Manuals & Paper items

Press Photo; French Heer volunteers. The Legion Des Volontaires Francais contre le Bolchevisme was drafted as Infanterie Regiment 638 and suffered heavy losses for the battle of Moscow. Rare original large 18×24 cm sized photograph taken at Versailles.

Rare Befestigungskarte or defence overprint 1:1 000 000 Grossbritannien London-Nord. This map contains all the RAF and British Army installation in the area south of London. This is a vital and secret map which is very hard to find, a special piece for the Battle of Brittain collector!

Rare Press Photo; Gerardus Mooyman in the size 4x5cm depicting Mooyman meeting with Zondervan and Mossert.

This is a part of my personal collection of Knights Cross Holder Gerardus Mooyman photographs which I have collected trough the last 5 years. I am listing all Mooyman photographs together in one update. This is a very rare opportunity to acquire a genuine Mooyman photograph.

Set of wartime photographs of Knights Cross bearer Wolfgang Semmer and the award ceremony. Major Wolfgang Semmer earned his Knights Cross in June 1940 serving as the Chef of 5. Kompanie Infanterie Regiment 85. The grouping consists of a number of wartime photographs of Semmer and his men. The front indicates it was given as a memory of the Parade in Paris from the assembled Ehrenkompanie of the XVII Armeekorps. It is signed by Werner Kienitz, commanding General of the XVII. Corps who himself was awarded the Knights Cross in 1941. A unique set of photographs, bundeled together in a nice group.

Rare Press Photo; Gerardus Mooyman in a meeting with Mussert. This is a print of the negatives, hard to find!

This is a part of my personal collection of Knights Cross Holder Gerardus Mooyman photographs which I have collected trough the last 5 years. I am listing all Mooyman photographs together in one update. This is a very rare opportunity to acquire a genuine Mooyman photograph.

Rare Press Photo; Gerardus Mooyman drinking schnaps with his men after being awarded the Ritterkreuz. Hard to find original photograph!

This is a part of my personal collection of Knights Cross Holder Gerardus Mooyman photographs which I have collected trough the last 5 years. I am listing all Mooyman photographs together in one update. This is a very rare opportunity to acquire a genuine Mooyman photograph.

Rare Press Photo; Gerardus Mooyman with Zondervan and Mussert at the NSB headquarters.

This is a part of my personal collection of Knights Cross Holder Gerardus Mooyman photographs which I have collected trough the last 5 years. I am listing all Mooyman photographs together in one update. This is a very rare opportunity to acquire a genuine Mooyman photograph.

Soldbuch to Unteroffizier Paul Walter, serving with I./ Flak-Regiment 53 (mot.) trop., a motorized tropical unit of the 19. Flak-Division that saw heavy action on the Eastern Front before being destroyed in the final stages of the North Africa campaign.

The Soldbuch belongs to Paul Walter born on 11.6.1917 in Hamborn. Before the war, he was a trained Kaufmann (clerk) and Buchhalter in the Spedition industry in Goch. His military career began with Flakabteilung 37, where he served during the Battle of France in 1940; a surviving Ansichtskarte (postcard) from 18.6.1940 describes his unit deployed in open fields to provide Panzerschutz and Fliegerschutz along the French Chausseen.

He was promoted to Gefreiter and eventually Unteroffizier. As a specialist in the Nachrichtenzug (signals platoon), he was trained in field communications, with numerous photos showing him and his squad climbing Telegrafenmasten and posing in front of Funkwagen to establish vital communication lines.

His unit, I./53, was a specialized tropical designated outfit. A Marschbefehl (march order) dated 18.1.1943 details his final deployment: he was ordered to travel from Caserta, Italy, via Neapel, Reggio, and Trapani to arrive in Tunis to deliver critical equipment . He reported to the front on 20.1.1943, just as the Axis pocket in Tunisia was tightening.

He was awarded several awards:

– 1.9.1941: Flak-Erdkampfabzeichen
– 16.10.1941: Rumänische Tapferkeitsmedaille
– 20.11.1941: Verwundetenabzeichen in Schwarz
– 10.1.1942: Funk trüppführer (?) Abzeichen
– 30.01.1942: Schützenschnur Für besonder Auszeichnungen
– 20.05.1942: Ostmedaille zur Erinnering an den Ostfeldzug
– 16.5.1942: Eisernes Kreuz II Klasse
– 10.01.1943: Dienstauszeichnung der Wehrmacht 4. Klasse– 10.05.1943: Ärmelstreifen „Afrika“ (Afrika Cuff Title), awarded for his service with the Afrikakorps forces.

