• WWII Waffen SS Soldbuch – SS Sturmmann Wichmann – SS Jäger Btl 500 – Wounded Fighting Partisans – SS-Jagdverbände – Very Rare Unit

    $2,450.00

    Here we have a rather rare SS Unit, I have not seen any to this unit in many years dealing in IDs. Siegmund Wichmann was born in 1923 in Romania. He was enlisted/Volunteered for the Waffen SS in April 1943 with: Stammkompanie / SS Grenadier Ersatz Btl “Ost”  After training he was posted to his frontline unit: SS Grenadier Ausbildungs Btl “Ost” SS Jäger Btl 500 – Stabskompanie Commander SS-Sturmbannführer Beilhack Manpower strength 30 June 1944 – 1.271 SS-Jäger-Btl 500 was under the administrative command of 292. Infanterie-Division, which was part of Armee Gruppe Mitte from June 1941 to January 1945. A quick bit of research shows the divisional commander from 30.6.1944 to 1.9.1944 to have been Generalmajor Johannes Gittner. SS-Jäger-Btl 500 was engaged in security and anti-partisan operations behind the German lines during its time with 292. SS-Jäger-Btl 500 was disbanded in October 1944, the survivors being sent to SS-Panzergrenadier-Ausbildungs und Ersatz Btl 35, which was the depot of the SS-Jagdverbände and SS-Fallschirmjäger-Btl 500 and 600. Tessin: SS-Jäger-Btl.500 * 15. 4. 1944 zu 5 Kpn. aus dem Jäger-Btl. der Nachschub-Kdtr. Rußland-Mitte in Moorlager (Bereza-Kartuska bei Brest-Litowsk); im Partisaneneinsatz Mittelrußland, zuletzt Sept. 1944 bei Warschau; Okt. 1944 aufgelöst; Abwicklung beim SS-A usb.und Ers.Btl. 35 in Konitz. U: Sondertruppe RF -SS In March of 1945, it seems he was issued combat equipment once again including a rifle for combat with his replacement unit. SS Grenadier Ausbildungs und Ersatz Batl 25 – Konitz Westpreussen  Interestingly, SS-Jagdverbände merely used SS-Panzer-Grenadier-Ausb.u.Ers.Btl. 35 as a ‘cover’. SS-Führungs-Hauptamt order of 1.12.1944 changes the nomenclature from SS-Grenadier-Ausbildungs und Ersatz-Bataillon 35 to SS-Panzer-Grenadier-Ausb.u.Ers.Btl. 35 with effect from 15.11.1944. The latter designation was used as early as October 1944 in paybooks issued to members of SS-Fallschirmjäger-Btl 600 and the SS-Jagdverbände. Promoted SS Sturmmann – February 1945 – SS Grenadier Ersatz Btl 35 Awards  Black Wounds Badge – Wounded on the 15th of July 1944 – fighting Partisans Given in June of 1944 a special Führer Paket along with money. Last comments Very rare unit, directly engaged with fighting partisans.

  • WWII German Bekanntmachung Poster – “Avis” Paris 1941 – Execution of French Resistance Members – Large Poster – Very Rare!

