JasonA

I found him on eBay and sent a message. Hopefully he’ll respond. Thanks so much for chiming in here. Unfortunately there were two other photos of this general that he sold, just last month! What a bummer. I have a grouping to this general which I’ve been able to rebuild over time. So finding additional photos like this is priceless. J-

Thanks so much Matt & Claudio! I have seen the poor quality version along with his gravesite photo. But I did not see Matt’s reply until Saturday. I hope I did not miss any auction listing for that photo as that would have been perfect to buy. Although certainly possible. I couldn’t find any eBay listing, but the photo is watermarked with what appears to be the seller or owner’s user name. Does anyone recognize this handle, and/or do you know how I might track down this seller/owner? Best regards, Jason

Hey J, Great thread, and thanks so much for posting and sharing these photos. This is a superb comparison, especially for someone like me who doesn’t really have any badges yet. But as a Air Force uniform collector, I will need them eventually for display. I love seeing the nuances of construction as the years and ensuing needs evolved. And I’m a little biased, but LW badges are the most fluid and have the most style, IMO. It’s nice to do these types of things on slower weekends. Probably something that’s been mulling around in your head for a while! =) J-

Hi everyone, I had never thought to pose this question here, but given the vast amount of researchers on this forum, I figured it was worth a shot. I’m wondering if anyone has any photos or information on this eventual General from his Imperial days? Here is the widely available biography on him and his military career. Thanks in advance for any thoughts or feedback you may have. J- Generalmajor Otto Prinz Born: 04 Jul 1893 in Ernstweiler, District Zweibrücken Died: 09 Aug 1977 in Friedberg, Hessen Promotions: Fähnrich (23 Aug 1914); Leutnant (05 Dec 1914); Oberleutnant (18 Oct 1918); Hauptmann (01 Feb 1931); Major (01 Jan 1936); Oberstleutnant (01 Dec 1938); Oberst (01 Mar 1940); Generalmajor (01 Sep 1943) Career: Entered the Army as a Fahnenjunker and Company-Officer in the 160th Infantry-Regiment (13 Mar 1914-03 Apr 1915) Adjutant with the Field-Recruitment-Depot of the Special-Purpose-General-Command 55 (04 Apr 1915-23 Apr 1917) Ordinance-Officer with the General-Staff of the VIII. Army-Corps (24 Apr 1917-02 Jan 1918) Detached to the Signals-Group-Leader 608, Army High command 8 (03 Jan 1918-28 Feb 1918) Platoon-Leader with Group-Telephone-Signals-Commander 608 (01 Mar 1918-06 Mar 1918) Detached to Divisions-Signals-Commander 525 (07 Mar 1918-28 May 1918) Commander of Divisions-Telephone-Battalion 94, 9th Cavalry-Division (29 May 1918-23 Dec 1918) With the 2nd Signals-Replacement-Battalion (24 Dec 1918-11 Jan 1919) Adjutant of the 2nd Signals-Replacement-Battalion (12 Jan 1919-20 Oct 1919) With the 2nd Brigade-Signals-Battalion (21 Oct 1919-30 Sep 1920) Retired (30 Sep 1920) Reactivated to Army Service as Company-Officer in the 2nd Signals-Battalion (01 Feb 1924-28 Feb 1926) Signals-Course D at the Artillery-School Jüterbog (13 Oct 1924-27 May 1925) With the Staff of the 2nd Signals-Battalion (01 Mar 1926-31 Dec 1928) Officer-Weapons-School-Course in Dresden (01 Oct 1926-20 Feb 1927) Signals-Officer of the Commander Königsberg (01 Jan 1929-30 Sep 1932) Company-Chief in the 5th Signals-Battalion (01 Oct 1932-31 Mar 1934) Placed to the Disposal of the Chief of Army Command (01 Apr 1934-30 Apr 1934) Transferred into Luftwaffe Service as Communications-Officer with Air-District-Command V, Munich (01 May 1934-31 Mar 1935) Advisor with the Chief of Communication-Affairs, RLM (01 Apr 1935-31 Jul 1936) Acting-Commander of the Signals-Department of the RLM in Potsdam Eiche (01 Aug 1936-30 Sep 1936) Commander of the Signals-Department of the RLM in Potsdam Eiche (01 Oct 1936-30 Jun 1938) Department-Chief (Cables) with the Chief of Communication-Affairs, RLM (01 Jul 1938-25 Mar 1939) Liaison-Officer of OKW to the Reichs Postal Ministry (26 Mar 1939-28 Feb 1940) Higher-Wehrmacht-Signals-Leader Sofia (01 Jan 1941-19 Jun 1942) Higher Signals Leader of the Luftwaffe-Mission in Romania (20 Jun 1942-31 Jan 1943) Special Purpose Higher Signals Leader with Army High Command 12 then with Wehrmacht-Commander South-East (01 Feb 1943-14 Mar 1943) Air-Signals-Telephone-Inspector of the Luftwaffe (15 Mar 1943-28 Jun 1943) Signals-Leader with Air-Region-Command XXXIX, Athens then with Luftwaffe-Staff Greece (29 Jun 1943-31 Jul 1943) Signals-Leader with the X. Flying-Corps (01 Aug 1943-21 Mar 1944) Führer-Reserve OKL – Placed to the Disposal of Air-Region-Command VI (22 Mar 1944-24 Apr 1944) Signals-Leader with Air-Region-Command VI, Münster (25 Apr 1944-14 Jan 1945) General with Special Duties and Inspector of Wehrmacht-Signals-Commanders in OKW with Communication-Affairs (15 Jan 1945-03 May 1945) In US Captivity (03 May 1945-12 May 1947) Released (12 May 1947) Decorations & Awards: - 1914 EK I - 1914 EK II - k.u.k. Österr. Militär-Verdienstkreuz III. Klasse mit der Kriegsdekoration - Verwundetenabzeichen, 1918 in Schwarz - Ehrenkreuz für Frontkämpfer - Wehrmacht-Dienstauszeichnung IV. bis II. Klasse - Medaille zur Erinnerung an den 01.10.1938 - Spange zum EK II - Kriegsverdienstkreuz II. bis I. Klasse mit Schwertern

