Orders, Decorations, Medals and Militaria

An extremely well documented Spanish Cross in Gold, Iron Cross group awarded to Oberfeldwebel Harmen Schmid of the German Luftwaffe - a recipient of the Honour Goblet for Outstanding Achievement, who was killed in action on 28 August 1941

Germany, Third Reich, Spanish Cross in Gold with Swords, silver-gilt, reverse stamped, ‘900’, pin-backed; Iron Cross 1939, 1st Class, ‘round 3 type’, pin stamped ‘22’; Iron Cross 1939, 2nd Class; Commemorative Medal 1 October 1938, with ‘Prague Castle’ bar; Long Service Medal, for 4 Years, with ‘Luftwaffe’ emblem on ribbon; Air Gunner’s Badge, with Lightning, by C. E. Juncker, Berlin, silver and gilt base metals, pin-backed; Squadron Clasp for Bomber Pilots in Gold, silver and gilt base metals, unmarked, pin-backed; Reich Sports Badge, 3rd type ‘D.R.L.’ with swastika, bronze, reverse inscribed in raised letters, ‘Ernst L. Müller Pforsheim, DRGM 35269’, pin-backed; Golden Hitler Youth Honour Badge, diamond shaped, enamelled, reverse stamped, ‘M1/52’ and ‘B25941’, pin-backed; Honour Goblet for Outstanding Achievement, base silver contemporary copy/replacement, 198 x 105mm., unnamed, base marked, ‘L/12’, minor dents; Spain, War Cross, breast star, silver, silver-gilt and enamel, pin-backed; Campaign Medal 1936, with crossed swords on ‘Frontline’ ribbon; Wound Medal, silver base metal, with ornate brooch bar on ribbon; together with a pair attributed to Liselott Schmid: War Merit Cross 1939, 2nd Class without swords; German Social Welfare Medal, unnamed, mounted as worn from a bow ribbon, generally good very fine (lot) £6000-8000

With an extensive collection of original documents pertaining to the recipient, including: Hitler Youth documents (3) one dated 1934, another 1936; Hitler Youth Badge award card, numbered, ‘25941’; Air Gunner’s Badge award document, as a Gefreiten (Leading Aircraftsman) dated 30 November 1936; Promotion document to Feldwebel (Flight Sergeant), Kampfgeschwader (Squadron) 153, dated 23 June 1938; Commemorative Medal 1 October 1938 certificate of award, as Feldwebel; Long Service Medal, 4th Class certificate of award, as a Feldwebel, dated 1 December 1938; Spanish Cross in Gold with Swords award document, as Unteroffizier (Sergeant), dated 6 June 1939; together with two preliminary documents - one for the Spanish Cross in Silver and the other for the Spanish Cross in Gold; Iron Cross 2nd Class award document, as Feldwebel, dated 9 October 1939, with an associated document; Iron Cross 1st Class award document, as Feldwebel of Kampfgeschwader (Squadron) 77, dated 23 June 1940; Promotion document to Oberfeldwebel (Warrant Officer) dated 1 June 1940; Squadron Clasp for Bomber Pilots in Silver award document, as Oberfeldwebel, Kampfgeschwader 77, dated 1 May 1941, with associated document; Squadron Clasp for Bomber Pilots in Gold award document, as Oberfeldwebel, Kampfgeschwader 77, dated, 13 July 1941; Honour Goblet for Outstanding Achievement, award document, as Oberfeldwebel, dated 14 May 1941; Spanish documents (3) for the War Cross, 1 December 1938; Campaign Medal, 1 December 1938; and Wound Medal, 5 December 1939, with German documents (2) listing the Spanish awards; Memorial Card, giving the date of death of Oberfeldwel Harmen Schmid, Kampsfgeschwader (Wing) 77 as 28 August 1941; with two memorial cards and newpaper sheet from the Völkischer Beobachter, 3 September 1941, with a similar memorial entry; together with seven copied photographs - several of the recipient wearing his decorations in uniform.

The documents (some stained, damaged, repaired) are all contained in a fine leather folder, inscribed in gold, ‘Harmen f. Schmid’ ‘Documente vom Krieg und Frieden’; this held within a card case. With a leather purse containing 5 coins. Liselott Schmid was the sister of Harmen Schmid.

Kampfgeschwader 77 was a Luftwaffe bomber wing, formed on 1 May 1939 and was engaged in many of the major campaigns of the war, seeing action in the Polish Campaign, the Battle of France and the Low Countries and then the Battle of Britain and Battle of the Atlantic. In the Summer of 1941 it was committed to Operation Barbarossa and was used to support Army Group North in its drive through the Baltic States towards Leningrad and was also employed against Russian shipping. With some copied research on the bomber wing.