    $550.00

    Here we have an original Large ( 29 3/4″ x 22 1/2″) Poster. See Below for the full story! Condition: Damaged as seen, could be correctly mounted for display.  Last Three photos are reference only. Consider Making an Offer, Shipping World Wide is Free!  Samuel Tyszelman (born Szmul Cecel Tyszelman; 21 January 1921 – 19 August 1941) was a Jewish Polish communist who was a member of the French Resistance during World War II (1939-1945). He and another man were arrested and executed for taking part in an anti-German demonstration. That started a series of assassinations and reprisals in which over 500 people were killed. Szmul Cecel Tyszelman was born in Puławy, Poland, on 21 January 1921. His family was Jewish. During World War II (1939–1945), he was a member of the French communist resistance organization known as Bataillons de la jeunesse. He was in a group named the Main-d’Oeuvre Immigrée, whose members were Jews who had migrated from Eastern Europe in the 1920s and the 1930s. In early August 1941, three of them (Tyzelman, Charles Wolmark and Elie Walach) stole 25 kilograms (55 lb) of dynamite from a quarry in the Seine-et-Oise. On 13 August 1941, Tyszelman, known as “Titi”, was among a group of 100 young people, male and female, who walked out of the Strasbourg – Saint-Denis metro station and followed the tricolour flag of student Olivier Souef. They sang la Marseillaise and shouted “Down with Hitler! Vive La France!” French and German police intervened. German soldiers opened fire, and Tyzelman was hit in the leg. Gautherot fled, but was pursued by a German civilian and caught in a porter’s lodge at 37 Boulevard Saint-Martin. Tyszelman, pursued by German soldiers who were aided by an emergency police van of the 19th arrondissement, was finally arrested in a cellar of 29 Boulevard Magenta, where he had taken refuge. On 14 August, the Militärbefehlshaber in Frankreich (MBF: “German Military Commander in France”) banned the French Communist Party and announced that anyone who took part in a communist demonstration in the future would be charged with aiding the enemy. Tyszelman and Gautherot were tried by a German military tribunal and sentenced to death. They were executed by firing squad on 19 August 1941 at the Vallée-aux-Loups in Châtenay-Malabry, Hauts-de-Seine. Notices in black lettering on red paper were posted the same day to announce the sentence and the execution. Until this time the Jeunesses Communistes (JC: Young Communists) were mainly involved in propaganda, publishing tracts and clandestine newspapers, with minimal armed action. At a session from 15 to 17 August it was agreed that members of the JC should receive weapons training and should increase sabotage and attacks on occupation troops. There was some resistance but with news of the execution of Gautherot and Tyszelman it was agreed to take a more active role. Of the JC leaders, Pierre Georges became primarily involved in military operations in the Paris region, while Albert Ouzoulias was more concerned with recruitment and liaison between the regions. On 21 August Pierre Georges and three companions made a revenge killing of a German soldier named Alfons Moser when he was boarding a train at the Barbès metro station at eight in the morning. When Adolf Hitler heard of Moser’s death he ordered that one hundred hostages be executed at once. The German military commander in France, Otto von Stülpnagel, did not want to upset the Vichy government. He told Vichy he just wanted ten hostages, who would be shot if any Germans were attacked. On 27 August 1941 three Communists were sentenced to death by guillotine and were executed the next day. Over the next few days five more communists who had taken part in Tyszelman’s demonstration were shot and then three Gaullists. This was the start of a series of assassinations and reprisals that resulted in five hundred French hostages being executed in the next few months.

  • Stuka Pilot Soldbuch

    WWII Luftwaffe Stuka Pilot Oblt Wanner Soldbuch & Wehrpass Set – Ju 87 D-5 – 189 Missions! – Missing in Action – FFS Gold – Ultra Rare

