Germany, Luftwaffe. A Pow Group Of Awards And Badges To Walter Reichmann, Eric Queen Collection

(Luftwaffe Abzeichen und Medaillen). A rare and important collection of awards and badges to Walter Reichmann, Korps-Fallschirm-Pionier-Bataillon, including;

1. 1939 Iron Cross II Class, constructed of iron and silver, on loop for suspension from its period original ribbon, consisting of a Cross Pattée with a blackened magnetic iron core within a ribbed silver frame, the obverse with a central mobile swastika, the six o’clock arm with a reinstitution date of “1939”, the reverse six o’clock arm with an initial institution date of “1813”, unmarked, measuring 44.75 mm (w) x 48.20 mm (h), weighing 20.2 grams, loosening of the core evident, in addition to minor oxidation, in overall better than very fine condition;

2. Wound Badge, Black Grade, constructed of blackened bronze, the obverse consisting of an oval laurel leaf wreath, joined together at the bottom by ribbon, with a central Stahlhelm overlaid by a mobile swastika, on top of crossed swords on a pebbled field, the reverse with a barrel hinge and vertical pinback meeting a flat wire catch, unmarked, measuring 36.85 mm (w) x 43.94 mm (h), weighing 11.2 grams, in near extremely fine condition;

3. Ground Assault Badge, constructed of silvered and patinated zink, the obverse consisting of an oval oak leaf wreath, joined together at the bottom by ribbon, topped by a Luftwaffe eagle clutching a mobile swastika, on top of a cloud from which a lightning bolt is emanating and striking the ground, the reverse with a barrel hinge and vertical pinback meeting a round integrated catch, unmarked, measuring 43.25 mm (w) x 56.80 mm (h), weighing 34.7 grams, most of the silvered finish has been lost, in overall better than very fine condition;

4. Italian-German African Campaign Medal, constructed of bronzed feinzink, on loop for suspension from its period original ribbon, the obverse with central Arco de Fileni of Brega, flanked by a fasces and swastika, circumscribed by inscription “ITALIENISCH DEUTSCHER FELDZUG IN AFRICA” (“ITALIAN-GERMAN CAMPAIGN IN AFRICA”), reverse with raised image of German and Italian soldiers grappling with a crocodile, designer marked on the reverse “DE MARCHIS” and maker marked “LORIOLI, MILANO”, measuring 30.87 mm (w) x 35.30 mm (h), weighing 12.5 grams, in extremely fine condition;

5. DRL Sports Badge, Bronze Grade, constructed of bronze, the obverse consisting of an oval oak leaf wreath, joined together at the bottom by a ribbon overlaid by a mobile swastika, with central stylized initials “DRL” on a hollow background, the reverse with a barrel hinge and vertical pinback meeting a flat wire catch, maker marked “WERNSTEIN, JENA”, measuring 38.58 mm (w) x 48.20 mm (h), weighing 17.4 grams, in extremely fine condition;

6. Bretzenheim Prisoner of War Camp commemorative badge, constructed of magnetic metal, horizontal pinback, the obverse bearing a central raised guard tower against the skyline of a town, circumscribed by an inscription of “DT1 BRETZENHEIM”, measuring 25.62 mm in diameter, in near extremely fine condition,

7. Studio portrait of Reichmann, depicted in a Luftwaffe tropical uniform and wearing the Ground Assault Badge, the Fallschirmjäger Badge, the Black Grade Wound Badge, and the Iron Cross ribbon bar, the reverse with a handwritten inscription of “ZUM ANDENKEN, WALTER” (“A KEEPSAKE, WALTER”), stamped with a studio mark of “ATELIER F. RADETZKY, FOTOMEISTER, FRIEDRICHSTAHL-SAAR”, measuring 87 mm (w) x 135 mm (h), with a folding crease evident to the top corner of the obverse, in overall near extremely fine condition.

Footnote: Following the German surrender, Walter Reichmann was interned at the infamous Bretzenheim prisoner of war camp. Designated as a camp for “disarmed enemy forces”, it was exempt from Geneva Convention regulations concerning the treatment of prisoners of war. Subsequently labelled the “Feld des Jammers” (“Field of Misery”), between April 1945 and December 1948 it housed hundreds of thousands of inmates as either interned prisoners or transitory inmates. While exact numbers remain unknown, historians have indicated that a high number of inmates perished from starvation and mistreatment during the camp’s operation, with memorials in the town of Bretzenheim continuing to commemorate the victims. Reichmann’s badge is a rare memento of this controversial chapter of the Allied occupation of Germany.