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    Kekoa Dettloff

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    Everything posted by Kekoa Dettloff

    1. While there are a number of topics here discussing the number of awards made for the Azad hind during the Second World War. I always found the online resources regarding the day to day organization and command structure and limited at best. In looking for the rank structure of the INA, one that I have been straining to find for years. To date I without any proper printed materials within travel range I have been able to only discover one pair of epaulettes from the Imperial War Museum, along with two half pairs from the Swatantrata Senani Museum. While the Imperial War Museum provides some information regarding it, including it's designation as that of a lieutenant colonel, the to half pars can only be speculated trough online resources, one as a full colonel with reasonable comparison to the listed IMP pair, and the other appearing that of a general officer considering that much of the INA's officer corps had originated from the British Indian army. Lt. Col. IWM - http://www.iwm.org.uk/collections/item/object/30076351 Unlisted SSM - http://www.hindustantimes.com/brunch/the-story-of-our-independence-tryst-with-destiny-speech/story-zQhI1FFh5vTttUjNB41YwL.html Additionally in regards to the order of battle for the Azad hind on both the European and Burmese fronts due to a lack of more directly accreditable sources of information I have been forced to rely upon sources of information such as Wikipedia and other community based sites for information. Indian legion (Europe) Panzergrenadier Regiment 950 (indische) - 2000 men I. Bataillon – infantry companies 1 to 4 II. Bataillon – infantry companies 5 to 8 III. Bataillon – infantry companies 9 to 12 14th infantry-gun company (6 - 7.5 cm le.IG 18) 15th anti-tank company (6 - Pak) 16th Engineer Company Honour guard company Second Indian National Army General Staff Chief of General Staff - Major General Jaganath Rao Bhonsle (Major General Mohammed Zaman Kiani December 1944?) 1st Division - Major General Mohammed Zaman Kiani (Colonel Shah Nawaz Khan December 1944) 1st Guerrilla Regiment (Subhas Brigade) - Colonel Shah Nawaz Khan 3,200 men. 3 Battalions 2nd Guerrilla Regiment (Gandhi Brigade) - Colonel I. Z. Kiani 2,800 men. 2 Battalions? 3rd Guerrilla Regiment (Azad Brigade) - Colonel Gulzara Singh 2,800 men. 3 Battalions 4th Guerrilla Regiment (Nehru Brigade) - Colonel Gurubaksh Singh Dhillon 3,000 men 2nd Division - Colonel N.S. Bhagat (later Colonel Prem Sahgal) 1st Infantry Regiment 5th Guerrilla Regiment - Colonel Gurbaksh Singh Dhillon (transferred October 1944) (Reformed to 2nd Infantry Regiment) 3rd Division Unknown sub units Independent Units? Special Forces Group - Colonel Shaukat Malik Rani of Jhansi Regiment - Captain Lakshmi Sahgal 450 women http://indpaedia.com/ind/index.php/Azad_Hind_Fauj_(Indian_National_Army) If anyone else have any information or resources regarding these topics that you would we willing to share it would be greatly appreciated. Mahalo nui loa iā ʻoe.
    2. Nice Image. King Tupou V Coronation Medal King Tupou IV Silver Jubilee Medal TDS General Service Medal TDS Long Service and Good Conduct Meda Grand cross and collar: Order of Saloe Tupou III. Grand cross and neck badge: Royal Household Order. Was always curious as to the lack of the Order of Pouono in recent years. Would anyone know by chance the current status of that order?
    3. Thank you for your contributions of what you know on the topic James and Emanuelle, and sorry for the misunderstanding from the first my earlier post Peter. While I am unable to exactly tell without a closer look at the wording along the edge of the badge, the crown certainly shares a close similarity to that of the Kingdom of Tonga. My best guess at this time would be either the Royal Tongan Diplomatic order, or Order of Oceania mentioned by the manufacturer Worth Geneva on the previous page of this forum.
    4. The image is labeled as from 1995 on the original site, though I do fell hesitant towards the accuratecy of that date, giving the youthful appearance of the crown prince who would have been 47 at that time, as well as the insignia of the KCMG given that later images of the late King clearly show him with the regalia of the full GCMG instead among others.
