Photo and Award Documents Grouping to Feldwebel (Sergeant) Rolf Begander - Paratrooper, Reconnaissance Soldier, and Commando of Otto Skorzeny's Panzerbrigade 150!!

Photo and Award Documents Grouping to Feldwebel (Sergeant) Rolf Begander - Paratrooper, Reconnaissance Soldier, and Commando of Otto Skorzeny's Panzerbrigade 150!!Photo and Award Documents Grouping to Feldwebel (Sergeant) Rolf Begander Paratrooper, Reconnaissance Soldier, and Commando of Otto Skorzeny's Panzerbrigade 150!! The group includes: 1) Four photos (copies) of Rolf Begander, one in his Reichsarbeitsdienst (National Labor Service) uniform and three in various Army uniforms; 2) Oilcloth personal ID dated 3 December 1937 issued by the Police President in Leipzig; had an attached photo of Begander at one

Photo and Award Documents Grouping to Feldwebel (Sergeant) Rolf Begander - Paratrooper, Reconnaissance Soldier, and Commando of Otto Skorzeny's Panzerbrigade 150!!-The group includes:

1) Four photos (copies) of Rolf Begander, one in his Reichsarbeitsdienst (National Labor Service) uniform and three in various Army uniforms;

2) Oilcloth personal ID dated 3 December 1937 issued by the Police President in Leipzig; had an attached photo of Begander at one time, but it was removed, most likely for reuse on another ID;

3) Invoice, presumably for Begander's brother, Emil, dated 28 January 1938 issued in Wermsdorf by the Saxon Riding and Driving School. The invoice for 132.85 Reichsmarks is for an apprenticeship fee, board, housing, 1 polishing pad, cleaning items, wash money for bedding and drill equipment, and loan money for boots;

4) Award document for the Deutsche Schutzwall-Ehrenzeichen (German Protective Wall Honor Decoration), better known as the West Wall Medal, issued in Berlin on 1 August 1940. The document reveals that Begander was an Arbeitsmann (Laborer) assigned to RAD-Abteilung (Labor Service Battalion) 6/80 (SXV) in Zweibrücken-Fasanerie II. The document has a facsimile signature of Otto Meissner, the Minister of State of the Presidential Chancellery of the Führer and Reich Chancellor;

5) Large award document for the Fallschirmschützenabzeichen (Paratrooper Badge) issued in Berlin on 30 October 1940. Document has a facsimile signature of Generalleutnant Gustav Kastner-Kirdorf (awarded the German Cross in Gold on 21 April 1943: committed suicide in Berchtesgaden on 4 May 1945);

6) Award document for Verwundetenabzeichen in Schwarz (Wound Badge in Black) for being wounded on 5 June 1942 when Begander was a member of the 2.(Radfahr) Schwadron/Aufklärungs-Abteilung 132(2nd (Bicycle) Squadron of Reconnaissance Battalion 132) of the 132. Infanterie-Division (132nd Infantry Division). Document is signed by Obertletnant (Lieutenant Colonel) Janus, the Battalion Commander of Reconnaissance Battalion 132;

7) Award document for Die Medaille Winterschlacht im Osten 1941/42 (Medal for the Winter Battle in the East 1941/42), also known as the Ostmedaille (East [Campaign] Medal). Document is dated 12 August 1942 and is signed by Oberleutant (First Lieutenant) Jeranz(?);

8) Award document for the Krimschild (Crimean Shield) dated 16 December 1942. Document has a facsimile signature of Generalfeldmarschall (Field Marshal) Erich von Mannstein, the Commander in Chief of the 11. Armee (11 Army);

9) Award document for the Eiserne Kreuz 2. Klasse (Iron Cross 2"d Class) issued to Begander on 15 October 1943 when he was assigned to the 2./Füsilier-Battalion 132(2nd Squadron of Reconnaisannce Battalion 132). The document is signed by the divisional commander, an undetermined Generalmajor;

10) Discharge certificate dated 6 December 1945. Includes details concerning his wounds;

11) Ten postwar documents: 1) Personal ID issued in Lüdenscheid on 10 November 1945; has a thumb print and once had a photo of Begander, which was removed, most likely for reuse on another form of identification; 2) Document granting Begander benefits for health issues caused by wartime wounds; the benefits were valid from 25 March to 30 June 1946; 3) Ardust 1947 by the Greater Hessian State Ministry giving him so-called "Youth Amnesty," which discontinued proceedings against Begander regarding his association with National Socialism and militarism; 4) Legitimation Card for Merchants, Sales Representatives, and Commercial Travelers, issued on 30 December 1953; has a very nice attached photo of Begander; 5) Response letter from the Deutsche Dienststelle (German Agency) for the Notification of the Next of Kin of the Fallen of the former German Armed Forces dated 1 February 1956. Begander requested information regarding his military service on 10 October 1955. The document includes his dog tag inscriptions (he was issued two tags by different units during the war), a listing of his units from December 1939 to April 1944, and his promotions. 6) Press Identification for the Pforzheim Newspaper issued on 31 December 1963 and extended twice to 31 December 1964 and 31 December 1965. Has a nice portrait photo of Begander. 7) Firearms License issued on 30 December 1968 in Pforzheim permitting Begander to carry a Gaspistole (Gas pistol, a non-lethal, close-range defensive tool designed to resemble a real firearm, often firing tear gas or blank cartridges to deter attackers) during business trips within West Germany. Has a nice portrait photo of Begander; 8) Firearm Possession Card issued in Pforzheim on 25 October 1973. Document reveals that Begander owned a 9mm Arminius HW1G gas revolver; 9) Response letter that Begander had sent to the Bundesarchiv (National Archives) and Deutsche Dienststelle giving further details concerning Begander's military service. Units cover his RAD service in 1938 and military units from 1939-1945. Document reveals that he was wounded in Russia and hospitalized in Tilsit and Tapiau in East Prussia, and wounded again in Schierke in the Harz region in April 1945, and hospitalized in Hattingen in the Ruhr Valley. From April 1945 to December 1945, Begander was in American captivity and hospitalized in Lüdenscheid-Hellersen. The most interesting information in this document is that Begander was involved in various special operations with SS-Jagdverbänden (SS Fighter Formations), including the infamous Panzerbrigade 150, Otto Skorzeny's special unit that used captured U.S. clothing and equipment as part of "Unternehmen Greif" ("Operation Griffin") to infiltrate American Lines during the Battle of the Bulge. Panzerbrigade 150 was comprised of approximately 2,500 soldiers from the Army, Navy, Air Force, and Waffen SS (Begander was one of the 1,000 Army soldiers). Much information concerning Panzerbrigade 150 and "Unternehmen Greif" can be found on the internet; 10) Another document from the Deutsche Dienststelle dated 2 October 1973 certifying Begander's military service from 1 November 1938 to 7 December 1945. Lastly, the grouping includes a Polaroid photo of Rolf Begander's grave, showing that he died on 5 February 2000. A highly interesting document grouping for a soldier who held multiple roles in the service and participated in special operations of the SS, including "Operation Greif."