BRAUNSCHWEIGER TOTENKOPF
The Braunschweiger Totenkopf was a distinctive traditional death’s head cap insignia of the Wehrmacht Heer that continued a regional military heritage dating back to the Napoleonic era rather than the more widely known Prussian or SS variants. Its design, featuring a frontal-facing skull positioned directly above a pair of crossed bones without a lower jaw, originated in 1809 with the Schwarze Schar of Herzog Friedrich Wilhelm von Braunschweig-Wolfenbüttel, whose black-uniformed volunteers adopted the emblem as a symbol of mourning and defiance against French occupation. In the Imperial German Army this badge was officially authorized for the Braunschweigisches Husaren-Regiment Nr. 17 from 1883 and for the Braunschweigisches Infanterie-Regiment Nr. 92 from 1912, appearing on both issued Krätzchen and private-purchase Schirmmützen. After the First World War the tradition survived in the Reichswehr and was formally retained by the Wehrmacht as a Traditionsabzeichen. During the Second World War it was worn exclusively by personnel of Infanterie-Regiment 17, the II. Abteilung and 4. Schwadron of Kavallerie-Regiment 13, and elements of Kavallerie-Regiment 41, units that traced their lineage to the old Brunswick formations. Manufactured in silvered tombac or aluminium alloy, the metal badge measured approximately thirty millimetres and was affixed by prongs to the front of the Schirmmütze, often positioned below the national eagle and cockade or occasionally on field caps. Unlike the Prussian-pattern Totenkopf used on the collar tabs of Panzertruppen or the later SS version, the Braunschweiger pattern remained a purely regimental tradition badge and was never adopted as a branch or formation emblem across the wider Heer. Its continued use until 1945 reflected the Wehrmacht’s deliberate preservation of pre-1918 unit identities even as the army expanded and modernized, allowing officers and enlisted men of these specific regiments to display a visible link to the Black Brunswickers of 1809–1815 while serving on the battlefields of the Second World War.
Major der Reserve Georg Michael (1917-1944) was born on 10 February 1917 in Hamburg and entered the Wehrmacht in 1936 by joining the 1. Kavallerie-Brigade. During the Polish campaign he served as a Wachtmeister and Zugführer in Reiter-Regiment 2, and on 30 April 1940 he was promoted to Leutnant der Reserve. In the western campaign he led a Zug in the 6. Schwadron of Reiter-Regiment 22 within the 1. Kavallerie-Division and distinguished himself by capturing an entire Senegalese battalion without loss while conducting a bold reconnaissance patrol that prevented a costly engagement with the rest of his advancing force. For this action he received the Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes on 19 January 1941 as Leutnant der Reserve and Zugführer of the 6. Schwadron, II. Abteilung, Reiter-Regiment 22, and was simultaneously promoted to Oberleutnant der Reserve. After the 1. Kavallerie-Division was converted into the 24. Panzer-Division, Michael became Chef of the 6. Kompanie of Panzergrenadier-Regiment 24 and at times led the II. Bataillon. On the Eastern Front he took part in the advance across the Bug, the fighting around Briansk and Minia, and the entry into Voronezh that opened the way toward Stalingrad. On 26 July 1942 he again excelled during a night assault on Nishinij Tschirskaja and the large Don bridge, and for his outstanding leadership of the II. Bataillon of Panzergrenadier-Regiment 26 he was awarded the Eichenlaub to the Ritterkreuz on 25 January 1943 as the 187th recipient while still an Oberleutnant der Reserve. Severely wounded in the Stalingrad fighting, he was evacuated to a homeland hospital and promoted to Rittmeister. After recovery he assumed command in August 1943 of the newly formed II. Bataillon of Panzergrenadier-Regiment 26. On 17 January 1944 near Dujoprovka by Nikopol he was wounded for the eighth time and died of his injuries on 19 January 1944 in the Gehirnchirurgischen Luftwaffen-Sonderlazarett in Odessa; he was posthumously promoted to Major der Reserve.