    $2,650.00

    We lately got in a set of nice documents, coupled by the former collector with original awards. Although they were not the pilots awards and are offered here separately, we do not split groups that belong together.  Oberleutnant Will Wanner Born in 1920, he was enlisted after volunteering in the Luftwaffe in 1940. He went though almost three years of schooling on the Stuka before joining his Stuka unit in December of 1942. Wanner served with III/ Sturzkampfgeschwader 77  1943 SG 77 seen extensive action on the Eastern Front. By 20 December 1942 III./StG 77 had only seven serviceable dive-bombers. III./StG 77 lost 29 ground crew on the retreat from Rossosh to Kharkov. It probably took part in the air battles but was decimated and withdrawn to Würzburg. It was rebuilt with 37 Ju 87s and 245 officers and sent to Luftflotte 2, II. Fliegerkorps. The group moved to Cagliari, but was not to be used until the Allied invasion of Sicily (Operation Husky). In the event, the airfields were so badly damaged on the island it was ordered to return to IV. Fliegerkorps on 27 April 1943 On 8 July, StG 77 supported the Großdeutschland against the fortified village of Syrtsevo. StG 77 lost five Ju 87s and another damaged in combat with the 240 IAP. The air corps claimed, with contributions from SG 1, 84 Soviet tanks destroyed, 21 damaged, 40 vehicles destroyed, and five artillery pieces along with two anti-aircraft guns and two rocket launchers. By the evening of 8 July, 16 dive-bombers had been lost. The Germans halved the amount of Stuka sorties over the ensuing days. On 11 July, 9./StG 77, under III./StG 77 lost another five Ju 87s as it supported attacks against the 69th Army. The 183 IAP were their attackers. In the afternoon, 50 Ju 87s supported the 1st SS Panzer Division Leibstandarte SS Adolf Hitler’s attack on Hill 252.2. On 12 July StG 77 was involved in the Battle of Prokhorovka. While the Ju 87s could only fly 150 sorties in support, but with StG 2 the attacked with great success against Soviet armour advancing in the open. The 31st Tank Brigade, of the 29th Tank Corps, suffered heavy casualties. The 36th Tank Brigade’s commander was wounded by aircraft when his tank was destroyed. On 14 July, another six Ju 87s were lost supporting the XXXXVIII Panzer Corps The German offensive continued in the southern sector, but Operation Roland failed and the Red Army took time to begin the counter offensive, Operation Polkovodets Rumyantsev. Soviet forces slowly pressed the Germans back. On 19 July 7./StG 77 was wiped out by a Soviet attack on the base at Kramatorskaya and 4./StG 77 lost another three to Soviet fighters. At the beginning of August 1943, the Soviet summer counter offensives began. StG 77 lost 24 dive-bombers and 30 damaged between 5 and 31 July 1943. Their losses from July to December 1942 were just 23. The Stuka arm had also lost eight Knight’s Cross of the Iron Cross holders—Karl Fitzner of 5./StG 77 was one of them; he was shot down and killed on 8 July.III./StG 77 operated in the Kharkov and Belgorod sectors, after the fall of the latter on 5 August. From 6 to 12 August it lost four Ju 87s in combat and another three in the retreat to prevent their capture. On 17 August it was at Poltava, and the following day 7./StG 77 lost another four in combat near Sumy; four men were killed and two wounded. The group retreated to Stalino and lost another three on 2 and 3 September while 8. and 9. Staffel lost two Ju 87s near Kharkov on 5 September. Awards 4.12.1941 – Pilots Badge 8.7.1943 – Iron Cross Second Class 8.7.1943 – Front Flying Clasp in Bronze 26.7.1943 – Iron Cross First Class 24.7.1943 – Front Flying Clasp in Silver 6.2.1944   – Front Flying Clasp in Gold He flew a total of 189 Missions, according to the Luftwaffe Officer Lists he was shot down by Anti Aircraft Fire over Bialystok.   WANNER, Willi. 01.06.44 promo to Oblt./A1. 27.07.44 Oblt., 7./SG 77 MIA – Ju 87 D-5 (S2+CR) shotdown by AA vic Bialystok. According to the German War graves online archive he was never buried…  The both Certificates for the Front Clasps are attached to a card by the previous collector. Condition is as photographed.  

  • Early SS Members Fencing Jacket & Trousers

    $1,695.00

    Early SS Fencing Jacket and Trousers. Made by Max Richter, Curt Knoch in Berlin N.W7 Friedrichstrasse 122. There is really little known about these, there seems to be an accepted collector model of the Fencing Raute and it is mentioned in one book from the early 1990s. I have done a search into the firm and it was first registered in 1920s, with a direct link in the phonebook of 1926 in Berlin. An interesting piece and comes out of a large estate that was recently sold in the USA.

  • Sale!

    WWII German Red Cross DRK Nurse – Helferin Brigitte Reichstein – Battle of Berlin 1945 – Division Ulrich von Hutten

    Original price was: $650.00.Current price is: $385.00.

