I need help to identify this LSSAH officer???

[espo757]

I got this pic with some others from a lot of LSSAH photos.
I thought it might be Georg Preuss, any ideas???

[Simon H]

Preuss it isn't. Nice photo all the same. Anything written on the reverses that might give a hint?

[espo757]

B525 is written on the back I have a book that has a picture of Preuss & they look similar & have some of the same medals.
This is the picture from the book.

[Simon H]

B525 is just a print number. Having now seen the two side by side I can see the similarity also. Perhaps you are right, combat ages the man...

[PATRICK CHARRON]

Hello,
I doubt that he's Georg PREUSS because he has been awarded the Knight's Cross on February 5, 1945 as SS-Obersturmführer Führer 10.(gp.) SS-Pz.Gren.Rgt 2 „LSSAH“ and then the DKiG on April 20,.1945 with the rank of Haupsturmführer.
There are a dozen of Obersturmführer awarded the DKiG in the Leibstandarte.
The others DKiG holders are of higher ranks or NCOs.
Let's try to find the good one!

Regards
Patrick

[Marc Rikmenspoel]

This guy has a dark collar, which typically was only found on guys whose service began early in the war, or prewar. On the other hand, he doesn't have a Winter 1941/42 campaign ribbon, so that could potentially make this later in the war (he also could have been at a Junkerschule that winter, or with the Berlin Gardetruppe). If the man was a Panzer Offiziere, he likely would have posed in his black uniform, though some Panzer soldiers made a point to pose in a variety of uniforms. But he is more likely to NOT be from the Panzertruppe.

I took my copy of Die Deutschen Divisionen 1-5 off the shelf, and looking at LAH Germa Cross in Gold winners, there's many possibilities on pages 78-80.

Hans Asteger as Ostuf. on March 28, 1943 with 6./SS-PGR 1.
Ulrich von Christen as Ostuf. on March 28, 1943 with 1./SS-PGR 1.
Fritz Lotter as Ostuf. on September 20, 1943 with 4./SS-PGR 1.
Fritz Reuss as Ostuf. on June 4, 1944 with Stab/SS-PAA 1.
Herbert Rink as Ostuf. on May 23, 1944 with 2./SS-PGR 1 (I've only seen a portrait of him from long after the war).
Gerhard Steinert as Ostuf. on December 26, 1941 with 1./SS-Pionier Bat. 1.
Emil Wawrzinek as Ostuf. on March 21, 1943 with 3./SS-AA LAH

And then there's many more men who won the award as Ustuf. or as senior NCOs who could then have been promoted by the time of the photo. This is an interesting search, thanks for posting the photo!

[TimoWr]

Certainly not Wawrzinek or Reuss

Reuss...


Wawrzinek...

[PATRICK CHARRON]

HI,
After comparison with this photo of Emil WAWRZINEK, source http://forum.axishistory.com/viewtopic.php?f=38&t=29859
I note that the right ear, the lips, the eyes and the shape of the face are very alike. One have to take account that the pic of Wawrzinek is darker than the one of the unindentified Ostuf and the angle is different as well as the cap.
Some awards miss but it is not an exception.
May be someone has another pic of Wawrzinek ?
Do somebody knows when Wawrzinek was awarded Nahkampfspange?

Regards
Patrick

Wawrzinek Emil Hstuf.jpg (11.9 KiB) Viewed 13380 times

[Syra]

Hey,

this isn´t a Officer from LAH. This is Richard Spoerle from Nordland. 20.07.1915-17.04.1945. KC on 16.11.1944.

[TimoWr]

Patrick, I have a load of Wawrzinek pics and it's simply NOT him. The above photo was posted on AHF by me (source: his RUSHA file). BTW, Wawrzinek was awared the gold Infantry Assault Badge in December 1943.

[Phil Nix]

Here is his pic from Jost Schneiders book on RK Holders
Phil Nix

[PATRICK CHARRON]

Hi,

I must admit that the photo being announced like a photo of the LAH, I focused on the holders of the DKiG of this division.
Thus I was was on a false trail...
Really Spörle looks like our unidentified officer, but he never belonged to the LAH.
He was awarded the German Cross in Gold on April 5, 1943, the Infantry Assault Badge in Bronze on February 22, 1942 and the Medal of the Winter Campaign in Russia (Ostmedaille) on September 10, 1942.
There is another photo of Spörle with his Knight's Cross awarded on November 16,1944 in his Personalakte Führerliste der Waffen SS Disk 6 John Moore where the resemblance is not really obvious.

Regards
Patrick

[RJH57]

I don't think Herbert Rink was ever awarded the Ritterkreuz, but he did receive the Nahkampfspange in Gold, a much rarer award. My father was Rechnungsfuehrer (supply sergeant ?) with Kamfgruppe Rink at the end of the war. Attached is photo of my father in Belgium, 1944. My father said he had good relations with Rink, whom he respected and complimented as a tough experienced officer. Fyi, my father also said that near the end of the war (in Hungary or Austria ?) Rink had a violent confrontation with the Spiess (First Sergeant) Fritz Ritter, threatening that if Ritter did not "get out" (my father's words) Rink would kill him. Fritz Ritter was Spiess of my father's company: 2nd Co, I Btn, 1 SS Panzegrenadier Rgt, and according to my father, a brutal, sadistic man, hated by all the men in the company. I think at that point, Ritter went over to the 1st Company.

2nd Co, I Btn, 1 SS Panzegrenadier Rgt - Belgium 1944

Pop_01s.jpg (26.4 KiB) Viewed 10776 times

[TimoWr]

It's Wawrzinek. I've seen the same photo in an album of veteran from 3. (le. SPW) Kompanie, AA LAH and it was recently published in a book about Kampfgruppe Knittel. Odd, his face looks less round in this one but it's him.

This is also Wawrzinek, which shows that his face looks different from just about every angle...