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SCHWEDTER ADLER
The Schwedter Adler, also known as the Dragoneradler, was a distinctive German cavalry traditions badge originating in the early nineteenth century as a special honour for the Prussian Brandenburgisches Dragoner-Regiment Nr. 2, which was garrisoned in the town of Schwedt an der Oder and received the eagle insignia around 1815 in recognition of its service; the badge typically depicted a Prussian-style eagle, often with the inscription “Mit Gott für König und Vaterland” or similar motto elements, and was worn with particular pride as a unit tradition symbol. In the Imperial German Army, the Reichswehr and especially the Wehrmacht it continued to be authorised as a Traditionsabzeichen for successor formations, most notably Kavallerie-Regiment 6 and its subordinate troops (including elements of the 2nd and 4th Schwadronen as well as later reconnaissance and cavalry units that inherited the regiment’s lineage), where it was affixed to the front of the Schirmmütze or Feldmütze between the national Hoheitsabzeichen and the Reichskokarde, or sometimes positioned as a separate cap badge. Crafted in metal (silvered or gilt for officers, matt for other ranks) or occasionally embroidered in cloth for field use, the Schwedter Adler measured roughly 4–5 cm across the wings and served both as a mark of elite cavalry heritage and a visible link to Prussian military tradition throughout the Second World War, appearing on the headgear of troopers photographed as late as the Normandy campaign and on the Eastern Front; its use underscored the Wehrmacht’s practice of preserving pre-1918 regimental identities even after the formal dissolution of the old cavalry arm and the conversion of many mounted units into motorised or armoured reconnaissance formations.
Generalmajor Heinrich-Walter Bronsart von Schellendorff (1906-1944) was born on 21 September 1906 in Neustrelitz into an old Prussian noble and officer family and entered military service in 1924 as Fahnenjunker in the 6. (Preußisches) Reiter-Regiment of the Reichswehr at Pasewalk, where he completed cavalry officer training and later composed the Schwedter Reiterlied for the unit; he was commissioned Leutnant, advanced to Oberleutnant and then Rittmeister by 1935 when taken into the Wehrmacht while remaining with Kavallerie-Regiment 6 until 1939. At the outbreak of the Second World War he served with Aufklärungs-Abteilung 179 of the 79. Infanterie-Division before becoming Kommandeur of Aufklärungs-Abteilung 36 in November 1939, leading it through the campaign in France and later operations in the Baltic and northern Russia; promoted Major, he commanded Kradschützen-Abteilung 36 of the 36. Infanterie-Division and received the Deutsches Kreuz in Gold on 24 May 1942 for distinguished service. On 1 November 1942 he assumed command of Panzergrenadier-Regiment 13 of the 5. Panzer-Division, was promoted Oberstleutnant early in 1943 and Oberst by June, and temporarily led the division itself for a month at the end of 1943. He earned the Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes on 10 September 1943 as Oberstleutnant and Kommandeur of Panzergrenadier-Regiment 13 for outstanding leadership during the fighting in the Orel salient, specifically distinguishing himself on 16 July 1943 west of Brussny, on 22 July near Kzyn, and on 23 July northwest of Katunowka where he and his regimental staff successfully engaged a Soviet battalion before launching a decisive counterattack along the Katunowka-Inschinskaja road. The Eichenlaub (394th award) followed on 12 February 1944 as Oberst still commanding the same regiment within LVI. Panzer-Korps of 2. Armee for his critical actions in January 1944 during the defence of the Pripyat bridgehead west of Gomel north of Kalinkowitschi; facing overwhelming Soviet forces intent on crushing the bridgehead and severing the German retreat, his weak units deployed on a broad front in difficult terrain were repeatedly pushed back or bypassed, yet through resolute operational decisions he repeatedly restored the front and kept the withdrawal route open until all formations could evacuate according to plan, later assembling a mixed force from divisional staff elements, the Nachrichten-Abteilung and self-propelled guns from the workshops to personally lead the clearing of a blocked retreat road and enable the division’s escape. After general staff training and staff service with 8. Armee he took command of the newly formed Panzer-Brigade 111 in early September 1944 on the Western Front; he was killed in action on 12 September 1944 near Château-Salins in Lorraine while leading the brigade and was posthumously promoted Generalmajor. His decorations also included the Eisernes Kreuz II. Klasse (11 May 1940) and I. Klasse (21 June 1940), the Verwundetenabzeichen in Schwarz, the Medaille Winterschlacht im Osten 1941/42 and the Allgemeines Sturmabzeichen.
