Original Postwar Signature on a Postwar Photo of Maximilian Reichsfreiherr von Edelsheim. General der Panzertruppe Maximilian von Edelsheim (06.07.1887 in Berlin † 26.04.1994 in Constance) earned the Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes on July 30, 1941 as Oberstleutnant und Kommandeur of Radfahr-Abteilung 1 of the 1. Kavallerie-Division, the Eichenlaub on December 23, 1942 as Oberst und Kommandeur of the Panzergrenadier-Regiment 26 of the 24. Panzer-Division and the Schwertern on October 23, 1944 as Generalleutnant und Kommandeur of the 24. Panzer-Division. He earned the Eichenlaub during the Battle for Stalingrad! He was flown out of the pocket.
He negotiated the surrender of German forces to the Americans at the bridge at Tangermünde on the Elbe River on or about May 2, 1945. The German 12th Army, under General Walther Wenck had previously done a 180 degree turn away from the Western Allies, resulting from an order to relieve Berlin from the Soviet attack. Disobeying the order, Wenck fought due East, into the Spree Forest region, toward the town of Halbe and linked up with the remnants of the German 9th Army. They then reversed and went west, back to the Elbe. There, Edelsheim crossed the Elbe on a schwimmwagen and negotiated the surrender of all German forces on the West side of the Elbe to the Americans. Read more on Maximilian von Edelsheim (Wikipedia)
Provenance: This signature comes from one of the largest postwar signature collection I’ve ever commissioned. This collection was started by a Waffen-SS Veteran, Werner H., in the 1950’s until he passed away.
