The estate of Generaloberst Dollmann offered here is one of the most extensive and significant that we have been able to offer in many years. In detail, it consists of the following pieces:
Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross 1939 with Oak Leaves. The Knight's Cross with blackened iron core and silver frame, a typical production of the firm Steinhauer & Lück, Lüdenscheid. The Oak Leaves are the classic production of the firm Godet, “frosty” silver-plated with polished edges. Stamped on reverse “900 21”. The decoration set is absolutely unworn in mint condition. This piece was presented to Dollmann's widow at the funeral in July 1944. Complete with long ribbon in Knight's Cross case.
Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross 1939. This is an early production by Juncker, Berlin. Blackened iron core, the silver frame still unstamped. Complete with long worn neck ribbon. This Knight's Cross was awarded to Dollmann on June 24, 1940 and worn by him until his suicide in June 1944! Included is the large award document for the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross issued to “General der Artillerie Friedrich Dollmann”, dated “Führerhauptquartier, June 23, 1940”. With original ink signature of the Führer and Reich Chancellor Adolf Hitler. The Knight's Cross presentation folder in red leather with gold-embossed national eagle. The document on large double-leaf parchment handwritten, the recipient's name in raised gold. On the lower edge of reverse with signature “Frieda Thiersch”. The presentation folder is in good condition, corners slightly bumped, the red retaining strap for the parchment leaf is still present but detached at bottom.
Large 5-piece medal bar: Iron Cross 1914 2nd Class. Bavaria Military Merit Order 4th Class with Crown and Swords. Honor Cross for Front Fighters 1914-1918. Bavaria Jubilee Medal 1909 with Crown. Bavaria Landwehr Service Award Cross for XXIV Years. Clearly worn. Plus 2 empty cases for the Bavarian decorations. Iron Cross 1914 1st Class in presentation case. Clasp “1939” to Iron Cross 2nd Class 1914. Commemorative Medal October 1, 1938. Chile Order of Merit Commander's Cross, neck cross on ribbon with presentation case. Plus the large award document dated 1934, the certificate with acceptance approval and the cover letter.
Pair of epaulettes as Oberleutnant in Bavarian Field Artillery Regiment No. 1, circa 1910. Pair of shoulder boards as Oberst of the Reichswehr and regimental commander in Field Artillery Regiment No. 6. 2 single shoulder boards as General and 2 single shoulder boards as Generaloberst of the Wehrmacht. Plus a complete pair of shoulder boards as Generaloberst, all worn. Large silver presentation tray with dedication engraving from later Generalfeldmarschall Ritter von Leeb “To the Chief of Staff Oberst Dollmann in remembrance - Leeb - Commander of 7th (Bavarian) Division and the Officer Corps of the Staff October 1, 1929 - January 31, 1931” with approximately 50 engraved facsimile signatures of officers (some later became well-known Wehrmacht generals!).
Large promotion folder with certificate to Generaloberst, issued July 19, 1940. The folder made in the style of Knight's Cross folders, dimensions 26 x 36 cm, inside with manufacturer designation “Frieda Thiersch”, complete with original ink signature “Adolf Hitler”. (Very rare, there were only 38 Generalobersts in the Wehrmacht.)
Award documents and promotions: Bavaria patent to Leutnant, dated 1901. Bavaria possession certificate for Jubilee Medal, issued 1909. Bavaria patent to Hauptmann, with original signature King Ludwig III, dated 1914. Bavaria Military Merit Order 4th Class with Crown and Swords, July 20, 1918. Bavaria possession certificate for Service Award Cross 2nd Class, July 1, 1918. Patent to Hauptmann, dated 1919. Reichswehr appointment document to Oberstleutnant, 1927 and to Oberst 1929, both with original signatures “von Hindenburg”. Reichswehr appointment document to Generalmajor, dated 1932, as well as to Generalleutnant, dated 1933, both with personal letters from Hindenburg. Honor Cross for Front Fighters as Generalleutnant, issued 1934. Appointment document to General der Artillerie, dated April 20, 1936, with original signatures “Adolf Hitler” and “Blomberg”. Award document for Wehrmacht Long Service Award 1st - 6th Class, issued as General der Artillerie, September 29, 1936. Award document for Medal October 1, 1938 as General der Artillerie, May 22, 1939. Award document for 40 years faithful service the Oak Leaves to Service Award 1st Class as General der Artillerie and Commanding General of IX Army Corps, issued September 9, 1939, with original signature “v. Brauchitsch Generaloberst”. Award document for Clasp to Iron Cross 2nd Class, issued December 20, 1939, with original signature: The Commander-in-Chief of Army Group C “v. Leeb” Generaloberst. Plus a personal congratulatory letter from v. Leeb. Award document for Clasp to Iron Cross 1st Class, issued March 10, 1940, with original signature: The Commander-in-Chief of Army Group C “v. Leeb” Generaloberst. Plus a personal congratulatory letter from v. Leeb.
Large presentation photo album from the officers of 7th Army for his 60th birthday 1942. Heavy album of pigskin with fantastic photographic material from General Dollmann's activities in 7th Army, total photos.
Furthermore numerous identification papers, letters, military correspondence, a fine photo as Commander of Artillery Regiment No. 6 with the collar tabs shown in the photo, numerous newspaper clippings about Dollmann from 1929 to 1944, invitation cards from the Reich President, approximately 40 individual photos of his military career, many as Generaloberst, with Hitler, other generals, at the front, etc. Numerous photos of the lying in state of the body in Le Mans June 28-29, 1944, photos of the funeral ceremonies in his hometown Bogen July 11, 1944. Letter from Volksbund Deutsche Kriegsgräberfürsorge to the widow, dated 1952 with photos of the war grave in St. André.
Biography “The Life of my Father Friedrich Dollmann 1882 - 1944 Memories written down by his daughter Marieluise”, the complete life story on 188 pages with many photos and illustrations! Furthermore numerous postwar documents, correspondence of the previous owner with Dollmann's daughter, research materials, etc.

