Ulsterman

There's a book in French called "Souvineres' D' Grand Armee" -I think it came out @ 5 years ago.

FANTASTIC photos!!!!! I love that short story..."he woke in a sweat...his heart burned for a Persian Order of the Lion and Swords".......

I would LOVE to see that notice as well. Looking at pre war books and popular school lessons and articles (do a google book search you will see what i mean) the EK had ENORMOUS prestige. It was almost a guarantee of a free beer (much like a Waterloo medal) for any old codger who walked into a pub. Earlier in the war- 1914/1915 it also retained its cache'. there are accounts of newly decorated soldiers home on leave walking into restaurants with their medal and everyone suddenly stopping their conversations or in hushed tones saying ..."The iron cross"! The band then changing to a patriotic tune and the iron cross holder being swept into a table and given top notch service...young ladies vying with each other to gain the soldier's attention....etc...etc... The later view was well summed up in the memoirs of a staff officer who was -in 1917- given the job of coordinating medal awards at an army level: " Regarding the awarding of the war medal, one can limit one to the principles by which the Iron Cross was awarded. This award was seen by the soldiers as THE award, the only real award in terms of its worth. In it, the soldier and the general public as well, saw it as an award for bravery in the face of the enemy, contrary to the actual regulation, which stated that "service in the war in the broadest sense" was the sole prerequisite. But the feeling of the army in this matter was simply as such and it was not to be changed by regulations.....The regulations for the awarding of the Iron Cross and it's award were such, that they injured the feelings of the front fighters. The awards of other colorful trumpery by other individual states were viewed as superfluous. Commanding officers of train stations and other base wallahs who boasted these types of embellishments, representing courage and manly virtues, did not hurt the feelings of the man in the trenches. He made fun of their "collecting mania" in a good-natured way and did not envy them for these trinkets." ...It then goes on to say how the award of the EK1 to staff officers and as a class designation was deeply resented by the rest of the army....... but he ends with this corker.... " If one considers that Moltke himself received the EK1 ONLY after the battle of Sedan, the spread (multiplication) of the EK in the World War of 1914/18 was so rapid that it reminds one of the galloping consumption (flu)". The award of an EK1 to someone below the rank of Sergeant was unbelievably rare. If the 1918 FAZ article quoted by Stanton/Weber is correct- it was statistically rarer than the PLM was to officers....and maybe even MUCH rarer by a ratio of 3:1! This would explain Hitler wearing only it and his wound badge...the symbolism and prestige was enormous.

wow- it does look cruder, but the clasp and the ribbon are a-ok IMHO! It must be a private purchase medal- but why? Is it bronze?

http://gmic.co.uk/uploads/monthly_01_2012/post-171-0-87642800-1327673803.jpgHmmmmmm.....I once saw one for $100 ! My "classic" photo

That's not a police bar- that's merely a trick of the light and the REALLY RARE 40 LS year oakleaves!!!! :jumping: What is key is that the two mystery ribbons #9/10 have moved "down" the bar after @ 1937, AFTER the LS medals, .........so they must be foreign/Austrian?

Well- Jeff Floyd can tell you! Good luck.

Cool! Which Kompanie? A very famous regiment!!!

Yeah- well I am squinting and I see no hint of anything reddish or rose. So something unofficial and Prussian. I can state categorically it was NOT the Prussian state agricultural medal or animal husbandry prizes, since those ribbons were half black/half white. I reckon it's musical or regimental. Nice Kings' German legion commemorative medal though-

The 2007 Njiemegan march medal had a crown on it? :0 I', surprised not to see a DSB badge there too!

The Preussischer Landesverein "Vom Reuter Kreuz: Treurer Deinst 1914-1919 medal (# 186 in the 1989 Luedenscheid Red Cross volume). One tends to see the pinback 2nd and 1st classes more often, but the medal was awarded quite liberally by the Prussian Red Cross (I have hand penciled notes that @10,000+ were given from George Seymour) in the Weimar era. Given the fading on the Ehrenkreuz, I would hope that a faint trace of 1mm wide pink could be found at the outer edge of the ribbon- because if it is there- then Bob's your Uncle!

Ah! Hmmmmm...I smell book/article opportunity here Chris and Mervyn.....

It is! ...and IMHO it looks MUCH better than the US cheaply made Iraq campaign medal.

Cool!

Really? Why?

Very cool! The OMSA database has a link to the NY records (compiled by an OMSA member). You can confirm the mans' identity there. Nope- spoke too soon. OMSA is selling a hard copy of the New York numbers (greedy people) but Jeff Floyd has the list. He's a good guy and if you ask him he'll probably help you out.

well, I do...and I looked and it's sooo close to so many Prussian and Hohenzollern medals,but not quite. I am left wondering if it was a music award or even something Freikorps. It is soooo close to the Prussian red Cross 3rd class ribbon. I saw the messed with triple bar at the WAF that this was originally on. While I see no hint of red/pink on the outer edges- is it possible I missed it?

Can we see them please?

By the way- most NY medals are numbered. Does your have a number?

Yeah- it almost rings a bell- very close to the the Prussian cross with swords-the private purchase piece??? http://gmic.co.uk/in...ne/page__st__20h...

Here is an unissued but rare one- the Richmond, Va. medal awarded in 1920.

I blew it up and then looked at it in a magnifying glass (thanks RR!). It is definely a small medal @ the size of a silver mark coin...I am wondering if it's a lifesaving medal.

Me! Me! Moi!!!

Bravo!!!!

..a navy vet in Bavarian -photo taken @ 1931....