    ID Issued to German Red Cross DRK Sister Brigitte Reichstein born 18.9.1923 in Potsdam Germany. Her DRK ID was issued on the 19th of August 1943 in Potsdam. The ID has two validation stamps, one April 1943 till March 1944 and another for April 1944 till March 1945. The most interesting item in the group is a letter dated 1945, Kropstadt 10.4.1945 from the Artillery Regiment of the Division Ulrich von Hutten.  The letter state thats she is now embedded in the troop, with the III Artl Abt UvH. She is to wear a Red Cross Armband and will be assigned to the 7th Battery. The divisional history for 1945. The Infantry Division Ulrich von Hutten was an infantry division of the German Wehrmacht during World War II, comprising the Army (Heer), Navy (Kriegsmarine), and Air Force (Luftwaffe). The Wehrmacht had numerous divisions, including infantry, armored, and other specialized units, which were involved in various military campaigns throughout the war. It was formed at the end of March 1945, just over a month before the end of the war. The division was named after German Protestant reformer Ulrich von Hutten (1488–1523). The Infantry Division Ulrich von Hutten was formed on 30 March 1945 in Wittenberg in Wehrkreis IV. The Ulrich von Hutten Division was part of the 35th and final Aufstellungswelle of the German Wehrmacht. It was formed from students of various schools from all over Wehrkreis IV, as well as military replacement personnel.Many soldiers of the 190th Infantry Division were used to staff the Ulrich von Hutten Division. After 13 April 1945, Gerhard Engel became divisional commander, and remained in this post until war’s end. The division saw its first combat near Bitterfeld as part of the 11th Army. It was then moved to the 12th Army in preparation of the planned liberation of the encircled German capital, Berlin. The 12th Army reached Potsdam, but was then rerouted by its commander Walther Wenck to assist the 9th Army, commanded by Theodor Busse, which had sustained heavy damage in combat against the Red Army at the Battle of Halbe. The 9th and 12th Armies then turned west towards the Elbe river with the intention to surrender to the United States Army rather than the Soviet forces. The German formations as well as the civilians they escorted sustained heavy casualties, but ultimately fulfilled that goal. As part of the 12th Army’s surrender to the American forces, the Infantry Division Ulrich von Hutten was taken prisoner at Tangermünde in May 1945. Conclusion  It would seem that the division seen combat right at the final days of the war. It seems she has survived although no further research helped find out what may have happened to her. This was one of the final stories in the upcoming Berlin Book mentioned often on this website.

  • WWI US Army M1917 Battery & Store Wagon – Made by American Car & Foundry Company 1918 – For US M1902 3 Inch Field Gun & French 75mm mle/97 Cannon – Last 1 Known – Price on Request

    We are delighted to be able to offer this original WWI US Army M1917 Battery & Store Wagon Built in 1918 by AM Car & FDY CO, this has likely sat in storage since. The Original Brass plate still is perfectly readable No 1378 The American Car and Foundry Company During World War I, the American Car and Foundry Company (ACF) produced a variety of equipment to support the Allies, including: Freight cars ACF was the largest builder of freight cars for the USRA during the war. ACF also leased freight cars to railroads and private car companies through a subsidiary called the Shippers Car Line. Artillery ACF produced artillery gun mounts, three-inch shells, and artillery shells. Boats ACF produced submarine chasers and other boats. Railway cars ACF continued to produce railroad equipment while also filling military contracts. According to a snapshot from their website in 2003, ACF commented on their long History including their WWI production capabilities. ACF Industries traces its history to 1873, the year the St. Charles Car Manufacturing Company was founded. This was one of the thirteen railroad carbuilding companies that merged in 1899 to form the American Car and Foundry Company. The country’s first railroad tank car, a “tub car” was built by one of these companies in 1889. Five years after the 1899 merger, the first all-steel passenger car ever ordered from a car builder left our former Berwick, PA shop. It was the first of a shipment of 300 similar cars built for New York City’s pioneer subway, the Interborough Rapid Transit Company. By 1906, AC&F had steel shops at St. Louis, Detroit, Berwick, Huntington, and Madison, IL. American Car and Foundry Company’s reputation rapidly spread abroad and in 1905 more than 100 motor and trailer subway cars were shipped to England for use in London’s underground system. In 1917, a tank car leasing operation began which, in 1923, became Shippers Car Line, and later was acquired by AC&F in 1927. During World War I, AC&F produced artillery gun mounts and ammunition, field kitchens, pack saddles, submarine chasers, cloth shrinking machines and rollers, and even wooden tent pegs, as well as railway cars, for the Allies. AC&F’s Wilmington plant also produced boats for the navy, and after the war switched production to yachts. In 1922, AC&F expanded into the automotive field by acquiring Carter Carburetor Corporation of St. Louis. This was our first step in product diversification – planned and executed long before the diversification concept became the by-word of American industry. In 1925, AC&F acquired Fageol Motors Co, a bus builder, and the Hall-Scott Motor Car Company, which produced bus engines. In 1926, AC&F acquired the J. G. Brill Co, a streetcar builder. During World War II, several AC&F plants produced army tanks, aircraft subassemblies, artillery shells, armor plate, and hospital cars, as well as ordinary railroad cars. By 1954, the corporation’s interests had become so diversified that the name was changed from American Car and Foundry to ACF Industries Inc. ACF produced its last passenger car in 1959. It displays all its original paint and is in overall good condition given the age, and stands a near 87 Inches High by 77 Inches Wide with a length of 10 Feet.   The purpose of this Wagon was to service the Gun and Crew of either or both pictured below 75mm Cannons. US M1902 3 Inch Field Gun French 75mm mle/97 Cannon This is currently in our hanger in the USA, if you have any questions please do not hesitate to contact us directly. This appears to be the last original known, there are currently none on display in any museum next two either of the Artillery above.

