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Original WWII German Soldbuch Grouping & EKM- Obgefr Albert Kahut – Captured in Normandy 1944 – POW in Cherbourg – Letter Translated – Rare
$355.00Soldbuch issued to Albert Kahut borin on the 21.8.1900 in Gablenz, Grimmitschau. Issued in February 1940. He served in the following frontline units: Infanterie Regiment 515 Bau Batl Grimma Personal Einheit 22 B Bau Batl 22 Landeschutzen batl 387 Betriebstoffverwaltungskompanie – Belgian / Nordfrankreich Festungs St Res Kp bei O.B West Betriebstoff Verwaltungs Kompanie 698 Captured in Normandy in 1944, an entry on the back of the Soldbuch reads: Im amerik Gefangenlarger 24 auf Sealbiusne, Cherborg France 1945 In an American POW Camp Nr 24 Sealbiusne, Cherbourg France 1945. Weapons / Equipment Dutch Rifle ! Some sort of Rifle made in 1917! Belgian Rifle. Medals Hindenburg Cross – 1935 Included are his WWI Shooting Book, and his WWI Soldbuch front cover.It seems he was for a short time in the Imperial Army in 1918 and there is a letter confirming he was with – Infanterie Regts Nr 105. Included is his Hindenburg Cross Certificate. POW Letter from him to his wife and kids… Translated 19 May 1945 – US POW CAMP France My dear Mutti and Dieter! As you, dear ones, can already see from the letter, I am in American captivity. Maybe you have received my red card. My dear ones, don’t worry about me, I am still doing very well, which of course I also wish for you, my dear ones. My dear Mutti, of course I can’t write to you every day; you must wait a little longer. Hopefully the war has not passed too hard for you and you are all still alive. Many warm greetings to all acquaintances. Until a healthy and soon reunion, best regards and kisses. For some reason his EKM is broken, it was for sure twisted off and is the bottom part. But I was unable to find any record of his death. Did he die a POW? Likely…
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Original WWII Luftwaffe Soldbuch – Stabsintendant Otto Heine – Truppensonderdienst (TSD) – Kampfeinheit Tietze April 1945
$245.00HEINE, Otto. 01.02.45 Stabsintendant (RDA 01.08.33), on LPA Seniority List for TSD (V). He served with the Truppensonderdienst (TSD) On 25 Apr 1944, the Luftwaffe Special Troop Services was formed due to manpower shortages in the Luftwaffe. This branch was to be a compilation of Luftwaffe Officials with certain specialities who were brought into the Regular Luftwaffe and were give the status of regular Luftwaffe Officers. This was strictly a voluntary lateral move from the status of an Official to that of Regular Luftwaffe Officer. There were stipulations based upon speciality, age, and physical standards. Officials who did not choose to be a Regular Luftwaffe Officer or were not qualified for other reasons kept their status as Officials. By 01 Oct 1944, the transition was to be complete. The TSD was open only to officer rankings. There were two Branches of the TSD. These branches were Administration and Judicial. Insignia: The Officials traded in their administrative collar tabs and boards for the standard Luftwaffe types. Rank was reflected on the collar tabs by the use of the wreath and gulls. The double layered shoulder boards were removed and replaced by the boards with the single underlay. By April 1945 – he was assigned to Kampfeinheit Tietze – sadly I was unable to find anything for this unit.
