Germany, Wehrmacht. A Mixed Lot of Knight’s Cross Recipient Photographs and Signatures, from the Roger Bender Collection

(Ritterkreuzträger Fotos und Unterschriften). A mixed lot of Knight’s Cross recipient photographs and signatures, including:

1.  signed photo of Korvettenkapitän Klaus Feldt (Knight’s Cross of the Iron Cross, 25 April 1941; with Oak  Leaves, 1 January 1944), the lower half of the image overlaid by Feldt’s handwritten signature, the reverse bearing an additional handwritten signature, measuring 7.5 cm (w) x 10.5 cm (h), in extremely fine condition.

2. A wartime photo of Kapitän zur See Günther Gumprich (Knight’s Cross of the Iron Cross, 31 December 1942), commander of the auxiliary cruisers “Thor” and “Michel”, killed in action on 17 October 1943 when the latter was sunk by USS Tarpon off the coast of Yokohama, Japan, the reverse bearing a handwritten dedication from a former crewman, measuring 6 cm (w) x 8.5 cm (h), in extremely fine condition.

3.  A postcard of Korvettenkapitän (later-Bundesmarine Kapitän zur See) Erich Grundmann (Knight’s Cross of the Iron Cross, 31 May 1940), the reverse retaining a paper label bearing Grundmann’s handwritten signature, with additional handwritten birth and death dates, measuring 9 cm (w) x 14 cm (h), in extremely fine condition.

4. A photo of Kapitän zur See (later-Bundesmarine Konteradmiral) Alfred-Karl Smidt (Knight’s Cross of the Iron Cross, 15 June 1943), the reverse bearing a handwritten name, measuring 8 cm (w) x 8 cm (h), in extremely fine condition.

5. A Bundesarchiv photo of Oberstleutnant Karl Baacke (Knight’s Cross of the Iron Cross, 30 June 1941; with Oak Leaves, 10 December 1943), depicted in uniform and with a wide array of awards visible, including the Knight’s Cross, German Cross in Gold (cloth version), and Heer Honour Roll Clasp, the reverse bearing a Bundesarchiv stamp, measuring 10.5 cm (w) x 14.5 cm (h), in extremely fine condition.

6. Two postwar photos of Konteradmiral Günther Horstmann, one measuring 10 cm (w) x 14.5 cm (h), the other measuring 9 cm (w) x 12.5 cm (h), in extremely fine condition.