Germany, Ss. A Wartime Postcard Of Ss-Standartenführer Fritz Klingenberg

(Waffen-SS Postkarte). A wartime postcard depicting then-Hauptsturmführer (later Standartenführer) Fritz Klingenberg, shown in uniform and with the Knight’s Cross clearly visible, the reverse unused and bearing the mark of the Hoffmann studio, Munich, measuring 92 mm (w) x 142 mm (h), in near mint condition.

Footnote: As an Officer of the 2nd SS Panzer Division Das Reich, Fritz Kingenberg participated in the 1941 Axis invasion of Yugoslavia. Disobeying orders to hold back, Klingenberg and a small number of Waffen-SS soldiers attempted to cross a river in the vicinity of Belgrade to reconnoiter a landing spot. The boat sank, leaving Klingenberg with just six men. The group captured a company of Yugoslav soldiers, and marched them to the city centre, where they raised the German flag and informed the mayor of Belgrade that the city would be subject to a massive air and artillery bombardment if it did not immediately surrender. The city garrison surrendered without a fight on 13 April, with German forces surprised to find the task already completed. For effectively capturing the city with six men, Klingenberg was awarded the Knight’s Cross on 14 May.