
German WWII Knight's Cross Recipient Auction
Auction closed.
Auction closed.
German WWII Knight's Cross Recipient Auction
Auction closed.
Auction closed.
Internet Premium: 18.5%
See Special Terms for additional fees
Cash Payment Discount: 3%
See Special Terms for additional fees
Cash Payment Discount: 3%
Description
A collection of German WWII Nazi Knight's Cross Recipient Collectables - 100s of signatures & photos as well as a Knight's Cross with Oak Leaf Cluster & WWI-II Iron Cross Awards.
Need help with bidding? Get Help
German WWII Knight's Cross Recipient Auction
A collection of German WWII Nazi Knight's Cross Recipient Collectables sold on our online timed auction. 100s of signatures and photos as well as a Knight's Cross with Oak Leaf Cluster and WWI-II Iron Cross and other awards. This auction will feature 225 lots and we will be loading images and full descriptions all month, check back often! Remember the auction is "as is/where is" with no returns allowed - please check out the multiple photos and description before bidding. Lots of good items, bid early, bid often, bid high and good luck!
Imperial Germany WWI Iron Cross 2nd Class
An original Imperial German Military WWI Iron Cross 2nd Class in very good condition.
Imperial Germany WWI Iron Cross 2nd Class
An original Imperial German Military WWI Iron Cross 2nd Class in very good condition.
Imperial Germany WWI Iron Cross 2nd Class
An original Imperial German Military WWI Iron Cross 2nd Class in very good condition.
Imperial Germany WWI Iron Cross 2nd Class
An original Imperial German Military WWI Iron Cross 2nd Class in very good condition.
Nazi Germany WWII Iron Cross 2nd Class
An original Nazi German Military WWI Iron Cross 2nd Class in very good condition.
Nazi German WWII Knight's Cross with Oak Leaf Cluster Award
Condition: Good to Very GoodLow Estimate: 1,000High Estimate: 3,500Estimate: 1,500
A very rare and collectible Nazi German WWII era Knight's Cross with Oak Leaf Cluster Award that came from a 50-year old collection. Oak Leaves hallmarked "800", and both the cross and the leaves are heavily tarnished. Some paintl oss to the iron of the cross and some oxidation and rust. Ribbon is nice, though there are a few light stains. The KC with Oak Leaves are often reproduced, so we've had multiple experts review this cross. All like the ribbon and the leaves, all but one liked the cross. The one that didn't like the cross said the seams looked a bit un-even...but that it could be last war. Consensus is that it's a good piece.
Imperial German Franco-Prussian War Medal
Condition: Good to Very GoodEstimate: 75
A scarce Imperial German Franco-Prussian War Medal in very good condition with ribbon.
Italian-German WWII African Campaign Medal
Condition: Good to Very GoodEstimate: 85
An original Italian-German WWII African Campaign Medal in very good condition with a slightly stained ribbon.
Nazi Germany WWII Four Year Long Service Medal
Condition: Good to Very GoodEstimate: 80
An original Nazi Germany WWII Four Year Long Service Medal in a parade mount with attachment. Slight soiling - nicely maker marked on the back of the ribbon.
Osprey "Knight's Cross and Oak-Leaves Recipients 1941-45" by Gordon Williamson
Osprey "Knight's Cross and Oak-Leaves Recipients 1941-45" by Gordon Williamson in very good condition.
Osprey "Knight's Cross, Oak-Leaves and Swords Recipients 1941-45" by Gordon Williamson
Osprey "Knight's Cross, Oak-Leaves and Swords Recipients 1941-45" by Gordon Williamson in very good condition.
Nazi German WWII Panzer Hat Skull & Button
Condition: Good to Very GoodEstimate: 65
A Nazi German WWII era Panzer Hat Skull and a uniform button in very good condition.
German Nazi WWII Army Presentation Plate
Condition: Good to Very GoodEstimate: 300
A rare and collectable silver-plated German Nazi WWII Army Presentation Plate given to "Lt Novak" of the 109th Artillery Regiment for service in Poland and France armed with 88s. Later they served with Army Group Center in Russia. Plate measures 9" across.
Major Michael Possinger - Gebirgsjäger
Michael Pössinger was a German highly decorated Gebirgsjäger and one of only 98 soldiers to have been awarded both the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross and Close Combat Clasp in Gold. He was also awarded the Oak Leaves to his Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross. The Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross and its higher grade Oak Leaves was awarded to recognise extreme battlefield bravery or successful military leadership. He is highly praised for his role in saving a Jewish family from deportation in Hungary, against the direct orders of a noncommissioned SS Officer. Pössinger also a Gold and Silver Medalists in Bob-Sled the 1950s Winter Olympics. He fought in the Invasion of Poland, Battle of France, Balkans Campaign and Operation Barbarossa. Awards include Wound Badge in Gold, Infantry Assault Badge in Silver, Five Tank Destruction Badges for Individual Combatants, Iron Cross (1939) 2nd Class, 1st Class, German Cross in Gold as Oberleutnant in the 6./Gebirgsjäger-Regiment 98, Close Combat Clasp in Gold, 1945 for 50 days in close combat, Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves Knight's Cross as Leutnant of the Reserves and company commander in the 16./Gebirgsjäger-Regiment 98,
759th Oak Leaves on 28 February 1945 as Major and commander of the I./Grenadier-Regiment 1123 and Romanian Order of the Crown,
Cross of Merit on ribbon.