  • WWII Waffen-SS Grouping – SS-Obersturmfuhrer Georg Kinzler (DKiG) – Totenkopf Division 1942 SS Pocket Diary – One of Kind – Very Rare (Offer / Reserved)

    SS Obersturmfuhrer Georg Kinzler (DKiG) This incredible SS Diary details the Demyansk Pocket 1942, transcribed into 53 Pages into English with Annotations. It is completed with a USB Drive with the 53 Pages. All Inside a Ring Binder.  Extra Research  Demyansk Pocket The Demyansk Pocket was the name given to the pocket of German troops encircled by the Red Army around Demyansk, south of Leningrad, during World War II’s Eastern Front. The pocket existed mainly from 8 February to 21 April 1942. A much smaller force was surrounded in the Kholm Pocket at the town of Kholm, about 100 km (62 mi) to the southwest. Both resulted from the German retreat after its defeat during the Battle of Moscow. The successful defence of Demyansk was achieved by using an airbridge and was a significant development in modern warfare. Its success was a major contributor to the decision by the Army High Command to try the same tactic during the Battle of Stalingrad, but it then failed to save the Sixth Army, commanded by Friedrich Paulus. In April 1941, the Totenkopf Division was ordered East to join Field Marshal Wilhelm von Leeb’s Army Group North. Leeb’s force was tasked with advancing on Leningrad and formed the northern wing of Operation Barbarossa. Totenkopf took part in the advance through Lithuania and Latvia, and by July had breached the Stalin Line. The division then advanced past Demyansk to Leningrad where it was involved in heavy fighting in August. During Soviet winter counter-offensive, the division was encircled for several months near Demyansk in what became known as the Demyansk Pocket. During the fighting in the pocket, it was re-designated “Kampfgruppe Eicke” due to its reduced size. In April 1942, the division broke out of the pocket. At Demyansk, about 80% of its men were killed, wounded or missing in action. The division was sent to France to be refitted in late October 1942. Comments This diary is a historical insight into the war year of 1942 with the Totenkopf Division, including in the Demjansk Pocket in 1942. Kinzler seemed to be very calculated, many original notes of orders numbers etc Battle of Kursk Kinzler is mentioned in the Battle of Kursk literature, LAST VICTORY IN RUSSIA , The SS-Panzerkorps and Manstein’s Kharkov Counteroffensive February-March 1943, George M. Nipe, Jr, Schiffer Military History Atglen, PA, Page 172 There were a number of forward defensive positions controlling the approaches to the village from the west and they held up the battalion until nightfall. After eliminating these defenders and driving the main body of Russians out of the town, Schubach rested and reorganized his battalion, planning to resume his attack at 0100 hours. 