Haven’t we seen that medal bar around? Looks familiar. J-

Wow Glenn...a superb oil. Does that reside in your collection? J-

I’ve seen various two and three row bars on some Generals. J-

Romanian Order of the Star. J-

Congrats Paul! A great grouping handed down from one great collector to another. Nice to “keep it in the family,” as it were. =) J-

Hi Peter, Thanks for sharing this one. If it couldn’t be in my collection, I’m glad it is in yours! Another great bar in a great overall lot. Usually we have to buy a lot of hum-drum bars for the one or two we actually want. But most of the bars included in this lot were very good. As I had shared, I don’t think that this bar can be identified; too bad there aren’t any other equally unusual decorations over and above the one to cross reference. Perhaps there’s something I’m missing and you’ll have better fortunes, though. There are some amazing researchers on this forum. Regardless, a very nice bar and unusual for what it is. Congrats again for picking up some very nice bars for your collection! =) J-

Hi Ron, Yes, I realize that. My point was that sometimes when names are removed, they are done less meticulously than intended. Meaning surviving clues can sometimes lead to an ID regardless. Best regards, Jason

Hi Bill, Yes it is - that's what I had meant when I mentioned that the name tag was intact. Best regards, Jason

Here's a wonderful Major-equivalent tunic and trousers which still retains its tailor label and name tag. Just a little soiling around the neck, but otherwise in superb condition on all accounts. Loops for a long ribbon bar and what appear to be an Iron Cross and spange. Best regards, Jason

Andreas - thanks for posting the tailor label. I prefer uniforms where labels and name tags are still intact, so this is always nice to see. Too bad the name was torn out in this case. Sometimes the removed section is sloppy or incomplete and there are enough clues remaining to offer a legitimate shot at identification. Unfortunately in this case the name removal is a little more complete. Best regards, Jason

Hi Andreas, Thanks so much for sharing these! Very cool to see. I love these surviving tailor-branded pieces of marketing. Best, Jason

