LSSAH Oak Chest KIA Charkow # 853
A really beautiful hand carved oak chest to an LSSAH soldier lost in
Charkow on February 14, 1943. The battle of Charkow was fierce and was
taken by the Germans dealing a major blow to Russian moral and then
taken back by the Russians with casualties high on both sides.
Enclosed
within the chest are several letters to the family from notable
personalities such as Sepp Dietrich and Fritz Witt as well as the
company commander. The first letter from the commander references the
photo's of both Meyer's grave as well as his fellow soldiers killed that
day and are contained within the chest. It translates as follows:
Family Meyer!
The company presents to you the negative and a picture of
the heroic grave of your beloved son.
At his side lay his comrades who on the
same day met their heroic deaths for our beloved Fuehrer and for Greater
Germany.
Heil Hilter!
Ehrhard Meyer was young and just a
month past his 20th birthday when he was killed and I will be seeking
his records to try and obtain a photo to put a face on this piece and
get a look at his record.
Also contained within the chest is a Willrich photo catalog containing 15 photo's of the battles of his unit taken by various war correspondents and presented to the men of his company by Dietrich and a company photo as well as an original photo of Dietrich and Witt. The various letters reference contact information should the family wish information, and two from Sepp Dietrich extending year end Juhlfest greetings for 1943/44 and condolences to the families of fallen SS men.
While there was some original insignia
belonging to the veteran at one time, it was parted out but thankfully
the integrity of the box and the correspondence was left intact. A
really great piece in my opinion and very large dwarfing a wedding cask
with much more work involved.
Photos: Kris Lindblom
A really beautiful hand carved oak chest to an LSSAH soldier lost in
Charkow on February 14, 1943. The battle of Charkow was fierce and was
taken by the Germans dealing a major blow to Russian moral and then
taken back by the Russians with casualties high on both sides.
Enclosed
within the chest are several letters to the family from notable
personalities such as Sepp Dietrich and Fritz Witt as well as the
company commander. The first letter from the commander references the
photo's of both Meyer's grave as well as his fellow soldiers killed that
day and are contained within the chest. It translates as follows:
Family Meyer!
The company presents to you the negative and a picture of
the heroic grave of your beloved son.
At his side lay his comrades who on the
same day met their heroic deaths for our beloved Fuehrer and for Greater
Germany.
Heil Hilter!
Ehrhard Meyer was young and just a
month past his 20th birthday when he was killed and I will be seeking
his records to try and obtain a photo to put a face on this piece and
get a look at his record.
Also contained within the chest is a Willrich photo catalog containing 15 photo's of the battles of his unit taken by various war correspondents and presented to the men of his company by Dietrich and a company photo as well as an original photo of Dietrich and Witt. The various letters reference contact information should the family wish information, and two from Sepp Dietrich extending year end Juhlfest greetings for 1943/44 and condolences to the families of fallen SS men.
While there was some original insignia
belonging to the veteran at one time, it was parted out but thankfully
the integrity of the box and the correspondence was left intact. A
really great piece in my opinion and very large dwarfing a wedding cask
with much more work involved.
Photos: Kris Lindblom