Germany, Luftwaffe. A Rare Wartime Photo and Award Document Group from the Estate of Georg Schütz, Fallschirmjäger-Regiment Hermann Göring

(Fallschirmjäger-Regiment Hermann Göring Fotoalbum und Verleihungsurkunden). A rare and fascinating group of photographs and award documents from the estate of eventual Unteroffizier Johann “Georg” Schütz, who saw combat throughout the Western Front, North Africa, the Mediterranean theatre, and the Eastern Front with units of Fallschirmjäger-Regiment Hermann Göring. It consists of:

1. An award document for a Luftwaffe Fallschirmjäger Badge, named to Schütz as a Gefreiter, issued in Berlin on 5 October 1942, certified by the stamped signature of General der Flieger Gustav Kastner-Kirdorf, measuring 15 cm (w) x 21 cm (h), demonstrating minor discolouration, in near extremely fine condition.

2. An award document for an Afrika Cuff Title, named to Schütz (spelled as Schuetz), issued from the headquarters of Oberbefehlshaber Süd (Supreme Commander South) Generalfeldmarschall Albert Kesselring on 1 May 1943, certified by the stamped signature of an unidentified Major, measuring 14.5 cm (w) x 20 cm (h), in extremely fine condition.

3. An award document for a Black Grade Wound Badge, named to Schütz (spelled as Schuetz) as a Gefreiter of Pionier Zug (Engineer Platoon) of Fallschirmjäger-Regiment Hermann Göring, issued in Munich on 15 May 1943 for a single wound suffered on 21 April 1943, certified by the handwritten signature of an unidentified Oberfeldarzt, measuring 14 cm (w) x 20 cm (h), in extremely fine condition.

4. An award document for a Luftwaffe Ground Assault Badge, named to Schütz as an Oberjäger of Fallschirmjäger-Bataillon-Schirmer, issued from headquarters on 21 March 1944, certified by the handwritten signature of General Walter Lackner, measuring 15.5 cm (w) x 22 cm (h), in near extremely fine condition.

5. An award document for the 1939 Iron Cross II Class, named to Schütz as an Oberjäger of Fallschirmjäger-Regiment 5, issued from headquarters on 31 March 1944, certified by the handwritten signature of Generalleutnant Walter Lackner, measuring 14 cm (w) x 20 cm (h), in extremely fine condition.

6. An award document for the 1939 Iron Cross I Class, named to Schütz as an Oberjäger of Fallschirm-Panzer-Grenadier-Regiment 3, issued from the headquarters of 4. Armee, certified by the handwritten signature of General Friedrich Hoßbach (Knight’s Cross of the Iron Cross, 7 October 1940; with Oak Leaves, 11 September 1943), measuring 14 cm (w) x 20 cm (h), in extremely fine condition.

7. A private wartime photo album, constructed of a card stock binding with a field-grey canvas exterior liner, the spine perforated with four eyelets reinforced with metal grommets through which is looped a drawstring which maintains the album’s structural integrity, the interior content consisting of 23 black card stock pages separated by wax paper dividers to protect the images, the former consisting of 70 black-and-white photographs, the content opening with shots of Schütz in Luftwaffe Enlisted and Fallschirmjäger uniforms (the latter featuring superb studio images of Schütz wearing the classic M38 helmet in single decal format), with an additional portrait of Schütz in a Gefreiter uniform wearing the cloth version of the Fallschirmjäger Badge, followed by tourist images of what appears to be the coast of France or the Low Countries which includes scenes of a building being demolished with explosives, shifting to scenes of Fallschirmjäger jumping from Luftwaffe aircraft and decorated Fallschirmjäger wearing camouflage smocks marching through a French town, with additional tourist images of Mont Saint-Michel, closing with a final studio portrait of Schütz wearing the 1939 Iron Cross II Class ribbon with the I Class decoration, the Luftwaffe Fallschirmjäger Badge, the Luftwaffe Ground Assault Badge, and the Black Grade Wound Badge, some of the total of photos including duplicates of the images pasted into the album, all unmarked and uncaptioned, in overall extremely fine condition.

8. A small group of paperwork, including prisoner of war (POW) camp postcard, dated 3 June 1945 and addressed to Josef Schuetz of Memmingen (presumably Schütz’s father), indicating that he was being held in POW Camp 380 (Egypt), featuring a brief handwritten inscription, measuring 16 cm (w) x 9.5 cm (h), in extremely fine condition; a facsimile letter from the Mayor of Memmingen, dated 26 April, declaring that the city is undefended and has 4,000 wounded individuals, intended to spare the city from Allied assault, measuring 21 cm (w) x 29.5 cm (h), demonstrating creasing and folding, in very fine condition, and; a death card, printed on glossed paper stock, indicating that Georg Schütz was born on 12 January 1922 and died on 23 November 2002, in extremely fine condition.