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Kampfgruppe 'Walter Kassner.'

Article about: We all have our particular preferences in collecting, and when I first started collecting DDR militaria and ephemera back in August 2016, I set myself a limit of not going beyond 1979. I rec

  1. #1

    Default Kampfgruppe 'Walter Kassner.'

    We all have our particular preferences in collecting, and when I first started collecting DDR militaria and ephemera back in August 2016, I set myself a limit of not going beyond 1979. I reckoned that by that date, the uniforms, badges, and associated equipment, started to be constructed of cheaper materials. Collar patches, shoulder boards and the like, just did not match up to the sheer quality of those produced over the previous 20 years. Even medals looked a bit 'tacky' to me. Not that I am knocking anyone who collects it, but as I've already said - every individual does have his preferences... And then something comes along which takes you outside those self-imposed boundaries. Such was the case when I came across a bundle being sold by Torsten Belger of 'GermanDotMilitaria' of Liverpool.

    Last week there was a very interesting lot on Torsten's website which was advertised as having an unpacked weight of 4.7kg. The lot in question was to Ronald Grolle, commander of Kampfgruppe 'Walter Kassner.' There is a huge amount of material which covers his career from being a 'Deutschen Jugend' member in 1950, to his award on October 7th 1989, of the 'Ehrenmedaille' commemorating the 40th anniversary of the German Democratic Republic. A few of the awards are missing, but much is still there... Click on pictures (twice) to enlarge.


    Kampfgruppe 'Walter Kassner.'Kampfgruppe 'Walter Kassner.'Kampfgruppe 'Walter Kassner.'Kampfgruppe 'Walter Kassner.'Kampfgruppe 'Walter Kassner.'Kampfgruppe 'Walter Kassner.'Kampfgruppe 'Walter Kassner.'


    One of Grolle's earliest surviving awards from 1957...


    Kampfgruppe 'Walter Kassner.'Kampfgruppe 'Walter Kassner.'


    Some of his 'kampfgruppe' awards... he earned three, but there are only two remaining. Note that the medal on the left has the dark band around the flag.


    Kampfgruppe 'Walter Kassner.'Kampfgruppe 'Walter Kassner.'


    Some of his other awards... all have 'Urkunde'


    Kampfgruppe 'Walter Kassner.'Kampfgruppe 'Walter Kassner.'Kampfgruppe 'Walter Kassner.'Kampfgruppe 'Walter Kassner.'



    'Bestenwimpel' 1970... 1975/76... 1977/78


    Kampfgruppe 'Walter Kassner.'Kampfgruppe 'Walter Kassner.'Kampfgruppe 'Walter Kassner.'



    This lot of awards of the 'Verdienstmedaille der Kampfgruppen' is a bit unusual, as he was twice awarded the bronze medal, and twice awarded the silver. One example of the silver medal actually appears to be silver- although not hallmarked. Click on (twice) to enlarge.


    Kampfgruppe 'Walter Kassner.'Kampfgruppe 'Walter Kassner.'Kampfgruppe 'Walter Kassner.'Kampfgruppe 'Walter Kassner.'Kampfgruppe 'Walter Kassner.'Kampfgruppe 'Walter Kassner.'



    Other associated documents and Urkunde to Grolle.



    Kampfgruppe 'Walter Kassner.'Kampfgruppe 'Walter Kassner.'Kampfgruppe 'Walter Kassner.'Kampfgruppe 'Walter Kassner.'Kampfgruppe 'Walter Kassner.'Kampfgruppe 'Walter Kassner.'Kampfgruppe 'Walter Kassner.'Kampfgruppe 'Walter Kassner.'



    And the last lot of his awards... click on (twice) to enlarge. Much research yet to do on the documents, but an interesting lot which covers up to within a month of the beginning of the end of the DDR.



    Kampfgruppe 'Walter Kassner.'Kampfgruppe 'Walter Kassner.'

  2. # ADS
    Circuit advertisement Kampfgruppe 'Walter Kassner.'
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  3. #2
    MAP
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    Not an area I know or have an interest in, but you don't need to be interested to understand that this is a fantastic grouping.