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Original WWII German Wehrpass Grouping – Gefreiter Erwin Zahn – Grenadier Regiment 348 – 216 Infanterie Division – Iron Cross – Letters Fully Translated – Isle of Man Link! Rare
$365.00Sad grouping to Family Zahn. Wehrpass – Issued to Erwin Zahn – Born 1924 – Holder of HJ Sport Badge – did his RAD service in Graz – called up in December 1942 – joined his frontline unit in September 1943. Grenadier Regiment 348 – 216 Infanterie Division In July 1943, the 216th Infantry Division participated in the Battle of Kursk, where it sustained heavy casualties while fighting on the northern shoulder of the Kursk salient as part of Generalfeldmarschall Model’s Ninth Army. The division was disbanded on 17 November 1943 after suffering heavy casualties during the retreat to the Dnieper River Defensive Line. Zahns death card and Iron Cross Second Class Certificate, one spare photo in the back pouch as well as his death certificate. He will killed on the 12.11.1943 – the letter to his mother Anna reads: Lieutenant Leber,Field Post No. 21360 O.U., 14 April 1944 Mrs. Anna Zahn,Kowald No. 4,Voitsberg / Stmk. Dear Mrs. Zahn, Only today am I able to reply to your letter of 17.12.43. Due to operations, relocations, and my longer absence from the company, it was not possible for me to respond earlier. I spoke about your son with Sergeant Droste, the leader of the bicycle platoon to which your son belonged as a light machine gunner. On 12.11.43, the bicycle platoon was in reserve and carrying out entrenching work. Suddenly, enemy artillery fire began. A shell struck the pit in which your son and another comrade were working. Your son was fatally struck by multiple shell fragments. Sergeant Droste was in the immediate vicinity and ran to him at once, but he could provide no further help. A few hours later, after the enemy artillery fire subsided, your son was buried with Sergeant Droste and his comrades in a field grave on a hill in a small woodland west of Borschtschownka, a heavily destroyed small village. It was not possible to move your son further in order to bury him in a “heroes’ cemetery,” as the combat situation no longer allowed it. Since there was also no camera available, unfortunately no photographs of the grave could be taken. Soon after, this section of the front was abandoned. Your son was very popular with his immediate superiors and with all his comrades for his open, sincere nature and his always comradely conduct. It is with heavy hearts that we had to part from him! With best regards,Your [signature: Leber] The letter from the Doctor dated in 1945 relates to Annas Brother who was also Killed in Action. Dr. Bantz, Staff Doctor Deputy Chief Doctor Field Post Number: 36 77 0 O.U., 29 January 1945 Dear Mrs. Zahn, It is my sad duty to inform you that your dear brother, Oberjäger Peter Zeltmeister, died on 28.1.1945 after being admitted to our field hospital. Your brother had sustained a severe head wound with brain involvement. Death occurred during transport to the hospital. For more detailed information, I would kindly ask you to contact the last field unit of your brother. Please accept my sincere condolences on this grievous loss. Your dear brother made the ultimate sacrifice for the Fatherland and homeland in heavy fighting. His comrades will remember him as a good soldier, and I ask you also to preserve a worthy memory of him. The deceased will be laid to rest on 30.1.1945, in a dignified ceremony, alongside his comrades in a single grave at the soldiers’ cemetery in Csatkornya (Hungary). All personal belongings found with the deceased will be forwarded to you. Heil Hitler! Yours, [signature] Dr. Bantz Staff Doctor and Deputy Chief Doctor Interestingly two POW Letters are included and are from Annas Sister Hedwig, who for some reason was in an all female POW on the Isle of Man – the only such camp for females in WWII! Port Erin Women’s Detention Camp was a World War II internment camp on the Isle of Man at Port Erin. It was Europe’s only all-female internment camp. Notable internees included Dora Diamant, the lover of Franz Kafka in the last year of his life, and Fay Taylour, champion motorcycle, speedway and racing car driver. See more on the camp here: https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-isle-of-man-32810383 Translations: 26.4.1943 My dear sister Anna, Many thanks for your letter of 28.1.43, which unfortunately arrived so late that I could not reply sooner. Dear Anna, I believe this heavy burden is even harder for you and your family than it already is. Instead of resigning yourself to the inevitable and trying to make the best of it, you lament and cry and thereby suffer much more. But apparently that is the way of millions of mothers. They have to bear much heavier sorrows. But Anna, I am sorry, yet I do not blame you. On the one hand, you have a cheerful spirit that often helps you to bear much adversity. For you and others like you, only sorrow and pain come again and again. But you, with heart and soul, must stand by the Fatherland in this difficult time, whether or not you believe in it. Believe me, Anna, I have seen much among friends, and it is only about one Fatherland — one Germany — defending our cause. If sacrifices are demanded, then one day everything will be good again. With love for Hilda, my Fatherland. Your sister, H Another Letter translated: “AVEN HOLME.” G.H. Post Erin I.O.M. 26.4.1943 My dear sister Anna, Many thanks for your letter of 28.1.43, which unfortunately arrived so late. Dear Anna, I believe you and your loved ones are making life even harder for yourselves than it already is. Instead of accepting the inevitable and trying to make the best of it, you lament and weep, and in doing so you suffer much more. Yet it seems that this is the way of millions of mothers, who must bear even heavier sorrows. Anna, I am sorry, but I do not reproach you. On the one hand, you always keep a cheerful…
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Original WWII German – Congratulatory letter from Adolf Hitler’s office – Berlin Vosstrasse 4 – Fully Translated – Rare
$265.00This document is a congratulatory letter from Adolf Hitler’s office to a German couple celebrating their Golden Wedding Anniversary. It acknowledges their 50 years of marriage and encloses an honorary certificate (Ehrenurkunde). Additionally, the couple was awarded an honorary monetary gift of 50 Reichsmarks, a considerable sum at the time. Translation: The State Minister and Chief of the Presidential Chancellery Berlin W 8, Voßstraße 4 5 Dec 1939 The Führer sends you, on the occasion of your “Golden Wedding,” the enclosed certificate of honor. At the same time, the Führer has granted you an honorary gift of 50 Reichsmarks, which will be sent to you by post. Heil!
