SIX VERY RARE ORIGINAL KORMORAN DOCUMENTS
A highly emotive and very rare group of 3 documents to a German sailor Decorated and Killed in action during the HMAS Sydney / Kormoran action comprising:
1. Official death certificate for AUGUST BILGES, showing him as KIA in Australian waters and dated 22.Juli.1943.
2. Official Naval (decorated border) death scroll named to AUGUST BILGES designed to be framed by the family.
3. Iron Cross 2nd Class award document to " maschineobergefreiten August Bilges vom Kommando Hilfskreuser Cormoran'. Signed and dated 19.11.1941 making it an actual award for the sinking of the Sydney.
4. The transcript of AUGUST BILGES record in Germany supplied along with a copy of his photo from the German archives
5.Also included in this offering is a very rare document awarding Otto Dornis das Kriegsabzeichen fur Hilfskkreuzer (Auxiliary Cruiser Badge) from the German Office looking after POW’s dated 1943.
At the time of the Sydney action this badge had not been distributed and it is interesting to see German efficiency ensuring that their sailor is made aware of his award despite being a POW in Victoria Australia. Otto Dornis is identified in a group photo of POW’s in Australia.
6 & 7. Two extremely rare documents also issued by the same German POW office advising the promotion of a Kormoran Sailor Friedrich Krebs in 1943 and again in 1944 whilst being a POW in Australia.
There can be no other Australian Naval action which has caused so much emotion among the Australian public than the sinking of the "Sydney". These documents are a rare incite to the other side and very rarely if ever seen on the open market.
Note: These 6 items are offered for both their educational and extreme historical importance to Australian Naval History. They are certainly not an endorsement of Nazi ideology.
$8500
