Claudio

Hello Jean-Sam, I find it also strange. My brother, who also collects, doesn't like the bars on the IC. But on the other hand in the 20ies it was pretty much left to anyone initiative to "decorate" their bars as much as possible, especailly if they were members of several veteran groups. Now in this case it's even more strange, because as we all know Paris was never taken by the Germans. Or maybe the veteran wanted to say with that, that he founght on the Marne close to Paris in the early stages of the war. I only hope that this bar wasn't added later... ciao, C

NOW... I remember to have seen it before...

No, dear Tilo, in this thread you haven't shown it before... the MVO looks like a JL type... beautiful as well the Chilean and Ottoman orders... Marine officer!? :-) Very very nice... don't forget to show the reverse... Ciao, Claudio

Very nice bars, Tilo! I like those Pr RAO with crown! The first one it's like it came out from the time machine... Immaculate! Ciao, C

Hi Dave! Thanks for the additional info on Egon's brother. I always liked your bar... but I think it will be really tough to trace the owner... no LS awards, no FEK (so bar was put together before 1934-35, maybe even earlier)... But the combination is really appealing... Very likely this officer (Reserve most likely) served on the Southern front (Austria and Bulgaria war decorations, although the Bulgarian MVO is on Tapferkeitsband but without the KD wreath). Very, very interesting... Good luck in finding him! :-) ciao, Claudio

Dear forumites friends! Thanks a lot for your joint effort... another nameless bar being identified... incredible! I couldn't imagine that Tom's bar could be as well identified... but judging by the job of Tom's medal bar bearer, it makes quite sense now. Thanks again! ciao, Claudio

Dear Forumites, My lastest Godet... a Senior LW Officer who was quite well decorated during WWI, still looking for a name... Preußen, Eisernes Kreuz 1914 2. Klasse am Kämpferband (OEK 1909), E gs/S Sachsen Königreich, Albrechts-Orden RK 1. Kl. mit Schwertern, Hersteller Scharffenberg (OEK 2206) Sv Sächsische Herzogtümer, Ernestinischer Hausordens Ritterkreuz 1. Kl. mit Schwertern ohne Bandring vernäht, Reichsapfel mit Einriss (OEK 2475) G/Sv Schwarzburg-Sondershausen, Ehrenkreuz 3. Kl. mit Schwertern (OEK 2785) S/Sv Deutsches Reich 1933-45, Ehrenkreuz für Frontkämpfer mit Schwertern (OEK 3803/1), Hersteller KM & F, Kallenbach, Meyer & Francke, Luckenwalde Deutsches Reich 1933-45, LW-Dienstauszeichnung 2. Kl., 18 Jahre (OEK 3858) Deutsches Reich 1933-45, LW-Dienstauszeichnung 4. Kl., 4 Jahre (OEK 3860) Österreich 1. Republik, 1. Weltkriegs-Erinnerungsmedaille Ungarn, 1. Weltkriegs-Erinnerungsmedaille Enjoy... ciao, Claudio

Thank you Dave, for your terrific research work!

Tamara connection?? :-)

http://www.ehrenzeichen-orden.de/deutsche-staaten/erinnerungsmedaille-an-den-thronanspruch-1905.html Here's a link of the above-mentioned Lippe-Detmold Thronanspruchsmedaille. Claudio

I wouldn't touch this bar, even with a 10 meters pole...

Thanks to all of you... Dave, Paul and Daniel! Now we have also a first name... ;-)

Thanks Dave, for your confirmation. ciao, C

A really nice informative thread (alas in German for those who can't read it) about the IR 26

There is also a Hauptmann Maenss (liason officer in Finland at the end of WWI, 1918) being mentioned in this thread http://gmic.co.uk/index.php/topic/2713-german-troops-in-finland-1918/ ... such an officer could have had the chance to get multiple awards from different German states...

What about this Maenss, living in Memel in 1929? http://adressbuecher.genealogy.net/entry/show/248928 It would be great to have a first name, because the family name is really quite uncommon... but I still need a first name. Problem is that Prussian Ranglisten don't really show first names... it might be difficult... but who knows? It would be great to give a story to that bar... behind a ribbon or medal bar there's always a human story...

Could be this Maenss (born in 1882), who than later became a diplomat in Sweden? http://www.drehscheibe-foren.de/foren/read.php?17,6249266,page=all ciao, Claudio

That's great, Paul!!!! Meass... it's a strange German family name... it sounds almost like "my ass" in English... Are you sure about the spelling? I can't find any family name in Germany with the spelling "Meass". ciao, Claudio

Hi Paul, Thank you for your reply. Too me it's clearly a PrKO4, the color is corn pale blue, not dark marine blue. I don't see any Centennial medal and by the Godet's Feldschnalle type here shown (dark blue/black backing with metal label), this bar was very likely assembled by Godet in the early-mid twenties. So this officer didn't serve that long in order to get a LS award for 25 years. Ciao, C

Dear forumites, I am happy to show my latest purchase... a feldschnalle of a Prussian officer. The awards combination could be quite unique... (Prussia, Bavaria, Mecklenburg-Schwerin, Anhalt, KuK Österreich-Ungarn)... Any comments or inputs are most welcome! Ciao, Claudio

Dear all, I found this on wikipedia... in 1978 they issued a commemorative medal for Georg III...

