Emil Vogel – 101. Jäger-Division (Eichenlaub)

Original Postwar Signature on a Postwar Photo of Emil Vogel. Generalleutnant Emil Vogel (20 July 1894, Zwickau † 1 October 1985, Mülheim) was a veteran officer of both World Wars who rose to the rank of Generalleutnant in the Wehrmacht. He earned the Knight’s Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves for his outstanding leadership of the 101. Jäger-Division during some of the fiercest battles on the Eastern Front, including the Kuban bridgehead and the Kamenets-Podolsky pocket.

Awards and Decorations:

• Knight’s Cross of the Iron Cross (Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes) – 7 August 1943, as Generalleutnant and Commander of the 101. Jäger-Division.

  Awarded for his successful leadership during the division’s heavy fighting in the Kuban bridgehead, notably:

  1. The capture of Kurinskij basin on the Tuapse road (03.10.1942).

  2. Personally leading III./Grenadier-Regiment 419 in a counterattack that destroyed Soviet forces at Kulturnyj (09.02.1943).

  3. Crushing the Soviet bridgehead east of Ssakataj (29./30.04.1943).

  4. Eliminating Soviet troops who penetrated the Adagut position at Kesslerovo (01.05.1943).

  5. Retaking and holding Hill 121.4 against tanks and aircraft (26.05.1943).

• Wehrmachtbericht Mention – 29 March 1944: Recognition of the 101. Jäger-Division’s outstanding performance during the Kamenets-Podolsky encirclement battle.

• Knight’s Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves (Ritterkreuz mit Eichenlaub) – 14 May 1944, as Generalleutnant and Commander of the 101. Jäger-Division.

  Awarded for the division’s determined defensive and rearguard actions during the breakout from the Kamenets-Podolsky pocket, where Vogel’s troops enabled XLVI. Panzerkorps to avoid destruction.

Career Highlights:

• Entered military service in 1914, serving in the First World War with distinction.

• Continued his career in the Reichswehr and later the Wehrmacht, specializing in infantry and light infantry (Jäger) leadership.

• Commanded the 101. Jäger-Division, one of the elite light infantry divisions of the German Army, in heavy fighting on the Eastern Front.

• Recognized as a capable and courageous field commander, personally leading troops in battle on multiple occasions.

• Captured at the end of the war and later released, living in Mülheim until his death in 1985.

Item Details:

• Authentic postwar signature of Generalleutnant Emil Vogel.

• Signed on a postwar photograph.

• Condition: Excellent, clear autograph.

Collector’s Note:
Emil Vogel’s decorations — Knight’s Cross with Oak Leaves and a Wehrmachtbericht mention — place him among the highly respected divisional commanders of the Eastern Front. His leadership in the Kuban bridgehead and at Kamenets-Podolsky highlights his importance in some of the most desperate battles of the war, making his signed photo a rare and desirable addition for collectors of Heer commanders and Knight’s Cross recipients.