Erich Beine – Fallschirmjäger-Regiment 12 (4.FJD) (Italy)

Original Postwar Signature on a Postwar Photo & Letter Card of Erich Beine. Major Erich Beine (26.06.1914 † 06.02.2004) earned the Ritterkreuz on September 5, 1944 as Hauptmann und Führer of the I. Bataillon/ Fallschirmjäger-Regiment 12 of the 4. Fallschirmjäger-Division.

Knight’s Cross: “Awarded for distinguishing himself during the fighting in Italy throughout 1944. On the 19.03.1944 he succeeded in dealing a finishing blow to an Allied penetration in the sector of the II./Sturm-Regiment, and for this he was later recognized this in an order by the divisional commander. On the 10.07.1944 he led another successful counterthrust that received commendation by his commanding general, namely General der Flieger Schlemm. He would go on to distinguish himself yet again during the later combat around Florence and in the Apennine mountains.”

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.