Outstanding Grouping of SS-Unterscharführer Laspe – 17. SS “Götz von Berlichingen” – Normandy Combat Veteran with Rare Close Combat Clasp Document

This is a superb and historically rich original grouping to SS-Unterscharführer Laspe, who served in 1. Kompanie / SS-Panzergrenadier-Regiment 37, part of the hard-fighting 17. SS-Panzergrenadier-Division “Götz von Berlichingen.” Laspe saw intense frontline action during the Battle of Normandy, and this grouping reflects his direct combat experience in one of WWII’s most brutal and unforgiving campaigns.

Included in the group are:

• 2 award documents, featuring a rare and highly desirable citation for the Nahkampfspange in Bronze (Close Combat Clasp) — awarded for sustained close-quarters fighting in Normandy. This is a seldom seen document, particularly to a soldier of Götz von Berlichingen, and notably signed by SS-Sturmbannführer Jakob Fick-Briehl, commander of SS-Panzergrenadier-Regiment 37 at the time — a highly significant and collectible signature.

• A certificate for the Verwundetenabzeichen in Schwarz (Wound Badge in Black), awarded after Laspe was wounded in July 1944, further attesting to his grueling frontline service in the Normandy campaign.

• 2 original wartime photographs, showing Laspe in uniform — a rare visual documentation of a Waffen-SS enlisted man of this division.

• A selection of wartime papers, adding personal depth and administrative context to his military service.

• 2 extensive wartime diaries, filled with vivid and detailed combat accounts, offering a rare firsthand perspective on daily frontline life, unit movements, engagements, and personal thoughts during the bitter fighting in France. These are genuine frontline soldier’s journals, not postwar reconstructions. In addition, several postwar diaries are included, providing continued reflections and insight into Laspe’s mindset and experience long after the guns fell silent.

This is an exceptionally complete and research-worthy grouping that not only documents Laspe’s role in the Normandy campaign but also provides rare award citations, battle-proven documentation, and deeply personal narrative material that is seldom available on the market.

A must-have for serious collectors of the Waffen-SS, the Normandy campaign, or award document groups, and an ideal centerpiece for any 17. SS or combat-decorated Waffen-SS soldier display.

Rare. Complete. Unquestionably authentic. A grouping with true historical weight.