Thanks a lot Dave! Sorry for the troubles of searching this officer in Archives... I checked also the Kriegsmarine lists I have on file on my computer, but I didn't find any Meissenburgs... Very likely he was a Reichswehr employee or a Police officer. Who knows, maybe I get lucky and something else of Meissenburg's stuff will surface on the net (Ebay, Auctions, other collectors). I will keep an eye open, like I do for all other named groups of mine... :-) thanks again! ciao, Claudio

Yes Matthew, it's really a very nice medal, rarely seen on medal bars, especially of military personnel... It would be nice to know how many they were awarded, maybe just a couple of thousands. Here's another huge bar sold by HH last year for Eur 5'000.- + commission 66. Auktion (18.-19.10.2012) Los Nr. 3188 Ordensschnalle des fürstlichen Kammerdieners August Fleischer 20-teilige Ordensschnalle mit Preußen: Eisernes Kreuz 2. Klasse 1914, Deutsches Reich: Ehrenkreuz für Kriegsteilnehmer ohne Schwerter, Reuß: Goldene Verdienstmedaille des Ehrenkreuzes mit Krone und Schwertern, Reuß jüngere Linie: Erinnerungszeichen zum Silbernen Ehejubiläum 1909, Reuß: Goldene Verdienstmedaille des Ehrenkreuzes, Reuß jüngere Linie: Silberne Verdienstmedaille "Für treue Dienste" mit der Krone ab 1909, Reuß-Lobenstein-Ebersdorf: Bronzene (stark vergoldet!) Verdienstmedaille, Braunschweig: Verdienstkreuz 1. Klasse in silbervergoldeter Ausführung der Firma Siebrecht mit Sternchen, "S" und "900"-Punze, Sachsen: Albrechtskreuz mit separat geprägtem Kopf des Stifters im Medaillon, Preußen: Verdienstkreuz in Silber (am falschen Band), Sächsische Herzogtümer: Verdienstkreuz des Ernestinischen Hausordens mit separat geprägtem Kopf, Preußen: Kreuz des Allgemeinen Ehrenzeichens, Sachsen: Ehrenkreuz, Bulgarien: Verdienstkreuz (6. Klasse) des Zivilverdienstordens, Mecklenburg-Schwerin: Silbernes Verdienstkreuz des Ordens der Wendischen Krone, Meckelnburg-Schwerin: Silberne Verdienstmedaille ab 1872 mit Stempelschneider "W. KULLRICH F." im Medaillenrand, Sachsen-Coburg-Gotha: Verdienstmedaille in Gold des Sachsen-Ernestinischen Hausordens mit Bildnis Herzog Alfreds und Stempelschneider "LAUER", Schaumburg-Lippe: Goldene Verdienstmedaille ab 1893 mit der lippeschen Rose im Wappenschild, Mecklenburg-Schwerin: Silberne Medaille Friedrich Franz III. mit Zieröse für Zivilpersonen, Sachsen: Silberne Friedrich August-Medaille am Friedensband. Außergewöhnliche Ordensschnalle mit 20(!) Ehrenzeichen von 34,5 cm Länge. Besonders die Goldene Verdienstmedaille mit Krone und Schwertern (Position 3) des gemeinschaftlich verliehenen reußer Hausordens von großer Seltenheit. Bei der Lobenstein-Ebersdorfer Medaille (Position 7) handelt es sich vermutlich um eine von der jüngeren Linie Reuß übernommenen (fehlende "LXXII" unter der Namenschiffre) Auszeichnung für 25 Dienstjahre Hofbediensteter, wie sie bisher von der Literatur nicht gewürdigt wurde. Die nachfolgenden drei Lose aus gleichem Besitz.

@ Paul and Claudius: thanks for your nice comments! For the moderator; is it possible to change the tag from Reuss to Mecklenburg-Schwerin? Thanks!

Thanks Daniel to confirm it for me... ;-) I guess it will be quite difficult to get any information on this obscure officer after WWI... :-( But I guess he must have reached at least the rank of Major or Oberstleutnant, due to his 25 years of service, maybe in some Wehrbezirk. There are quite a lot of example of very well decorated WWI veterans who served in the administration and in the rear echelons at the front. It is possible that the police service it is counted in order to get an Heer LS award? I was unaware of that. Thanks for your inputs! ciao, Claudio