Orders, Decorations, Medals and Militaria

A German Second War Mountain Troopers Knight’s Cross of the Iron Cross Group awarded to Oberst Arthur Haussels’

A superb group comprising Knights Cross to the Iron Cross; Great War Iron Cross First Class; Infantry Assault Badge; Wound Badge in black; Wound Badge in silver; Narvik Shield; Bar to the Iron Cross of the Great War First class; Bar to the Iron Cross of the Great War Second class; Armed Forces 4 Year Long Service Medal; and a matched pair of Mountain Troop Regiment 139 Oberstleutnant’s shoulder boards. The Knights Cross non magnetic centre, unmarked is an early Juncker production and has seen definite service wear, the loop is also unmarked. The WWI Iron Cross ‘KO’ marked underneath the pin retaining hook. Infantry Assault Badge in silver has lost most of its finish, non maker marked. Narvik Shield, moth to the left hand side of the army backing also moth damage to the reverse side. Wound Badge in silver, solid construction, non maker marked, Wound Badge in black, some losses to the paint finish, one piece stamping, unmarked. Armed Forces 4 Year Long Service with its army eagle and swastika affixed to the Austrian style ribbon wrap. Bar to the Iron Cross First class of WWI non maker marked in excellent condition. Bar to the Iron Cross Second class of WWI also in excellent condition with all four fixing pins intact. Slight moth to the reverse side of one of the shoulder boards. A superb grouping to a career mountain troop soldier, good overall condition £3,000-£4,000

This lot was sold as part of a special collection, A Fine Collection of German Medals and Militaria.

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Arthur Haussels’, a career soldier, was born in 1895, and served from 1914 to 1919 in the Imperial German Army. Rejoining the Army of the Wehrmacht in August 1934, by January 1939 he was Commander of Company 5 of Mountain Troop Regiment 139, and in 1940 was Commander of the 2nd Battalion of the same regiment. He was awarded his Knight’ Cross for actions in Norway on the 4 September 1940. By 1941 he was a Staff Officer of the same regiment, and in 1942 became the Commander of Mountain Troop Regiment 756. Serving in North Africa, he was wounded and evacuated to the military hospital in Naples. He was posthumously promoted to Oberst.

Sold together with the recipient’s Wehrpass and certificate; and a headquarters Klagenfurt, Austria document awarded to Frau Maria Haussels, in which her husband’s Wehrpass was returned to her on the 12 May 1943, citation folded once. Wehrpass in excellent condition, photograph of Haussels, hatless, wearing his officers tunic, upper bust, full of details including his First War service in 1916 in the machine gun regiments and then further details of his service from 1 August 1938 in Mountain Troop Regiment 139 through to his death in 1943. Pages 22 and 23 full of rank advances. Page 24 showing all of his awards. Page 25 shows the award of the Knights Cross to the Iron Cross including the Wound Badge in silver, Narvik Shield, Infantry Assault Badge. Pages 32 and 33 a record of where he served, both pages fully filled out, which runs over onto page 34, which shows him on the 12 February 1943 in the hospital in Naples where we presume he died. Lastly with three photographs accompanying the group, one of Haussels wearing his mountain troop cap with Knights Cross at his neck, postcard size, and two further photographs of postcard nature on parades, one with him mounted.