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Original WWII German Soldiers Shooting Record Books and Photograph – Schießbuch – MG Gunner – Grenadier- (Feldausbildung) Regiment 718
$105.00Interesting lot for a Light Machine Gunner
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Original WWII German Wandergewerbeschein ID Document – Itinerant Trade Permit – Odd TR ID
$55.00Historical Context: These licenses were required in Nazi Germany for people conducting door-to-door or traveling trade, ensuring state control and taxation of small-scale and itinerant merchants. Such documents were tightly regulated and part of the wider Nazi bureaucratic system. It also allowed authorities to keep track of traveling individuals at a time when movement was highly monitored. Wandergewerbeschein (Itinerant Trade Permit). Year: 1940 (stated as “Nur für das Jahr 1940” – “Only valid for the year 1940”). Number: Nr. 75 (a unique serial/license number). Authority: Issued by the Landrat (District Administrator) of Offenbach am Main, with an official stamp featuring the Nazi Reichsadler (eagle and swastika). It permits the holder (a German Reich citizen) to engage in peddling/itinerant trade under specified conditions. Mentions accompanying persons who may assist in the trade. Includes fields like residence, nationality, type of goods sold, and means of transport (“Beförderungsmittel: Handwagen” = handcart). Stamp: Official stamp of Der Landrat Offenbach am Main with eagle/swastika and signature. Date of issue: 19 January 1940.
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Original WWII German Propaganda for US Soldiers in 1944 – Fake News – New York Hearld Article – Very Rare
$75.00German propaganda leaflet from World War II, written in English but reprinted and distributed by the Germans. A reprint of an article from the New York Herald Tribune (September 25, 1944), credited to John W. Robertson, a war correspondent. It is titled “The Spectre of the 22 Millions: Europe or Far East?”. The Germans repurposed this article for distribution among Allied troops to sow doubt about the war effort in Europe and redirect hostility toward Japan instead. Content Summary: Questioning the War in Europe The article asks: “Why, when all is said and done, are we fighting in Europe?” It criticizes the U.S. strategy of fighting Germany rather than focusing entirely on Japan, which is described as the “real enemy.” 22 Million Unemployed Americans A key argument is that the U.S. war effort is primarily about solving the problem of mass unemployment at home by producing arms and supplies. It claims American leaders are using the war to put 22 million unemployed people back to work. Criticism of British Involvement The article argues that American soldiers are dying to support Britain, but Europe is in ruins and cannot buy American goods or help rebuild the economy. In contrast, Japan is portrayed as the real threat to U.S. interests. Attack on Allied Strategy It calls the idea of defeating Germany quickly with few losses a “blunder,” suggesting that German morale has not collapsed and that the war in Europe will be long, bloody, and costly. Fearmongering about German Weapons It hints that Germany may soon deploy new and unpleasant weapons, suggesting the Allies will suffer heavily. Final Message The conclusion emphasizes that U.S. forces should stop wasting themselves in Europe and instead redirect to fight Japan, where vital American interests supposedly lie.
