landsknechte

There is still one piece that eludes me, but I suspect I'd have to get a bit cat burglar-y to get it... 😎

As an aside, this particular Großes Verdienstkreuz may have an interesting backstory. The seller stated that it was "Discovered in Athens, Greece and likely was presented to a late former Prime Minister whose estate the seller handled some time back." A Greek Orthodox Order of St. Mark (photos in a thread here) came out of the same group. On a lark I cross referenced a database of Greek Prime Ministers and lists of Verdienstorden recipients. There were a few matches, typically a higher grade of the award commensurate with the rank of Prime Minister. The oddball was Georgios Papadopoulos who received the lone Großes Verdienstkreuz in 1960 while he was a lowly diplomat, prior to the coup d'état that was to follow in a few years. As best I can tell the award and it's case appears to be correct for the period. I haven't been able to track down any further info on the alleged auction, so who knows? For the time being, I'm leaving it in an open file. If anyone runs across anyone especially knowledgeable in Greek dictator memorabilia, let me know.

After some infuriating postal issues, I've collected replacements for the medals tragically (and inexplicably) removed by the prior owner, as well as an appropriate wound badge and a Großes Verdienstkreuz: Additionally, I was able to track down a little bit more information and an another photograph in a historical "who's who" of Passau published in the 1990s. Tausend Passauer: Biographisches Lexikon zu Passaus Stadtgeschichte

Looking at the 1918 Naval Ranklist, it only shows the Crown Order and the EK. Hopefully someone with some later war resources can help out. I don't know if you noticed, but they're splitting up a group. At the very least, give 'em a look and make sure to save the photos.

I'm trying to prove or disprove a bit of an odd story... I picked up a German decoration (Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany, Great Cross). The seller stated that it was "Discovered in Athens, Greece and likely was presented to a late former Prime Minister whose estate the seller handled some time back." I cross referenced a database of Greek Prime Ministers and Verdienstorden recipients, and Georgios Papadopoulos was the lone Großes Verdienstkreuz match. He was awarded it in 1960 while he was a humble diplomat. The rest were awarded higher grades of the award, once they had achieved a higher office. As best I can tell, the award itself looks like one from the right era. Does anyone know if there was an auction where something like this might have been sold off at some point? Perhaps his widow selling off some of the clutter? Ultimately I bought it to complete a display for someone else entirely, so it's no great loss should it prove to be anonymous. However it's got a distinctive chip in the enamel that might show up in a catalog photo, so there might be a possibility. As an American with no knowledge of the Greek language and a similarly named American political figure clogging up the works, my search engine efforts have been fruitless thus far. Anyone know where I should look next?

Thanks!

I'm a complete neophyte in this area, and I'm trying to figure out the appropriate sword that would have been carried by enlisted men in the 11th Hussars in the immediate lead up to WW1. I'm not sure of the precise date of the attached photos, but AFAIK they're the correct unit around the same period. Any thoughts?

Yep. That's just the product of years of squinting at old German handwriting. I was able to track down a copy of an old book ("Verleihungen von militärischen Orden und Ehrenzeichen des Grossherzogtums Baden im Ersten Weltkrieg 1914-1918" by Erhard Roth) that listed the recipients of that award. The date isn't tied to his commission, it's the date of the award. I'm not enough of a Baden specialist to help out much beyond that.

From what I've got: Fritz Heydecke Leutnant d.R. in RIR 249 - award date 09.06.1915

Ernst has a long mustache... Since the original post, I reached out to the Bavarian Archives. They had a rather extensive file on him (~330 pages). I got a copy of his Offizierspersonalakt, and copies of a few photos of him taken from a few different albums. I haven't been able to track down any photos taken in the 20th century as of yet, and I'm curious as to the mustache he ultimately attained. Leutnant, 2. Fuß-Art.Rgt. (1882) Premierleutnant, 2. Fuß-Art.Rgt. (1889) Hauptmann, 2. Fuß-Art.Rgt. (1896) Hauptmann, 1. Fuß-Art.Regt. (1897)

I did contact him, but he was unable to change it. It might have been too close to the end of the auction.

That was one of Rick Lundström's bars. It was one of those sold at the Bene Merenti auction a number of years back, and it's in one he used in a certain rather contentious article. I don't know 100% that it's a unique attribution, but i looked Dr. Roediger in the Naval Ranklist, and everything seemed to line up. Even though the seller was willing to ship to this side of the pond, eBay was steadfast in not allowing me to bid due to location. Grr...

I've seen the decoration below described as the Greek Orthodox Order of St. Mark. I'm having very little success tracking info on it down thus far. Anyone know anything about this one? (This example isn't mine, but it's related to a group I'm researching.)

Thank you for the detailed response. You're absolutely right, about it being a WW1 veteran who ended up in the RAD. It's the guy discussed in this thread. I knew he had been wounded before in 1918. I just wasn't sure if the 1937 document was vouching for the 1918 injury, or describing a second one.

