Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross 1939, manufactured by "Klein & Quenzer, Idar-Oberstein". Blackened iron core, the silver frame “frosted” silver-plated with polished edges, with the typically thick stamped eyelet, reverse stamped "800" silver. Complete with jump ring, stamped "800 65", on 74 cm long neck ribbon. Complete in matching presentation case. Unworn in mint condition. Also includes 2 large format portrait photographs as SS-Obersturmbannführer wearing the Knight's Cross, dimensions 11 x 17 cm.
Oak Leaves to the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross 1939 in presentation case.

This is the classic production of Gebr. Godet und Co. Berlin, reverse stamped "21" "900". “Frosted” silver-plated with polished edges. Complete with the 45 cm long original neck ribbon in matching presentation case, interior with "LDO" stamp. Unworn, in mint condition.
Iron Cross 1939 1st Class, manufactured by Wilhelm Deumer Lüdenscheid.

Blackened iron core, reverse with wide pin, maker mark "L/11", in black case with EK imprint. Lightly worn, condition 2. Also includes a nice photograph as SS-Obersturmführer wearing EK 1 on home leave with family. Additionally an EK 1939 1st Class 1957 version.
Close Combat Clasp in Bronze

Fine zinc bronzed, maker: "FEC. W.E. Peekhaus Berlin - Ausf. A.G.M.u.K. Gablonz", magnetic plate crimped in. Lightly worn, condition 2+.
SA Sports Badge in Bronze

Iron, reverse "Eigentum d. obersten SA Führung", maker "W.Redo Saarlautern", condition 2+. Also includes a nice large original photograph as SS-Untersturmführer in black service tunic wearing the badge.
Waffen-SS pair of collar tabs as SS-Sturmbannführer. Unworn, in very good condition.
Large marching compass "Bézard-Kompass", as award from the time at SS-Junkerschule Bad Tölz, circa 1935. On the underside with scratched dedication "Preisrichten 20.12.35 SS Führerschule Tölz 1. Preis Aufsicht H", complete with leather case. Also includes binoculars 8 x 30 Kana Optik, Wetzlar with leather neck strap.
Photo album of the Stadler family (inscribed by the wife), containing 6 original photographs of Stadler from the period from 1940 "Daddy as freshly promoted Hptm. 1940" to "Daddy in Russia 1943 with Generalobersten Hausser and Hoth", plus 10 loose photographs as SS-Obersturmführer 1941 on home leave. The album continues from 1965 to 1968 with son Harald, who was an officer in Geschwader Richthofen of the Bundesluftwaffe.
Furthermore from the year 1962 the curriculum vitae of Sylvester Stadler (typewritten and handwritten) with portrait photograph as job application, plus copies of employment references.
Also includes 8 unsigned autograph cards from the 1980s, membership pin Deutsches Soldatenbund for 30 years as well as 3 pins VDI (Verband deutscher Ingenieure).

All items originate from the estate of the son, still in the cigar box as the items were kept by the family. Unfortunately no further items were available. The unworn decorations were certainly intended for the home uniform.

Sylvester Stadler, born 1910, joined the SS-Verfügungstruppe as a volunteer on December 6, 1933. From April 1, 1935 to March 31, 1936 he attended SS-Junkerschule Bad Tölz and was promoted to SS-Obersturmführer on July 1, 1937. Promoted to SS-Hauptsturmführer on June 30, 1939, he became chief of the SS signals detachment of the SS-Verfügungs-Division at the outbreak of war. With his company he participated in the Polish and Western campaigns. On August 1, 1940 he became chief of the 5th Company of SS-Infanterie-Regiment "Der Führer". In autumn 1941 he was severely wounded in Russia and after his recovery became tactics instructor at SS-Junkerschule Bad Tölz. On March 1, 1942 he took command of the II. Battalion of SS-Regiment "Der Führer", where he was promoted to SS-Sturmbannführer on September 1, 1942. During the recapture of Kharkov in March 1943 he particularly distinguished himself with his battalion, for which he received the Knight's Cross as SS-Sturmbannführer on April 6, 1943. In May 1943 he took command of SS-Regiment "Der Führer". For clearing a Russian penetration at Kharkov he was awarded the Oak Leaves on September 16, 1943. Subsequently he became commander of the 9th SS-Panzer-Division "Hohenstaufen", which he led during the defensive battles in Normandy. On July 29, 1944 he was severely wounded in an artillery attack. In the hospital he was promoted to SS-Oberführer on August 1, 1944. On October 10, 1944 he returned to his division, which he then led during the Ardennes offensive. From March 1945 the division fought in Hungary, where he was promoted to SS-Brigadeführer and Generalmajor der Waffen-SS on April 20, 1945. For the prudent leadership of his division he was awarded the Swords on May 6, 1945. In early May 1945 he surrendered with the remnants of his division to the Americans in Steyr (Austria) and remained in American internment until 1948.

Sylvester Stadler died in 1995 in Königsbrunn.

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Waffen-SS Small Group of Decorations and Photographs from the Estate of SS-Brigadeführer Sylvester Stadler

This estate collection from the possession of SS-Brigadeführer Sylvester Stadler represents a remarkable assemblage of military decorations and personal documents from the Second World War. At its center stand the Knight’s Cross of the Iron Cross 1939 and the Oak Leaves to the Knight’s Cross, supplemented by additional awards, photographs, and personal items that were preserved by the family in a cigar box — a poignant intersection of private memory and grand military history.

