WWII Kriegsmarine Normandy Campaign Document Group – EK2 & Destroyer War Badge to Torpedoboot “Jaguar”
A highly desirable and historically significant Kriegsmarine award document group awarded to Maschinengefreiter Herbert Schulz, who served aboard the German torpedo boat Torpedoboot “Jaguar” during the final and dramatic months of the war in Western Europe.
The group consists of:
- Iron Cross 2nd Class (Eisernes Kreuz 2. Klasse) award document
- Destroyer War Badge (Zerstörerkriegsabzeichen) award document
- Both specifically identifying service aboard Torpedoboot Jaguar
- Both signed by Konteradmiral Leo Kreisch, Commander of German Destroyer Forces (Führer der Zerstörer)
The Iron Cross document is dated 24 June 1944, placing it directly within the Normandy campaign. Remarkably, the award was issued only days after Jaguar was sunk during an RAF air attack on Le Havre on the night of 14/15 June 1944, making this a fascinating survivor-related document from one of the Kriegsmarine’s most desperate periods of combat.
The accompanying Destroyer War Badge document, dated 4 May 1944, confirms Herbert Schulz’s operational service aboard Jaguar prior to the Allied invasion of France.
Named Kriegsmarine award documents connected to a specific warship are always sought after, and examples directly linked to the Normandy campaign are considerably scarcer than standard Heer award paperwork.
A superb and highly displayable Kriegsmarine document set with strong research and historical potential.
€550,00
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Historical Description
Torpedoboot Jaguar
The Torpedoboot Jaguar was one of the famous Raubtier-class torpedo boats of the Kriegsmarine. Commissioned before the war, Jaguar served throughout the conflict in escort, patrol, convoy protection, and combat operations in numerous theaters.
By 1944 Jaguar was operating from occupied France and was assigned to the German naval forces tasked with opposing the anticipated Allied invasion of Western Europe.
When the Allies landed in Normandy on 6 June 1944, Jaguar became part of the desperate German effort to attack the enormous invasion fleet assembled off the French coast. Despite overwhelming Allied air and naval superiority, German torpedo boats repeatedly sortied into the English Channel in dangerous night operations.
During the opening phase of the Normandy invasion, Jaguar and her flotilla participated in attacks against Allied naval forces supporting the landings. These actions resulted in one of the Kriegsmarine’s most notable successes during the invasion when the Norwegian destroyer HNoMS Svenner was torpedoed and sunk off Normandy, one of the very few Allied warships lost to German surface forces on D-Day.
Only days later, on the night of 14/15 June 1944, Jaguar was sunk during a major RAF bombing raid on Le Havre.
The Iron Cross document awarded to Herbert Schulz on 24 June 1944 was therefore issued just nine days after the destruction of his vessel, making it highly likely that the award recognized his service during these critical operations surrounding the Normandy campaign.
Konteradmiral Leo Kreisch
Both documents bear the signature of Konteradmiral Leo Kreisch, one of the Kriegsmarine’s senior operational commanders.
As Führer der Zerstörer (Commander of German Destroyer Forces), Kreisch was responsible for the destroyers and torpedo boats conducting operations against Allied naval forces during the final stages of the war.
Documents signed by Kreisch are considerably less common than typical army divisional award documents and add another desirable layer of historical significance to this group.
