A Second War 27th Fighter Wing Afrika Korps Grouping

The grouping consist of: a Wehrpaß (106x147mm, extremely fine), dated to November 11, 1939; an Afrika Campaign Cufftitle (400mm, camel hair version, marked on reverse, mint); an Afrika Campaign Cufftitle certificate (144x200mm, near extremely fine); a German-Italian Africa Campaign Medal (31mm, bronze, maker marked, very fine); a German-Italian Africa Campaign Medal certificate (155x219mm, better than very fine); a War Merit Cross 2nd Class with Swords certificate (148x211mm, extremely fine); a Driver Proficiency Badge in Bronze certificate (210x148mm); a NSFK Glider Pilot ID (76x105mm, better than very fine, period repaired), dated to August 2, 1940; a Glider Pilot Grade A certificate (105x75mm), dated to July 13, 1939; a dog tag (70x50mm, aluminum, better than very fine) of the Fliegerausbildungsbataillon (Pilot Training Battalion) 16; 3 participation certificates for the Reichsberufswettkampf (Reich Vocational Contest) of 1936, 1937, and 1938 (146x209mm, extremely fine), with original envelope from 1937 (250x351mm, near extremely fine); a DAF membership booklet (107x152mm, extremely fine), dated to January 1, 1937, with stamps indicating membership fee payment from 1937 to 1942; 5 photos of Knie (62x84mm to 140x90mm, near mint); an ID card from the British Military Government of the German North Rhine Province (95x150mm, very fine), dated to September 20, 1946; a licence plate key with Germany map (140x104mm, better than very fine); a calendar of 1943 (136x85mm, near extremely fine). The War Merit Cross 2nd Class with Swords certificate is made out to Obergefreiter Knie in the Staff Company of 2nd Group of Fighter Wing 27. It is dated to April 20, 1945 and signed in blue ink by Oberst (Colonel) and Division Commander Gustav Rödel (1915–1995), a recipient of the Knight’s Cross with Oak Leaves. The Driver Proficiency Badge in Bronze certificate is made out to Gefreiter Knie of Staff Company of 2nd Group of Fighter Wing 27. This is a mistake, however, since at that point in time Knie had already been promoted to Obergefreiter. It is dated to April 15, 1943 and signed in pencil by Lieutenant Colonel and Wing Commodore Eduard Neumann (1911–2004), a recipient of the Spanish Cross in Gold with Swords. The Afrika Campaign Cufftitle certificate is made out to Obergefreiter Knie and dated to May 1, 1943 and signed on behalf of Generalfeldmarschall Kesselring. The document carries a facsimile of a Major, his name is indecipherable. The German-Italian Africa Campaign Medal certificate is made out to Obergefreiter Knie and dated to September 1, 1942. It is signed by a Hauptmann (Captain) and Company Chief, his name could be Bischer or Biseler or similar. Of the five photos, four show Knie in Luftwaffe uniform, two in the rank of Obergefreiter, one in the rank of Flieger with a Civil Gliding Proficiency Badge Grade B. The one where he drives a motorbike was taken in Africa. One is of Knie’s time in the HJ. He is the child furthest to the right. Footnote: Ernst Knie was born on June 2, 1921 in Freudenberg (western Germany). He was a member of the HJ, and joined the DAF (German Labour Front) in January 1937, working as a salesman at the time. Knie volunteered for service in the army and was first mustered on November 13, 1939. He eventually joined the Wehrmacht on October 15, 1940, being placed in the 5th Kraftfahr (motor transport) Company of Pilot Training Battalion 16, Schleswig (northern Germany). He received training until April 20, 1941. It is unknown if he went on to become a pilot or a driver, as he was a trained glider pilot, but also possessed three different grades of driver’s licences, almost certainly including a heavy goods licence. Knie’s next unit in which he served until November 25, 1941 is indecipherable. It might have been a Fliegerabteilung (Pilot Detachment). On November 1 he was promoted to Gefreiter (Lance Corporal). Knie stayed with his next unit until the end of the war. It was the Staff Company of the 2nd Group of Jagdgeschwader (Fighter Wing) 27, the famous wing of legendary Luftwaffe ace Hans-Joachim Marseille. Knie was initially dispatched to Italy for a few months where he had no enemy contact. On April 13, 1942 he was deployed to Africa where he stayed until February 13, 1943. During this time he experienced 98 days with enemy contact, was awarded the German-Italian Africa Campaign Medal on August 10, and was promoted to Obergefreiter (Corporal) on December 1. After this he had a brief spell of one and a half months of front service defending the homeland. No further information about this is given. On April 1, 1943 he was stationed in Sicily until August 5, having twelve days of enemy contact. During his time Knie received the Driver Proficiency Badge in Bronze on April 15, and the Afrika Campaign Cufftitle on May 1. Another one and a half months of front service defending the homeland followed, before he was stationed in France between mid September and mid November. During this time there was only one day enemy contact. The rest of the war Knie was stationed in or near Germany to defend the homeland from the advancing Allied forces. Shortly before the end of the war he was awarded the War Merit Cross 2nd Class with Swords on April 20, 1945. (C:190)