As a matter of fact, his 87th birthday is not until end of April. The picture is right now on Stephan's wall overlooking his helmet collection. But I can insure you that my friend will be quite thrilled when he sees it. Keep in mind that his Knights Cross was taken from him only a few weeks after it was awarded, and he was never officially entered in as a recepient. His Soldbuch had the entry, but unfortunately, he no longer has that. So in a way, this will be his Knights Cross.

Also, I should add that the "Deutchland" Cuffband given to him by Heinz Macher (Knights Cross w/ Oaks Leaf), was given to him as a token by his friend after he took out the three Russian tanks in April 1945. Macher told him as a half joke that he should sew it on his uniform so that other people would believe he was in his unit.

Erik

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