The Braunschweiger Totenkopf was a distinctive traditional death’s head cap insignia of the Wehrmacht Heer that continued a regional military heritage dating back to the Napoleonic era rather than the more widely known Prussian or SS variants. Its design, featuring a frontal-facing skull positioned directly above a pair of crossed bones without a lower jaw, originated in 1809 with the Schwarze Schar of Herzog Friedrich Wilhelm von Braunschweig-Wolfenbüttel, whose black-uniformed volunteers adopted the emblem as a symbol of mourning and defiance against French occupation. In the Imperial German Army this badge was officially authorized for the Braunschweigisches Husaren-Regiment Nr. 17 from 1883 and for the Braunschweigisches Infanterie-Regiment Nr. 92 from 1912, appearing on both issued Krätzchen and private-purchase Schirmmützen. After the First World War the tradition survived in the Reichswehr and was formally retained by the Wehrmacht as a Traditionsabzeichen. During the Second World War it was worn exclusively by personnel of Infanterie-Regiment 17, the II. Abteilung and 4. Schwadron of Kavallerie-Regiment 13, and elements of Kavallerie-Regiment 41, units that traced their lineage to the old Brunswick formations. Manufactured in silvered tombac or aluminium alloy, the metal badge measured approximately thirty millimetres and was affixed by prongs to the front of the Schirmmütze, often positioned below the national eagle and cockade or occasionally on field caps. Unlike the Prussian-pattern Totenkopf used on the collar tabs of Panzertruppen or the later SS version, the Braunschweiger pattern remained a purely regimental tradition badge and was never adopted as a branch or formation emblem across the wider Heer. Its continued use until 1945 reflected the Wehrmacht’s deliberate preservation of pre-1918 unit identities even as the army expanded and modernized, allowing officers and enlisted men of these specific regiments to display a visible link to the Black Brunswickers of 1809–1815 while serving on the battlefields of the Second World War.
Major der Reserve Georg Michael (1917-1944) was born on 10 February 1917 in Hamburg and entered the Wehrmacht in 1936 by joining the 1. Kavallerie-Brigade. During the Polish campaign he served as a Wachtmeister and Zugführer in Reiter-Regiment 2, and on 30 April 1940 he was promoted to Leutnant der Reserve. In the western campaign he led a Zug in the 6. Schwadron of Reiter-Regiment 22 within the 1. Kavallerie-Division and distinguished himself by capturing an entire Senegalese battalion without loss while conducting a bold reconnaissance patrol that prevented a costly engagement with the rest of his advancing force. For this action he received the Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes on 19 January 1941 as Leutnant der Reserve and Zugführer of the 6. Schwadron, II. Abteilung, Reiter-Regiment 22, and was simultaneously promoted to Oberleutnant der Reserve. After the 1. Kavallerie-Division was converted into the 24. Panzer-Division, Michael became Chef of the 6. Kompanie of Panzergrenadier-Regiment 24 and at times led the II. Bataillon. On the Eastern Front he took part in the advance across the Bug, the fighting around Briansk and Minia, and the entry into Voronezh that opened the way toward Stalingrad. On 26 July 1942 he again excelled during a night assault on Nishinij Tschirskaja and the large Don bridge, and for his outstanding leadership of the II. Bataillon of Panzergrenadier-Regiment 26 he was awarded the Eichenlaub to the Ritterkreuz on 25 January 1943 as the 187th recipient while still an Oberleutnant der Reserve. Severely wounded in the Stalingrad fighting, he was evacuated to a homeland hospital and promoted to Rittmeister. After recovery he assumed command in August 1943 of the newly formed II. Bataillon of Panzergrenadier-Regiment 26. On 17 January 1944 near Dujoprovka by Nikopol he was wounded for the eighth time and died of his injuries on 19 January 1944 in the Gehirnchirurgischen Luftwaffen-Sonderlazarett in Odessa; he was posthumously promoted to Major der Reserve.
