patches Posted February 27, 2020 Share #1 Posted February 27, 2020 While paging though my recently re-acquired Roger James Bender books the Waffen SS, I've been re-noticing a badge worn by at least four to five different individuals, this one here in below photos, the enameled cross with swords, the one on Wuensche and on Meyer, what are these please. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John4022 Posted February 27, 2020 Share #2 Posted February 27, 2020 Bulgarian Bravery Order, 4th Class (1st Grade) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
patches Posted February 27, 2020 Author Share #3 Posted February 27, 2020 Hmmm, thanks John, a Bulgarian Award wow, I wonder under what circumstances Reichsdeutsche SS Men were awarded it, it seems so far only some officers of the Leibstandarte SS were awarded it. Fritz Witt wears one too, he was at first in the SS Verfügungstruppe but was later transferred ot to the LAH. Here's Witt with it, as he interestingly is decorated with another foreign medal, which is unfortunately unknown to me Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John4022 Posted February 27, 2020 Share #4 Posted February 27, 2020 Its certainly interesting. The LSSAH did spend time in Bulgaria so maybe that's when they obtained it? I believe the theory is that if a German soldier served alongside foreign troops, the foreign officers could recommend them for their own medals. There are soldiers outside the SS that were awarded Bulgarian medals. Here is a Wehrmacht soldier with the Bulgarian Cross of Bravery, II Class. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John4022 Posted February 27, 2020 Share #5 Posted February 27, 2020 And the other foreign award Fritz Witt has is the Order of the Star of Romania. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
patches Posted February 27, 2020 Author Share #6 Posted February 27, 2020 And the other foreign award Fritz Witt has is the Order of the Star of Romania. Thank you. Yes, we see the LAH was in Bulgaria in early 1941 to invade Greece, not sure why the Bulgarians gave these out. These seem to be 1943 photos, not 1941 ones because of the ranks of them that wear them and they really don't seem to wear them in other photos, though really by the end of the summer of 1944, these three examples of men I posted at least where no longer around, Witt was dead, Killed in Normandy, and Wuensche and Meyer were POWs Captured in Normandy in the case of Wuensche, and in Belgium in the case of Meyer. The Romanian award for Witt? maybe one for when elements of LAH were briefly in the Crimea? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
patches Posted February 27, 2020 Author Share #7 Posted February 27, 2020 Because of your ID John was able to find this page on the award, it basically clears it up, and gives a partial list of recipients of it, all LAH officers. https://forum.axishistory.com/viewtopic.php?t=3061 As an aside regarding the Romanian medal or other Romanian medals, I would imagine some the first German officers to receive Romanian medals would be those of Regiment General Goering, who's Flak units in those days were posted to Romania in 1941 to guard the Ploesti Oil Fields, then of officers in those units of the 11th Army in the Crimea. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
patches Posted February 28, 2020 Author Share #8 Posted February 28, 2020 I was able to find some of the LAH offcers mentoned in the link wearing this badge, one would imagine it was not worn by them that much, and once Bulgaria Turned Coat in September 44, not worn at all anymore, who knows maybe even stricken from those individuals award list, official file and soldbuch. Walter Staudinger, wearing as we see another foreign badge, a throat order, need ID on that one. Rudolf Sandig Hubert Meyer, Meyer on the right, officer on left is Heinrich Springer, Springer may or may not receved this Bulgarian Award as he was n LAH in Bulgaria and Greece, haven't seen a photo where he wears it, or really a photo where we see pocket to tell. Arnold Jürgensen Panzermann Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
patches Posted February 28, 2020 Author Share #9 Posted February 28, 2020 And finally Fritz Witt in another photo during that award of the Romanian medal. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
patches Posted June 16, 2020 Author Share #10 Posted June 16, 2020 Hugo Krass sporting the award. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
patches Posted October 7, 2020 Author Share #11 Posted October 7, 2020 Here's one of Hermann Göring Division commander Wilhelm Schmalz wearing it, Schmalz must of been awarded it when he still was in the Army, Schmalz was initially in the Kavallerie Schützen-Regiment 11 4. Leicht Division later retited the Schützen-Regiment 11 9th Panzer Division. Schmalz was in the invasion of the west in 1940 as the regiment's I Battalion commander,Schmalz, awarded the Knights Cross for actions in France, I assume he was still when the 9. Panzer Division invaded both Greece and Yugoslavia via Bulgaria, and this is when he must of got the award. Schmalz would be transferred over to the Air Force when the Regiment Hermann Göring was being rebuilt as a full brigade in the summer of 1942 and was in need combat experienced officers and NCOs, experienced in the more complex arms of Armor and Armored/Motorized Infantry, Anti Tank, Combat Engineers etc etc. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
patches Posted October 7, 2020 Author Share #12 Posted October 7, 2020 3 hours ago, patches said: Here's one of Hermann Göring Division commander Wilhelm Schmalz wearing it, Schmalz must of been awarded it when he still was in the Army, Schmalz was initially in the Kavallerie Schützen-Regiment 11 4. Leicht Division later retited the Schützen-Regiment 11 9th Panzer Division. Schmalz was in the invasion of the west in 1940 as the regiment's I Battalion commander,Schmalz, awarded the Knights Cross for actions in France, I assume he was still when the 9. Panzer Division invaded both Greece and Yugoslavia via Bulgaria, and this is when he must of got the award. Schmalz would be transferred over to the Air Force when the Regiment Hermann Göring was being rebuilt as a full brigade in the summer of 1942 and was in need combat experienced officers and NCOs, experienced in the more complex arms of Armor and Armored/Motorized Infantry, Anti Tank, Combat Engineers etc etc. Schmalz in the USSR with the 9.Panzer Division winter 1941-42 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
patches Posted October 7, 2020 Author Share #13 Posted October 7, 2020 5 hours ago, patches said: Schmalz in the USSR with the 9.Panzer Division winter 1941-42 Here's Schmalz as a Cadet when he was 17 in 1918, Berlin-Lichterfelde war ended we guess while he was still at the school. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
patches Posted April 14, 2022 Author Share #14 Posted April 14, 2022 Another Army sighting of the award being worn. Otto Remer, Infantrie Regiment Grossdeutschland (motorisiert). Grossdeutschland was in on the invasion of Yugoslavia, so Remer must of been awarded the medal when Grossdeutschland staged in Bulgaria. On Remer still don't know why he's awarded a General Assault Badge rather then the Infantry Assault Badge, while it never states it, maybe Remer wasn't an Infantry Officer at the beginning of the war when he first sees action in France in 1940 with Grossdeutschland and was in fact a Engineer Officer, maybe Grossdeutshland's Pionier Zugführer, the so called Weiss Pioniere, or perhaps a Kompanie Chef of one on the heavy weapons companies in the regiment's IV Battalion, IE Assualt Gun (The early Mark of StuG IIIs), the Infantry Guns or Anti Tank??? At any rate once he took command of the Führer Begleit Brigade and led in action in The Ardennes in December 44 January 1945, he was a Colonel still, an Oberst, and would be entitled to either the Infantry Assault Badge in Bronze or the Tank Assault Badge in Bronze, but when we see photos of him as General Major in 45 he doesn't seem to have one, just the same General Assault Badge. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
patches Posted July 16, 2023 Author Share #15 Posted July 16, 2023 A regrettably unidentified Panzer Officer is seen wearing the Medal. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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