Hi Paul, Thanks so much. I've posted the photo of the original owner of the LW 8-bar (without long service decorations) before but nothing came of it, unfortunately. I'll hold onto the name of the LW 11-bar for now as I'd first like to do some research on my own when time permits. But I appreciate it. Everyone here is always so helpful and encouraging which is sincerely appreciated. I really need to start taking photos of my bars and sharing them here. Claudio - thanks for your opinion. I will go back and double check the Zvonimir ribbon with a loop to see if there's a hole there or it's just a scuff. My eyes are still great long distance, but not so great up close. =) Best, Jason

Andreas – thanks so much for your reply, I appreciate it. Both awards would be in place here given the other decorations, and it’s hard to know if a ribbon denotes one award vs. the other, or if it happened the be the closest match when the bar was made. The two are similar, although I’m now leaning more toward the Roman eagle. Hopefully more will chime in one way or another. Paul – thank you. I really love all of these bars. The two without long service are Luftwaffe bars as well. One is identified by a photo (no name yet), the other came with a name which I’m researching. These are the type of bars I prefer: longer Luftwaffe bars showing first war service and/or foreign awards. The 10-bar in question here, though, is remarkable for other reasons. Claudio – you are right about the 6th decoration. It is the Zvonimir with wreath and a missing device inside of it (which I'm assuming was a crown). It's been pilfered in all likelihood. I was asking about the 8th decoration, though. Is it a Michael the Brave or Roman Eagle in your opinion? Best regards, Jason

Hi guys, Please see the attached photo of bars with Romanian decorations. The 10-bar, second bar from the top, has foreign awards in slots six through ten. I wondered if you might be able to share your thoughts as to whether decoration number eight is the Romanian Michael the Brave, or the Italian Roman Eagle? I had thought it was the former but would prefer to hear opinions from you guys who are far more advanced than I. Best regards, Jason

Here are my current LC bars - note the second from the top, the 7-er with the award in question. I never thought this bar could be identified but perhaps there is a chance if an estimated 100 Germans received this award? Best regards, Jason

Your bars are so magnificent that seeing them together might cause our heads to explode.

Bah! What a yawner. Claudio - when are you going to start posting some stellar bars for a change? As usual, a stunner. Your medal bar collection continues to amaze with each new acquisition. Superb!

Hi Chip, As a Luftwaffe collector, I never venture into this forum. But I saw the thread highlighted on the side when I logged in and the topic of trousers intrigued me. Thanks for an informative and detailed thread. I had no idea trousers like the ones you have are so rare. But like another said, anything that could be worn post-war (after both wars) was indeed worn. Those with the luxury of storing them away could afford to do so. I too enjoy having trousers with my uniforms and finding them in my strike zone can be difficult. I'm very happy with all the pairs I do have. Best regards, Jason

Congratulations, Claudio! Another superb (and named) bar for your collection with plenty of further research opportunities to flesh you. Happy researching.

Thanks so much for the great feedback. I had previously thought that the awards for positions four through eight were as follows: 4. Order of the Star of Romania, officer's cross with rosette 5. Order of Queen Maria, 2nd class with swords 6. Sanitats Cross of Merit 7. Medel for Crusade against Communism 8. Ottoman war medal with crescent moon I did reach out to Antti and had a nice exchange; perhaps he'll contribute here. But in a nutshell, he mentioned that the Communist take-over resulted in most of the records being destroyed. He did mention this was the first time he had recalled seeing this neck order in wear by a German officer, which might make it slightly easier to identify. If we only had the rolls to the Order of Queen Maria awards! Cheers Jason

Hi Guys, I'm trying to identify this officer. While it may be a futile search, there are a couple of interesting points to this grouping. The first is that the Queen Maria, 2nd class decoration is slot five of the ribbon bar. The officer was also awarded the Order of Queen Maria, 1st class, which he wears around his neck. I think it's a safe assumption, given the awards, is that he's a Luftwaffe medical officer, if not a doctor. I pulled all Obersteutnant-equivalent officers from the career summaries and narrowed down what I could. I'm still at 100 names. Anybody recognize the officer, or have any suggestions as to how I might be able to whittle down the list? Thanks, Jason