In mid-November 2018, an Iron Cross award list signed by Paulus sold at auction for a wallet-melting USD $1100. Having worked with such lists many times, I immediately recognised it as the same type archived at the Bundesarchiv-Militärarchiv and vowed to find out if it was stolen.
What is certain is that this award list (No. 93) is missing from the Bundesarchiv’s holdings, together with all others numbered 89 to 100 [plus Nr. 10 of the following EK Spange list]. However, these lists appear to have been removed a long time ago because handwritten page numbers – added by BA staff – are now consecutive, indicating that the pages were already missing when staff added the folio numbers. That means there is a hole [Lists 89-100 and 10 are missing] but the handwritten folios go from 582 (for award list 88) to 583 (award list 11).
The question of when the 13 award lists – 23 pages in all – went missing is another matter. They were present in October 1942 and missing when Bundesarchiv incorporated them into their holdings. Were they removed at war’s end by an Allied soldier seeking a souvenir or in the post-war years by an unscrupulous opportunist? That is a question I cannot answer.
Be sure to check out the images and accompanying captions.
Thanks to Oliver and Sebastien for doing the legwork.
Verleihungsliste Nr. 93 (Award List No. 93) sold at auction in mid-November 1942 for USD $1100, no doubt due to Paulus’s signature.
This is what the 6. Armee awards lists look like today. Take note of the numbering. Award list No. 88 is on hand-numbered folio 582…
… and Folio 583 shows Award List No. 11. It is only upon examination of the index [next images] that the full story of the missing lists is revealed.
The index, created by 6. Armee on 22 October 1942…
… shows that Award List No. 93 was present. All lists in the large red square are now missing from Bundesarchiv’s holdings.
Also missing. Award List No. 11 is still in the holdings.