    Nice!
    "Please", Thank You" and proper manners appreciated

    My greatest fear is that one day I will die and my wife will sell my guns for what I told her I paid for them

    "Don't tell me these are investments if you never intend to sell anything" (Quote: Wife)

  4. #3

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    Very nice grouping mate.

  5. #4

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    Quote by Gunny Hartmann View Post
    Very nice grouping mate.
    I'll be posting an update within the next few days Paul... I'm working through one of the documents via 'Google translator'. Some very interesting information about Grolle.

    Cheers,
    Steve

  6. #5

    Default DDR grouping

    Quote by HARRY THE MOLE View Post
    I'll be posting an update within the next few days Paul... I'm working through one of the documents via 'Google translator'. Some very interesting information about Grolle.
    if you want you can send me a scan/photo of that document or simply post it on this thread and I'll do the translation for you.

    It's a very nice grouping and online translators are still far too unreliable to provide an accurate translation, so I consider it worth the effort.

  7. #6

    Default

    Hi Andreas,

    Many thanks for your most kind offer of translation work. Even just using the online translator it is quite apparent that Grolle was very highly regarded in political circles.I will be in touch via email shortly.

    Cheers,
    Steve.

  8. #7

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    Kampfgruppe 'Walter Kassner.'



    Below is the translation of the three-page document Steve has sent me.

    I have decided to leave some of the terms in German, especially the ones that do not translate very well and/or that may be presumed to be known to members with an interest in this subject. I have explained some of the terms in footnotes.

    Right; here we go:



    "Transcription

    FDJ-Grundorganisation
    VEB Fahlberg-List*

    Magdeburg, 15 Feb. 1965


    District Administration of the FDJ
    Office for the Industry- and Construction sector
    Magdeburg
    Goethestraße 49


    Re: Proposal for the award of the Artur-Becker-Medaille in Silber to the Jugendfreund** Ronald Grölle



    The Jugendfreund Ronald Grölle had already been a member of the Junge Pioniere*** in primary school. He became a member of our youth organisation at the time of the 7 October 1950 direct elections. He was admitted by the FDJ-Ortsgruppe Biere, started working as an unpaid functionary right upon joining up and in recognition of his active participation in the 1950 direct elections was awarded the Friedensmedaille for outstanding achievements in the peace program of the FDJ.

    In 1952 - after successfully completing his apprenticeship as a baker - he voluntarily took up service with the German Border Police. Here, he received several awards in the form of books and other non-monetary bonusses, presented in recognition of his achievements in the youth league.

    All of his spare time was devoted to youth work. In recognition of this, he was awarded the Phillip-Müller-Nadel in October 1954.

    During his term of service with the German Border Police, he attended the District Youth School in Gardelegen and a course for the heads of amateur dramatic societies at the Central Institute for Amateur Arts in Colbitz.
    In recognition of his military achievements, he was awarded the Medaille "Für treue Dienste" in Bronze.
    He was promoted to Gefreiter in March 1954, to Stabsgefreiter in October 1957 and, after having attended NCO school, to Unteroffizier in June 1958.

    He has been a member of the DSF and the DTSB since 1956****.
    He became a member of the Sozialistische Einheitspartei Deutschlands in March 1956.

    Following his discharge from the German Border Police in the year of 1959, he took up employment with the VEB Fahlberg-List. He started out as a shunter and qualified to become a shunting supervisor. In 1964, he became a member of the Kampfgruppe of the VEB Fahlberg-List and due to his military knowledge was appointed platoon leader in our Hundertschaft.+
    At the time of taking up employment with VEB Fahlberg-List, he lived in Biere in the district of Schönebeck. Here, too, he actively participated in work for our organisation and became an unpaid secretary of the Ortsleitung Biere.

    At the time of the construction of the Schutzwall++ in Berlin, he was on active duty as a Kampfgruppen member at the nation's western border for 3 weeks. Because of his achievements for the community in the municipality of Biere, he was elected as a local councillor of his municipality in the 1961 direct elections. He always fulfilled the duties assigned to him as a representative of his area to the complete satisfaction of the municipal council. This was not always easy for him, for he was working in 3 shifts at Magdeburg.

