1./SS-Aufklärungs-Abteilung 5 of the Wiking Division - I've posted his EK2 document from that time in the thread referring to Felix Steiner's signature - from 1941 to 1944, when he was commissioned and posted to SS-FJ-Btl 500. He remained with the battalion after it was reformed as SS-FJ-Btl 600 in November 1944 and commanded 2 Coy and, at one point, HQ Coy in the final, savage battles on the Oder and to the north-west and north of Berlin. In one morning, 2 Coy knocked out seventeen Soviet tanks under Scheu's command.
This is a wartime print. I also have a larger postwar print, also from Scheu's album, with Adolf Kunzmann's name and address printed on the reverse. Kunzmann was, of course, the SS-Kriegsberichter attached to the SS Airborne Bn and many of the surviving photographs of the battalion and its members were taken by him.
Regards,
Prosper Keating