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    Gensui

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    Posts posted by Gensui

      Show your immaculate Godet Spangen!

      in Germany: Imperial: The Orders, Decorations and Medals of The Imperial German States

      Posted

      On 24/09/2018 at 12:34, Claudio said:

      Wow! That's pristine, stone-mint backing!!! Maybe the holes can be explained that very likely the battle clasp was moved from the Red Cross medal to the right medal (China Medal)... could be? Who knows. Only a time period picture of the wearer with his bar could explain it.

      Cheers,

      Claudio

       

      Claudio,

      Hm, that could be an explanation. Any clasp on a Red Cross medal wouldn't fit due to the Red Cross medal itself.

      BR,

      Chris

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      Imperial German Ribbon Bar Help

      in Germany: Imperial: The Orders, Decorations and Medals of The Imperial German States

      Posted

      Gents,

      After some thoughts and some discussion with the member Leutwein, I have doubt on the ribbon bars as well.

      Leutwein pointed out, that this ribbon bar (with the MVO4mKrX) should be, at least, to a Major-rank. But there is no long service medal for 25 years, which he should received basically. 

      Beside this, it looks like a construction after the 1930s, and I'd like to refer on below link (thanks, Leutwein!)

      http://www.wehrmacht-awards.com/related/ribbons/construction.htm

      BR, Chris

       

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      Iron Cross Handel-U Boot Deutschland

      in Germany: All Eras: The Iron Cross

      Posted

      Hi Alex,

      Yes, it's Borns medal bar. As far as I know, Anton "Toni" Heinrich Kaspar Born was born in 1890 in St. Goashausen, Hessen-Nassau. He received the MEZ 2 for his service at Pohnpei in 1911. But I am not sure, which ship Born joined during this time (SMS Emden, SMS Nuernberg, SMS Cormoran).

      I have a copy of a postcard; no. 21 is Born.

      BR, Chris

       

      Crew U-Deutschland.jpg

      0

      Iron Cross Handel-U Boot Deutschland

      in Germany: All Eras: The Iron Cross

      Posted

      Gents,

      Please allow me to share my contribution to this interesting topic:

      Within the estate of the former U-Deutschland member seaman 1st class Anton Born, who served as engineer on the U-Deutschland and was interned in the US, was this “Iron Cross” with the counterfeit of Paul Koenig as well as an ash tray, made out of the scrapped Deutschland.

      BR, Chris

      U-Deutschland_a.jpg

      U-Deutschland_b.jpg

      U-Deutschland_c.jpg

      U-Deutschland_d.jpg

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      1894 25th Wedding Anniversary Medal

      in Japan

      Posted

      …to be honest, I don’t believe here in a golden version of this medal.

       

      Case looks mostly like the one for the Promulgation medal and the medal itself could be a “deadly-polished†silver medal. I’m not sure about the base material of this medal.

       

      I would had expect some more prominent case with some golden flower décor (compare to the case of the silver medal) for the golden Wedding Anniversary Medal...

       

      BR,

      Chris

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      Colonel Tamura Okinosuke, a quiet, bookish man in the center of history

      in Japan

      Posted

      .......and now, the rest of the story.......

      the picture itself is addressed to a Hauptmann Shartle" (smudged) which led me a merry chase through various German ranklists from 1911-1914. Eventually I figured out that Shartle was in fact, an American and not only that, but married to a woman whose family still lives 2 towns up from me.

      Samuel G. Shartle was born in 1871, from an old WASP family in Pennsylvania. A member of the SAR, he graduated from Lafayette college in 1891. In 1898 he volunteered for the war with Spain and was made a Corporal in the PA. volunteer infantry. In 1899 he was mustered out and accepted a commission as a 2nd Lt. in the newly established "Negro " 38th US infantry. He served with the 38th until 1901. He received both the Spanish war and Phillipene campaign medals. In August, 1901 he transferred into the Coastal Artillery as a Lt. and by 1903 was in station at the fort in Portland, Maine where he met and married a pretty heiress named Marian Chapman, who was from Cumberland Foreside, still one of the most exclusive zip codes in the USA. Ms. Chapman is a distant cousin of the actress Helen Hunt.

      In 1906 Shartle was the Honor graduate at the US artillery school and got promoted to the lofty rank of Captain in January, 1907, at age 36!

      In 1909 he was apponinted the military attache in Berlin. He was presented to the Kaiser in Potsdam and attended the Kaisermanouvres, where he met Winston Churchill. He attended the Kaisermanouvres every year until 1914. He took an avid interest in the development of Germanys' air arm and his letters can be seen in the Congressional Quarterly on the subject. He was one of the first to suggest that battleships might be vulnerable to bombing by airplanes.

      He and his wife very much enjoyed the glamour and exotic whirl of Germanys' social and diplomatic life. Mrs. Shartles' diary was sold on eBay last month for $1,400. In it she details balls, teas, intrigues and other events. One of the most interesting is having tea with the new Chinese Republican ambassador and attache and his "tiny, doll like" wife. That man's great grand daughter is now a billionaire and CPCP cadre....and a graduate of Cambridge (and was working in a London fish and chip shop when I met her).