I know he was wounded in WW1, and received a black wound badge at the time. Does this suggest a second injury in 1937, or is it just a replacement document confirming that he's authorized to wear it, having been awarded it in the past?

You're corrupting me. On a lark, I tracked one down. I found one for sale here in the states. I expect that one of the street signs will be significantly more difficult...

Interesting pattern on the back, Looks like it might have been a tablecloth in a past life.

There's a bit more info on him in a regional wiki page, and the Bavarian Parliament's page, both of which were a great help with my write up. Additionally there's a book cataloging notable residents of Passau which include him. I've got that headed my way via interlibrary loan, and hopefully there'll be a bit more info in there.

Then it starts to get interesting... He was a member of the Hochstrasse Circle, a resistance group that met in his apartment. He and two others were sentenced to death in absentia on April 28, 1945. He and one of the other Hochstrasse Circle members were later confirmed to be members of Freiheitsaktion Bayern as well. Apparently his role in the RAD involved the induction of new recruits, and he actively worked to sabotage the process as much as possible. In 1948 he was elected to the City Council of Passau, and shortly thereafter Mayor. He held that position for 16 year, and was also a member of the Bavarian Parliament from 1954-1958. In 1957 he was awarded the Order of Merit. ...and another photograph of him taken sometime in the 1950's. He passed away in 1966, and ultimately had a street in Passau named in his honor. Sadly Dr. Billinger's medals have been separated from the group. I discovered a post in 2008 where the then owner had the medals. Borrowing their photo: Since it's a clip on bar where I can add medals without altering anything permanently, I'm planning to rebuild it. I've already got a loose EK2, MVK3X, and Hindenburg Cross, and I've got replacements for the three commemoratives on the way.

After the war, he studied economics and law, earning his doctorate in 1923. He worked in banking in Markt Oberdorf, then in Insurance in Weimar and Stuttgart from 1924 to 1928. In 1931 he ended up working in a paper factory in Bad Mergentheim. In 1932, he joined the Weimar Republic's Voluntary Labor Service (FAD), which was incorporated into the Reich Labor Service (RAD) in 1935. Apparently he was made a member of the Nazi Party in 1932 without his knowledge. He rejoined the party in 1938, with his membership backdated to May 1937. He attained the rank of Oberfeldmeister (equivalent to an Oberleutnant). Wehrpass continued: There was also a second, mostly blank Wehrpass with a few entries:

I just landed my first named medal bar this afternoon, accompanied by a nice bit of paperwork! Meet Dr. Stephan (sometimes "Stefan") Billinger: Originally from Oberhaselbach, he went high school in Passau. In 1916 he enlisted in the Bavarian Infanterie-Leib-Regiment, earning the MVK3X in October 1917 and the EK2 in April 1918. His Bavarian Militärpass was included: Some of his award documents are present. Anyone better able to read the handwriting able to determine what name or title they're using on the Bavarian document? During the interwar period, it appears that he served with the Freikorps Passau. He shows up in one of their Kriegstamrolle that Ancestry has scanned.

Nice! It took a while for it to wing it's way over to the New World, but I've got mine recently as well. I also got lucky and tracked down the O'Connor books without completely breaking the bank. The Bavarian book was the toughest to find by a long shot. I'm set for the next several rainy days.

If I find one, I'll certainly share it. Haven't succeeded yet.

I've been been working on this one for a couple of months now, having finally sorted out a clerical error in my research that derailed me a bit... There were only two candidates in the 1918 Naval Ranklist that tick all of the boxes: Both had been in the Navy long enough to have the 1897 Centenary Medal, with Kunau entering in 1896, and Schulz in 1894. The Boxer Rebellion ended up being the key. Theoretically Schulz could have had a steel grade, but I couldn't find a visible connection. Kunau's entry in the 1908/1909 Deutscher Ordens Almanach omits it, mentioning the RAO4, 1897 Centenary Medal, and the Russian St. Anne Order. However, the 1901 Naval Ranklist lists him as being on the SMS Fürst Bismarck, which would have warranted a bronze. Additionally, Daniel Krause was kind enough to check his database for me. Kunau lines up nicely while Schulz ended up with additional decorations not present on either bar. Curiously enough, on the eve of the Great War, the two men were co-workers: Anyhow, most of what I've got concerning his WWI service comes from the Ehrenrangliste der Kaiserlich Deutschen Marine (1914-18): He remained in the Kiel area during the interwar period, and ended up back in uniform in WWII, commanding a banana boat turned troop transport. His ship (the Pionier) was ferrying troops between Norway and Germany when it was torpedoed by a British sub, less than a week after his 61st birthday. About 60% of the crew and passengers survived, however the captain was not among them.