Germany, Wehrmacht. A Grouping Of Documents And Insignia To Tank Destroyer Dak Veteran, Kia

A collection of personal belongs of Edmund Leier that were recovered from his deceased body following a localized fire-exchange between his tank destroyer unit and a French  unit. The collection includes:

1) A Soldbook belonging to Edmund Leier, the exterior cover constructed of cardstock with a lightly textured brown faux leather liner. The interior has a photograph of Leier, along with some of his basic information. It measures 116 mm x 161mm.

2) Panzer Lieutenant Shoulder Board Set; constructed of four doubled-up silver aluminum bullion wires wound around an off-white fabric core in a U-shape, with a bright pink Waffenfarbe wool on the underside, protruding past the edges, thus giving it the “Panzer” Waffenfarbe; with a cardstock core; measuring 111 mm (w) x 32 mm (h); uniform removed.

3) Panzer Lieutenant Shoulder Board Set; constructed of four doubled-up silver aluminum bullion wires wound around an off-white fabric core in a U-shape, with a bright pink Waffenfarbe wool on the underside, protruding past the edges, thus giving it the “Panzer” Waffenfarbe; with a cardstock core and the addition of a zink unit cipher denoting “Panzer” on the obverse - with two prongs showing on the underside per tab; measuring 104 mm (w) x 33 mm (h).

4) A Single Panzer Unteroffizier Shoulder Strap; constructed of field gray wool, with pink cotton piping on the edges of the tab, and with a field gray wool underside; measuring 121 mm (w) x 43 mm (h).

5) A P33 Unteroffizier Early Transitional Shoulder strap; constructed of field gray wool, with silver aluminum bullion embroidered tress wound around the edge of the shoulder strap; lined with red Waffenfarbe piping, and embroidered on the strap with “P33”; with a field gray wool backer; measuring 110 mm (w) x 45 mm (h) .

6) A set of Wehrmacht Panzer Officer’s Shoulder Boards; constructed of two columns standing side-by-side, constructed of twisted silver aluminum bullion wire, with a braid in the center of each, constructed of pink twisted cotton threads; on a dark green wool backer; with a cardboard core; measuring 43 mm (w) x 63 mm (h).

7) A Wehrmacht Officer’s eagle, constructed of twisted, rolled, and flat silver aluminum bullion wires embroidered into the shape of a German national eagle clutching a wreathed mobile swastika; on a dark green wool backer, with blue paper backing; measuring 96 mm (w) x 42 mm (h).

8) A partial Iron Cross 1939 Second Class ribbon; constructed of ribbed embroidered silk.

9) A promotion document to Leutnant, dated to Schwetzingen (southwestern Germany) on February 6, 1945. Leier’s unit is Panzerjäger-Ersatz-und-Ausbildungs-Abteilung (Tank Destroyer Replacement and Training Battalion) 33. The promotion date is backdated to December 1, 1944. The document is signed in pencil by the battalion’s commander, a Major, the name is illegible. It measures 209 mm x 150 mm.

10) Four photos. Of the four photos, one is a studio portrait, showing him in the rank of NCO, wearing an armoured personnel marksmanship lanyard. On the reverse, it is dated to Vienna on June 11, 1941. A note reads: “If you ever miss me, just turn over this card - and I am with you. In eternal memory.” A photographer’s stamp states that the picture was taken in Paris. The other three photos show Leier with his wife on their wedding day. He wears a Signals unit trade badge on his upper left arm, as well as the Iron Cross 1st Class, the Iron Cross 2nd Class ribbon, the General Assault Badge, the Wound Badge in Black, and the German-Italian Africa Campaign Medal ribbon. They measure 86 mm x 135 mm to 104 mm x 147 mm.

11) A Führer gift note. It has a national eagle emblem watermark in the upper left corner and reads: “A small token of appreciation by the Führer for his soldiers”. A card like this would be send together with the so called Führer gift (Führergeschenk), a small package filled with sweets, cigarettes, etc. to keep up morale. Leier’s Soldbuch states that he was indeed eligible to receive a Führer gift. It measures 142 mm x 100mm.