      Shartle left Germany in 1915 and later served on the US General Staff.

      He was part of the US delegation at Versailles and wrote a book about his experiences.

      He was rotated from the staff in 1922 and given command of a fort in Newport, RI.

      Afterwards he made it to Colonel and retired to Cumberland, Maine. By 1930 he was fed up with the winters and had relocated to Dad County Florida, where he wrote another book on fortifications in the Great War and his magnum opus, a translation of the war diary of a German condittori who fought in central Europe some 500 years before.

      Not bad for a little photo off eBay.

      Stunning! :love:

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      Colonel Tamura Okinosuke, a quiet, bookish man in the center of history

      in Japan

      Posted

      Outstanding! Id LOVE to see this material.

      Hotta only references Satsuma briefly, but even today Japanese political factions are split along some of those old clan lines. Even at the last war conference where Hirohito was hinting strongly that attacking the US was the wrong thing, the army/navy rivalry kept the officers from discerning his intent.

      I suspect Tamura served under General Nogi upon his return to Japan/Manchuria and thus his older brother helped his career. Nogi NEVER recovered fully from losing the imperial standard during the Satsuma rebellion and eventually committed seppuku after the Meiji Emperor died.

      Well, I'll check my documents if I still have them. But I'm afraid, I must scan them (only hard copy).

       

      I guess, this kind of rivalry isnt' limited to Japan?  ;)  We still have this rivalry between navy and army in Germany.

      The first think I learned during my basic training in the navy was, “gold will never salute against silverâ€. (While the navy members had golden insignia/chevron, the army had silver ones). It was a nice experience for me to see, that the navy guys always felt “something specialâ€â€¦

       

      BR, Chris

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      Colonel Tamura Okinosuke, a quiet, bookish man in the center of history

      in Japan

      Posted · Edited by Gensui

      This is a very interesting thread.  It is enjoyable to read something outside one's normal area of interest.

       

      I vaguely remember hearing about a book written by a Japanese attache in Berlin who returned to Japan on horseback riding through Russia.  His observations while in Russia were reportedly instrumental in preparations for the Russo-Japanese War 1904/05.  Is this related to this thread in any way?  Or is this a figment of my imagination?

      Hi IrishGunner,

      I guess, you’re thinking about the General Fukushima Yasumasa (1852 –1919)?

      Fukushima was military attaché in Berlin from March 1887 to December 1891.

      He joined the sino-japanese war in 1894/95, the Boxer rebellion in 1900 and the russo-japanese war in 1904/1905. He’s an interesting person, because he was a cofounder of the Japanese Kenpeitai (military police).

      Indeed, he went back to Japan by horse, which took him approx. 14 months. Some further information can be found here: http://www.thelongridersguild.com/fukushima.htm

      BR,

      Chris

       

      Edit: crossing post

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      Colonel Tamura Okinosuke, a quiet, bookish man in the center of history

      in Japan

      Posted

      Hi Ulsterman,

       

      Thanks for your information!

      No sorry, I can only send you my German master theses.

      It brings back the memories to me, reading my own writting, strong influence of the "chôdohi" (the hand of Satsuma, Chôshû, Tosa Hi-zen) and their overwhelming influence on the navy. But it's a general problem. I remember my Professor tried to keep me away for my master thesis due to the lack of sources. Fortunately, I was able to find some great helpers with David C. Evans (who already passed away) and Mark R. Peattie (author of the book “Kaigunâ€), who provided me unpublished material, especially about the role of the Satsuma clan.

      BR,

      Chris

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      Colonel Tamura Okinosuke, a quiet, bookish man in the center of history

      in Japan

      Posted

      Hello Ulsterman,

      A very nice photo and interesting history! During my studies about the foreign influence on the developing of the Japanese Navy in the 19th Century under foreign influence, I observed the so-called oyatoi gaikokujin (hired foreigners) and the ryûgaku sei (Japanese students, who studied aboard).

      Especially in the history of the army, the German Kaiserreich played an important role.

      Here is some further information/confirmation about TAMURA Okinosuke, which you already mentioned as well.

      He served as Major of the artillery in Magdeburg and Berlin from August 1902 until April 1905.

      He spent one year within a German field artillery regiment. From October 1910 until January 1913 he was appointed as military attaché in Berlin and was promoted to lieutenant-general.  

      After he came back to Japan, he was commanded in the general staff of the Japanese Army as Leader of the Buro No. 4. Within this office, he was responsible for cartography Military History, Translation and the Archive/Military Records.

      Source: HARTMANN, Rudolf (2007): Japanische Offiziere im Deutschen Kaiserreich 1870-1914, in: Japonica Humboldtiana, 11, S. 93-158.

       

      I would love to see a scan of the back side with the signature… :whistle:

      PS: Which source did you used for your information?

      BR,

      Chris

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