Eastern Front Medal (Winterschlacht im Osten), on ribbon. With 2 (!) award documents, one issued by Heavy Artillery Training Battalion 38, the other "Artillery.. Training Staff..", both dated 7.8.1942. Wound Badge 1939 in Black, blackened brass sheet. With the certificate of possession as Lieutenant, 2./Panzer Artillery Regiment 78, issued October 15, 1943. Iron Cross 1939 2nd Class, on ribbon. The award document is missing. Wound Badge 1939 in Silver, fine zinc, maker "107". With the certificate of possession for 3 wounds, in 2. (Self-Propelled) Panzer Artillery Regiment 78, issued 1.12.1943. General Assault Badge, fine zinc. With the certificate of possession as Lieutenant in I.(Self-Propelled) Panzer Artillery Regiment 78, issued 1.12.1943. Only 5 days later Bettac receives the Tank Battle Badge in Silver, silver-plated fine zinc, maker Wurster, pin catch missing on reverse. The certificate of possession issued with the same unit December 6, 1943, with original signature Colonel and Regimental Commander. Iron Cross 1939 1st Class, maker Zimmermann, on the inside of the pin with maker designation "20". With the award document as Lieutenant Staff I. (Self-Propelled) Panzer Artillery Regiment 78, issued 8.2.1944, with original signature "M.d.F.b. Dr. Mauss Oberst" (= Emil Karl Hans Mauss, finally Lieutenant General, Commander of 7th Panzer Division, recipient of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves, Swords and Diamonds). The award of the Iron Cross 1st Class took place on 24.12.1943. With the handwritten radio message from Regimental Commander Lieutenant Colonel Allmendinger from Regiment to I/78, dated 24.12. 14:40: "To Bettac: Heartiest congratulations on the Iron Cross 1st Class Allmendinger Lt. Col. - To all Wespe men a Merry Christmas." Award document "Lieutenant Bettac Staff I./Panzer Artillery Regiment 78 receives as recognition for repeated distinction in combat 1 watch as a gift. Division Command Post, 29.2.1944, with original signature "Dr. Mauss, Oberst and Commander of 7th Panzer Division". With the Wehrmacht wristwatch, brand "Helma", stamped on reverse "D 14143 H", on original leather strap. Worn, functional. General Assault Badge with engagement number "25", maker "RK". With the certificate of possession "I award the 2nd Grade of the Assault Badge for brave participation in 25 days of action", issued "Panzer Artillery Regiment 78 Regimental Command Post, 1.3.44 - Allmendinger Lt. Col. and Regimental Commander (= this is a printed form only for this regiment). With his identification tag "4./Heavy Artillery Replacement Battalion 38", set of breast eagle, collar tabs and shoulder boards as First Lieutenant and the worn ribbon for Iron Cross 2nd Class, removed from assault gun jacket at war's end. A beautiful framed portrait photo as First Lieutenant, 2 small photos as Lieutenant in assault gun jacket with the freshly awarded Iron Cross 1st Class and the Tank Battle Badge in Silver, 2 excellent photos Russia in black (!) tank jacket and crusher cap next to 2 officer comrades (one in camouflage uniform with panzer collar tabs!), inscribed on reverse "Dedicated in friendship.. 30.VII. 1945", another photo of his "Wespe" on the march, behind it 3 more Wespe Sd.Kfz. 124. A field post envelope as registered letter, stamped "Service Field Post Number 09345" (Staff I and 1st-3rd Battery Panzer Artillery Regiment 78.) without content, probably the transmission of the award document for Iron Cross 1st Class. Plus 5 more photos, partly training, partly Eastern Front.

An outstanding estate of a brave front officer, as rarely appears today, directly from a private household.

Panzer Artillery Regiment 78 was created on March 23, 1942 through the renaming of Artillery Regiment 78. The regiment was subordinate to 7th Panzer Division. At the beginning of the Russian campaign on June 22, 1941, 7th Panzer Division belonged to Panzer Group 3, within which the regiment participated in the advance via Vilna, Vitebsk, Smolensk, Vyazma and Klin in the area before Moscow, after the withdrawal of Army Group Center, Panzer Artillery Regiment 78 fought in months of hard combat at Rzhev, due to high losses the entire 7th Panzer Division was transferred to France in June 1942 for reconstitution. In January 1943 emergency transport to the Donets and Mius front in southern Russia, there the regiment fought among others around Izyum, in May around Kharkov, then during "Operation Citadel" on the eastern flank of the German attack front at Belgorod, the retreat of 1943 brought it via Kiev (November) and Zhitomir (December) to Tarnopol (March 1944). After a brief rest period, Panzer Artillery Regiment 78 was encircled within 1st Panzer Army around Kamenets-Podolsky, but managed to break through with the division, the retreat of 1944 led via Brody, Minsk, Lida and in August 1944 to Lithuania and Courland. The 7th Panzer Division escaped encirclement in Courland and was able to reach the East Prussian front with its regiments and battle groups at Memel. In January fighting around Narew, Zichenau and Deutsch-Eylau, afterwards to the area south of Danzig, there the batteries fired their last ammunition on the last day of the war.

