A Document Group To Lieutenant Colonel Erich Kiße; Commander Of Security Regiment 603

A Wehrpaß (105x145mm, near extremely fine). It is dated to April 15, 1937. It also includes a confirmation receipt for an unknown item, and discharge papers, dated to Berlin on September 22, 1944.

A certificate for the Clasp to the Iron Cross 1st Class (139x199mm, extremely fine) to Major Kiße. The document is dated to June 26, 1940 and signed in blue ink by Lieutenant General and Commander of the 218th Infantry Division, Woldemar Freiherr Grote (1877–1957).

A certificate for the Clasp to the Iron Cross 2nd Class (140x199mm, extremely fine). It is identical to the certificate for the Clasp to the Iron Cross 1st Class, except that it is dated to June 21, 1940.

A handwritten certificate for the Iron Cross 1st Class (1914) (208x164mm, better than very fine) to Lieutenant Kiße of the Infantry Regiment 48 of 5th Infantry Division. The document is dated to August 27, 1916. The signature is indecipherable.

A travel passport (109x163mm, very fine). It states that Kiße is a Prussian citizen. The document is dated to June 29, 1927 and valid for 5 years.

A certificate for the Hungarian War Service Commemorative Medal (205x309mm, very fine) to retired Captain of the Reserve Kiße, former Senior Lieutenant and Company Leader of Infantry Regiment 48 in the Austrian 70th Infantry Brigade. It is medal no. 242609. The document is dated to April 18, 1936. The signature is indecipherable.

A certificate for the German Rider’s Badge in Bronze (16 p., 163x237mm, extremely fine). It contains the rules and regulation to obtain it. Kiße underwent the tests on April 22, 1939. The decoration was awarded in Berlin on May 16, 1940.

A personalised First War commemorative certificate (177x251mm, extremely fine) to Captain of the Reserve Kiße of Reserve Infantry Regiment 1/48, 2nd Company, 10th Company, 1st Machine Gun Company. The document states which decorations he received: Iron Cross 2nd and 1st Class, House Order of Hohenzollern with Swords, Wound Badge in Black, and Hindenburg Cross. It reads: In masculin remembrance / in memory of the dead, / who died as holy seedlings, / shall this be / an honouring memorial sign / for the fighter / of the great World War / Erich Kiße.


Footnote: Erich Kiße (sometimes spelled Kisse) was born on January 4, 1881 in Güstebiese, modern day Gozdowice at the border of Poland and Germany. He lived and worked in Berlin as a building engineer. Kiße joined the Imperial Prussian Army on October 1, 1904. He was promoted to NCO on September 2, 1905, to Vizefeldwebel (Vice Sergeant) on April 25, 1906, and to Lieutenant of the Reserve on November 16, 1910. With the beginning of the First War, Kiße served on the Western Front. Here, he was awarded the Iron Cross 2nd Class on September 20, and received an injury to the shoulder on December 15, 1914, of which the details are unknown. In 1915 and 1916, Kiße served on the Eastern Front, where he was promoted to Senior Lieutenant of the Reserve on April 30, 1916, and won an Iron Cross 1st Class on August 27, 1916. In 1917, he was redeployed to the Western Front again where he would remain for the rest of the war. Kiße received a Wound Badge in Black on May 20, 1918 and suffered gas poisoning on October 17. Shortly after, on November 1, he was presented with the Knight’s Cross of the House Order of Hohenzollern with Swords. After the war, Kiße was discharged on December 20, 1920, but must have been kept on as an officer of the reserve or a similar position, as he was promoted to Captain on November 27, 1922. There is no information about his career during the rest of the 1920s or indeed most of the 1930s. Kiße received his promotion to Major on January 1, 1939. With the outbreak of the Second War, he participated in the attack on Poland as the Commander of the 2nd Battalion of Infantry Regiment 386. After Poland surrendered, he stayed as part of the occupational forces. In June of 1940, Kiße and his unit were redeployed to the Western Front to fight the French. Once more, after victory was achieved, he remained for the occupation. Kiße distinguished himself during this campaign, earning the Clasp to the Iron Cross 2nd Class on June 21, 1940, and the Clasp of the Iron Cross 1st Class only five days later. The next chapter for Kiße and his unit was a short spell of helping in securing Denmark from March to June of 1941. In June, he became Commander of Infantry Replacement Regiment 603 with which he was tasked to help in securing Poland until March of 1942. Following this, he was briefly stationed in the Netherlands as Commander of Security Regiment 603 in Security Brigade 202 until May. Kiße was then placed in the Leader Reserve of Military District III (Berlin) until November. With his reactivation, he was deployed to the securing forces in Norway and served on Fortress Sapper Staff 4 until June of 1944. During this time, Kiße was promoted to Lieutenant Colonel on March 1, 1943. After this assignment, he was placed in the Leader Reserve again, before finally being retired on September 20, 1944.