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The main reason I collect this stuff: Oberleutnant Einhellinger and his awards

BerlinerLuebecker

Senior Member
Merry Christmas, everyone! I thought I'd share some pictures of my first collection, the one that means the most to me and is the reason I ever got into collecting in the first place. Below you'll find pictures of Oberleutnant Georg Einhellinger of the Aufklaerungs-Abteilung 97 of the 97. Gebirgsjaeger Division "Spielhahnjaeger".
This is my godmother's late husband, a very friendly and gracious man we knew as "Uncle George", who had been close family friends with my grandparents for fifty years. He never talked about his war experience and it took a question from my grandfather about a scar George showed at a beach outing for him to even mention he had been in the war (the scar ran along his knee cap and was from a grenade splinter taken in 1943, if my picture investigation is correct). You'll note from the picture that he held the following awards: Infantry Assault Badge in Silver, Gold wound badge, Iron Cross 2nd class, Iron Cross 1st class, the Close Combat Clasp in Gold (one of less than 500 awarded to members of the Heer), the German Cross in Gold, a medal I have not yet identified (and is not in my possession) and, finally, the Knight's Cross. Unfortunately, the IAB, the unidentified medal, the CCC, and his original Knight's Cross are lost to me - they were not among his things and his wife is unsure what happened to them. The Knight's Cross below is the 1957 version he purchased after the war to wear at reunions in Bad Toelz, Bavaria. Curiously enough, he is not on any official Knight's Cross holders list. In the picture he is already wearing his CCC in Gold, which was awarded in January, 1945, and I have a letter from General Rabe von Pappenheim which references George not yet having been awarded the "long-deserved" Knight's Cross. That would mean he received the award sometime between March and May 1945.

The Edelweiss hat badge was not his - by pure coincidence, I found this original badge in a box of old family knick-knacks that hadn't been touched in decades.
 

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very cool

The other neck award seems to be some sort of House decoration. Or an allie award. Italia or one of the other small countries that were techincly allies. Not occupied. You can make out a side veiw of a head.
All around he seemed like a hell of a Soldat !!!! I also have quite a few alpine insignia.

I also would have to agree about the K.C. award. The german cross was always awarded first. It was divised so the furher didnt have to give out so many k.c.'s It was dubed Hitlers fried egg by the troops..
 
Medals

Those medals are in stunning conditon. What is the maker mark the the iron cross FC ?
 
Those medals are in stunning conditon. What is the maker mark the the iron cross FC ?

To be honest, my knowledge on medals is limited. Here's a picture of the rear of the award - it appears to be unmarked. The wound badge in gold is marked "30" and the German Cross is unmarked but with rivet points on the reverse side. When I get the chance, I'll scan some of the pictures from the photo album. Lots of K98s and one of George carrying an MP40. Interestingly there are some (later?) pictures of him with field glasses and a single K98 pouch. In another he appears to be wearing a camouflage frock, something I haven't seen often with Gebirgsjaeger.
 

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