12) A message of Leier’s death, sent to the protestant parish office in Mannheim-Waldhof by a protestant aid agency for POWs and missing persons on November 26, 1945. It states that, according to the Red Cross in Stuttgart, Leier died on the day the city was invaded by French troops, being shot in the left chest (presumably through the Soldbuch). He was taken to hospital in an ambulance, but was pronounced dead on arrival. The sender asks the parish office to inform Leier’s wife of his death. It measures 210 mm x 296 mm.

13) A death announcement, issued by Leier’s family and his wife and her family. It is dated to January 1946. The four obituaries are of Leier and his brother, Alfred, who died a day before him. It measures 148 mm x 186 mm.

14) Two condolence letters, sent by a former comrade of Leier’s, Dr. Theodor Kühn from Vorderbüchelberg (part of the town of Spiegelberg, southwestern Germany). They are dated to March 10 and April 20, 1946. They measure 210 mm x 296 mm.

14) A propaganda letter, telling story of a vanguard unit, “Vorausabteilung Knabe”, that conquered Fort Capuzzo and Sollum in North Africa in 1941. A small note dated to March 10, 1942 states that the report was sent to the next of kin of those that participated in the mission. A handwritten note on it reads: “Kisses and greetings, please keep this for later”. It is accompanied by a note book. It measures 209 mm x 296 mm.

Footnote: Edmund Leier was born on May 20, 1917 in Mudau near Mosbach (southwestern Germany). Before the war, he worked as a postal assistant. Leier joined the army at an unknown date. He served in the Signals platoon of Panzerabwehr-Abteilung (Tank Destroyer Battalion) 33, later renamed to Panzerjäger-Abteilung 33. In all probability, he took part in the French campaign. He was promoted to Gefreiter (Lance Corporal) on October 1, 1939, to Obergefreiter (Corporal) on October 1, 1940, and to Unteroffizier (NCO) on March 1, 1941. According to a note in his Soldbuch, Leier arrived in Africa on March 31, 1941. Here, he was awarded the General Assault Badge on July 12, 1941, the German-Italian Campaign Medal on January 19, 1942, and the Iron Cross 2nd Class on February 28, 1942. During the summer, Leier must have been wounded, since he received a Wound Badge in Black on July 28, 1942, yet no hospital stay is recorded in the Soldbuch for this period. Leier received his highest decoration, the Iron Cross 1st Class, on August 20. On December 3, he was in an accident which hospitalised him until February 19, 1943. In a post war letter to Leier’s wife it is mentioned that Leier had a disability of the hand, which he potentially suffered during this accident. Needing to stay at the hospital meant that he wasn’t with his unit when it was destroyed in May of 1943. Leier was appointed a Reserve-Offizier-Bewerber (R.B.O. = Reserve Officer Candidate) on February 10, 1944. After receiving training, he was promoted to Fahnenjunker (Officer Cadet) on May 1, 1944. Between May 16 and July 24, Leier went in and out of hospital for a total of 5 times. The code states that he was wounded by hand grenade, mortar, or artillery fire. It is unclear how many times he was wounded exactly, and if he had to seek treatment for the same wound on multiple occasions. Leier received the Wound Badge in Silver on September 7, 1944. At the end of the year, he was promoted to Oberfähnrich (Senior Officer Cadet) of the Reserve on December 1. He received his final promotion on February 6, 1945, being made a Lieutenant, with the promotion backdated to December 1, 1944. Leier died during the French invasion of the city of Stuttgart, southwestern Germany, on April 21, 1945. His brother Alfred who had served in the Luftwaffe was killed in action one day earlier. Leier got shot in the left chest during a shootout with enemy troops on the Schlossplatz, the city centre’s largest square. An ambulance took him to a nearby hospital, but he was pronounced dead on arrival.