Award Documents

Offered here is an outstanding and highly rare original WWII document grouping belonging to Gefreiter Rauter, a confirmed frontline sniper who served with Grenadier-Regiment Feldherrnhalle and later Panzergrenadier-Regiment 106 Feldherrnhalle. This is not a typical Soldbuch with a single sniper reference—this is a fully documented sniper career, supported by multiple original papers that unmistakably confirm training, equipment issue, and combat service.

Documented Sniper Training

Rauter successfully completed the 16th Scharfschützenlehrgang XX at Obergruppe near Graudenz between 24 July and 21 August 1944. Included is the original school-issued slip confirming that upon graduation he was entrusted with a Karabiner 98k sniper rifle fitted with scope.

His Soldbuch is stamped and annotated with the full issue of specialized sniper equipment received directly from the sniper school upon course completion, including:

• Camouflage jacket

• Face mask

• Helmet with camouflage net

• Additional camouflage items and field gear

Frontline Sniper in Action

Crucially, the documents show that after returning to his unit, Rauter saw active combat as a sniper during September, October, and November 1944. This elevates the grouping far beyond training-only examples—he was a deployed sniper in operational conditions.

Awards and Additional Papers

The grouping also includes:

• Original award document for the Verwundetenabzeichen in Schwarz (Wound Badge in Black)

• Kennzettel specifically issued for his sniper rifle

• A slip listing documented combat days

• POW document

• Additional contemporary papers related to his service

Soldbuch Details

• Original Soldbuch with period photograph (photo present but pages loose)

• Internally complete and fully consistent with the accompanying documents

Collector Significance

Complete sniper groupings of this caliber are extremely scarce. While Soldbücher noting a scoped rifle occasionally surface, it is exceptionally rare to find:

• Verified sniper school attendance

• Official issue of sniper camouflage and rifle

• Supporting Kennzettel and training paperwork

• Clear evidence of subsequent combat service

This is a museum-worthy, researchable, and historically compelling Wehrmacht sniper grouping—an outstanding centerpiece for any advanced WWII militaria collection.