26 Meanwhile, SS-Hauptsturmführer Wilhelm Schulze’s II./Regiment “Totenkopf’ had begun its advance toward Pavlograd after the departure of Schubach’s battalion from Pereshschepino, taking a different road out of the town. Schulze’s objective was to assemble in the area to the north of Pavlograd, in preparation for attacking the town from the northwest. The battalion was reinforced by motorcycle troops, an artillery battery and the division’s Panzer-Pioniere Kompanie, led by SS-Obersturmführer Georg Kinzler. The long column, moving over narrow, icy roads, advanced slowly to the southeast of Pereshschepino, although its passage through the darkness was unimpeded, until just after midnight. At that point it ran into a detachment of Soviet cavalry troops, at the village of Popassnoje, fifteen km northwest of Pavlograd. The column deployed for battle and assaulted the village, supported by fire from a battery of 10cm howitzers. By daylight Popassnoje was in German hands and the Soviet cavalrymen had been put to flight, but the battalion was delayed and could not support “Das Reich’s” attack on Pavlograd. When the advance resumed Russian cavalry, numbering about 150-200 men, appeared on the flank of the march route, forcing Schulze to deal with them. A Kampfgruppe of the SS Panzer Pioniere-Kompanie, two assault guns, an SPW and the howitzer battery, set off in pursuit. The commander of the battery, SS Hauptsturmführer Friedrich Messerle, remembered the chase as a ‘crazy hunt out of the wild west.” Following the tracks of the Russian horses, the Germans made their way to a Soviet town, which was typically spread out along the road which ran through its center. By this time, nightfall was approaching and the Germans did not want to risk entering the village and stumbling into an ambush in the dark. The small Kampfgruppe circled its vehicles like wagon train threatened by Indians and positioned its howitzers along the perimeter, ready to go into action at a seconds notice. Just before the dawn, the SS Pioniere cautiously entered the village, feeling their way down both sides of the main street. This flushed out the Soviet cavalry, which suddenly took off across the snow, galloping hard for a hill behind the village. Messerle’s howitzers fired into their midst, but within seconds the Russians reached the edge of the hill, after suffering only a few casualties. By 1945, Kinzler was on the staff of the SS Pioneer School. SS-Pionierschule command structure was the following one. March 1945, the school staff was formed with the following officers : Kdr. : SS-Obf. Klein Adjutant : SS-Ostuf. Nägele Ia : SS-Ostubaf. Deschner (then SS-Hstuf. Kinzler in April) Ib : SS-Staf. Hermann IVa : SS-Hstuf. Förster IVd : SS-Ostuf. Hohl V Pi. : SS-Hstuf. Otto-Karl Witt TFK : SS-Hstuf. Paduch 01 : SS-Ostuf. Stelzenmüller Stamm-Kp. : SS-Hstuf. Schwarz SS-Pionier-Sperr-Bataillon “Brosow”  April 1945 – defended bridges while the school was being evacuated and its remaining personnel withdrawn. Kinzler was awarded the German Cross in Gold as per, Mark C Yergers book in 1945. We have chosen not to share the complete content of Georg Kinzler. Due to the fact that many details of the battle have not yet been published. This is a prime, first hand item for any serious Military Archive or Museum or an advanced Private Archive.