Generaloberst Dollmann commanded 7th Army from 1939 until his suicide in 1944. He received the Knight's Cross for the successful leadership of the army in the French campaign. During the invasion of Normandy in 1944, Dollmann was the highest commanding general of the defending German troops. Against Hitler's will, Dollmann ordered the withdrawal from the Cotentin Peninsula, thereby saving the lives of thousands of German soldiers. Hitler, enraged over Dollmann's orders, demanded he be brought before “court-martial”. Dollmann learned of this and subsequently committed suicide. Thus Hitler's propaganda machine “created” another “hero”, similar to Rommel, with a large funeral ceremony and the posthumous award of the Oak Leaves to the widow. This is certainly the most important decoration estate of a German general in connection with the Normandy invasion of 1944!

This estate was delivered several years ago directly by the daughter to the auction house Hermann Historica and remains to this day in complete condition as handed over by the daughter.

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The Knight’s Cross System

The estate of Generaloberst Friedrich Dollmann presented here constitutes one of the most comprehensive and historically significant collections of military decorations, documents, and personal effects from the Second World War to have appeared on the collector market in recent years. At its heart lies the Knight’s Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves (Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes mit Eichenlaub), one of the highest military decorations of the Third Reich, surrounded by a wealth of material that traces a military career spanning from Imperial Germany through the Weimar Republic to the final collapse of Nazi Germany.

The Knight’s Cross of the Iron Cross was instituted on 1 September 1939 by Führer decree and formed the apex of a five-tiered hierarchy of valor. The decoration consisted of a cross pattée with a blackened iron core and silver frame, worn on a neck ribbon. The ascending grades were: the Knight’s Cross itself (1 September 1939); the Oak Leaves (Eichenlaub), instituted 3 June 1940; the Oak Leaves with Swords, instituted 28 September 1941; the Oak Leaves with Swords and Diamonds, also 28 September 1941; and the Golden Oak Leaves with Swords and Diamonds, instituted 29 December 1944 and awarded only once, to Hans-Ulrich Rudel.