Oberleutnant der Reserve Arthur Buessecke - Geschutzfuhrer - 20 Tank Kills
Arthur Büssecke was an Oberleutnant der Reserve in the Luftwaffe during World War II and destroyed 20 Soviet Tanks and 11 Artillery pices at Stalingrad. He fought in the Battle of the Netherlands, Battle of Belgium, Battle of France, Battle of Voronezh and the Battle of Stalingrad. Büssecke was captured by Russian troops, but escaped only to be captured by American troops. He was released in June 1945. Awards include Iron Cross (1939) 2nd Class, 1st Class, Wound Badge (1939) in Black and Silver, Anti-Aircraft Flak Battle Badge, Ground Assault Badge of the Luftwaffe, and the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross on 23 December 1942 as Unteroffizier and Geschützführer (gun leader) in the 2. / Flak-Regiment 49 (motorisiert). Two photos - one price.
Major Josef Brandner - Panzers
Josef Wilhelm Brandner was a highly decorated panzer ace in the Wehrmacht during World War II who was one of only 882 recipients who were awarded the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves. He took part in the Annexation of the Sudetenland, fought in the Battle of France, Operation Barbarossa, Battle of Kursk
Battle of Kiev, Cherkassy Pocket and the Courland Pocket. Awards include the Sudetenland Medal with Prague Castle Bar, Iron Cross (1939) 2nd Class, 1st Class, Eastern Front Medal, Wound Badge (1939) in Black,
in Silver, Infantry Assault Badge in Silver, German Cross in Gold,
Honour Roll Clasp of the Army,
General Assault Badge (100),
Armband Courland, Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves as Hauptmann in Sturmgeschütz-Brigade 912,
846th Oak Leaves on 26 April 1945 as Major in Sturmgeschütz-Brigade 912, and Close Combat Clasp in Bronze
Lieutenant Josef Jakwert - Wehrmacht
Josef Jakwert was a German officer who served in the Wehrmacht during World War II. He was also a recipient of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves to recognise extreme battlefield bravery while a platoon leader in the Divisions-Panzer-Jäger-Kompanie 361 and awarded Oak Leaves in February 1945 as Lieutenant and platoon leader in the 2./Panzer-Jäger-Abteilung 1562. Other awards include the Iron Cross 2nd Class,
1st Class, Wound Badge in Black,
in Silver, Panzer Badge in Silver, Eastern Front Medal, as well as the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves.
GeneralMajor Hanns Laengenfelder - Wehrmacht
Hanns Laengenfelder was a highly decorated Generalmajor in the Wehrmacht during World War II and was also a recipient of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak. He was awarded to recognise extreme battlefield bravery and successful military leadership. Hanns Laengenfelder was captured by Soviet troops in May 1945 and was held until 1955. His World War II battles include the Invasion of Poland,
Battle of France, Operation Barbarossa, Second Battle of Kharkov, Lower Dnieper Offensive, Uman–Botosani Offensive, Jassy–Kishinev Offensive, and the Battle of Debrecen
Major Martin Steglich - Wehrmacht
Martin Steglich was an Oberstleutnant in the Wehrmacht during World War II, an Oberst in the Bundeswehr, and one of only 882 recipients of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves. Martin Steglich was captured by American troops in April 1945 and was released in August. Besides the Knight's Cross, he was the recipent Iron Cross, 2nd Class, 1st Class, Wound Badge in Black, in Silver, Close Combat Clasp in Bronze, Infantry Assault Badge, Eastern Front Medal, Demyansk Shield, Honour Roll Clasp of the Army, and the German Cross in Gold. See second image for more details.
GeneralMajor Julius Ringel- Gebirgsjager
Julius Alfred "Papa" Ringel was an Austrian-born German General of Mountain Troops (General der Gebirgstruppen). He commanded the 3. Gebirgs-Division, 5. Gebirgs-Division, LXIX Armeekorps, Wehrkreis XI and the Korps Ringel. In 1940. he was promoted to Major General as a commander of the newly established 5. Gebirgs-Division. The division saw its first action in the spring of 1941 in the Balkans Campaign, operations code name Marita and Merkur. Following the operations in Greece, the division distinguished itself on Crete, where it took part in the battles to secure the island from the British. For his outstanding leadership during these operations Ringel was awarded the prestigious Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross on 13 June 1941.