448952

Wehrmacht extensive award and document estate of later First Lieutenant Karl-August Bettac, Staff I. (Self-Propelled) Panzer Artillery Regiment 78, Commander of a self-propelled artillery gun “Wespe” (Sd. Kfz. 124)

This awards grouping documents the front-line service career of Oberleutnant Karl-August Bettac, who served as commander of a Wespe (Sd.Kfz. 124) self-propelled howitzer in the Staff of the 1st (Self-Propelled) Battalion of Panzer-Artillerie-Regiment 78, which was assigned to the legendary 7th Panzer Division. The division, formerly commanded by Erwin Rommel and known as the “Ghost Division,” fought through some of the most brutal battles on the Eastern Front from 1941 to 1945.

The Wespe was a self-propelled 10.5cm howitzer produced between February 1943 and June 1944 in a run of 676 units, designed to provide Panzer divisions with mobile artillery support. Bettac's service in this role represents the technical evolution of German armored warfare during the middle war years, as the Wehrmacht sought to maintain tactical mobility against increasingly superior enemy forces.

The Eastern Front Medal (Medaille Winterschlacht im Osten 1941/42), instituted on 26 May 1942 by Adolf Hitler and designed by SS-Unterscharführer Ernst Krause, honored service on the Eastern Front between 15 November 1941 and 15 April 1942. Bettac received two award documents for this decoration, both dated 7 August 1942. The medal was awarded over three million times by September 1944, making it one of the most common German awards of the Second World War. Award criteria included at least fourteen days of combat, sixty days in the operational area, a wounding qualifying for the Wound Badge, or frostbite.

His two Wound Badges – in Black (awarded 15 October 1943) and in Silver for his third wounding (awarded 1 December 1943) – document the physical toll of combat. The Wound Badge 1939 was instituted on 1 September 1939 and awarded in three classes: Black for one to two wounds, Silver for three to four wounds, and Gold for five or more wounds. The silver badge bears maker mark 107 from Carl Wild of Hamburg and is made of fine zinc, typical of later wartime production.

On 1 December 1943, Bettac received the General Assault Badge, instituted on 1 June 1940 by Generalfeldmarschall Walther von Brauchitsch and designed by Wilhelm Ernst Peekhaus of Berlin. This award honored three infantry-style assaults on three different days for personnel not eligible for the Infantry Assault Badge, including artillerymen, engineers, and anti-tank units supporting infantry. Just five days later, on 6 December 1943, he was awarded the Panzer Badge in Silver, designed by Peekhaus and instituted on 20 December 1939 by Generaloberst Walther von Brauchitsch. The silver-plated fine zinc example by manufacturer Wurster honored three armored assaults on three different days as a tank commander, driver, gunner, or radio operator.

The culmination of his awards was the Iron Cross 1st Class, whose award on 24 December 1943 was announced in a handwritten radio message from regimental commander Oberstleutnant Allmendinger: “To Bettac: Hearty congratulations on the E.K.1 Allmendinger Oberstltn. - To all Wespe men a merry Christmas.” The formal certificate was issued on 8 February 1944 and bears the original signature of Oberst Dr. Emil Karl Hans Mauss, who commanded the 7th Panzer Division from January 1944 to February 1945. Mauss was one of only twenty-seven recipients of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves, Swords and Diamonds, which he received on 15 April 1945 as the twenty-sixth recipient. The Iron Cross was re-instituted on 1 September 1939 by Adolf Hitler; the 1st Class was awarded approximately 450,000 times, while the 2nd Class was awarded approximately three million times. The present example bears the maker mark 20 from Zimmermann on the inside of the needle.

On 29 February 1944, Bettac received a Wehrmacht wristwatch of the Helma brand as a gift “as recognition for repeated distinction in combat,” as attested by the award certificate signed by Dr. Mauss. Just one day later, on 1 March 1944, he was awarded the General Assault Badge with the numeral 25, which honored participation in twenty-five assault operations. These numbered versions were introduced on 22 June 1943 and were significantly rarer than the standard badges.

Panzer-Artillerie-Regiment 78 was created on 23 March 1942 by renaming Artillerie-Regiment 78. At the beginning of the Russian campaign on 22 June 1941, the 7th Panzer Division belonged to Panzer Group 3 and participated in the advance via Wilna, Witebsk, Smolensk, Wjasma, and Klin to the area before Moscow. After the withdrawal of Army Group Center, the regiment fought for months at Rzhev. Following heavy losses, the entire division was transferred to France for refitting in June 1942. In January 1943, it was rushed to the Donets and Mius front in southern Russia, where the regiment fought at Isjum, in May around Kharkov, and then during Operation Citadel on the eastern flank of the German offensive front at Belgorod. The retreat of 1943 led via Kiev in November and Zhitomir in December to Tarnopol in March 1944. After a brief rest period, the regiment was encircled with the 1st Panzer Army around Kamenez-Podolsk but managed to break out with the division. The retreat of 1944 led via Brody, Minsk, and Lida, and in August 1944 to Lithuania and Courland. The division escaped the Courland encirclement and reached the East Prussian front at Memel. In January 1945 followed battles around Narew, Zichenau, and Deutsch-Eylau, then movement to the area south of Danzig, where the batteries fired their last ammunition on the last day of the war.

After 1945, Nazi-era awards were banned by Allied occupation authorities. West German law of 1957 permitted denazified versions to be worn with the swastika removed. The Eastern Front Medal, Wound Badges, and Iron Cross 1939 were authorized for wear by Bundeswehr veterans with the swastika removed or ground off. This grouping from a private household represents the typical mid-war front officer awards and documents the sacrifice of the 7th Panzer Division from Moscow to final defeat.