  • WWII German Army Soldbuch Grouping – Uffz Wilhelm Schamp – 37 Close Combat Days – Close Combat Clasp Silver – 96 Infanterie Division – Rare

    $2,650.00

    Soldbuch issued to Wilhelm Schamp from Dannenberg/Elbe Germany. He served with: Infanterie Regiment 283  Grenadier Regiment 283  Panzerjäger Abteilung 196  All part of the 96 Infantry Division of the Wehrmacht (History Below)  The 96th Infantry Division was set up on September 25, 1939 at the Bergen military training area near Celle during World War XI as the 5th Wave Division. The division was equipped with Czech equipment; in addition to WWXI, the personnel came from WWVI and II as well as the HGr. South. From 1941 the division was equipped with German equipment. The division should be ready for field use by November 1, 1939. The 13th companies of the infantry regiments were heavy mortar companies. After the formation, the division moved to the Upper Rhine in December to secure the German western border. From May 10th the division took part in the western campaign. She crossed the Ardennes and advanced via Sedan to Laon. Here the division turned south and marched via Chemin des Dames, the Marne and Loire to Bourges. Between August 1940 and February 1941 the division was on leave. On April 2, 1941, the 13th companies of the infantry regiments became IG companies, which were taken over by the 246th Infantry Division. After re-enlistment, the division was in France. From July 1941 she took part in the Russian campaign. The division marched via Vilna, Disna and Opochka into the area west of Lake Ilmen. Fighting on the Luga followed in August. In September the division advanced across the Ischora to the Neva near Leningrad. In 1942 the division was reduced to six battalions (dissolution of I./283, I./284 and III./287). From October 1941 to February 1942 there were fighting between Schliselburg and the mouth of the Tosna south of Lake Ladoga and at the Volkhov Pocket near Mostki. The division was then deployed in 1942 at Maluska, Pogostje, Winjagolowo and Konduja. From December 1942 to February 1943, the division was deployed in the winter battle in the “bottleneck” between Shlisselburg and Mga, on the southern bank of Lake Ladoga, on the Neva, on the Sinjavino Heights and on the Popostje pocket – defensive battles followed until the end of 1943 Volkhov and on the Tigoda. In January 1944 the division was transferred to Ukraine and deployed in the Shepetovka-Starkonstantinov area. From March to December there were retreating battles in the Hube Pocket to the south. After breaking through to the west at Kamenets-Podolsk, the division was refreshed in June 1944. This was followed by costly retreats across skala into the Tarnopol area and defensive battles on the Tarnopol-Lemberg runway. By the end of the year the division withdrew via the area south of Lemberg and via Sanok to the Small Beskydy Mountains southeast of Tarnow. In January 1945 the division moved to Hungary and took part in the advance south west of the mouth of the Gran. Defensive battles followed south of the Danube, in the Tata-Tarjan-Bajna-Sarisap-Coslnok area, where the division was surrounded. After breaking out of the pocket in Noden in March 1945, the division marched across the Danube and then west into the Pressburg area. The retreat continued north past Vienna to Lower Austria in the Waldviertel and the Freistadt area, where the division was taken prisoner by the Americans at the end of the war. Some of the division’s members were then handed over to the Red Army. Awards. Wounds Badge in Black – December 1941 Iron Cross Second Class – March 1942 Infantry Assault Badge – February 1942 Wounds Badge in Gold – August 1944 Close Combat Badge in Bronze & Silver Grade – September 1944 Iron Cross First Class – January 1945 – Panzerjäger Abt 196 Close Combat Days 37 Total Days Entered in the Soldbuch  11.8.1941 – Meschink 14.8.1941 – Teschelino 29.81941 – Proletarskaja 30.8.1941 – Gorkj 1.9.1941 – Mercedesstern 13.1.1944 – Chrolln 14.1.1944 – “ 15.1.1944 – “ 19.1.1944 – Labun 20.1.9144 – “ 21.1.1944 – “ 22.1.1944 – “ 23.1.1944 – “ 27.1.1944 – Chrolln 28.1.1944 – Medwedewka 29.1.1944 – “ 30.1.1944 “ 1.2.1944 Höhe 299.3 9.2.1944 – Höhen vor Medwedewka 10.2.1944 – “ 11.2.1944 – Medwedewka 12.2.1944 – “ 23.2.1944 – “ 4.3.1944 – Labun 6.3.1944 – G (?) 7.3.1944 – Saluffe 12.3.1944 – (?) 21.3.1944 – Alopin (?) 22.3.1944 – T (?) 25.3.1944 – I (?) aska 26.3.1944 – (?) 27.3.1944 – (?) 3.4.1944 T (?) 10.4.1944 – M (?) 14.4.1944 – Nagor (?) 15.4.1944 “ 24.4.1944 “ Only 9,500 Close Combat Clasps in Silver were Awarded, Schamp is on the archive award list (See Below).  The grouping comes with all the pictured items from Schamp, including his matching dog tag and Necklace. Also included are his other papers, which includes a certificate from the Division. Very rare Soldbuch. 

  • WWII German Waffen SS-Soldbuch – Cossack Waffen-Unterführer Waldimar Makarow – XIV SS Cossack Cavalry Corps – Russian Born Volunteer – SS Hauptamt Berlin 1944 – Ultra Rare