    5. With very little physical resources at my disposal, I primarily rely upon the internet for researching on international orders. While recently searching for any additional visual references towards the older Tongan orders, I was able to stumble upon this one King Tupou IV and supposedly a young Crown Prince 'Tupoutoʻa. The upper star appears to be that of the order of King George Tupou I knight commander based off of the images depicting it above. The lower one however seems to be an exact match to the 'Order of the Cross' worn by his Great Grand Father during his reign as well as the cross of merit? hung by the center of his uniform in a very (for lack of better words) German style of wear.
    6. Was able to find a photo containing the preserved medal bar during his lifetime, along with what appears to be the Prussian Merit Cross hanging below. Apparently it was taken during his birthday on August 4th, 1914 with the First World War barely a week old. Sitting in front of him are former President Sanford B. Dole, former Monarch Liliuokalani, and Present US Governor Lucius E. Pinkham. With the history between the first two; the fact that both of them would have set their differences aside long enough to attend the event shows the high esteem Berger held in Hawaii, even at that time.
    7. Nice! I was able to relocate the URL with his collection, and it does show the cross of merit you have there. Along with a number of different buttons from throughout the Kingdom and Republican era. http://www.royalhawaiianband.com/the-friends-of-the-royal/projects-of-the-friends/photo-albums/frhb-henry-berger-and-rhb/
    8. Thanks, there's one website that covered him in good detail, but unfortunately, you just can't beat hard print. http://www.german-way.com/a-prussian-in-hawaii-heinrich-berger-and-the-royal-hawaiian-band/ http://www.german-way.com/the-german-austrian-hawaii-connection/
    9. I always found him as a fascinating figure in Hawaiian history, and I always loved hearing his compositions. Captain Heinrich (Henry) Berger (1844-1929) A member of the royal Prussian army music corps he was a non-combatant veteran of the Danish-Prussian, Austro-Prussian, and Franco-Prussian wars, he eventually became the bandmaster for the elite 2nd foot guards Infantry Regiment. In 1872,at the request of King Lot Kamehameha V for assistance at reorganizing the then new King’s Band Berger was chosen, and sent to the remote Island nation shortly after. Following a several month journey both my boat and rail with little stop to reach Hawaiʻi, Henri Berger would conduct the band at the base of is now known as Punch bowl crater not two days after arrival, it would become the first of over 38,000 consorts that he would conduct as the band’s head over a period of nearly 45 years. Officially on only a four year contract between the Kingdoms of Prussia and Hawaiʻi, Berger returned to active duty in Germany in 1876, but soon returned back to the Kingdom of Hawai'i, and shortly afterwards became a naturalized citizen as the permanent head of the Royal Hawaiian Band. Sharing a close interest in music, he eventually became close to many of the royals in the Kalākaua dynasty, working long hours into the night working with Kings, Queens, and Princes alike; and in doing so, would help with composing for many of the most well known songs and marches of the First Hawaiian Renaissance including that of King Kalākaua’s long worked on project, the national anthem Hawaiʻi Ponoʻī. With the overthrow despite a number of instances against him by supporters of the movement, including one where a number of men broke into his home and cut the crowned buttons off his uniform; he continued to lead the royal band under the Provisional Government, Republic of Hawai’i, and the Territory of Hawai’i under the United States of America. A holder of the companions crosses to the orders of Kamehameha and the crown of Hawai’i, and the commander’s to the order of Kapiolani, along with an unspecified gold medal awarded by Kaiser Wilhelm II during a visit by Berger to the country of his birth in 1912 for services overseas.
    10. Might be a little late for tastes, but I ran into this image a while back while researching on Captain Henry Berger of the Royal Hawaiian Band.
    11. Well, seeing the designs of crown on numbers 4 and 5, I am somewhat doubtful as to them being Hawaiian in origin, though I wouldn't write them off entirely from that possibility. I was able to see what may be medal number three in the Iolani Palace collection labeled as The Round the World Medal to commemorating King Kalakaua's 1881 journey around the world.
    12. Well recently looking online when I ran into this little beauty. The description with it on liveauctioneers labeled it the Kingdom of Hawai'i destinguished service award, though I cant seem to find anything else on it anywhere though the ribbon design seems quite similar with that of what other sites label as the "Holo Hana Cross", along with a photo of King Kalakaua wearing a similar medal as the last of eight along with what also appears to be the around the world commemorative medal on the number three spot. Aloha Kakou. - Kekoa
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