Newsletter No. 218 August 30, 2016
Wehrmacht and SS Orders and Decoration documents
by Christian Jürs
Called by the Germans ‘Verleihungs-urkunden’ or Presentation documents, when a member of the German military was presented with a decoration, he received a document attesting to this.
These documents were printed on paper and were usually 150×210 mm in size. The awardees name and unit were typed onto the paper (hand-lettered in some cases) and the document was signed by authorized personnel and most generally had the so-called ‘Dienstsiegel’ or unit stamp, on the lower left side.
It should be noted that original documents were always printed on paper which did not contain chemical whiteners and are non-reactive to an ultra-violet light (or black light). As paper whiteners were not used until 1951, any document purporting to be of an earlier date that reacts positively to the black light should be considered as not authentic.
We show here five sample original documents.
The first is a presentation paper for the destruction of a tank through individual effort. It is 150×210 mm. This is a custom-made document for the Waffen-SS and is signed by an SS-Oberführer (or Colonel) in the SS-Totenkopf Division.
The second, upper left, is the official presentation paper for the Army Antiaircraft badge. It is 150×210 mm. This was presented to a Waffen-SS NCO.
The third, upper right, is the Kreigsmarine’s presentation document for the German Cross in Silver, It is 150x21mm. It was presented to an Admiral and is signed by Grand Admiral Donitz. This document, unlike the ones for Army personnel, had no official unit stamp.
The fourth, lower, is a Luftwaffe presentation paper for the Luftwaffe’s Anti Aircraft artillery (Flakartillerie) badge. It is 210×150 mm. This is a custom-designed document for the 4th Flak-Division.
English (United States) 
German
2 thoughts on “Newsletter No. 218 August 30, 2016”
Mr. Royster. I’ve been visiting your site regularly for about two years, and as a rather young collector in his mid 20’s, your quality information has saved my wallet from destruction a couple of times. Because of the prevalence of fakes and financial risks I simply can’t afford to take, I have focused on the well used, generally more affordable pieces in my six years of collecting. Feldpost letters, field gear, entry level helmets, etc.
I was fortunate to have been taken under the wing of an older gentleman in the Dallas area, Deejay Goodwin if the name rings a bell, during my college years. He sold militaria of all sorts in a humble, ragged shop, and his 40 years experience taught me well. Sometimes I feel as if that’s what young collector needs to even get by today, a trustworthy small time seller with plenty of experience and nothing to hide behind, like a fancy website, published books, or reputation at the “big” shows. Three years of German classes haven’t hurt either.
Still, I find myself growing more jaded with the hobby as time goes on. I don’t want to quit, but the recent Hicks/Champagne rune monstrosity provides cold comfort. The fact that I almost prefer coming up empty handed at weekend garage sales, thrill of the hunt and all that, than going to a militaria show says a lot about the integrity of the hobby and certain parties involved.
Well, enough rambling. Again, thank you for taking the time to build this incredibly helpful website. Maybe one day I will have the confidence to dive into the world of daggers after reading enough of your material.
Dear Mr. Dey:
Thank you for your supportive remarks. Note, if you will, that I have nothing to sell. I buy and trade. I, too, am disgusted with the claque of crooked dealers, with the new books full of fakes, with the repainted German helmets (“Yes, friends, this is the famous ‘Anzio pattern,’ and over here is the ‘Stalingrad pattern.’) Yes the Charlemagne fake was a terrible abortion. Someone ruined a perfectly original helmet. And yet read the remarks and look at the comments on the Wehrmacht Awards forum. The only time I have seen more fakes and fantasy pieces is by attending the MAX show. Now we have a German military document expert who has volunteered to write articles. As he points out, a document that reacts to the black light is fake. I understand he is not popular with the air heads. In fact, no person with real knowledge is popular with the air heads. People like Prosper Keating who is an advanced expert on the Knights Cross is screamed at and cursed worse than I am because he has exposed many, many fakes. Mr. Keating is also an educated gentleman with an excellent record as a British paratrooper. The fake experts never use their own names but are called “Captain Panzerfaust” or “Maryland Gauleiter.” I have often wondered if their childhood could not have been prevented.
ADR