dond

Robin, is it a put together grouping or a mix of good and bad? I believe the wound badge might be suspect but the EKs look good to me. The ribbon bar and eppalettes may be good too. What are your thoughts on the skull and cuff title? Have you ever seen a real one to compare it too?

The different lengths of the ribbons and the bent tabs on the back are cause for concern.

Is this a good one then: http://gmic.co.uk/index.php?showtopic=45803

Gordon is correct, a Floch.

with swords, with oak leaves, and with oak leaves and swords.

Has anyone ever seen one? How can a major retailer not leave a paper trail?

I like it. That would be a fine addition to any collection imo.

This is news to me what with the Serbs taking the rap all these years. :rolleyes:

Scott, that's why I discourage posting links to items that are for sale. People too lazy to do thier own searching will jump on an item if given the chance. Not saying that has happened here but it has happened to me elsewhere. Find a good mentor/someone you trust and ask them to look at items as a second pair of eyes. It works much better than showing it to the whole world and risking someone else buying it. Of course even that method is not fool proof. I showed an item to someone I trusted and they hemmed and hawed with thier response until they found it and bought it for themselves.

Way to go Rick. :beer:

Excellent post Rick and many thanks to Paul for getting it here. Rick is an archeologist peeling back the layers of history for us mere mortals.

Common for the 1914 cross but not the 1870er. Of course the fakes of the 1870ers are mostly known from the front ala the 9th bead fake etc... so.......

Actually, I think the Hindy was added to the bar, pushing the LS medal outward.

A beautiful bar imo.

All Commanders are subjects of controversy. Pershing is no different. WW1 was steep learning curve for all the major combatants. Look at 1914-15. Some took a while to realize a stalemate was occurring. Pershing had orders to get over there, keep the Army together, and get the job done. He knew it wouldn't be done by continued trench warfare. Sooner or later a war of maneuver had to take place for real results to be achieved. Pershing didn't want his men to get into the "trench" mindset. He also wanted to demonstrate that Americans could take on the enemy man to man and beat him. They did. The Germans were becoming a hollow force and with a big enough hit their lines would shatter. Then the healthier, fresher Americans would be able to out maneuver them. We Americans still don't like to fight under foreign officers btw.

Still watching..... :whistle:

She is still trying to sell it. It has come down 10000. Perhaps in another year or so the price will be realistic: http://cgi.ebay.com/WWI-WWII-GERMAN-OFFICER-SERVICE-MEDAL-BAR-SAXONY-/320562409539?cmd=ViewItem&pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item4aa3023043

I can't add anything to what has already been said so, "WOW!!!"

Ricky talking through Paul makes it feel like communicating through a wee gee board...... Get satellite darn it. They have internet on those too.

Beautiful bar Tom. The only fault I can find with it is that it does not reside in my collection.

Rick has lost his internet connection.

Very interesting Tim. Thanks for that tidbit of info.

Wouldn't we all.

Why not a railway worker on the troop trains or some such person. Were not civilian support personnel authorized the Ost medal?

An interesting thread Chris. Like anything else in life, the truth isn't always what it seems. I've lived and worked with vets my whole life, having been in the Army since I was 17. I've met MoH winners,Silver Star holders etc.... and you just never know what the real story is until you hear it. Another truth is, no matter what your awards, you are only as good as your last OP/contribution. Of all the people I met, only two remain etched in my memory. The first was a friend of mine's dad. I saw him one day mowing his lawn with his shirt off. He had a 2' long, 3" wide filet missing across his back. I asked him what happened. He told me a Chinese officer had taken a swipe at him with a sword in Korea. He also had to pucker marks in the middle of his abdomen from being bayonetted to ensure he was dead after his unit was over run. Some how he survived and made it back to American lines. His highest award was the Purple Heart. The other guy was a Staff Sergeant who served in Vietnam. Had a million war stories. One night we were detailed for aggressor duties to go out and harrass trainees in their bivouac area during an FTX. It was about 6 of us with him in charge. We waited until dark and then drove out to the training area. As soon as we got off the truck I hear a voice behind me saying I should lead the way thru the woods to the location of the bivouac. As I lead off this guy is holding on to my web straps and stumbling around, tripping and falling. He keeps pulling me down every time he falls. I ask him what gives and he tells me he can't see ###### at night. Seems he was a baggage handler at Da Nang his whole three tours in Vietnam.