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    Finnish Awards To Germans In WW1


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    I hope it is correct to assume that the Cross of Liberty 2nd cl was only awarded from Kapit?nleutnant upwards. If so, I think I have - based on the list compiled by Pete and Rick - two suspects for my officer bar (the second one):

    Hermann M?ller-Schmalfeldt, born 10.6.1887, entered Navy 1.4.1906, KaptL 26.4.1917L, a.D. 24.11.1919. Chief of 9th Mine-sweeping Half-flotilla. Listed in RL 1918 as Hermann M?ller with EK1 and HH (apparently changed his name later). BUT: He died 30.4.1929, so no Hindenburg!

    Siegfried Tschirch, born 22.4.1888, entered Navy 1.4.1906, KaptL 26.4.1917Mm, a.D. 6.3.1920. Chief of 8th Mine-sweeping Half-flotilla. Listed in RL 1918 with EK1 only (so no proof of HH). Kapt zS (E) 1.10.1939.

    Edited by webr55
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    Guest Rick Research

    Unfortunately there is no way (outside of his naval personnel records, locked up for all eternity by the third generation of lifetime public payroll/pension Mindless Barriers To Research) to determine what other unlisted WW1s he had, or any Finnish awards.

    He WAS living in Kiel as a Korvettenkapit?n (E) in 1935 and continued to live there after the war as well. His father, a Professor born in 1858, had a "Wer Ist's?" 1935 entry also showing him there then. If this WAS Tschirch's, it would date between say October 1934 (about the earliest for Hindenburg Cross awards) and September 1936 (October 1936 the Wehrmacht long services began being awarded).

    Just impossible to say without photos of him.

    Oddly enough, he received the German Cross in Gold20 May 1944-- his command kept the Gulf of Finland completely blocked with anti-submarine nets from the spring of 1943 to September of 1944. Even with that, he was never promoted to Konteradmiral-- which suggests a political block on his advancement.

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    Hm... Kiel sounds very interesting! But it would indeed be a small time slot for him to have had such a bar. Still, maybe. He needed a new bar when recalled 1935.

    Looking through the RL1918 and the Pete-Rick Finnish list, I have found one other possibility:

    Gustav-Wilhelm Hugo, born 8.8.1887, entered Navy 1.4.1905, KaptL 24.4.1916 Uu, a.D. 27.12.1919. Last post Cdr of Torpedoboat "V155". Listed in RL 1918 with EK2 only (no EK1, no HH). Apparently not recalled, can't find any trace after 1919.

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    Guest Rick Research

    Hugo lived in various places always in Baden between 1928-37 as the south German area representative for Kerb-Konus of Dresden. He vanishes from my sources between the MOV directories of 1937 and 1939, so very likely he died in that period.

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    • 4 weeks later...
    Guest Rick Research

    Oh no-- he was a junior officer, probably a Leutnant or Leutnant der Reserve with that Cross of Liberty. Nice combination, and possibly Gebirgsmaschinengewehrabteilung 229:

    the only UNIT that went on from Finland to Silesia-- an NCO from GMGA 229 was the designer of the Silesian Eagle.

    Of course lone officers could have strayed from anyplace.

    A nifty bar and an usual combination! :cheers:

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    Thank you Rick.

    I now seem to recall that you may have commented on this bar before somewhere along the line, as this sounds awefully familiar. (or is mymind playing tricks on me again?? :unsure::speechless: )

    Don't suppose there's anyway to trace who the actual owner was is there? (not enough noteable awards though)

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    Oh no-- he was a junior officer, probably a Leutnant or Leutnant der Reserve with that Cross of Liberty. Nice combination, and possibly Gebirgsmaschinengewehrabteilung 229:

    the only UNIT that went on from Finland to Silesia-- an NCO from GMGA 229 was the designer of the Silesian Eagle.

    Of course lone officers could have strayed from anyplace.

    A nifty bar and an usual combination! :cheers:

    229. Gebirgs-MG-Abteilung was part of 'Freikorps Paulssen', which was part of 'Detachement Lierau'. But also the Stab of Ostsee-Division was sent to Silesia on 22. december 1918 as Gruppe West. On 5. may 1919 it became 'Gruppe Briese'. (von der Goltz in his memoirs: ".. I arrived with my staff and unfortunately only few of my former troops in Silesia")

    Also, some sources say that Frw. Radfahrer Abt. 8, which was part of ' Schlesisches Kavallerie Brigade', came from the Ostsee-Division? Is this true? And what Bicycle-unit that might have been?

    By the way, one of the most notable of former 'Finnlandk?mpfers' in Silesia was GM Otto von Brandenstein, who commanded 'Brigade z.B.V. 6' which was also called (d?j? vu) Brigade von Brandenstein. (Again, von der Goltz: "When general v. Brandenstein came from a memorial Mass held for the fallen, was his own brigade clerk in front of the church, handing out flyers that encouraged men against their officers. When general called the man, he sent a word that the general could come to him instead. For his unheard-of-behaviour the rebel got warm support in the soldier's council of Breaslau, so that it was not possible to have him resigned. Thus, the very distinguised general, who was fed up with such circumstances, saw it better to resign himself.")

    Pete

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    • 1 month later...
    Guest Rick Research

    Welllll, you know what? The Prussia-Hamburg-Mecklenburg combination suggests a NAVAL recipient to me.

    I know, anybody could have bought the Flandernkreuz, and not been in the navy.

    But I wonder... if you can ever find a naval aviation officer in any Cross of Liberty rolls :rolleyes: it MIGHT be possible to identify that one from this "trio."

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