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SCHWEDTER ADLER
The Schwedter Adler, also known as the Dragoneradler, was a distinctive German cavalry traditions badge originating in the early nineteenth century as a special honour for the Prussian Brandenburgisches Dragoner-Regiment Nr. 2, which was garrisoned in the town of Schwedt an der Oder and received the eagle insignia around 1815 in recognition of its service; the badge typically depicted a Prussian-style eagle, often with the inscription “Mit Gott für König und Vaterland” or similar motto elements, and was worn with particular pride as a unit tradition symbol. In the Imperial German Army, the Reichswehr and especially the Wehrmacht it continued to be authorised as a Traditionsabzeichen for successor formations, most notably Kavallerie-Regiment 6 and its subordinate troops (including elements of the 2nd and 4th Schwadronen as well as later reconnaissance and cavalry units that inherited the regiment’s lineage), where it was affixed to the front of the Schirmmütze or Feldmütze between the national Hoheitsabzeichen and the Reichskokarde, or sometimes positioned as a separate cap badge. Crafted in metal (silvered or gilt for officers, matt for other ranks) or occasionally embroidered in cloth for field use, the Schwedter Adler measured roughly 4–5 cm across the wings and served both as a mark of elite cavalry heritage and a visible link to Prussian military tradition throughout the Second World War, appearing on the headgear of troopers photographed as late as the Normandy campaign and on the Eastern Front; its use underscored the Wehrmacht’s practice of preserving pre-1918 regimental identities even after the formal dissolution of the old cavalry arm and the conversion of many mounted units into motorised or armoured reconnaissance formations.
Generalmajor Heinrich-Walter Bronsart von Schellendorff (1906-1944) was born on 21 September 1906 in Neustrelitz into an old Prussian noble and officer family and entered military service in 1924 as Fahnenjunker in the 6. (Preußisches) Reiter-Regiment of the Reichswehr at Pasewalk, where he completed cavalry officer training and later composed the Schwedter Reiterlied for the unit; he was commissioned Leutnant, advanced to Oberleutnant and then Rittmeister by 1935 when taken into the Wehrmacht while remaining with Kavallerie-Regiment 6 until 1939. At the outbreak of the Second World War he served with Aufklärungs-Abteilung 179 of the 79. Infanterie-Division before becoming Kommandeur of Aufklärungs-Abteilung 36 in November 1939, leading it through the campaign in France and later operations in the Baltic and northern Russia; promoted Major, he commanded Kradschützen-Abteilung 36 of the 36. Infanterie-Division and received the Deutsches Kreuz in Gold on 24 May 1942 for distinguished service. On 1 November 1942 he assumed command of Panzergrenadier-Regiment 13 of the 5. Panzer-Division, was promoted Oberstleutnant early in 1943 and Oberst by June, and temporarily led the division itself for a month at the end of 1943. He earned the Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes on 10 September 1943 as Oberstleutnant and Kommandeur of Panzergrenadier-Regiment 13 for outstanding leadership during the fighting in the Orel salient, specifically distinguishing himself on 16 July 1943 west of Brussny, on 22 July near Kzyn, and on 23 July northwest of Katunowka where he and his regimental staff successfully engaged a Soviet battalion before launching a decisive counterattack along the Katunowka-Inschinskaja road. The Eichenlaub (394th award) followed on 12 February 1944 as Oberst still commanding the same regiment within LVI. Panzer-Korps of 2. Armee for his critical actions in January 1944 during the defence of the Pripyat