Document Group, Kowel Pocket, SS Gruppenführer Gille

Document Group from the possessions of the Gefreiten Gert Saarmann. Saarmann served with Pionier Bataillon 662. During his time with this unit he was caught in the Kowel pocket and his unit came under the command of Kampfgruppe Gille.

In February 1944, the situation began to deteriorate in Kowel, and it was ordered that it was to be defended until the last man. Kowel was held only by weak German forces and already enclosed by Soviet troops. On March 16 1944, Gruppenführer Gille was flown into the city in order to command the troops trapped there. A relief attack by the 131st Infantry Division, the 4th and 5th Panzer Divisions and the SS Division Wiking on 4 April 1944 created a connection to the German lines. On April 19, 1944, for the defense of Kowel Gille was awarded the diamonds to the Knights Cross with oak leaves and swords.

Comprised of documents for:

– Black Wound Badge.
– Iron Cross 2nd Class. Awarded in the Kowel pocket. With original signature SS-Obergruppenführer und General der Waffen-SS Herbert Otto Gille
– Document for the Iron Cross 1st Class 1939 for the breakout from Kowel. Signed i.A. des Kommandant des „festen Platzes Kowel“, original signature SS-Brigadeführer und Generalmajor der Waffen-SS Gustav Lombert, Siegel Feldpostnummer 58620 (Chef der Bandenkampfverbände)
– General Assault Badge.
– Silver Wound Badge.
An extremely difficult to find group with rarely seen signatures.