# 1465
EK2 hand signed by holder of Knights Cross & German Cross In Gold
Good grouping for a German Soldier, Unteroffizier Helmut Mader of the 2nd & later 6th Komp. 385th Infantry Regiment, 223rd Infantry Division. It contains an EK2, Infanterie Sturmabzeichen & Verwundetenabzeichen in Schwarz award document.
Unteroffizier Mader's division was generally composed of older men and spent the beginning of the Russian Campaign in the southwest of France at Bordeaux. They were sent to meatgrinder near Leningrad in November 1941. Mader was wounded and received his Iron Cross in April of 1942. He received his Infantry Assault Badge 6 months later in October. Several interesting things about this grouping. The EK2 document is hand signed by Generalmajor Baron Siegmund von Schleinitz (holder of the Knights Cross Of The Iron Cross and the German Cross In Gold) using the stamp of the 96th Infantry Division which he later commanded. Both of the other documents are hand signed by the Regimental Commander of the 385th. Apparently the 385th was at this point attached or at least under the control of the 96th Division. Both divisions were in the same Army Corps so not an uncommon occurance in the heat of battle. Another interesting thing revealed by the documents is that Mader switched from 2 Komp. in April to 6 Komp. in October. Because of significant manpower loss, in June 1942 the 1st Bn of each of the 385th sister regiments (344th & 425th) were disbanded. The 1/385 (Mader's Battalion) was not thought to have formally disbanded until the winter of 1942 when the Division was officially reorganized. This would at least make one wonder if Mader and at least some of the soldiers in his battalion were reorganized to flesh out the 2nd Battalion prior to December. A really neat collectable group.