Herzner, Oberleutnant Dr Hans Albrecht (1907 - 1942). The Fi...

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€150 - €200

Herzner, Oberleutnant Dr Hans Albrecht (1907 - 1942). The First soldier to Engage in Hostilities and to be Decorated In WWII. Signed Cloakroom Ticket. In April 1939,. Hitler had ordered Field Marshall Keitel, the chief of his High Command, to prepare for war. By August, months of sabre rattling against Poland meant that war was expected. Hitler intended it to commence on 26th August under the code name Fall Weiss, or Operation White. At 3.00p.m. on the 25th Hitler issued the order to attack Poland but four hours later ordered its postponement when he was informed the Anglo Polish Treaty had been signed. It was too late to stop Herzner and his special commando unit who crossed the Slovakian Polish border intent on preventing the destruction of the strategic Jablunka Pass Tunnel by the Polish Army. He and his detachment took the rail station at Mosty but failed to secure the tunnel as a result of stiff resistance. When radio communications were re-established with Abwehr HQ (German Military Intelligence), he and his unit were immediately withdrawn. One Pole had been killed; two Germans had been injured and one taken prisoner. On 1st September, Hitler ordered the attack on Poland and once again, Lt. Herzner captured Mosty. The tunnel was destroyed by the Polish Army. Herzner thus became the first man to engage in combat, almost a week before the commencement of official hostilities. Despite some internal debate,as the action officially took place in peace time, he received the iron Cross II Class, thereby becoming the first recipient of a decoration for valour in the Second World War. Signatures of Herzner are exceedingly rare. (1)