The Knight’s Cross was awarded for outstanding leadership, distinguished service, or personal gallantry across all military ranks, from field marshals to individual soldiers. The Oak Leaves were reserved for those who already held the Knight’s Cross and continued to demonstrate exceptional merit in combat. According to the Association of Knight’s Cross Recipients (AKCR), 7,318 Knight’s Crosses were awarded (the German Federal Archives substantiate 7,161 official awards). The Oak Leaves were awarded 882 times according to the AKCR (863 substantiated), while the Swords saw 160 awards (147 substantiated), the Diamonds 27 (all verified), and the Golden Oak Leaves just one.

Manufacturers and Physical Characteristics

Multiple firms produced the Knight’s Cross, including Steinhauer & Lück (the most common producer, marked “800” or “4”), Juncker of Berlin (marked “L/12”), Godet (“21” or “L/50”), Klein & Quenzer (“65”), and C.F. Zimmermann (“20”). A typical Knight’s Cross measured approximately 48–49 mm in width, while the Oak Leaves clasp measured approximately 28–30 mm. This estate contains two Knight’s Crosses: an early, unstamped Juncker production awarded to Dollmann in 1940 and worn until his death, and a posthumous replacement by Steinhauer & Lück with blackened iron core and silver frame. The Oak Leaves are a classic Godet production in frosted silver with polished edges, reverse-stamped “900 21” – the “900” indicating 90% silver purity and “21” identifying the Godet maker code.

Friedrich Dollmann: A Military Life

Friedrich Dollmann was born on 2 February 1882 and began his military career in the Imperial Bavarian Army, receiving his lieutenant’s patent in 1901 and his captain’s commission in 1914 with the original signature of King Ludwig III of Bavaria. During the First World War, he earned the Iron Cross 2nd Class 1914 and the Bavarian Military Merit Order 4th Class with Crown and Swords (20 July 1918). His Weimar-era promotions to Oberstleutnant (1927) and Oberst (1929) bore the original signatures of Reichspräsident von Hindenburg, as did his advancement to Generalmajor (1932) and Generalleutnant (1933).

His promotion to General der Artillerie on 20 April 1936 carried the signatures of Adolf Hitler and Blomberg. From 1939, Dollmann commanded the 7th Army and received the Knight’s Cross on 24 June 1940 for his leadership during the French campaign, specifically for the swift advance through Lower Alsace that contributed to the defeat of French forces. He was promoted to Generaloberst on 19 July 1940 – one of only 38 officers to hold that rank in the entire Wehrmacht.

The Atlantic Wall, D-Day, and Death

From 1940 to 1944, Dollmann commanded occupation forces in France and oversaw the construction of Atlantic Wall defenses in Normandy and Brittany. When the Allied invasion commenced on 6 June 1944, his 7th Army bore the brunt of the initial assault. After the fall of Cherbourg on 26 June 1944, Dollmann died on 28–29 June 1944 at his headquarters in Le Mans. The exact circumstances of his death remain disputed among historical sources. He was buried on 2 July 1944 in France with full military honors, attended by Rundstedt, Rommel, and Sperrle. The Oak Leaves – the 518th such award – were presented posthumously to his widow at the funeral. He was succeeded in command by SS-Obergruppenführer Paul Hausser.

The Estate as Historical Document

This estate was delivered directly by Dollmann’s daughter Marieluise to the auction house Hermann Historica and has remained intact. Beyond the decorations, it encompasses a 188-page biography written by the daughter, extensive photographic documentation including images of the lying in state at Le Mans and funeral ceremonies in Dollmann’s hometown of Bogen on 11 July 1944, and a 1952 letter from the German War Graves Commission (Volksbund Deutsche Kriegsgräberfürsorge) to the widow with photographs of the war grave at Champigny-St. André, France (Block 3, Grave 1090). The AKCR, founded in 1955 in Cologne, was banned from Bundeswehr contacts in 1999 by Defense Minister Rudolf Scharping due to neo-Nazi and revanchist connections – a reminder of the complex post-war legacy that surrounds such artifacts.