bridgehead west of Gomel north of Kalinkowitschi; facing overwhelming Soviet forces intent on crushing the bridgehead and severing the German retreat, his weak units deployed on a broad front in difficult terrain were repeatedly pushed back or bypassed, yet through resolute operational decisions he repeatedly restored the front and kept the withdrawal route open until all formations could evacuate according to plan, later assembling a mixed force from divisional staff elements, the Nachrichten-Abteilung and self-propelled guns from the workshops to personally lead the clearing of a blocked retreat road and enable the division’s escape. After general staff training and staff service with 8. Armee he took command of the newly formed Panzer-Brigade 111 in early September 1944 on the Western Front; he was killed in action on 12 September 1944 near Château-Salins in Lorraine while leading the brigade and was posthumously promoted Generalmajor. His decorations also included the Eisernes Kreuz II. Klasse (11 May 1940) and I. Klasse (21 June 1940), the Verwundetenabzeichen in Schwarz, the Medaille Winterschlacht im Osten 1941/42 and the Allgemeines Sturmabzeichen.
Generalmajor Walter Gorn (1898-1968) was born on 24 September 1898 in Bieganin near Posen in the Kingdom of Prussia and enlisted as a Kriegsfreiwilliger in the West Prussian Grenadier-Regiment „König Wilhelm I.“ Nr. 7 during the First World War, seeing action on the Western Front before serving with machine-gun units and later joining Freikorps formations in the Baltic; after demobilization he entered the Schutzpolizei in 1920, rising through the ranks to Hauptmann by 1934 and transferring into the Wehrmacht in 1935 as commander of a company in the 3. Kradschützen-Bataillon of the 3. Panzer-Division. In the Second World War he served on the staff of the XIX. Armeekorps during the Polish campaign, then as Major took command of the I. Bataillon of Schützen-Regiment 10 (later redesignated Panzergrenadier-Regiment 10) of the 9. Panzer-Division; on 8–20 April 1941 during the invasion of Yugoslavia he led a mixed Abteilung in a bold advance from Gostivar toward Debar in Macedonia, overrunning strong Yugoslav resistance, capturing seven enemy batteries together with nine further batteries, twelve anti-tank guns and large quantities of matériel, liberating some 800 Italian prisoners whom he promptly rearmed and incorporated into his force, thereby establishing contact with Italian troops and earning the Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes on 20 April 1941. Promoted Oberstleutnant and given command of Kradschützen-Bataillon 59, he fought in the fierce defensive battles around Voronezh in the summer of 1942, where his greatly depleted unit of only about fifty-five combat-effective men repeatedly repulsed heavy Soviet assaults, for which he received the Eichenlaub (113th award) on 17 August 1942. Taking over Panzergrenadier-Regiment 10, he distinguished himself in the winter battles of Rzhev, particularly near Sychyovka along the Vazuza and south of Loshki, where his regiment helped free the encircled 129. Infanterie-Division and destroy cut-off Soviet forces, resulting in the award of the Schwerter (30th award) on 8 June 1943 while he was Oberst. Later promoted Generalmajor, he commanded the 561. Grenadier-Division (subsequently Volksgrenadier-Division) in East Prussia and Lithuania against Operation Bagration and the subsequent Soviet offensives, then briefly the 710. Infanterie-Division in Austria before surrendering to American forces at Steyr on 8 May 1945; released from captivity in 1947, he died in Rosenheim on 10 July 1968.
Source :
https://alifrafikkhan.blogspot.com/2012/03/album-foto-schwedter-adler.html
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