UBB.threads Forums Uniform & Accessories The Honor Ring Forum Willi Hardieck HR

I have my friend and forum member Vinnie Finelli visiting with me . He brought along another friend for me to see..

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7, Willi Hardieck.
NSDAP membership number ,1112808

Member of the SS(nr. 32.786).

LSSAH 1934-37 (Enlisted)

Went to a SS-Junkerschule and was made SS-Untersturmführer.

SS-Totenkopfstandarte THURINGEN at Dachau 1938-39

SS-Hauptsturmführer.
Between May and August 1940 he was commander from the 3.(schwere)Kompanie with the SS-Totenkopf-Aufklärungs-Abteilung from the 3. SS-Panzer-Division ‘Totenkopf’.

SS-Sturmbannführer
In 1942-1943 he was commander from the SS-Aufklärungs-Abteilung with the 6. SS-Gebirgs-Division ‘Nord’.

On 9-6-1943 he received the German Cross in Gold.

records also indicate that he was assigned to 9.SS-Pz.Div. "Hohenstaufen"
for seven days in early 1944 and for a short period subsequently to 16.SS-Pz.Gren.Div. "Reichsführer SS"

SS-Obersturmbannführer
Served with 12. SS-Panzer-Division ‘Hitlerjugend’.

During the Ardennes-offensive he was instructor and a battle group commander with Skorzeny’s SS-Panzer-Brigade 150(at this time Skorzeny was commander from a unit that was composed of German soldiers that had to look and act like American soldiers. They all spoke English and they infiltrated behind American lines).
Died(KIA)on 17-12-1944 in the Ardennes

Vinnies research paperwork also shows the following awards
EK 1st
KVKII w/swords
Panzer assault in Silver
Silver wound badge
SS sword
German Cross,[as noted above]
Danzig Cross
Gold party badge
Blood Order
Coburg Badge

One of his early black uniforms /pants are also in the US, I owned this uniform ( ring also)

G i would love your friends friend to vist me in England

Outstanding documentation and nice ring!

Mark

Vey nice. Thanks for showing. Kolibri

Thanks for posting. I always love the history behind the original owners. Great to start off the new year with a great looking original ring with documentation. Thanks for sharing!!

With a cursory reading of the service information about Willi Hardieck, a few elements provoke further research;

LAH in 1934- 1937:
NSDAP # 1 112 808:
Recipient of the Gold Party Badge:
Recipient of the Blood Order:
Recipient of the Coburg Badge:

Nice to see an authentic and notable ring.

Congratulations Vinnie.

John

Congratulations on a great find, I agree, the soldier's story is what makes collecting so interesting. Thanks for sharing.

That is cool Vinny, I love things with a story. I collect for the history of the stuff so it makes it alot more interesting to me if theres a name and information on the name you can research. Luckly the few German things I own with a name the vets still alive for me to talk to. You are very lucky to have all this information!!

Vinnie did alot of his own research and also had the National Archives and Records Administration documents copied.. He now has a nice thick file on him..

This shows his SS#. Checks for SS sword, his Honor Ring, Gold Party Badge, Coburg, Blood Order,,even his SS ZA badge number at top...G.

I agree super ring, and with a history to match nice detective work.

I believe that this ring was sold on Manion's Auction about 12 years ago (maybe longer)and I have always felt that one or two characteristics of it were interesting. One of these is the way the oakleave design is droped below the the band edge on the viewers right side. Another is the skull attachment and heavy wear to the skull in proportion to all of the other runic symbols. Actually a third interesting characteristic is the absense of some die flaws normally found on 40's style rings. The ring may be perfectly original and I am in fact not questioning it's originaliy as I have never examined it. The photos of it Hayes book illustrate the skull application a bit better than is seen in this thread.

Hardiek was also killed on the first or second day of the Ardennes offensive when his vehicle ran over a mine. It is believed that the mine was actually a German emplaced mine that was in an un-mapped minefield. I would assume that if this ring is original, it would have been one of the returned Wewelsburg examples taken by the 9th Armored Div.

Everyone,take a good long look at this ring.It's all you need too tell what an original looks like.Print it for future reference.The quality.Once you see an original it's not that hard too tell the fakes .It you listen closely you can hear it sing DEUTSCHLAND UBER ALLES.Best Regards ZORRO

Gaspare, in this certain file "checklist" he still did NOT hold degen, ring and so on. At the time this file check has been made he did already hold the numbered ZA, the old-fighters-chevron, the stoormtroop sporting badg in bronce, the Reichs-sporting badge in bronce, the "Grundschein" (basic certificate) of the "elite guard performance badge", party entry date (1.5.32) and party membership number (1112808) but, as said still no ring or degen. Interestingly there is an own VT Number (2104) down under the elit guard membership number (32786).
These "checklists" mostly were written at the entry of a member or a certain later date and lateron not updated in each case.

Extremely fine engraving on the interior. And to find a guy who is a blutordentrager, a Gold Party Badge recipient, and a Coburg Badge recipient - quite a nice early political resume!

Craig, as already stated, at least at the time of writing this (shown) personal file checklist he neither had gotten the BO nor the GBP nor the CB! The "ja" (yes) is lined out (and NOT marked for "having gotten") and left over is the "nein" (no) in each of these cases.

Wotan, that is how it appears to me also , Vinnie/Gaspare can you show us some other paperwork that shows he recieved the GPB and the Blood order ? Would be great to see this.

you guys might very well be right! Not seeing the date of the document I posted then seeing the ring checked off and knowing he did recieve it, it made sense that he'd gotten the other awards.
I thought I remember seeing the gold party badge on his tunic that appeared in the A. Hayes SS book?, maybe Jim Toncar being a former owner could comment..

*John P. Vinnies research papers do show Hardieck was a member of the pre war LAH before getting reassigned to the SS-TV..

Guys, Vinnie is still out on his road trip , as I mentioned before he has a very thick research file on Hardieck so hopefully when Vinnie gets back home in a week or so we can get to see some of the other interesting research documentation he has..,G.

When the tunic/pants first turned up in central Ohio there where no medals on it , it did have the shirt,tie , boots, belt and cross strap. The same vet had Karl Wolff's black overcoat and pictures of Wolffs house in Tergansee ,As I remember it Hardeick was not a BO holder, the black tunic was for the TV Reg. Thuringen , the pants and jacket where named and dated . The tunic was one of the few Thuringen tunics I have seen that I believed as the source was unquestionable and being named that was easy enough to checked out. Wolffs overcoat stopped me from keeping the Hardeick items unfortunately, I had this grouping only a matter of days before selling it to Art Hayes. This happened about in 1983 ? I did not get these items directly from the vet but from a collector in Colombus who did.
jim toncar

Jim, thanks for the info. Yes it is pictured in the Hayes book with the Thuringen cuff title on it. Well, medals or not I'm sure Vinnie would love to re unite the grouping one day ..thanks , G.

Thank you all for your kind words and help.

I am still trying to translate most of the research file on Lt. Col. Hardieck.

Best regards,

Vinnie

A very very nice ring, be very prud about this one !

The tunic set you mentioned Jim is just stunning.

bttt

Had Vinnie over as a house guest for a few days..

He has gotten some new info on Willi!. Directly from a family member. New, unpublished photos,,better detailed unit histories, etc.
MHO,I think one of the top 10 rings out there!