    In January 1963, Jugendfreund Grölle was appointed as a full-time 2nd Secretary for the Grundorganisation Fahlberg-List at very short notice due to the departure of the FDJ secretrary in office. He has been doing active work there ever since, the effect of which is a noticeable fundamental change of our organisation's work in the factory. Most of all, it was about establishing the implementation of organisational materials, as prior to Comrade Grölle's taking over there was no overview whatsoever as to just how many FDJ'ers were working at the factory. In his role as the GO's Secretary he built up the FDJ work to a systematic and organized level. He understood his most important duties to be conducting ZBGL counselling+++, secretary training and providing advice to cashiers. In 1965, Jugenfreund Grölle was elected as a member of the factory's Party Leadership, an office for which he is running again this year.
    Under his leadership, exact and quantifiable results had come from the preparation for and participation in the nationwide German convention so that our FDJ-Grundorganisation was among the best. Under his leadership, this was consolidated and improved upon even more for the 15th anniversary competitions, so that, in honor of the 15th anniversary of our GDR, our FDJ-Grundorganisation came out as the winner among all chemical- and raw material factories of the district. It is also to his personal credit that 100% of the monthly membership fees could be cashiered in 1963 and 1964.
    Together with the Secretary of the BBS,++++ he has known how to consolidate the entire work of the FDJ-Grundorganisation. This was particularly evident during the preparation for and execution of this year's elections for our organisation.
    Thanks to a thorough and exacting preparation by the ZBGL, we may say that the election events were of a very high standard and that good commitments have been made so that our FDJ-Grundorganisation will continue to further consolidate itself in this year as well.
    In the light of the fact that Comrade Grölle has been doing systematic work - to include unpaid work - for years, we as the ZBGL endorse him being awarded the Artur-Becker-Medaille in Silber.


    Confirmed:

    ...
    (Kwapulinski)
    Deputy Party Secretary

    ...
    on behalf of the ZBGL"




    *) FDJ = Freie Deutsche Jugend [Free German Youth], the GDR's Communist youth organisation.
    Grundorganisation [roughly translated "basic organisation"], the lowest organisational level of the FDJ; made up of the collective of all FDJ members within a school, factory, academy faculty or residential district.
    VEB = Volkseigener Betrieb [roughly translated Publicly Owned Enterprise], the main legal form of industrial enterprise in the GDR. Jokingly interpreted by the population as "Vatis ehemaliger Betrieb" [Daddy's former business].
    Fahlberg-List was a major chemical- and pharmaceutical company which existed from 1886 to 1995. Among other things, the company was the first manufacturer of saccharin.

    **) Jugendfreund [literally translated "youth friend"], the official form of address for an FDJ member

    ***)Junge Pioniere [literally translated "Young Pioneers"], the GDR's Communist children's organisation for first- to seventh graders, subordinate to the FDJ.

    ****) DSF = Gesellschaft für Deutsch-Sowjetische Freundschaft [Association for German-Soviet Friendship]; DTSB = Deutscher Turn- und Sportbund der DDR [German Gymnastics- and Sports League of the GDR].

    +) Hundertschaft = a unit of 100 men, equivalent to a company.

    ++) Schutzwall [protective wall, rampart], also Antifaschistischer Schutzwall [Anti-Fascist Protective Wall/Rampart]; the GDR leadership's cynical euphemysm for the Berlin Wall.

    +++) ZBGL = Zentrale Betriebsgewerkschaftsleitung [the Central Union Leadership for a factory]

    ++++) BBS = Betriebsberufsschule [Factory Vocational School]
    Last edited by HPL2008; 03-22-2019 at 06:50 PM.

  9. #8
    MAP
    MAP is offline
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    Above and beyond Andreas!
    "Please", Thank You" and proper manners appreciated

    My greatest fear is that one day I will die and my wife will sell my guns for what I told her I paid for them

    "Don't tell me these are investments if you never intend to sell anything" (Quote: Wife)

  10. #9
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    Ever since you told me about this lot I was curious to see it. And I have to say it is awesome. There are a lot of pretty awards and documents and this should give you some nice hours of research.

    Regards, Rik

  11. #10
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    I agree with Michael.
    Fantastic job Andreas.
    Thank You!

    Great grouping!
    Semper Fi
    Phil

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