Stephan98k
aka 8x57IS
You are very welcome!
I agree with you, an EKII is a bravery medal that wasn't awarded liberally. Major Erich Hartmann as example had in 1943 already 100 combat missions and was shooting down 7 aircraft, at this time he "just" had the EKII. In the end of October 1943 he had already his 148 aerial victory and finally got awarded the German Cross in Gold and the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross.
On the subject in 1945 they got the EKII without extraordinary bravery: The 12-year-old Alfred Czech rescued 12 wounded German soldiers under heavy artillery and machine-gun fire in the area Oppeln and later he got wounded. He got awarded the EKII and the Wound Badge in Black. In the city where I live was fighting a 17 year old boy against the British army. With a machine gun he stopped the British soldiers for about half an hour until he ran out of ammo. A British tank was driving on a mine and two further tanks he destroyed in close-combat, then he got wounded. The boy didn't got a award. I don't want to say there are no other examples, but you didn't got awarded the EKII easily.
1063. Loss of war awards.
Since the beginning of the war these war awards got lost due to improper storage and transportation:
87 Iron Cross 2nd. Class,
529 Iron Cross 1st. Class,
276 War Merit Cross Second Class with Swords.
All research has so far not led to finding the lost awards.
The awards are expected to be in the hands of unauthorized persons. It is therefore to be expected that more awards will be illegitimate carried.
It is necessary to strictly supervise the awards and the wearing of awards of every kind, of individual soldier.
For this purpose, the registration of the successful awarding of awards in the Soldbuch, page 22, must be carried out immediately by all departments, troop parts and units of the army.
(See also H. V. Bl. Part B No. 395.)
O. K. H., October 8, 1940
- 2657/40 - P 2 (IV).
There are more similar notice of loss in 1941, but I will continue with something different, because the next tranlation is more important for this thread.
I agree with you, an EKII is a bravery medal that wasn't awarded liberally. Major Erich Hartmann as example had in 1943 already 100 combat missions and was shooting down 7 aircraft, at this time he "just" had the EKII. In the end of October 1943 he had already his 148 aerial victory and finally got awarded the German Cross in Gold and the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross.
On the subject in 1945 they got the EKII without extraordinary bravery: The 12-year-old Alfred Czech rescued 12 wounded German soldiers under heavy artillery and machine-gun fire in the area Oppeln and later he got wounded. He got awarded the EKII and the Wound Badge in Black. In the city where I live was fighting a 17 year old boy against the British army. With a machine gun he stopped the British soldiers for about half an hour until he ran out of ammo. A British tank was driving on a mine and two further tanks he destroyed in close-combat, then he got wounded. The boy didn't got a award. I don't want to say there are no other examples, but you didn't got awarded the EKII easily.
1063. Loss of war awards.
Since the beginning of the war these war awards got lost due to improper storage and transportation:
87 Iron Cross 2nd. Class,
529 Iron Cross 1st. Class,
276 War Merit Cross Second Class with Swords.
All research has so far not led to finding the lost awards.
The awards are expected to be in the hands of unauthorized persons. It is therefore to be expected that more awards will be illegitimate carried.
It is necessary to strictly supervise the awards and the wearing of awards of every kind, of individual soldier.
For this purpose, the registration of the successful awarding of awards in the Soldbuch, page 22, must be carried out immediately by all departments, troop parts and units of the army.
(See also H. V. Bl. Part B No. 395.)
O. K. H., October 8, 1940
- 2657/40 - P 2 (IV).
There are more similar notice of loss in 1941, but I will continue with something different, because the next tranlation is more important for this thread.