A Large Promotion Document To Commander Of 23Rd Panzer Division

A certificate, 4 p., measuring 255x355mm, extremely fine condition with light scuffing and some discolouration, in folder, measuring 259x364mm, near extremely fine condition with light scuffing, some discolouration, and one minor rip and minor whole at the bottom. The certificate states that Major Nikolaus von Vormann is promoted to Lieutenant Colonel as of August 1, 1938. It is dated to Berchtesgaden (southern Bavaria) on July 31, 1938 and carries a facsimile by A.H., as well as a signature in black ink by Commander-in-Chief of the German Army, Generalfeldmarschall Walther von Brauchitsch (1881–1948), a recipient of the Knight’s Cross.

Footnote: Nikolaus von Vormann was born on December 24, 1895 in Neumark (modern day Nowe Miasto Lubawskie, northern Poland). He joined the Imperial Army as a volunteer in 1914. During the First War, he received a Wound Badge in Gold in 1918. After the war, Vormann was taken over into the Reichswehr and later into the Wehrmacht. Over the years, he received several promotions, to Senior Lieutenant in 1926, to Captain in 1930, and to Major in 1935. At the beginning of the Second War, Vormann briefly served as liaison officer of the army in the Führerhauptquartier, before becoming General Chief of Staff of the 3rd Army Corps, then of the 28th Army Corps. With the latter he was promoted to Colonel in 1940 and participated in the attack on Russia in 1941. Vormann received a German Cross in Gold on March 12, 1942. In late 1942/early 1943, he was given command of the 23rd Panzer Division as Major General, leading it in heavy defensive battles after the catastrophe of Stalingrad. During this time, he made Lieutenant General in mid 1943 and was awarded the Knight’s Cross on August 22, 1943. In mid 1944, Vormann was promoted to General of the Panzer Troops and was appointed Commander in Chief of the 9th Army, part of Army Group Central, which tried to stem the Russian summer offensive. At the end of the War, Vormann commanded the so-called “Alpine Fortress”, where he surrendered. After writing his memoirs and a highly acclaimed military study about the Poland Campaign, he died in Berchtesgaden on October 26, 1959.