The Knight’s Cross of the Iron Cross

The Knight’s Cross of the Iron Cross was instituted on 1 September 1939 by Adolf Hitler as part of the renewed Iron Cross series, effectively replacing the Pour le Mérite of the First World War as Germany’s highest award for battlefield bravery and outstanding military leadership. It could be bestowed upon members of all branches — Heer, Luftwaffe, Kriegsmarine, and Waffen-SS — and to all ranks, conforming to the National Socialist egalitarian ideology of military recognition. Recipients were required to already possess the Iron Cross 2nd Class and 1st Class.

The Knight’s Cross in this estate was manufactured by Klein & Quenzer A.G., Idar-Oberstein (PKZ code “65”). It takes the form of a cross pattée — arms narrow at the center and broader at the perimeter — worn suspended from a neck ribbon. It features a blackened iron core set within an 800 silver frame with the characteristic “frostig” (frosted) silver finish and polished edges. The obverse displays a central swastika with the date “1939” on the lower arm, while the reverse bears the date “1813.” The suspension ring is stamped “800 65,” identifying the manufacturer, and the piece features the thick integral loop characteristic of Klein & Quenzer production. According to analysis by the German Federal Archives, a total of 7,161 Knight’s Crosses were officially bestowed.

The Oak Leaves

The Oak Leaves (Eichenlaub) to the Knight’s Cross were instituted on 3 June 1940 by enactment published in the Reichsgesetzblatt I S. 849. This higher grade was awarded to Knight’s Cross holders who continued to demonstrate exceptional merit in combat bravery or military success. The present example was manufactured by Gebrüder Godet & Co., Berlin (PKZ code “21”) in 900 silver, appropriately hallmarked on the reverse. It consists of a silver oakleaf cluster with three leaves, worn on the neck ribbon above the Knight’s Cross, complete with its 45 cm neck ribbon in the original presentation case. In total, 863 Oak Leaves awards have been substantiated in the records.

The Knight’s Cross system encompassed five ascending grades: the Knight’s Cross (1939), Oak Leaves (1940), Oak Leaves with Swords (1941), Oak Leaves with Swords and Diamonds (1941), and the Golden Oak Leaves with Swords and Diamonds (1944, awarded only once). The progressive expansion of higher grades reflected the escalating intensity of combat as the war continued.

Additional Decorations

The Iron Cross 1939 1st Class in this estate is a pin-back breast badge manufactured by Wilhelm Deumer, Lüdenscheid (manufacturer code “L/11”), with a blackened iron core in a black presentation case. Award of the Iron Cross 1st Class required three to five additional acts of bravery beyond those earning the 2nd Class. Approximately 300,000 to 450,000 Iron Crosses 1st Class were awarded during the war.

The Close Combat Clasp in Bronze (Nahkampfspange) is a slightly curved bar clasp featuring a centerpiece of crossed bayonet and hand grenade flanked by oak leaf sprays. It was designed by W.E. Peekhaus, Berlin and manufactured by A.G.M.u.K. Gablonz, constructed of bronze-plated zinc. The Bronze grade was awarded for 15 verified days of hand-to-hand combat at distances under 25 meters. Only 36,400 Bronze Close Combat Clasps were awarded throughout the war — a remarkably small number considering the 18 to 20 million men who served in the Wehrmacht and Waffen-SS.

Sylvester Stadler — Biographical Context

Sylvester Stadler (1910–1995), an Austrian-born SS officer, entered the SS-Verfügungstruppe as a volunteer on 6 December 1933. From April 1935 to March 1936 he attended the SS-Junkerschule Bad Tölz — a period commemorated in this estate by a Bézard marching compass bearing a scratched inscription from December 1935. At the outbreak of war he served as commander of the signals detachment of the SS-Verfügungs-Division and participated in the campaigns in Poland and the West.

Severely wounded in Russia in autumn 1941, he subsequently took command of the II. Battalion of SS-Regiment “Der Führer” on 1 March 1942. During the recapture of Kharkov in March 1943, his battalion distinguished itself, and on 6 April 1943 he received the Knight’s Cross as an SS-Sturmbannführer. By May 1943, he had assumed command of the entire regiment. For eliminating a Russian penetration near Kharkov, he was awarded the Oak Leaves on 16 September 1943 as the 303rd recipient, presented personally by Adolf Hitler.

From 10 July 1944, Stadler commanded the 9th SS Panzer Division “Hohenstaufen,” making him one of the youngest German divisional commanders at age 34. He led the division during the defensive battles in Normandy, was severely wounded on 29 July 1944 during an artillery strike, but returned on 10 October 1944 to lead the division through the Ardennes Offensive and finally into Hungary. On 20 April 1945, he was promoted to SS-Brigadeführer und Generalmajor der Waffen-SS. In early May 1945, he surrendered with the remnants of his division at Steyr, Austria, to American forces and remained interned until 1948.

Post-War Legacy

Following the war, all Nazi-era military decorations were initially banned in the Federal Republic of Germany. A 1957 statute permitted the wearing of the Iron Cross only in a denazified form, with the swastika replaced by oak leaves. A 1957-pattern Iron Cross 1st Class is included in this estate. Post-war manufacturers, including Klein & Quenzer, produced replacement pieces for veterans and collectors.

Sylvester Stadler died on 23 August 1995 in Königsbrunn, Bavaria. This estate, enriched by a family album spanning 1940 to 1968 — including photographs of his son Harald serving as an officer in the Geschwader Richthofen of the Bundesluftwaffe — as well as a typed curriculum vitae from 1962, offers a rare and layered window into the life of a highly decorated Waffen-SS officer from wartime service through the decades of the postwar era.