Germany – Third Reich: A Kuban Bridgehead Iron Cross 2nd Class, Black Wound Badge and Kuban Shield group of award certificates, photographs and other documents to Feldwebel Gerhard Lawin, Recruiting District Headquarters Ausland (Berlin), Section Qu 3, HQ Generalquartermaster, Army High Command; 5th Company, 121st Grenadier Regiment, 50th Infantry Division; Commandant Company (Army High Command Radio Net Station); HQ Section, Chief of Army Equipment and Commander of the Replacement Army (HQ Army High Command), Recruiting Office – Berlin.
A scarce and interesting bravery document group consisting of 3 award certificates, 11 documents and 16 photos which relates for a former Warrant Officer in the Supply Service of the WW2 German Army who saw active service in a Grenadier Regiment on the Eastern Front.
Award Certificates:
1) The Iron Cross 2ndClass awarded by Divisional HQ on 20th April 1943 as a Feldwebel, 5/121stGrenadier Regiment. Signed by Schmidt as Generalmajor and General Officer Commanding 50th Infantry Division.
Schmidt was awarded the German Cross in Gold on 22nd November 1941 as Oberst. He was killed by a mine explosion whilst travelling to the front on 26.6.1943.
2) The Black Wound Badge awarded at Sternberg on 10th August 1943 for a wound received on 19th July 1943 as a Feldwebel, 5/121st Grenadier Regiment. Signed by a Stabsarzt and Chief Doctor of the Reserve Hospital Sternberg in East Sudetenland.
3) The Kuban Shield awarded by Headquarters on 1st November 1944 as a Feldwebel, Commandant Company (Army High Command Radio Net Station), HQ Section, Chief of Army Equipment and Commander of the Replacement Army (HQ Army High Command). Facsimile Signature of von Kliest as Generalfieldmarshall.
Certificate of Promotion:
14.2.1941 – Promotion from Unteroffizier to Feldwebel with effect from 1st December 1940. Unit: HQ Generalquartermaster. Signed by a Generalmajor on behalf of the Generalquartermaster.
Documents:
1) A 1935 membership card for the sports club V.f.L. ‘Humboldlt’ in Berlin issued to Gerhard Lawin on 19.6.1935. He was a member of the Junior Section and was 17 years old at the time of his entry to the club (born on 29.8.1918).
2) Berlin, 1.10.1938 – Gerhard Lawin’s enlistment certificate for a period of 10 years from 1stOctober 1938 until 30thSeptember 1948. He was a Gefreiter at the time and a member of the Recruiting District Headquarters Ausland in Berlin. This certificate was signed by Lawin (Note: Recruiting District Headquarters Ausland in Berlin (Wehrbezirkskommando Ausland in Berlin) is a headquarters which dealt with the registration and call-up to military service of German citizens located in foreign countries, either occupied of neutral.).
3) Billets, 18.12.1941 – Lawin’s Armed Forces Driving License issued by HQ 631 MT Battalion for a Class 3 vehicle. No photo was attached to the license. The 631stwas attached to HQ Army High Command.
4) An undated signed brief reasons and statement by Gerhard Lawin’s intermediate superior (Oberleutnant & Company Commander) concerning his award of the Iron Cross 2ndClass. A translation of this very scarce document is as follows:
‘Feldwebel Lawin has belonged to the Company since 7thFebruary 1943. He has proved himself in an outstanding manner as Platoon HQ Commander with the action of the Company in Lebedenski (12-18.2.1943) after the Platoon Commander had been lightly wounded. There he held the difficult situation with two cobbled together sections until reinforcements came forward. With the later actions of the Company he has proved himself in a splendid manner as Platoon and later Company Detachment Commander.’
5) In the east, 28.8.1943 – An interesting handwritten letter by a comrade named Oskar from the Front in answer to Gerhard Lawin’s letter dated 9.8.1943. He talks about what is going on in his old Company, mentions people by name and what has happened to them. He also encloses a listing of close combat days for inclusion in Lawin’s soldbuch. He finishes the letter wishing Lawin all the best and the hope that they might up again in Guben on his posting to homeland troops in September 1943.
6) An undated listing of the close combat days for inclusion in Lawin’s soldbuch (see para 5 above). The dates are 13, 14, 14, 15, 16, 23 & 27.2.1943 and 3.3.1943. This period saw Lawin’s Regiment in the Caucasus area and the retreat into the Kuban Bridgehead where he was wounded on 19.7.1943.
7) Hamburg, 3.5.1945. This is Gerhard Lawin’s discharge certificate from the German Army from which he was discharged on 3rdMay 1945. The certificate was signed by a Major and Adjutant of the Hamburg Recruiting Area Headquarters.
8) Hamburg, 9.6.1945 – This is Gerhard Lawin’s Identity Card which was issued by the Hamburg Police Authority. It notes that he has a scar on the right shoulder and a business employee. The certificate is valid up to 9thJune 1950. There is a good photo of Lawin in civilian dress.
9) Coburg, 25.4.1946 – A handwritten post card from a Hubertus von Heydebrand sent to Lawin at a Berlin address which appears to have been forwarded to Gerhard by his mother on 6.5.1946. It is evident that Hubertus has been trying to contact for some time and he seems to be talking about mutual friends and families.
10) Hamburg, 27.10.1958 – A copy of a ‘new applications concerning maintenance and treatment for war disabled according to Federal Pensions Law’ completed and signed by Gerhard Lawin and returned to the Hamburg Social Welfare Office.
Photographs:
This is a small good group of 16 photos which cover the period from 1936 to April 1944. There are 4 photos of him during his time with the German Labour Service (RAD) in 1936 (2 standing alone in RAD uniform and 2 of an RAD parade). There is a very good PC size photo of him in uniform wearing his marksman’s lanyard in the rank of Private (1936/37?) – the Waffenfarbe appears to be light blue ‘Supply’ Arm/Service. There are two further small ID type photos – one dated April 1944 wearing the EK2 button hole ribbon and a Black Wound Badge. There are 3 photos with dates as follows: February 1940, 4.11.1940 and January 1942. There are also three very interesting photos which clearly show that he was working in Qu 3 Section of the HQ Generalquartermaster Department of the Army High Command – a Qu 3 notice can be seen behind two group photos.
Gerhard Lawin was born on 29thAugust 1916 in Berlin-Wedding. He served for 6 months in 1936 in the German Labour Service (RAD) after which he enlisted into the German Army on 15thOctober 1936. He was therefore a career soldier.
Primarily serving in Berlin in an administrative role, he was for a period of time to serve on the Eastern Front, seeing action in the Caucasus and during the retreat into the Kuban bridgehead during the early months of 1943, where a number of Wehrmacht units remained after the general retreat of the winter of 1942-43 as a precursor to a further attempt to capture the oilfields in the Caucasus region.
It was during this fighting that Lawin was to perform an act of gallantry that led to the award of the Iron Cross 2ndClass on 20thApril 1943, for leading his platoon in defence until reinforcements could be found, in an action in which he was to receive a light wound.
Lawin would go on to receive another wound on 19thJuly 1943 for which he was subsequently to be awarded the Black Wound Badge in the Reserve Hospital at Sternberg on 10thAugust 1943, and which led to him seeing no further obvious frontline service during the remainder of the war.
Despite his Berlin upbringing it would appear that Lawin was to later settle in the Hamburg area by evidence of his discharge certificate being issued there, this was not uncommon as many German servicemen looked to move into the Western Allies occupation zone and settle down as opposed to the Russian zone in the east of the country.
It would appear that Lawin was to work as a Business employee after the war in the Hamburg area, little further is known about him.