His unit, I./ Flak-Regiment 53 (mot.) trop., was part of the 19. Flak-Division. The division provided the primary anti-aircraft and anti-tank umbrella for the German and Italian forces in North Africa. After the retreat from El Alamein, the unit fought desperate rearguard actions across Libya and into the Tunis bridgehead. Following the collapse of the Axis lines, the unit surrendered en masse to Allied troops in May 1943.

Paul Walter survived his time as a Kriegsgefangener (POW), eventually returning to Krefeld. In March 1956, he had these documents officially certified by the local Fernmeldebauamt (telecommunications office), likely to secure a post-war pension or civil service position.

A complete grouping including the Soldbuch, Arbeitsbuch, Marschbefehl, and a collection of Fotos showing his transition from a clerk in Goch to a veteran of the Eastern Front and the North African desert!

Rare Press Photo; Gerardus Mooyman with his knights cross. Hard to find photograph without headdress. Large photo approximately 18×24 cm.

This is a part of my personal collection of Knights Cross Holder Gerardus Mooyman photographs which I have collected trough the last 5 years. I am listing all Mooyman photographs together in one update. This is a very rare opportunity to acquire a genuine Mooyman photograph.

Impressive Soldbuch and award grouping of Obergefreiter Peter Bernardin, 16. Panzerjäger Kompanie, Gebirgsjäger Regiment 137 where he enlisted 26.8.1939. He was issued the G.33/40 Gebirgsjäger Carbine and a pair of skis. His unit served in Poland in 1938 and after that it was sent into Norway in 1940. The unit was stationed in Lappland, Finland between 1941 and 1944. In the end of the war it was moved to the area Saarpfalz near the French border where it saw heavy action until the end of the war.

He was awarded the Medaille zum Errinnerung von 13. März 1938 on 4.5.1940, the Kriegsverdienstkreuz II klasse on 21.11.1941, the Winterschlacht im Osten on 14.12.42, the Verwundetenabzeichen im Schwarz on 17.8.43 and the Eisernez Kreuz II Klasse on 19.10.1944.
These awards are all in good condition and all have the triangular Austrian ribbon style which seems to be typical for Gebirgsjäger. The Iron Cross II class is marked 55 indicating production by J.E. Hammer & Söhne which is a rare maker as is. The wound badge is a unmarked example. The Ostmedaille is marked 6 indicating production by Fritz Zimmermann.

There is a rare large document commemorating the Norway campaign in 1940 for members of Gruppe Feurstein which was named after Generalleutnant Valentin Feurstein the divisional commander of the 2. Gebirgsdivision. This document was awarded to the men who marched from Fauske to Narvik to rescue the isolated Gebirgsjäger Regiment 139. This document is named to then Gefreiter Peter Bernardin. This is a rare document!

The award document for the Kriegsverdienstkreuz II Klasse is signed by Generalmajor Ernst Schlemmer which by then was the commander of the 2. Gebirgsdivision.

Next to these official awards there is the Finnish/German Nordfront cross made by Hopeatakomo o.y. and the Petsamo Rovaniemi badge by the same maker. Both bades are in very good condition retaining most if not all of its enamel and gold coloured finish. There is also the 1943-1944 Eismeerfront capbadge with all prongs intact in the back. There is a Gebirgsjäger Edelweiss capbadge marked F&B most probably indicating production by Förster & Barth. There is a Lappland shield with this group but those are always debatable as such but I will keep it with the group. There is a traditional Finnish Puukko knife which carries the decal of the 1940 Finnish olympic games which never happened until 1952. This as such is a interesting collectible! There is a single early pointed style shoulderstrap to Gebirgsjäger Regiment 137 and a early dark green backed Edelweiss, both in uniform removed condition. His Erkennungsmarke with its original string, matching to that noted in the Soldbuch and additionally a French prisoner of war itentity tag indicating he was captured on the Western front.

This extensive grouping is exceptional. All of its individual components of a great quality and included some rare variants. The completeness of this grouping clearly deserves a separate display case and a in depth research study as such. I am sure the combined value of all the pieces individually easily increases the value of the group a lot but I refuse to break it up as a historical artifact!