Original Postwar Signature on a Postwar Photo of Theodor Tolsdorff. Generalleutnant Theodor Tolsdorff (03.11.1909 † 25.05.1978) earned the Ritterkreuz on December 4, 1941 as Oberleutnant und Chef of the 14. Kompanie/ Infanterie-Regiment 22; the Eichenlaub on September 15, 1943 as Major und Kommandeur of the I. Bataillon/ Infanterie-Regiment 22; the Schwertern on July 18, 1944 as Oberstleutnant und Kommandeur of Grenadier-Regiment 1067 & Kampfgruppe Tolsdorff and the Brillanten on March 18, 1945 as Generalmajor und Kommandeur of the 340. Volksgrenadier-Division. Size: 11,7×9,7cm.
In June 1944, Tolsdorff participated in the fighting against the Soviet Vilnius Offensive. He was promoted to Oberst and was awarded the Knight’s Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves and Swords on 18 July 1944. Afterwards, he was appointed commander of the new 340th Volksgrenadier Division. In mid-November, the unit moved to the Aachen-Jülich area on the west to fight U.S. forces trying to cross the Rhine. In December, the unit was withdrawn to prepare for the Ardennes offensive. The division fought as part of the 5th Panzer Army under command of Hasso von Manteuffel. On 18 March 1945, Tolsdorff received in Berlin the Knight’s Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves, Swords and Diamonds. He was promoted to Generalleutnant and appointed commander of the LXXXII Army Corps, which was stationed in Bavaria.
On 8 May, he surrendered in Austria to Lt. Carwood Lipton and Robert F. Sink of the 101st Airborne Division. Tolsdorff’s convoy of 31 vehicles drove down from the mountains loaded with his personal baggage, liquor, cigars, cigarettes, and his girlfriends. Private Edward Heffron took Tolsdorff’s Luger pistol and a briefcase containing Iron Cross medals and a stash of pornographic pictures. (via Wikipedia)
