1957 german award owners

**cricketchris1944** · 07-15-2013, 10:41 PM

Very good stuff guys.
chris

**Espenlaub Militaria** · 07-15-2013 10:41 PM

We also buy and trade your items and full collections!

**Paul D** · 07-15-2013, 10:51 PM

Steve this photo actaully shows this ceremony as part of the GdR the forerunner of the OdR so is very rare indeed . Gille was one of the most capable commanders of the Waffen SS but never seems to get the press ( except amongst the veterans of his units ) that he should have done compared to some of the other " Big names " !!

His leadership of Wiking at Cherkassy , Kowel and East of the Bug was outstanding !!

**oradour** · 07-15-2013, 11:14 PM

by Paul E

Steve this photo actaully shows this ceremony as part of the GdR the forerunner of the OdR so is very rare indeed .

Thanks for the extra info Paul !
Prost ! Steve.

**don_kihotis7** · 07-17-2013, 12:46 PM

Speaking of Herr Herbert Otto Gille, here is a photo showing him with Herr Eberhard Heder.
I had contacted Herr Heder last year and asked for a signed photo. He signed and sent me 2. This is one of them.
It was taken southeast of Charkow/Ukraine in 1943.

**don_kihotis7** · 07-17-2013, 12:56 PM

Gille reminds me of you Paul. Always walking around with a weird stick

**Paul D** · 07-17-2013, 01:22 PM

by don_kihotis7

Speaking of Herr Herbert Otto Gille, here is a photo showing him with Herr Eberhard Heder.
I had contacted Herr Heder last year and asked for a signed photo. He signed and sent me 2. This is one of them.
It was taken southeast of Charkow/Ukraine in 1943.

Chris that's a great photo mate i haven't seen that one of Heder before , this must be around the time he took over a Kompanie Command in the Estonian Btl Narwa !!

**don_kihotis7** · 07-17-2013, 01:33 PM

by Paul E

Chris that's a great photo mate i haven't seen that one of Heder before , this must be around the time he took over a Kompanie Command in the Estonian Btl Narwa !!

He wrote in his letter that this photo is in circulation and i was surprised coz i haven't seen it anywhere else.
If you search in the internet you can only find his portrait photo, which was taken the day he was awarded the EK.

**oradour** · 07-17-2013, 02:30 PM

Nice addition to this thread Chris ! I have never written to vets before....perhaps I should, before they all go to Valhalla........... the only autograph of an RK holder I have, I bought........Ludwig Bauer.
Prost ! Steve.

**Paul D** · 07-17-2013, 05:11 PM

Just to run through the first post of the thread and identify the ones that I know !!
First row Top left Klemens Behler , Nederland
3rd row , right Arnhem RKT Wolfram Kertz , former Vorsitzender of the OdR.
4th row right is famous Panzerknacker Friedrich Anding
5th row right the equally famous Fallschirmjager Friedrich August Von der Heydte
6th row centre Johannes Steinhoff
8th row far right is of course Ludwig Bauer