[Jochen Prien]

Dear John Manrho,
Gentlemen,

it is absolutely disgusting to see that there is a market for Erkennungsmarken of fallen German soldiers ( or of any other nation's soldiers ). Both, sellers and buyers in this market, must be sick characters who have lost any feeling for decency and the honour of the dead soldiers, not to speak of the feelings of their families who are thus deprived of the certainty of the fate of their fathers, husbands or brothers. What pervert sensation does it give to them to hold this little piece of metal in their hands, knowing that it was taken from a corpse ?

The only possible decent and reasonable use than can be made of the Erkennungsmarken I can think of is their presentation in a Museum or Archive after it had been properly dealt with by the authorities. But museums and archives don't have to look for these things at ebay or any similar institution.

The subject reminds us of the fact, that dealing with this part of German history often involves rather dubious characters; it also means that we, who are trying to find out the historical facts and who are trying to draw an objective picture of the Luftwaffe's service including the dark sides are called upon to draw a clear division line to those types who - for whatever reason - look for something else.

Regards

Jochen Prien