Buttonhole Ribbons 05

Luftwaffe Hauptmann Hoelschuer was celebrating his birthday on 2 June 1942.

His South German style ribbon bar is: 1914 EK2, a Bavarian MMO or MMC, Hindenburg Cross X, and WW1 Turkish War Medal star (ribbon should only be worn when star itself-- on his lower right side) was not.

From the buttonhole-- the ONLY award he had acquired by that date in WW2-- his Kriegsverdienstkreuz 2nd Class (Xs assumed).

Absolutely typical of the way a "lower" (KVK2X) award was assigned more visual prominence than a higher one (WW1 Iron Cross 2nd Class) because it was the most recent. Nothing on that ribbon bar would have changed since he got the Hindenburg Cross in 1934/35.

Now he COULD have added the KVK2X in second place on the ribbon bar.


But wearing something (anything? ) from the buttonhole was a flashier fashion statement by the wearer. There was nothing nothing in regulations that said he could not have worn it in EITHER position.