Many award docs to one soldier - missing soldbuch, what can we find out?

**Danmark** · 08-26-2020, 03:06 AM

Hi all,
Back in 2014 I picked up this grouping to an Otto Nitsch from a seller in Germany. There were award certificates, a drivers permit, passes, discharge certificate – all interesting stuff - but because there was no Wehrpass or soldbuch ( sadly ) I do not know his date of enrollment, nor the initial unit he went to.... but we can deduce some things from the documents I Do have.

In civilian life he was a mechanic, and born 20th October 1916, by the start of the war he was 23yrs old.

From what I have read, those with a trade were highly sought after and were not pressed into front line activities ( they were too valuable a resource )
Yet, young Otto in September 1941 ( somewhere? but in the field ) was awarded the Iron Cross!!!

Many award docs to one soldier - missing soldbuch, what can we find out?

He was with Nachr. Abt. ( mot ) 14 ( Communications detachment 14 -motorized ) attached to the 14th infantry Division .... where was he? and what act of gallantry did a mechanic or driver do to be accorded that????

In July of 1942 he was somewhere in Russia and got the Ost medaille - still an obergefreiter with 1./N.14

( but strangely then gets a hand written one when promoted to Unteroffizier and with a new unit ( 3. Kompanie / Gren. ers Rgt. ( mot ) 53 ) Grenadier Replacement Batallion ( motorised ) 53

Am I getting this right experts?.....
Thanks, Dan

**Espenlaub Militaria** · 08-26-2020 03:06 AM

We also buy and trade your items and full collections!

**Danmark** · 08-26-2020, 03:40 AM

Six months later on Jan 29th 1943 Otto was wounded and qualified for the black wound badge - this was however not awarded until 9th April back in Wittenberg, Germany

Where was he wounded? well, the unit and division was in Russia so maybe there .. and shipped back to Germany to recover?
Who knows and without the soldbuch, we will never know.

**MAP** · 08-26-2020, 04:43 AM

One of the many mysteries of the items we collect Dan. But a great group of award docs. Have you gotten the awards to go with the documents?

**Danmark** · 08-26-2020, 04:48 AM

by MAP

One of the many mysteries of the items we collect Dan. But a great group of award docs. Have you gotten the awards to go with the documents?

Yes I do have them Michael, but they are not his ones - just examples of them. But they do look good all with the certificates in a photo!!

**MAP** · 08-26-2020, 04:59 AM

by Danmark

Yes I do have them Michael, but they are not his ones - just examples of them. But they do look good all with the certificates in a photo!!

Its always nice to have a set to match up regardless if they came with the awards!!

I feel that most awards sold with docs are probably not originally paired together anyway

**hucks216** · 08-26-2020, 10:23 AM

Iron Crosses were not always awarded for gallantry or because of injuries. There are a lot of examples where after a particular action or campaign a division was issued with a certain number of EK's and it was left up to the division to allocate them as they saw fit, so while some would of been awarded for bravery it is also possible that some were awarded to others just to fill out a quota - so 2 (or however many) might of been allocated to the Nachrichten-Abt and the officer in charge picked the two he felt deserved them, so they could even be awarded due to favouritism.

**hucks216** · 08-26-2020, 10:31 AM

He was wounded to the south of Rzhev.

**Danmark** · 08-26-2020, 10:45 AM

I also have his discharge papers issued by the US. Every German soldier captured had to be discharged from the army ( officially ) to return to civilian life.
For Otto, this occurred on 29th April 1947. His form ( complete with right thumbprint ) is fragile but still complete.

He was discharged by W Cahill, Company Sergeant Major of the Irish Guards

There is a stamp in lower right from Durchgangslager ( transit camp ) Neuwerth ( can’t locate it? ) and one from a flüchtlingslager ( refugee camp ) in Friedland in lower Saxony

**Danmark** · 08-26-2020, 10:47 AM

by hucks216

He was wounded to the south of Rzhev.

Hucks, is that where the division was at that date?

**Danmark** · 08-26-2020, 10:53 AM

I also know that he was captured by the Americans - he was POW number 31G-1700982

This is because in the lot I bought was a US issued driver’s license ( issued 14th March 1946 for a POW ) so that Otto could drive 1 1/2 to 2 1/2 ton trucks.

So I'm guessing that was his role in previous units - driving and servicing his own cargo truck?
Maybe that's how he got the EK2 ... doing runs to the front lines and back?