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Original WWII German Wehrmacht Officer Death/Burial Map & Death Notice – Red Cross Letter from Gulag – Leutnant Walter Heyl – Schützen Regiment 73 – 19 Panzer Division – Iron Cross Posthumus – Fully Translated – Very Rare
$245.00Here we have something quite rare and unique. The Death Notice and Map of where he died and was buried created by the Wehrmacht and sent to the family. Interestingly, his Award Document for the Panzer Assault Badge was sold here: https://www.lakesidetrader.com/item.php?ID=20437 He is not listed on the German Website for War Dead. Translation – Death Notice Russia, 9 March 1942 Dear Mrs. Heyl, When you receive this letter, I ask you to hold yourself very firm and stay strong. Your son, my Lieutenant Heyl (Walter), was severely wounded on 28 February 1942, around 16:00 hours, by a headshot during the heroic defense of the village of Medwenke, while serving as platoon leader of Company S.R.73. According to the medical company 2/19, he was treated at the main dressing station in Miljatino and passed away on 2 March 1942 at 4:45 without regaining consciousness. The circumstances of his heroic death are as follows: Since 23 February, my battalion has been in the focal point of Russian attacks on the Roslavl–Juchnow railway and had to defend several villages, including Medwenke. Since 26 February, the Russians attacked Medwenke incessantly with infantry and heavy tanks and sought to unite all their forces there. Your son immediately took over command of the 7th Company upon his arrival at the battalion and led it from then on, defending the village of Medwenke. Under his dutiful and reliable leadership, all attacks broke down, and the number of dead Russians grew ever greater in front of our defensive line. The Russians then dug themselves in and began concentrated infantry fire. A shell struck him. He was immediately unconscious; under no circumstances could he have suffered pain. Shortly after he was wounded, I myself went to Medwenke, as the situation was critical (another company commander had just fallen), to check on matters. I found him lying unconscious, protected by a snow wall. He did not recognize me. I immediately ordered his evacuation. The attached document gives further details about his death. Dear Mrs. Heyl! I know it is pointless to try to comfort you. I only wish to say this: that your deep pain is bound together with pride for your son, who fell as a hero. The Iron Cross Second Class, which he had earned, will undoubtedly be awarded to him posthumously — may it be for you a token of his bravery and self-sacrifice. My officer corps and I valued him highly for his modest, kind, and trustworthy character. I too have lost much. Please accept, as his mother, my deepest sympathy. With most respectful regards, Your very devoted [signed] Bruns Commander II/S.R.73 Translation – HV1440 Red Cross Letter sent from Soviet Gulag by Walther Brother to his mother. 22 January 1948, Nr. 32 Mother! Dear ones at home! Since confirming my card 23, I have had no message from you! Now Christmas is approaching — it will be the saddest of my life. My 51st birthday again marked by separation for the 10th time! Bitter facts for us all. We can only cling to anxious hope in our thoughts, but only actual events can convince us. On 16 January, I had a strong inflammation on my right thumb operated on; it went well. The medical care is excellent and must be especially praised. How are the parents? Today, many motherly admonitions from my youth come back as true words of remembrance. Birthday greetings have arrived. Hopefully, fate will grant me the time to be with you again. Letters may still be permitted for you. If so, I will write more extensively to you. Quiet and lonely it is here around me. In my thoughts, I am gratefully with our cheerful family days again; father is no longer there. The harshness of fate struck us mercilessly — there is no solution. Learn to hate war! This realization must be a reminder for our political thinking and actions. Stay healthy and study diligently. Warm greetings to Gretchen, parents, Anna, and you, dear Mother. Yours, Kurt
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Original WWII German Propaganda Leaflet/ Booklet For Soviet Soldiers – Very Rare – Translated – Fragile Artefact
$75.00German propaganda leaflet from WWII, aimed at Soviet soldiers, encouraging them to surrender voluntarily. Front Page (Image 1) Text in red: “Для них уже кончилась война…” Translation: “For them, the war is already over…” The picture shows Soviet soldiers with raised hands, symbolizing surrender. Back Page (Image 2) Top text in red: “Дружным смехом ответили они на вопрос:” Translation: “With loud laughter, they answered the question:” Next line in red: “— не хотите ли вы снова вернуться в сталинский рай?” Translation: “— Do you want to return again to Stalin’s paradise?” Below in black: “По приказу № 13 Верховного Командования Германской Армии, бойцы и командиры РККА, добровольно переходящие — не считаются пленными, а соратниками в борьбе против большевизма.” Translation: “According to Order No. 13 of the Supreme Command of the German Army, Red Army soldiers and commanders who voluntarily cross over are not considered prisoners, but comrades in the struggle against Bolshevism.” Passierschein (Safe Conduct Pass) text: States that the pass is valid for an unlimited number of Red Army commanders, soldiers, and political workers who voluntarily cross over to the German side. It also applies to members of allied formations (like the Russian Liberation Army, Ukrainian, Caucasian, Turkestani, and Tatar liberation units). The photo shows Soviet POWs smiling and laughing, with a caption pointing to one man: “Это лучше пленить” – “This is better captivity.” Note: Condition is very fragile, we did not attempt to open the little booklet. Also has repairs on it. We were unable to find any other like it online.
