Anyone have any info regarding the individual on this personalized Heer dagger (early Wingen)?

Back of crossguard inscribed:

Leutnant d.R.
Dr. Münzel
Panzerregiment 1
Erfurt

If he was a Reserve Lieutenant early enough to be in Panzer Regiment 1 (1935?) he may have achieved a pretty high rank by the end of the war. Actually, I am trying to tie together the individual on this dagger and a General Oskar Munzel who survived the war and subsequently served in the Bundeswehr.

Thanks for any assistance.

Hi Roger,

I don't think there was any connection between the two men, Munzel and Münzel, do you? The info that I have on the general puts him in Panzer Regiment 6 during the war, not the 1st.
Did you think someone missed an umlaut somewhere?

Do you need any more info on the general?

Best regards!

Bill

Bill

"I don't think there was any connection between the two men, Munzel and Münzel, do you?"

Actually, I don't.

I have the files on GenMaj Munzel and 1) there is no umlaut, 2) there is nothing that indicates an educational status that would designate him as "Dr", and 3) he evidently was a Rittmeister/Hauptmann between 1933-1936, when he went to PzR 6.

My guy (w/the umlauts) obviously was only a meager second lieutenant in 1935 when PzR 1 was formed.

...unless... General-to-be, Hptm. Munzel was demoted to LtdR in 1934-35 because he misplaced his umlauts!!!

Seriously, if you have any info on the general I would be happy to see it. Unfortunately, what I probably really need is a long-lost file for an obscure Lieutenant Münzel.

Thanks, as always, for your input.

Hi Foxart

Congrats on this dagger, a beauty.

For this one, you will have to contact Bundesarchiv-Militararchiv Freiburg, where the large Kriegsreserve karteikarte file systems reside. As you probably know published ranglisten only include aktiv officers, and none of the huge numbers of reserve officers throughout the war. By the end of 1944, for about 73K aktiv officers in the Heer, there were some 280K reserve officers.

I have recently received some data about two reserve officers from those files

Roger,

No, I don't think they're the same man, definately two different people. Should you care to add it to your file this is what I have on the general.

Adios amigo!

Bill

Gustavo, thank you for the compliment and the information. Is Freiburg very responsive?

Bill, thank you for the information. I'll add it to my increasing file on GenMaj Munzel... which I actually don't have the foggiest idea why I'm keeping .