Seeing Double 02

Quite simple, actually. After his 1914 EK2 and 1939 KVK2X (note the consistent style of the nice early WW2 swords), he is wearing the frontline bravery version of ribbons for the Bavarian Military Merit ORDER 4th Class with (silver) swords AND the same for the Bavarian Military Merit CROSS 2nd Class:

having been awarded the latter as a Vizefeldwebel or F?hnrich and the former as a Leutnant der Reserve or Leutnant. Bavaria allowed wear of two (or more, actually) different CLASSES of the "same" decoration.

When a second award of the same AWARD was made, aa crown was added and only the one decoration was worn.

But this retread officer earned two different 'rank appropriate" awards and so was allowed to wear them both.

Such regulations did vary from state to state in Imperial Germany, and in some cases in other places, a higher award simply replaced a lower one-- leaving no way to tell if that award was a one-time reward at that rank, or a repeat.

Courtesy of Robert Noss.