A War Merit Cross 2Nd Class Document To The Staff Of Luftgau Command Xii/Xiii

An award certificate, measuring 148x209mm, extremely fine condition with folding crease; and a photo, measuring 59x78mm, very fine condition with a sharp bend.

The recipient is Technical Inspector Paul Biemann of the Staff of Luftgau Command XII/XIII in Giessen, central Germany. The document is dated to Wiesbaden on April 14, 1942 and signed in blue ink by Lieutenant General and Commanding General of Luftgau XII/XIII, Friedrich Heilingbrunner.

The photo shows Biemann in uniform, wearing a Spanish Cross, indicating that he was part of the infamous Condor Legion of German volunteers fighting in the Spanish Civil War of 1936–39. He wears the collar tabs of a Senior Lance Corporal.

Footnote: Friedrich Heilingbrunner (1891–1977) joined the Bavarian Infantry in 1910. He was promoted to Lieutenant in late 1912 and became a Battery Officer in the 3rd Field Artillery Regiment “Prinz Leopold”. When the First World War broke out, he was made a Platoon Leader serving at the front. At the same time, he served as Battery Chief in the Ottoman Army in Gallipoli and Macedonia. After the end of the war, Heilingbrunner joined the Free Corps “Epp” for a few months. He was then recruited into the Reichswehr. From 1927 to 1932 he taught at the Artillery School Jüterbog. In 1935, now a Major, he joined the Luftwaffe. Between then and 1938, he served as the Higher Commander of the Flak Artillery in Aviation District V. After that, he became Commanding General of Luftgau XII. Heilingbrunner was retired in February of 1945.