Item #G40506
The document is named to Oberleutnant (Senior Lieutenant) Erwin von der Lancken of the Staff Squadron of Panzer Reconnaissance Battalion 24. It is dated to March 22, 1945 and signed in blue ink by a Lieutenant and Ordnance Officer, his name is Müller. Measuring 142x200mm, very fine condition with light scuffing and creasing, one folding crease, and minor soiling.
Footnote: During the last year of the war, Panzer Reconnaissance Battalion 24 was stationed in southern Russia, slowly retreating to Ukraine, Romania, Poland, Slovakia, and finally East Prussia. Five days after Lancken received his award, the unit crossed over onto the Vistula Split in the vicinity of Baltijsk to establish a final line of defense, as the location was more easily defendable than any position on the mainland. In April, the remains of the 24th Panzer Division, about 4000 to 5000 soldiers, were shipped out to Schleswig-Holstein (northern Germany) where they surrendered.