Lot 117

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Description:

GERMAN COMMANDERS OF THE BATTLE OF THE BULGE
An extraordinary discovery, a set of three pages bearing nine ink signatures of important German military leaders, Wehrmacht and Waffen-SS, who participated in the Ardennes offensive of December 1944-January 1945, otherwise known as the Battle of the Bulge. The signatures were obtained by U.S. Army G-2 intelligence officers during interrogation of the commanders from June through August, 1945. This list, 3pp. 4to., [n.p., n.d., ca. mid-summer, 1945] was obtained by our consignor directly from one of the Army G-2 interrogators and is accompanied by the consignor's letter of provenance. The signatures, each penned above the signer's rank and command, could have been obtained for any number of reasons: comparison purposes, research, or simply as a souvenir. Those signing, in order, include: FRITZ KRAEMER (1900-1959) German Waffen-SS and Heer officer,Knights Cross recipient. He commanded and a commander of the Leibstandarte SS Adolf Hitler and the 12.SS-Panzer-Division Hitlerjugend; CARL WAGENER (1901-1988) Generalmajor in the Wehrmacht, recipient of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross Chief of Staff, Fifth Panzer Army; RUDOLF CHRISTOPH FREIHERR VON GERSDORFF (1905-1980) German Chief of Staff, Seventh Army, Knights Cross recipient. Discovered the Katyn Woods massacre site, attempted to assassinate Adolf Hitler by suicide bombing in March 1943; PERCY ERNST SCHRAMM (1894-1970) German historian, official staff diarist of the German High Command during World War II; FRITZ BAYERLEIN (1899-1970) German panzer general and a recipient of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves and Swords, commanded the Sixth Panzer Div. and Panzer Lehr Division, most notably at Bastogne; HEINZ KOKOTT (1900-1976) Generalmajor in the Wehrmacht, recipient of the Knight's Cross. Primarily responsible for the siege of Bastogne; WALTER DENKERT (1897- 1982) Generalleutnant in the Wehrmacht, a recipient of the Knight's Cross, commander 3rd Panzern Grenadiers, captured by American troops in April 1945 in the Ruhr Pocket; SIEGFRIED VON WALDENBURG Commander of the 116th Panzer Div. in the Ardennes; and HEINRICH FREIHERR VON LUTTWITZ (1896-1969) German general of Panzer troops who issued an ultimatum to Gen. Anthony McAuliffe demanding the surrender of encircled Bastogne. McAuliffe will be forever remembered for his one word response: "Nuts!". Fine condition. Accompanied by: a 4pp. copy of "German Source Materials on File with Ardennes Subsection as of 2 January 1946", also a copy of the consignor's 4pp. signed copy of the "German Order of Battle in the Ardennes", signed by many of the same commanders as the above document, and letter of provenance.

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January 30, 2013 11:00 AM EST
Stamford, CT, US

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