Germany – Third Reich. The Scarce Occupation of Greece War Merit Cross 2nd Class and Invasion of Crete Iron Cross 2nd Class to Kriegsverwaltungsrat Hans Sandler, HQ Company, 95th Mountain Anti-Tank Battalion, 5th Mountain Division, an Administrator of the War Office.
Award Certificates:
The War Merit Cross 2nd Class with Swords awarded by Divisional HQ on 19th May 1941 as Kriegsverwaltungsrat, HQ Company, 95th Mountain Anti-Tank Battalion. Signed by Ringel as Generalmajor and General Officer Commanding 5thMountain Division.
Ringel was awarded the Knights Cross on 13.6.1941 as Generalmajor and General Officer Commanding of 5thMountain Division and Oakleaves on 25.10.1943 as Generalleutnant and General Officer Commanding of 5th Mountain Division.
The Iron Cross 2nd Class awarded by Divisional HQ on 7th June 1941 as Kriegsverwaltungsrat, HQ Company, 95th Mountain Anti-Tank Battalion. Signed by Ringel as Generalmajor and General Officer Commanding 5th Mountain Division.
Hans Sandler held the rank of a War Administration Official in Occupied Countries, it was equivalent to the rank of Major. The award of The War Merit Cross 2nd Class with Swords was awarded the day prior to the invasion of Crete, and was for most likely for his role in the occupation forces on the Greek mainland.
As part of 5th Mountain Division he would have landed on the island of Crete at Maleme airfield on the night of 21st May (the second day of the Invasion) after New Zealand troops on nearby Hill 107 withdrew from the area. Clearly involved in combat on the island, Sandler was awarded the Iron Cross 2nd Class on the 7th June 1941, six days after the completion of the capture of the island.
The 5th Mountain Division was involved in war crimes on Crete immediately after the surrender of the Allied forces there, and earned a fearsome reputation for its action on the island.
