Original German WWII Award Document Grouping Named to Waffen SS-Sturmscharführer Erwin Kiepke with EKII Award - SS Flak Ersatz Regiment

Original Items: One-of-a-kind grouping. This is a fantastic named Waffen SS award and document set, with four original BESITTZZEUGNIS "possession/award" certificates and the award for one of them. All are named to the same person, Erwin Kiepke, who is listed as an SS-Hauptscharführer (SS-Head section leader) on the first three award documents, equivalent to a U.S. Army Master sergeant. The last award document has him promoted to SS-Sturmscharführer (SS-Assault section leader), equivalent to a U.S. Army Sergeant Major.

The awards earned by this soldier in date received are as follows:
● Verwundetenabzeichen III. Klasse im Schwarz (Wound Badge 3rd Class in Black)
● Eiserne Kreuz II. Klasse 1939 (Iron Cross 2nd Class 1939 - EKII)
● Verwundetenabzeichen II. Klasse im Silber (Wound Badge 2nd Class in Silver)
● Verwundetenabzeichen I. Klasse im Gold (Wound Badge 2nd Class in Gold)

Of these, only the EKII is included with the documents. It shows light wear and age, with a lovely tarnished patina, and is totally correct. It comes complete with its issue ribbon, and while it looks like it was maker marked, the stamp was mis-struck on the hanger ring, so it is not legible.

All of the award documents measure approximately, 8" x 5.5", (20cm x 14cm), and are printed on medium weight paper with black print and typed in particulars. All of the documents are dated, with their correct stamps and signatures, and indicate Kiepke was a member of 4. / SS-Flak-Ers.-Abt. 12, which is an abbreviation for 4. Kompanie / SS-Flak-Ersatz-Abteilung 12, or the "4th Company, 12th SS Flak Replacement Detachment". We have done some preliminary research on this unit, and it looks to have been part of the SS Flak Ersatz Regiment, however we cannot tell much more than that. We had thought it might be part of the 12th SS Panzer HJ Division, but that was not created until 1943. Definitely some great research potential here!

The first award document indicates that the Wound Badge in Black was awarded to Kiepke on 20. April 1940 for a single wound sustained on 14. März 1940. It was awarded by the detachment command post, and is signed by an SS-Sturmbannführer (Major). The second award document indicates that the Iron Cross 1939 2nd Class was awarded to Kiepke on 3. Mai. 1940 at the command post. It is signed by an SS-Obergruppenführer (Lt. General), which in this case could possibly be identified. The third and fourth document are for the Wound Badge in Silver and Wound Badge in Gold, respectively. Kiepke was wounded for a third time on 5. Januar 1942, and awarded the next grade of badge on 2. Februar 1942. He was then wounded for a fifth time on 28. August 1944, and awarded the highest grade on 19. September 1944.

The documents show a faint stamp in the lower left corner, that is definitely a Waffen-SS marked stamp, however we cannot see what all of it says under normal lighting. All documents are in good condition, with the expected wear and yellowing from age. They all show folding and tearing along the center, consistent with being folded and unfolded numerous times. Please consult the pictures for condition specifics.

A really nice German document set, complete with one of the original awards, all named to the same soldier. Ready to research and display!

There is no more iconic German military award than the Iron Cross (Eisernes Kreuz, abbreviated EK). The long history of this order began during the Napoleonic Wars. It was established by King Friedrich Wilhelm III of Prussia in March 1813, backdated to the birthday of his late wife Queen Louise on 10 March 1813 (EK 1813), who was the first person to receive this decoration (posthumous). The award criteria changed somewhat with time, but generally speaking, Iron Crosses could be awarded for individual acts of bravery, or for leadership achievements on the battlefield. The design was created by a Karl Friedrich Schinkel, his choice of the black cross with silver outline was derived from the heraldic emblem of the Teutonic Knights.

There were a number of different type and grades of Iron Cross awards throughout its long history, but the basic details of the most widely awarded grades: The Iron Cross 1st Class and Iron Cross 2nd Class- remained the same. The first class award was a breast badge, with fittings on the reverse to allow it to be worn on the uniform. These fittings varied widely over time and from maker to maker, and could be a simple in and catch, a screw post and retaining disc, or more elaborate setups. The second class award was suspended from a ribbon, originally in the Prussian colors of black and white, later in the Reich colors of black, red and white.

On the original versions of these crosses, in 1813, the front of the iron core of each grade was bare, and only the second class award had ornamentation: a crown over the initials “FW” representing the King, a sprig of oak leaves, and the date 1813. The core was redesigned in 1870, when the cross was re-instituted during the Franco-Prussian War. The reverse ornamentation on the Iron Cross 2nd Class remained the same, but the front of the core on both grades now bore another crown, a “W” representing Kaiser Wilhelm, and the date 1870. This pattern repeated again when the cross was reinstituted for WWI- everything stayed the same, only the date 1870 was replaced with 1914.

The final reinstitution of the cross came in 1939. For this version, the front of the core for both grades bore a swas and the date 1939. The oak leaves, crown and royal initials were removed from the reverse, with only the date 1813 remaining as a reminder of the legacy of this award. In WWII, hundreds of thousands of Iron Cross First Class awards were bestowed, and four and a half million Iron Cross Second Class awards. Iron Crosses were made by a large number of authorized manufacturers. Some variants of these awards were mass produced in huge numbers. Others were made in very limited quantities.

The Iron Cross was normally a military decoration only, though there were instances of it being awarded to civilians for performing military functions. Two examples of this were civilian test pilots Hanna Reitsch who was awarded the Iron Cross 2nd Class and 1st Class and Melitta Schenk Gräfin von Stauffenberg, who was awarded the Iron Cross 2nd Class, for their actions as pilots during World War II.