In November 1941, Ringel’s division was posted back to Germany for rest and refitting. However, only four months later it was sent back to action on the Eastern Front. Ringel commanded the 3. Gebirgs-Division through the operations southwest of Leningrad, where it played a major role in the defeat of the Volkhov Front; an achievement for which Julius Ringel was promoted to Lieutenant General and in October 1943 also received the Oak Leaves to his Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross. After nearly two years in Russia, Ringel was ordered to move his Division to Italy and in December 1943 it arrived on the Gustav Line near the town of Cassino. He stayed in Italy for another four months, before he received a new assignment and became a commander of the LXIX Armeekorps in Croatia. In June, Ringel was once again promoted, this time to full General of the mountain troops and put in charge of the Military District Salzburg (Wehrkreis XVIII (Salzburg)) from which the Korps Ringel were formed. He held this appointment until the war's end.
Oberleutnant Otto Carius - Panzers
Otto Carius is a former German tank ace within the German Army who fought during World War II and is credited with destroying more than 150 tanks. Carius had been drafted twice, but sent was home as "Not fit for service at present underweight!". But in May 1940, Carius was finally drafted into the 104th Infantry Replacement Battalion. Following training, he volunteered for the Panzer Corps. Carius learned the fundamentals of tank warfare at Putlos in Holstein as a member of the 7th Panzer Replacement Battalion. His unit was integrated into the newly formed 21st Panzer Regiment and in June 1941 was sent to East Prussia. He experienced his first battle as a loader in a Panzer 38(t) during Operation Barbarossa in late June 1941. It was during this operation that Carius suffered wounds from a round that struck his tank. In 1943, Carius transferred to the Schwere Panzer-Abteilung 502 (502 heavy tank battalion). This unit fought at the Leningrad front and then in the area of Narva, Estonia (Battle of Narva). Carius was severely wounded on 24 July 1944 while reconnoitering a village on a motorcycle ahead of his tanks. Until that day, he was unofficially running the 2nd company of 502nd; however, he officially became the commander of 2nd company on the same day he was shot through the leg, arm, 4 bullets in the back and one through the neck. He subsequently became the commander of a Jagdtiger company of the 512th Heavy Antitank Battalion in the West at the beginning of 1945. On 8 March 1945, without finishing its training, 2nd company was directed to the front line near Siegburg. It then took part in the defense of the River Rhine and eventually surrendered to the US Army on 15 April 1945. Carius's final tally was 150+ tanks, plus a similar number of antitank guns - the majority on the Eastern Front.
Oberfeldwebel Albert Kerscher - Panzers
Albert Kerscher was a highly decorated Oberfeldwebel in the Wehrmacht during World War II. A panzer ace from schwere Panzer Abteilung 502, he achieved his 100th kill in defending the Neuhauser Forest near Pillau, East Prussia in April 1945. On 22nd July 1944, 1st Lieutenant Otto Carius (see previous lot), with his company of eight Tigers advanced towards the village on Malinava in order to halt the Russian advance. Carius and Kerscher took a Kubelwagen in order to check if the village was already in Russian hands. They discovered that Malinava had already been taken by the enemy. Carius recognised that the Russian tanks in the village were only advance troops waiting for the main force to arrive. He decided to recapture the village before the arrival of more Russian tanks. Carius returned to his company for briefing and explained his plan to take the village. He decided to attack the village with only two Tigers because there was only one road leading to the village and it meant very risky business. Six Tigers remained in the reserve while the Tigers of Carius and Kerscher moved towards the village of Malinava. Speed was the essence of the plan to take the Russians by surprise and immobilise their tanks. When they were about to enter the village, they could see two T-34/85 tanks rotating their turrets in their direction. Immediately Kerscher, following Carius at about 150 metres, fired two shots in rapid succession, and destroyed the two enemy tanks. This was the first time that Carius had encountered one of the latest JS-1 heavy tanks. The silhouette of the new heavy Russian tank was somewhat similar to that of the Tiger II, and Carius got confused at first but after a little hesitation, ordered his crew to fire at once, and the JS-1 burst into flames. Afterwards they realised that the entire battle was over in about twenty minutes. In such a short time, the two Tigers of Carius and Kerscher had knocked out 17 Russian tanks including the new JS-1. The Russians were taken by surprise and their quick and accurate perception of the situation were the main factors that led the two Tigers to victory. The achievement of Carius and Kerscher at Malinava is on the same level as the famous action of Michael Wittmann at Villers Bocage. He ended the war with a total score of 107.
Major Kuno von Meyer - Panzers
Kuno von Meyer was a highly decorated Oberst in the Wehrmacht during World War II. He took part in the Invasion of Poland, Battle of France, Operation Barbarossa, Battle of Bialystok–Minsk, Battle of Kiev,
Battle of Stalingrad, Operation Overlord, Falaise pocket, and the Lower Silesian Offensive. He was awarded the Knight's Cross on 26 November 1944 as Major and commander of I./Panzer-Regiment 24 and the 795th Oak Leaves on 23 March 1945 as Oberstleutnant and commander of Panzer-Regiment "Coburg" in the Panzer-Brigade 103.
Major Anton "Toni" Muller - Grenadier
Major Anton "Toni" Muller received his Knight's Cross on the Russia Front as a Lietenant of Infantry Grenadiers (II. Battalion / Grenadier-Regiments 503), mostly in the Baltic. He was awarded the Oak Leaves for his actions during the Seige of Kurland.