R.A.D. Dr. Robert Ley, RAD leader, Reichsleiter medal/ribbon bar

[filfoster]

Does anyone know which medals Dr. Ley wore on his medal/ribbon bar? It appears to be:
1. German Social Services 3rd Class with Swords (per 1942 regs);

2. Hindenburg Cross

3. NSDAP 25 year

4. NSDAP 15 year

5. NSDAP 10 year

6. Anschluss 1938 medal

7. ???

8. Westwall

What makes the grouping interesting (to me) is the comparatively rare triple NSDAP awards.

Any help?

Edited December 17, 2014 by filfoster

[filfoster]

The #7 place medal ribbon looks like the Eastern Front ribbon but that would not be the correct order for the award.

[Jock Auld]

Mate,

The picture is not the best, could it be other 'flower' war ribbons, going in reverse order I am not sure which ribbon you mean?

Jock

[filfoster]

Mate,

The picture is not the best, could it be other 'flower' war ribbons, going in reverse order I am not sure which ribbon you mean?

Jock

The 'normal' ribbon in the #7 space would be the Sudetenland annexation ribbon, which this is not. The #7 worn, appears to be a dark color with a lighter color centered stripe, like the Eastern Front medal ribbon, which would have been worn after the German Social Services medal, and before the 'Hindenburg Cross'. I am not familiar with wearing these 'flower' war medals in a reverse order.

The picture is small but can be enlarged by left-clicking on it.

Can anyone provide a better picture?

Edited December 17, 2014 by filfoster

[filfoster]

This site http://www.wehrmacht-awards.com/related/ribbons/regulations/rules_regulations4.htm

shows the German Social Services (Red Cross or 'Volkspflege') decoration or medal, with swords, (assume the 'decoration' is 3rd class, medal 4th class) to be the correct first position medal but the Sudetenland medal is the only medal, by regulation, that can be in the #7 place, between the Anschluss and the West Wall medal ribbons. Weird or wrong?

Edited December 17, 2014 by filfoster

[Paul R]

It looks like the Austrian Annexation ribbon to me.

[filfoster]

It looks like the Austrian Annexation ribbon to me.

That would be a red ribbon with white/black borders? This one in #7 place looks to have a central stripe. The one in #6 looks like a dark color (although lighter than the #7 ribbon: may be angle/ribbon make/dye difference) and has the lighter border stripes like the Austrian Anschluss ribbon. I am searching for a color photo or better resolution bw one but no luck online yet.

I am sure we are all on the same page with the ribbon types but for anyone looking at this 'new' here's a link to the ribbon patterns: http://www.worldmedals.co.uk/Rib/germrib.htm

Edited December 17, 2014 by filfoster

[filfoster]

I am guessing about his #1 place award because I cannot confirm that he earned the IK 2 in WWI although as an officer (wears the officer's observer badge) it would be hard for him to have avoided it.

[filfoster]

This page appears to show two WW1 era photos of Ley wearing what appears to be an EK2 ribbon in his buttonhole.

http://forum.axishistory.com/viewtopic.php?f=47&t=107739

Does anyone have a list of his earned decorations?

Edited December 18, 2014 by filfoster

[P.F.]

The ribbon bar in the photo is as follows:

[filfoster]

Second photo down has the clearest photo yet of the ribbon bar, late war (Ley is wearing a 'wartime' RAD uniform).

http://forum.axishistory.com/viewtopic.php?f=47&t=107739

The 'flower war' ribbons are clearly visible and are the usual ones, Anschluss, Sudetenland without the Prague spange, and the West Wall. The new mystery is the ribbon in #2 place.

The order seems to be:

1. EK2 1914

2. ?

3. Hindenburg Cross

4. NSDAP 25

5. NSDAP 15

6. NSDAP 10

7. Anschluss (Austrian annexation 1938)

8. Sudetenland

9. West Wall

The #2 ribbon would be a WW1 valor decoration but I have found no service records for Ley to even guess which.

[filfoster]

The ribbon bar in the photo is as follows:

Perfect. You were posting as I was also and this answer describes the BW photo perfectly. Please accept my thanks!

[turtle]

The second award should be a Kriegsverdienstkreuz 2. Klasse ohne Schwerter. Ley had both classes.

http://reocities.com/~orion47/DAF.html

[filfoster]

The second award should be a Kriegsverdienstkreuz 2. Klasse ohne Schwerter. Ley had both classes.

http://reocities.com/~orion47/DAF.html

Thank you. Since the ribbon is the same, this would not have been clear. I am making a 'display' copy of the medal bar and that is an important distinction. Assuming the 'with swords' was the later award, and the photo is late war, this would be the better medal to use.

Edited December 23, 2014 by filfoster