The collection consists of: an Iron Cross 2nd Class certificate (140x200mm, near extremely fine); a Wound Badge in Gold certificate (140x200mm, near very fine); a Wound Badge in Silver certificate (140x200mm, extremely fine); a Wound Badge in Black certificate (140x199mm, near extremely fine); a General Assault Badge certificate (139x202mm, extremely fine); an Eastern Front Medal certificate (139x199mm, near extremely fine); a transcript of an Anschluss Medal certificate (210x296mm, near very fine); a large promotion document to Unterwachtmeister (Constable) (255x353mm, near very fine) in original folder (257x363mm, better than very fine); an appointment letter to Wachtmeister (Sergeant) (209x296mm, better than fine); an appointment letter to Rottwachtmeister (Corporal) (211x297, better than fine); an appointment letter to Polizeianwärter (Police Constable Cadet) (209x140mm, near very fine); an NSDAP membership card (134x100mm, very fine); a DAF membership card (105x148mm, near extremely fine); an SS Police Division salary compensation letter (210x296mm, better than fine); a Weimar police redeployment and salary letter (207x296mm, better than fine); a salary certificate (211x297mm, better than fine); a 1946 Austrian ID card (97x140mm, fine); a post war SS discharge certificate (202x327mm, better than fine); a 1954 certificate stating that Niederreiter was formerly a member of the German Police and Wehrmacht (209x148mm, very fine).
The Iron Cross 2nd Class certificate is named to Gefreiter (Lance Corporal) in the SS Police Panzerjäger (Anti Tank) Battalion Peter Niederreiter. It is dated to September 11, 1942 and signed in blue ink by the Commander of the SS Police Division, SS-Gruppenführer and Lieutenant General Alfred Wünnenberg (1891–1963), a recipient of the Knight’s Cross with Oak Leaves.
The Wound Badge in Gold certificate is named to SS-Unterscharführer Niederreiter of the 2nd Company of SS Anti Tank Battalion 4. It states that he was wounded on March 5, 1945 for the fifth time. The document is dated to April 24, 1945 and is signed in blue ink by the Battalion Commander, an SS-Sturmbannführer, the name is illegible.
The Wound Badge in Silver certificate is named to SS-Rottführer Niederreiter of the 2nd Company of SS Police Anti Tank Battalion. It states that he was wounded three times, on September 2, 1942, January 23, 1943, and July 10, 1943. The document is dated to July 23, 1943 and signed by an SS-Hauptsturmführer, the name is illegible.
The Wound Badge in Black certificate is named to Gefreiter Niederreiter of the 3rd Company of SS Police Anti Tank Battalion. It states that he was wounded on September 2, 1942. The document is dated to September 4, 1942 and is signed in blue ink by the Commander of the SS Police Anti Tank Battalion, a Lieutenant Colonel, the name is illegible.
The General Assault Badge certificate is named to Oberschütze Niederreiter of the 3rd Company of SS Police Anti Tank Battalion. It is dated to November 1, 1941 and signed in blue ink by the Deputy Division Commander of the SS Police Division, a Colonel, his name is illegible.
The Eastern Front Medal certificate is named to SS-Rottenführer Niederreiter. It is dated to July 30, 1942 and is signed in blue ink by an SS-Hauptsturmführer, the name is illegible.
The transcript of the Anschluss Medal certificate is named to Hilfsarbeiter (auxiliary worker) Niederreiter in St. Veit im Pongau (Austria). The original is dated to Berlin on November 30, 1939. The transcript was certified by an NSDAP local group leader on July 9, 1942.
The promotion document to Unterwachtmeister (Constable) of the Schutzpolizei is dated to Weimar on April 20, 1941 and signed in blue ink by the Deputy Commander of the Schutzpolizei, a Hauptmann (Captain), the name could be Obermejer or Obermeyer.
The appointment letter to Wachtmeister (Sergeant) is dated to Weimar on July 8, 1944.
The appointment letter to Rottwachtmeister (Corporal) is dated to April 20, 1942. It states that Niederreiter has been assigned to a permanent post at the police headquarters of Weimar.
The appointment letter to Polizeianwärter (Police Constable Cadet) is dated to Fürstenfeldbruck (Bavaria) on February 19, 1940. It is signed in blue ink by the Commander of Police Training Battalion Fürstenfeldbruck, Major of the Schutzpolizei Diez.
The NSDAP membership card was issued by the local group of St. Veit. Niederreiter joined on May 1, 1938. The card is dated to July 15, 1939 and signed in blue ink by Reichsschatzmeister (National Treasurer) of the NSDAP Franz Xaver Schwarz (1875–1947).
The DAF membership card states that Niederreiter joined on June 1, 1938. It is dated to June 28, 1938.
The SS Police Division salary compensation letter is dated to August 1, 1940. It states that as part of the SS Police Division Niederreiter counts as a soldier and is eligible for an army salary of 30 Reichsmark per month. Because of this, the same amount will be subtracted from his police salary.
The Weimar police redeployment and salary letter is dated to October 14, 1940. It states that Niederreiter was redeployed to the Police Training Battalion Weimar on July 1, 1940. Niederreiter signed the paper in black ink.
The salary certificate is dated to Weimar on September 8, 1941.
The Austrian ID card contains a picture of Niederreiter. It is dated to July 18, 1946. The information is given in four languages, German, English, French, and Russian.
The post war SS discharge certificate is dated to June 10, 1946 and signed by 2nd Lieutenant John Y. Bohn. It is in German and English.
A certificate dated to October 28, 1954 states that Niederreiter was a member of the German Police and Wehrmacht from February 19, 1940 to June 12, 1946.
Footnote: Peter Niederreiter was born on June 26, 1920 in St. Veit im Pongau (Austria). He joined the NSDAP on May 1, 1938, and the DAF a month after that. On November 30, 1939 he was awarded the Anschluss Medal as a Hilfsarbeiter (auxiliary worker). In early 1940 Niederreiter volunteered for work in the police service and became a Polizeianwärter (Police Constable Cadet). His training began in Fürstenfeldbruck (Bavaria), but he was subsequently transferred to the city of Weimar (eastern Germany) on July 1. On April 1, 1941 Niederreiter was promoted to Unterwachtmeister (Constable) of the Schutzpolizei (Order Police). Since the German police was overseen by SS leader Himmler, connections between the two organisations existed, for example the SS Police Division in which Niederreiter served. As such he received the General Assault Badge in the rank of Oberschütze in the SS Police Anti Tank Battalion on November 1, 1941. On April 1, 1942 he was promoted to Rottwachtmeister (Corporal) in his capacity as a policeman. On July 30, 1942 Niederreiter received the Eastern Front Medal. His rank is given as SS-Rottenführer. He was wounded on September 2 for the first time and received the Wound Badge in Black two days later, in the rank of Gefreiter. Presumably tied in with this, Niederreiter received his highest decoration, the Iron Cross 2nd Class, on September 11. By July 23, 1943 he had been wounded an additional two times, thus receiving the Wound Badge in Silver. On July 1, 1944, after four years of service, Niederreiter was promoted to Wachtmeister (Sergeant) of the Schutzpolizei. He was wounded another two times, the last time on March 5, 1945, receiving the Wound Badge in Gold on April 24 in the rank of SS-Unterscharführer. Niederreiter survived the war and afterwards worked for the Austrian railways.