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View Full Version : Knights Cross of the War Merit Cross with Swords award winner - FM Membership Book


RaymondG
2nd July 2008, 08:40
Hi

Here is a SSFM (Fördernde Mitglieder der SS) membership book I researched some time ago. It all began with a hunch that if the member was in a position to contribute 20 RM per month (the average was 1RM), then he was likely to be a wealthy individual and perhaps an industrialist. I thought that by becoming a member, he would use it as a means of currying favour with the new regime, in the hope of gaining lucrative contracts, which was not unusual at the time.

I was told by collector friends that I was reaching a bit with the theory, but I ignored them and continued to look for evidence.

After some time digging around, I discovered that not only was he an industrialist, but also that he worked for Albert Speer during the war in the war production ministry.

The best bit of the research was to discover that on December 7th, 1944, he became a recipient of 'The Knights Cross of the War Merit Cross with Swords' (RK KvK mS).

So here are a couple of images of his membership book, temporary labour card and short biography of the man!

Raymond

RaymondG
2nd July 2008, 08:41
Here is a short biography of Mauterer

Dr.-Ing. e.h. Arthur Mauterer

Born: 31/08/1888

For many years he was director of the Spundwand-Abteilung (department for steel piling) of the Deutsch-Luxemburgische Bergwerks- und Hütten-AG (DL), based in Bochum.

1934 - Managing Director of Dortmunder Union Brückenbau AG (Please see labour card that confirms this)
1938 - Chairman of the board of Dortmunder Union
1939 - Chairman of the board of Firma Wagner Birò AG., Graz/Wien

1944: Dec 7th awarded the RK KvK mS

After WW II: he was appointed to the board of Deutscher Stahlbau Verband
Vorstand der Rheinstahl-Union, Maschinen- und Stahlbau AG, Düsseldorf

1952 chairman of the board of directors of Rheinstahl-Union Maschinen und Stahlbau AG in Düsseldorf

Raymond