Germany – Third Reich: An Excellent German Cavalry Officer’s Smolensk 1939 Bar to the 1914 Iron Cross 2nd Class and Defence of the Kuban Bridgehead Iron Cross 1st Class to Major Carl Neuhaus, HQ 3rd Infantry Division; 26th Reconnaissance Battalion, 26th Infantry Division; 1st Reconnaissance Battalion, 1st Infantry Division and finally Commander, German Liaison Detachment 125th with the 9th Romanian Cavalry Division, who was also a recipient of a number of Romanian Awards as a result of his attachment to the Romanian Army.
A rare and fascinating bravery document group which relates to a former German Cavalry Officer who was a veteran of both World Wars.
Decorations:
1 Romanian Medal for the Fight Against Communism
2 Romanian Order of the Crown 4th Class (Officer) with Swords suspended from the bravery ribbon in its original blue presentation box. The decoration is in almost mint condition and was made by ‘Monetaria Nationala’ in Bucharest
Award Certificates:
1 The War Merit Cross 2nd Class with Swords, awarded at Munster on 20th November 1940 as a Rittmeister. Signed for correctness by von Felbert as Oberst and Regimental Commander. The unit stamp denotes the unit as HQ 3rd Infantry Replacement Regiment. Neuhaus was probably a member of the RHQ. Von Felbert ended the war as a Generalmajor (promoted 1.10.1943)
2 The 1939 Bar to the 1914 Iron Cross 2nd Class awarded in the field on 8th September 1941 as a Rittmeister, 26th Reconnaissance Battalion. Signed by Weiss as Generalmajor and General Officer Commanding 26th Infantry Division. Weiss was awarded the Knights Cross on 9.12.1941 as Generalmajor and General Officer Commanding 26th Infantry Division, the 646th Oakleaves on 5.11.1944 as Generaloberst and Commander in Chief 2nd Army and the German Cross in Gold on 19.2.1943 as General of Infantry and General Officer Commanding XXVII Army Corps.
3 The General Assault Badge awarded by Divisional HQ on 6th July 1942 as a Rittmeister, 1st Division Reconnaissance Battalion. Signed by Grase as Generalmajor and General Officer Commanding 1st Infantry Division. Grase was awarded the Knights Cross on 18.10.1941 as Oberst and Commanding Officer 1st Infantry Regiment, 1st Infantry Division and the 248th Oakleaves on 23.5.1943 as Generalleutnant and General Officer Commanding 1st Infantry Division.
4 The Order of the Romanian Crown 5th Class (Knight) with Swords (suspended on the bravery ribbon) was awarded ‘because of achieved Feats of Arms against the Russian Soviets in 1943’ as a Major, German Liaison Detachment 125. Signed by D. Popescu as Colonel and Commander of the 9th Romanian Cavalry Division. Dumitru Popescu was promoted to Brigadier General and commanded this Cavalry Division from 21.3.1943 until 31.10.1944.
5 The Iron Cross 1st Class awarded by 17th Division HQ on 20th October 1943 as a Major, Commander of the German Liaison Detachment 125 with the 9th Romanian Cavalry Division. Signed by Jaenecke as General of the Engineers and Commander in Chief 17th Army. Jaenecke was awarded the Kinghts Cross on 9.10.1942 as Generalleutnant and General Officer Commanding 389th Infantry Division and the German Cross in Gold on 2.1.1943 as General of Engineers and General Officer Commanding IV Army Corps.
6 The Order of the Romanian Crown 4th Class (Officer) with Swords (suspended on the bravery ribbon) – was awarded ‘for outstanding acts which were achieved in the battles in the Kuban Bridgehead in the battles against the Russian Soviets in 1943’ awarded as a Major, German Liaison Detachment 125, 9th Cavalry Division. Signed by D. Popescu as Colonel and Commander of the 9th Romanian Cavalry Division.
7 The Romanian Commemorative Medal for the Crusade against Communism – was awarded ‘for participating with Romanian Troops in the Campaign against the Russian Soviets.’ Awarded as Major, Commander German Liaison Detachment 125. Signed by D. Popescu as General and Commander of the 9th Romanian Cavalry Division.
Carl Neuhaus was an experienced soldier by the time of WW2, having served in the Great War as can be seen by his award of a bar to the 1914 Iron Cross.
In 1940, Neuhaus was a Rittmeister in the Reserve Army, where on 20th November 1940 he was awarded the War Merit Cross 2nd Class with Swords. By 1941 he had been transferred to the Eastern Front as a member of the 26th Reconnaissance Battalion in the 26th Infantry Division where he would have initially seen fighting in the Kowno-Polozk area before his unit advanced on to Smolensk. It was for an act of bravery in the fighting near Smolensk, that on 8th September 1941 that Neuhaus was awarded the 1939 Bar to the 1914 Iron Cross 2nd Class.
The 26th Infantry Division then took part in Operation Typhoon, the assault on Moscow that began in October 1941, where it fought in the encirclement battles around Vyazma before advancing to the north west and the Kalinin area where it found itself in December 1941.
By the summer of 1942, Neuhaus had transferred to the 1st Reconnaissance Battalion, 1st Infantry Division and was awarded the General Assault Badge on 6th July 1942, it is likely that he had been with the Division for a good proportion of the proceeding winter, and had been involved in the fighting around the Volkhov area near Lake Ladoga.
After spending time with this unit, it appears that Neuhaus was moved, and was appointed as Commander of German Liaison Detachment 125 which was attached the Romanian 9th Cavalry Division. It was with this unit that Neuhaus won a series of awards whilst defending in the North Caucasus and in the Kuban Bridgehead. In the first instance he was awarded the Order of the Romanian Crown 5th Class with Swords on 15th July 1943, and then on 20th October 1943 he was awarded the Iron Cross 1st Class by 17th Army Headquarters and then on 29th October 1943 he was awarded the Order of the Romanian Crown 4th Class with Swords.
Romanian Troops were twice mentioned in the German Armed Forces Report for fighting in the Kuban Bridgehead, firstly on 19th August 1943 for fighting on 16th July in a defensive battle in the Kuban Bridgeahad under the leadership of Field Marshall von Kleist and General Janicke and then for its role in the hard fighting against the Soviet enemy on 12th August against 17 Infantry Divisions, 2 Panzer Brigades and 3 Panzer Regiments of the Soviets.
Again on 9th October 1943, Romanian Troops were mentioned in the German Armed Forces Report for their fighting under Field Marshall von Kleist and General Jaenecke for their fighting in the last moments of the heavy defensive fighting brought about as a result of the great Soviet offensive in the area.
The 9th Romanian Cavalry Division went on to be withdrawn into the Crimean Peninsula, and the award on 14th May 1944 of the Romanian Commemorative Medal for the Crusade against Communism indicates that Neuhaus was one of the lucky few who were evacuated from the Crimea prior to the surrender of the German Troops there on 11th May. It is more than likely that he continued his roll as a Liaison Officer up until the time the Romanians crossed over to the Allies later in August 1944.
The Romanian Certificates in this group are unusual in that they are preliminary documents issued at the Divisional level rather than official large type certificates issued by higher levels of command, they also include, name, unit decorations and the reasons for the award.
