The Important Second World War Orders, Decorations and Medals awarded to Major-General Sir Kenneth William Dobson Strong, Royal Scots Fusiliers, who started his army intelligence career shortly after the Great War during ‘The Troubles’ in Ireland. He served as Military Attaché to Berlin in the years before the outbreak of WW2 during which time he came to meet many of the senior figures and leaders of Nazi Germany and understood ‘the German military mind’. Consequently, Strong found himself at the very centre of strategic military intelligence throughout the war as Eisenhower’s Head of Intelligence at Supreme Allied Force Headquarters (S.H.A.E.F.) and as his trusted friend and advisor. A trained interpreter, a shrewd judge of character and a very capable leader of men, he played a major part in negotiating the armistice and surrender of Italian Forces on 3 September 1943, during the negotiations for the surrender of German forces occupying the Netherlands on 4-5 May 1945, and then during the final, unconditional German surrender on 7 May in Berlin, where he was immediately at hand to negotiate terms and to translate. After the war he rose to become Director-General of Intelligence at the Ministry of Defence, capping off an almost unparalleled intelligence career, comprising: Orders and Decorations: The Most Honourable Order of the Bath, Companion’s (C.B.) neck badge, in silver gilt and enamels; The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire, Civilian Division, Knight Commander’s (K.B.E.) set of insignia by Garrard & Co., comprising neck badge and breast star, in gilt, silver-gilt and enamels, in original case of issue; Medal Group (as worn): The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire, Military Division, Second Type, Officer’s (O.B.E.) breast badge, in silver-gilt; 1939-1945 Star, Africa Star, Italy Star, France and Germany Star; Defence and War Medals, 1939-1945; U.S.A., Distinguished Service Medal, in gilt and enamels, edge impressed ‘11176’ and engraved to reverse ‘K. W. D. Strong’; France, Légion d’Honneur, officer’s breast badge in silver-gilt and enamels; France, Croix de Guerre, 1939-1945, with bronze palm upon ribbon; Russia, U.S.S.R., The Order of the Red Banner, breast badge, in silver, silver-gilt and enamels, reverse engraved ‘224122’ U.S.A., Legion of Merit, Officer’s breast badge in gilt and enamels, with gilt emblem upon ribbon; 1953 Coronation, this issued later and still loose, with pin for wear; Group swing-mounted upon bar, with a matching set of 15 miniatures; some minor enamel damage to Croix de Guerre, medals generally extremely fine; Also offered with: riband bars, two ‘proof’ editions of his books ‘Intelligence at the Top’ and ‘Men of Intelligence’; two further copies of the aforementioned books as published, with another two in Italian, and another in German; a rare, framed and glazed hand-signed portrait of General Dwight Eisenhower, 27.5cm x 35cm, inscribed to the recipient (‘For General K. W. D. Strong – to whose skill and devotion I and the Allied cause owe much in World War II. From his lasting friend, Dwight Eisenhower’), minor damp mark to mount, but not to portrait; an extremely rare framed and glazed certificate, 39.5cm x 46cm, officially named to the recipient from the Director General of Intelligence, Defence Intelligence Agency (or D.I.A), United States of America, ‘in recognition of his warm friendship and outstanding support’ (circa 1961); a painted portrait of the recipient, oil on canvas board, 33cm x 24cm, signed to reverse, signature unclear, dated March 1978); a typed and signed letter sent to the recipient from Gerhard Graf von Schwerin, ‘General Der Panzertruppe’, dated 29 December, 1978; and a black and white reproduction portrait of the recipient’s father.(lot) O.B.E. (Military Division): London Gazette: 1 January 1942; U.S.A.: Legion of Merit: London Gazette: 10 March 1944 (for his work at Allied Force Headquarters); M.i.D.: London Gazette: 19 April 1945 – ‘in recognition of gallant and distinguished services in Europe’; C.B.E. London Gazette: 2 August 1945 ; U.S.S.R.: The Order of the Red Banner – reportedly awarded 21 June 1945; C.B. (Military Division): London Gazette: 2 August 1945; France: Legion d’Honneur and Croix de Guerre – (c.1945-6); U.S.A.: Distinguished Service Medal: London Gazette: 16 January 1948 – ‘in recognition of distinguished services in the cause of the Allies’; K.B.E. (Civil Division): London Gazette: 11 June 1966 – ‘Director-General of Intelligence, Ministry of Defence’.
