Just found a nice addition to my collection today ; a little-known novel called 'Pathfinders Light The Way' by Harold J Wright, published in Australia. It's got a nice inscription : - 'To Dr. Philip Thompson, DFC, DFM A survivor of 35 & 582 Sqds ( Pathfinders ) Best Wishes Harold J Wright DFC, DFM'. Made me think of two more in my collection : 'Arnhem Spearhead' by James Sims Inscribed : 'For John, Kind Regards Jim Sims' And countersigned : 'John Frost' And 'On To Berlin' by 'Jim' Gavin : 'Boston, Dec 18, 1980 To Lt Tom Wark fellow airborne trooper of WWII With warm regards James M Gavin'. Anyone got any interesting ones...?
Good job Martin ! not sure if this acceptable but here is one I am fond of...... Planes of the Luftwaffe fighter aces, volume 1, Bernd Barbas, 1985, Kookaburra Tech Pubs... Günther Rall, JG 52 u. Jg 300 Guido Mütke, 9./JG 7 To Erich, Kurt Schulze, JG 5 u. JG 51 Wilhem Moritz, gruppenkommanduer IV.Sturm/JG 3 To my friend Erich, Oskar Boesch 11 u. 14 staffle JG 3 Udet Karl Heinz von den Steinen 11 staffel IV.Sturm/JG 3 Udet Willi Unger 12,14,15 Staffel IV.Sturm/JG 3 Udet Erich, R.Franz, 11./JG 3 u. 7./JG 11 Edu Neumann Franz Stigler Walter Schuck, JG 5 u. 3./JG 7 To Erich, Ernst Scheufle 6./JG 5 u. 14./JG 4 To Erich, Gerhard H. Kroll 9./JG 54 u. 15./JG 26 at lastly in this volume from my good friend Horst.... Für meinen Freund Erich Alles Güte und Horrido; Horst W. Petzschler I./JG 3 u. JG 51 ah collections......what a kick !! ~E~ keep it up guys..
throw in another one. Same series of books but volume 2 this time. Günther Rall, Geschwaderkommodore JG 300 Rudi Opitz, Kommandeur II./JG 400 mit freundlichen Grüssen.......JG 300 Georg Czypionka, 10./JG 300 u. Kmdo Welter Robert Jung I./JG 300 Hannes Theis, gelbe 9 II.Sturm/JG 300 Charlie Schick Lothar Sachs, I./JG 300 Hajo Hermann grüne 1 JG 300 und 4D+AR in KG 30 ~E
Ahhh, Erich - I should have known ! OK, here's the favourite of my collection ; - 1st edition author's presentation copy of Richard Hillary's 'The Last Enemy' inscribed ; - 'To Dear Rosie whose courage ( almost ) equals her intelligence Affectionately Richard 6th August 1942' ( 'Rosie' was a fellow-patient of plastic surgeon Archibald McIndoe. Hillary was killed almost exactly five months later ).
Sweet Martin ! and I don't mean that really in a loving way but that is great to have a special piece of history like that. Maybe not knowing the individuals personally but knowing something of their background and what they did in life is all important. This very well will always be one of my top 5 favorites.... A signed to me copy by dear friend and EK 2 winner Helmuth Reichert of Infantrie Rgt. 43 if the 1st Infantrie Division serving throughout the war and ending up in Ost Preussia sailing to Copenhagen and walking from there south to Kassel/Uschlag to find his wife and son.... this was on the frontpiece of "The Unknown War" by Harrison E. Salisbury All in Deutsch and if I can get through this because it is in the Deutsche Schrift // he basically thanks God for his salvation through the terrible war years 1939-1945 and while his kameraden around him fell he was left to try and tell their story. Thank you for our friendship this many years and dealing with an old soldier. Yours, Helmuth E. Reichert. Helmuth is undergoing cancer of the intestine surgery today and will be out of sorts for 8 days upon recovery. He is 92 yrs young ! ~E
Erich, My best wishes to Helmuth,hope everything goes well with his Operation, Must admit this thread has got me rooting through my book collection and i've realised i have 20 which are now signed by Ritterkreuztrager and Veterans. My favourite four are : 1) Stalingrad by Antony Beevor signed and dedicated by Stalingrad Ritterkreuztrager Ernst Neufeld and my 2 friends and Alte Stalingradkampfer Helmut Cronenbroek and Friedrich "Fred" Boening. 2) Kameraden bis zu ende, History of the DF Regt,which is signed and dedicated by my good friend Gerd,Otto Kumm ,Sepp Lainer and other DF Vets. 3) Verweht sind die Spuren,History of SS Panzer Regt 5 , signed and dedicated by Fritz Darges ,Karl Nicolussi-Leck ,Karl-Heinz Lichte and other Wikinger. 4)Last but not least," Beyond Praise", Victoria Cross Winners of the Durham Light Infantry,signed by Capt Richard Wallace Annand, VC. Paul
Paul, great collection ! Yes thank you, I received a call that Helmuth is resting now and the Dr's removed 8 gall stones besides while he was opened up. Now to get his disposition up with some Ost Preussian scnapps I'll pay him a visit tommorrw afternoon. Paul what are your thoughts on the Wikinger Panzer buch ? I have it also but found it has lacked much on the late war Pz IV abteilung. The Panther Abteilung is in great shape via fotos... ~E
Hope helmuth is doing OK, Erich. Please give him my best wishes. Wow! Those are some books with sigs, guys! I have quite a few (self published) veteran memoires which are all signed and made out, but no 'big' names, except for Earl Benham ( @ Martin) A guy I know has signed copies of Paul Hausser and Felix Steiners books....Amongst others...
