Is there any way one might track ownership of a particular knights cross? I suspect that it came from a paratrooper. Maybe at Anzio. I recently aquired a damaged knights cross that appears to have been struck by a shell splinter on the lower arm. The ribbon is stained by what appears to be blood and dirt and has significant deterioration. This was a veteran bringback and was just last week taken from a padlocked duffle bag in the veterans basement. (he died 2 months ago.) There is also a parachutist badge and a black wound badge. There is a P-38 holster, belt & Luftwaffe buckle. The belt is in bad condition. I had hoped the guns serial number might be of help in tracking but appearantly the veteran had kept the gun in his nightstand, and it was stolen in a burglary 40 some years ago. (according to the vets daughter.)
The combat decorated veteran ( his jacket has the CIB , bronze star and purple heart ribbons, and presidential unit citation) served in North Africa, Sicily, Salerno and Anzio only to lose his leg at Anzio in ( of all things) a truck accident! Any ideas?
who was awarded this knights cross?
Moderator: John W. Howard
There is a book out on the Knight's Cross recipients
of the Luftwaffe Fallschirmjager that you might look through and might discover who it might have belonged to. These are very difficult to accomplish since the medals themselves weren't marked. Mine came from the actual veteran himself and is so documented, therefore, I know who it was awarded to. But just coming across any old RK, or other medal for that, is very difficult to connect to the owner. I have a DKiG that is etched on the back with the owner's name but this wasn't the norm. I've seen EK1 medals also marked, but that is the extent of marked medals. Check out this book. They have one on U-boat and Afrika Korps RK-recipients as well.
RK
Gary, there were no paratroopers at Anzio; not there, and not at Nettuno. This was strictly a German Wehrmacht battle.
Fallschirm troops were further down the coast, past Ostia,. They were the ones who gave a lot of grief to the 36th Texas Division (US, of course!), and were the ones who held Monte Cassino against unbelievable odds.
Nice little cameo: When the Brits landed paras at Frosinone, that part of the front could no longer be held by the Germans. The Fallschirmjäger at Monte Cassino received orders to quietly melt away. One platoon (!) held the positions, firing out of every possible site they still had and then vanished. The Poles captured an empty ruin.
My best. Joscha
Fallschirm troops were further down the coast, past Ostia,. They were the ones who gave a lot of grief to the 36th Texas Division (US, of course!), and were the ones who held Monte Cassino against unbelievable odds.
Nice little cameo: When the Brits landed paras at Frosinone, that part of the front could no longer be held by the Germans. The Fallschirmjäger at Monte Cassino received orders to quietly melt away. One platoon (!) held the positions, firing out of every possible site they still had and then vanished. The Poles captured an empty ruin.
My best. Joscha
I have suspected that tracking the ownership of these awards would be difficult. But I appreciate the comments.
Regarding paras at Anzio: I've seen documentation that indicates that elements of the 1st Parachute Division (under a General Schlemmer ) were in the vicinity of Anzio beginning on the night of 1/29/04 and were heavily involved, along with elements of the Herman Goering Panzer Division in the destruction of US Army Rangers before Cisterna on 1/29-30/44. (according to first hand conversations with Ranger survivors I have met, a significant factor in their defeat was that their infitration route led through the paratroopers bivoack area.) The paratroopers had arrived in the area that same day unidentified by US intellegence. (My own cousin a Ranger with the Ranger Force HQ died at Anzio. I came across this collection of medals doing research on his service and death.)
Their presence is further documented in a number of documents and books published & related to theactions at and around the Anzio area
(Rangers in WWii by Robert Black 1992, and Darbys Rangers by Col William O Darby & WH Baumer -dictated in 1944, 1st published in 1980 and after action reports in the US national archives.)
Ok, I'm not real smart about this stuff, but were Paras and Herman Goering troops often used in collaborative ventures? Is it conceivable that a small group of paras were assigned to the HG Panzer Div? (the 1st hand accounts describe a lot of paras, but might the two divisions troops be dressed similarly?) Were the seperate units officers ever transfered between divisions. (both being Luftwaffe?)
Thanks gary
Regarding paras at Anzio: I've seen documentation that indicates that elements of the 1st Parachute Division (under a General Schlemmer ) were in the vicinity of Anzio beginning on the night of 1/29/04 and were heavily involved, along with elements of the Herman Goering Panzer Division in the destruction of US Army Rangers before Cisterna on 1/29-30/44. (according to first hand conversations with Ranger survivors I have met, a significant factor in their defeat was that their infitration route led through the paratroopers bivoack area.) The paratroopers had arrived in the area that same day unidentified by US intellegence. (My own cousin a Ranger with the Ranger Force HQ died at Anzio. I came across this collection of medals doing research on his service and death.)
Their presence is further documented in a number of documents and books published & related to theactions at and around the Anzio area
(Rangers in WWii by Robert Black 1992, and Darbys Rangers by Col William O Darby & WH Baumer -dictated in 1944, 1st published in 1980 and after action reports in the US national archives.)
Ok, I'm not real smart about this stuff, but were Paras and Herman Goering troops often used in collaborative ventures? Is it conceivable that a small group of paras were assigned to the HG Panzer Div? (the 1st hand accounts describe a lot of paras, but might the two divisions troops be dressed similarly?) Were the seperate units officers ever transfered between divisions. (both being Luftwaffe?)
Thanks gary
Gary B.