    $2,650.00

    Waffen SS Soldbuch issued to Russian born (11.1918 – Orthodox Religon) Waldimar Makarow. The Soldbuch was issued with the SS Hauptamt (SS Main Office) in Berlin Germany, the specific department corresponding with the stamps: A I 2 – Personnel Department. Issued in Berlin on the 1st of September 1944. Makarow was assigned to the XIV SS Kossak Kavallerie Korps Unit History  The XV SS Cossack Cavalry Corps (German: XV. SS-Kosaken-Kavallerie-Korps) was a World War II cavalry corps of the Waffen-SS, the armed wing of the German Nazi Party, primarily recruited from Cossacks. It was originally known as the XIV SS Cossack Cavalry Corps from September 1944 to February 1945. During the Russian Civil War (1917–1923), Cossack leaders and their governments generally sided with the White movement. After the Soviets emerged victorious in the civil war, a policy of decossackization was instituted between 1919 and 1933, aimed at the elimination of the Cossacks as a separate cultural and political group. Cossacks in exile joined other Russian émigré groups in Central and Western Europe, while those in Russia endured continual repression. In October 1942, the Germans established a semi-autonomous Cossack District in the Kuban. This put them in a position to recruit Cossacks from these areas and mobilize them against the Red Army. This was in contrast to soldiers of the ROA, who had been recruited from POW camps and Red Army defections, most soldiers of the German Cossack units had never been citizens of the Soviet Union.[ In the summer of 1944 Heinrich Himmler and the SS became interested in gaining control of the 1st Cossack Division under Helmuth von Pannwitz. In July 1944 Himmler discussed the organization of a Cossack fighting unit in the Bialystok region and requested from Hitler, that the Cossack Division would be placed in the organizational structure of the SS. On 26 August 1944 he met with Pannwitz and his Chief of Staff. Himmler planned to gather all Cossack units to form a second Cossack division and proposed the transfer of the 1st Cossack division to the SS. All units were to be placed under von Pannwitz’s command. Though initially reluctant, Pannwitz eventually agreed to place his division under SS administration. Both German cadre and Cossack troops would retain their traditional uniforms and their Wehrmacht or Cossack rank. Pannwitz hoped to raise his unit’s low morale and to receive more supplies and better equipment. The Cossacks did not wear the SS runes or receive any ideological indoctrination. In September 1944, the XIV SS Cossack Cavalry Corps was established on the basis of the 1st Cossack Division. The Cossacks fought an engagement against the Red Army on 25 December 1944 near Pitomača to prevent them from crossing the Drava River. The commander of the 5th Don Cossack Cavalry Regiment was awarded the Iron Cross, 1st class after the battle. In November 1944 the 1st Cossack Division was taken over by the Waffen-SS. The SS Führungshauptamt reorganized the division and used further Cossack combat units from the army and the Ordnungspolizei to form a 2nd Cossack Cavalry Division. Both divisions were placed under the command of the XV SS Cossack Cavalry Corps on 1 February 1945. With the transfer of the Volunteer Cossack-Stamm-Regiment 5 from the Freiwilligen-Stamm-Division on the same day the takeover of the Cossack units by the Waffen-SS was complete. According to Samuel J. Newland, the Corps, composed of the 1st and 2nd Cavalry Brigades and the 1st and 2nd Division, was actually formed on 25 February 1945, when it was officially created by the High Command. The Corps was initially subordinated to the Army Group F in Croatia, and since March 1945 to the Army Group E in Croatia. During their time there, they were known by the locals as “Čerkezi” (“Circassians”), despite the Corps’ Cossack ethnic makeup. The Corps supported the German offensive Operation Spring Awakening in Hungary by launching an offensive against a Soviet bridgehead at Valpovo on the Drava. During April the Corps was engaged in minor actions and then began to withdraw from Yugoslavia on 3 May 1945. The superior officers had concluded that the Corps should fight their way back to Austria in order to be captured by the British. According to one source Pannwitz felt that the West would have great use for the Corps as a military anti-Bolshevik eastern formation. The 2nd Division covered the withdrawal of the 1st Division against partisan forces. Unaffected by the German surrender on 8 May and partisan demands to surrender, the Cossack units continued fighting on their way to the British zone. On 10 May Pannwitz surrendered to the British, while the last Division elements reached the British zone on 13 May 1945. Interesting entries in the Soldbuch:  Walther PP Pistol Interesting entry, from SS Hauptamt that the owner of the Soldbuch is allowed to wear a Uniform of the Wehrmacht with the rank Oberfeldwebel. Comes with a photo of Marakow wearing Cossack insignia. Very rare photograph. Final Comments Incredibly rare document, this is one of small minority of IDs issued to members of the Cossack Volunteers. The Units page – under the paper it seems the same thing is written underneath. I do not think we will ever have another one of these in stock. If you are anyway a serious Cossack / Volunteer Collector/researcher then this is likely one of your only chances to get anything like this, many patches and insignia were produced, but hardly any of these IDs have surfaced or survived.