Just remembered, another favourite I have is a copy of Paul Brickhill's 'Reach For The Sky' inscribed simply : 'GOOD LUCK ! Douglas Bader'
Erich, Totally agree about the Wiking Panzer Buch,for some reason the Panzer IV Abteilung is hardly featured at all in the late war photos ,whilst nearly all the coverage is of the Panther Abteilung from the time of the Kowel Battles and the Summer battles East of Warsaw,i don't know why that is........but I think the I Abteilung was withdrawn for Rest and refit in Feb 1944 to Heidelager as a result of their losses in Tanks and men. Must admit there are some great photos in it,and although i am interested in 2 Kompanie the series of photos of II Abteilung in action with their Panthers East of the Bug in July 1944 is superb. Paul
Paul, am I correct in saying you know a couple of the Wikinger Pz IV Kommandeurs ? If so when you get a chance I would be most interested if the Pz. IV Abteilung has even been photgraphed historically via correspondance through them. Just took a peek through the book and what I find is just the train/supply going to the front with the typical late 1944 dot camo finish with some of the crews in W-SS Panzer black posing..... Still a great buch regardless. ~E
too fast on the mighty fingers guys...... Stevin and Paul, Helmuth made it through fine and is now resting. Kath and I will pull away from the forums this afternoon to give him your greetings and I will reply with prayerfully a good report on his condition. Knowing his robust Ost Preussian personalty he has most assuredly gotten the two nurses convinced he can return home in a moments notice. Sorry for him he will have another 7 days couped up like a fish in a small glass jar waiting for the reports on his Lymph nodes, and this we pray will not be full of cancer. Stevin, sorry we couldn't connect while you were on the west coast but hopefully you and the Mrs. had a grand time on the lovely west coast ? Glad you're back man ! Martin and douglas Bader signed copy.......neat !! here's another Luftwaffe duel set that I have been very fortuante to have German Luftw. vets respond too. The excellent red covered books, volumes 1/2 on Sturmjäger, zur Geschichte des jagdgeschwaders 4 und der Sturmstaffel 1 1st volume covers the Sturmstaffel 1 beginnings with only the last pages covering the split up into JG 3 and later JG 4. Signed by two of the three remaining survivors of Sturmstaffel 1. more than 40 piolts served in this staffel originally and then the few that made it through to JG 3, 4 and other units all dead or KIA. Oskar Bösch signed a speciadl bookplate I had made up as well as Richar Franz who speaks and writes beautifully in English. Both freidns still alive and kickin ! The second volume is very unique as it has 8 JG 4 pilot signatures as well as 2./JG 4 chief wart Leo Fink Herbert Chlond an ace with 5 victories in the 5th Sturmstaffel of the unit. Manfred Küdell with 8th sturmstaffel fought on the Ost Front and was shot down by Soviet flak. POW until retuning in the 1950's to Germany. Günther Kinner with the III. gruppe, Hans Klafenbach an ace and staffelführer in 11./JG 4, Heinz Zimmer with 9./JG 4, Helmut Detjets with 10./JG 4 later serving in Me 262 11./JG 7. Ernst Scheufele of 14./JG 4, and lastly Manfred Kott of 6.Sturm/JG 4 who had 5 victories before transferring over to Bf 109 equipped III./JG 3. ~E
Really raiding my bookshelves here, almost forgot I'd got this, inscribed from one BofB 'ace' to another - a first edition of 'Paddy - The Life & Times of Wing Commander Patrick Barthropp, DFC ' : 'To Brian and Lesley Kingcombe : Regret no refund if you are bored to tears with the enclosed, which is mostly about Kingcombe & his exploits in WWII. Good Luck, much more happiness & God Bless, Paddy B. October 86.' ( Note : I always felt sorry that the late Brian Kingcombe's family must have sold this to a dealer. I will never 'sell it on' ).
Erich, Yes i am in contact with a Panzer IV Commander from I Abt Wiking,2 Kompanie to be precis and will try to ask him about this. I do have some info on the Regimental photo archive i will try to dig it out and post it, Paul
Another keeper and I mean keeper Martin. don;t let it go ! Paul, would be very interested in any Pz IV late mark pic you could supply on the boards. do you know of any panzer withing the regiment that displayed any kill rings on the barrel ? ~E
Erich, Not sure about the Panzer IV photos,i can't remember seeing one with any kill rings. Have you any addresses for Jagdfleiger from JG3,particulary III Gruppe and 9 Staffel ? Paul
Paul thanks anyway. If you would please ask your Wikinger friend though about this and if the late Schürzen was a standard practice in his Kompanie on the Pz IV's. Also if the division emblem was also worn this late in the war on the Pz IV's...... thank you ! Can;t say I have any individual addys for III. gruppe or 9th staffel members but a private is en-bound to you for the Jagdgeschwader 3 traditionsverband. Altenwolf
Thanks mate, Will ask Siegfried your questions,although i am a bit worried as i haven't heard from him for a few months and he was ill at the backend of last year.i will try and telephone him, Paul
