Claudio

Many thanks Rick and Glenn for your kind and most appreciated additional information. Now let's hope that the Kriegsarchiv in M?nchen will reply to my request... if I get their Rangliste, I will be able to confirm a lot of datas. Ciao, Claudio

Dear forumites, I was tempted to purchase this medal bar but unfortunately I wasn't able to get the documents, which were sold separately. I couldn't find on internet no information about Generalmajor Hans Sturm. He served in WWI as Artillery officer. Very likely if I am lucky, I will get additional information from the Bayerisches Kriegsarchiv (Rangliste). Here is the description of the medal bar: ? Preu?en, Eisernes Kreuz 2. Klasse, 1914 (OEK 1909) ? Deutsches Reich 1933-45, Kriegsverdienstkreuz 2. Klasse mit Schwertern ? Bayern, Milit?rverdienstorden 4. Klasse mit Krone und Schwertern (OEK 412), Medallion S vg ? Deutsches Reich 1933-45, Ehrenkreuz f?r Frontk?mpfer (OEK 3803/1), Hersteller G & S (Godet & Sohn) ? Deutsches Reich 1933-45, DA 1. Klasse f?r 25 Dienstjahre (OEK 3852) ? Deutsches Reich 1933-45, DA 3. Klasse f?r 12 Dienstjahre (OEK 3854) ? Deutsches Reich 1933-45, Erinnerungsmedaille an den 01.10.38, Anschluss Sudetenland (OEK 3517) ? Bayern, bronzene Luitpold-Medaille (OEK 461) Some medals have been detached from the medal bar... I guess, the previous owner thought to sell them one by one making more profit , but maybe he realized that it was a huge mistake, because of the pedigree of such a piece. The FEK is a Godet piece (quite common on General or Senior officers medal bars), and although some medals have been brutally ripped off the bar, it looks in very good conditions and very easy to restore. The Iron Cross 2nd class is of a really high class manufacture... too bad that it was so badly ruined when somebody attempted to take it off the bar (Why???? ) Additional information given on the auction's catalogue about the documents: 1904 Kgl. Bayerische Armee Patent als F?hnrich ? Leutnant im 2. Fu?artillerie-Regiment 1905 Verleihung der Luitpold-Medaille 25.12.1914 MVO 4. Klasse mit Schwertern 1916 Bef?rderung zum Hauptmann 1934 Frontk?mpfer-Ehrenzeichen 02.10.1936 Verleihung DA 1. u. 3. Klasse 23.01.1938 Ernennungsurkunde zum Oberst, OU Adolf Hitler u. GFM von Brauchitsch 1938 Anschluss-Erinnerungsmedaille Sudentenland 30.01.1941 KVK 2. Klasse mit Schwertern 30.07.1941 Anstellungsurkunde als Oberst, OU GFM von Brauchitsch Furthermore during the auction were sold separately also the Schirmm?tze (General) and the tunic of Hans Sturm. I would really appreciate if anybody could add some information about H. Sturm's career. Thank you very much in advance! Ciao, Claudio

For comparison a zoomed clasps' picture of the other bar.

Thanks Rick! Maybe your original medal bar's owner were buddies and knew eachother... Here's a better pic of the clasps. As you can see the clasp "Hereroland" has slightly been damaged on the surface. Ciao, Claudio

@ Sascha: of course... it's a Ungarian WWI commemorative medal... I was to busy checking the other medals... I'm posting the other medal bar... just for Sascha... Yeah... that Allgemeines Ehrenzeichen bronce gilted... very strange... when I bid on it, the picture on Kube's catalogue, like the ones 20 years, was only black and wait... That's the positive for your German collectors, you can go to auctions and inspect personally such bars. I can't fly every time there's an auction to see such details, which are by the way for the advanced enthusiast in German Imperial medal quite important... Ciao, Claudio

Hi Heiko, Thanks for your comments... I noticed that the clasp Gross-Namaland looks quite the same like the one I have on this other medal bar; the third and especially the forth letter from the left (OS) looks to be placed not quite on the same line but rather a bit lower. The pattern of the lettering and the background of this clasp look all quite alike... the fire-gilt polishing on the higher surfaces it's still present, but not so much, maybe because it has been expose a bit more than the other bar to light and climatic agents. I could almost say with 95% certainity that the Gross-Namaland clasp might look good. For the other clasp "Hereroland" I unfortunately can't compare with anything I have in my collection or I personally have seen and touched. Furthermore this bar is even more tightly fixed to the bar. Actually both clasps seem to be very well fixed to the bar, not like put in place in a second moment. But it's hard to tell... Thanks anyway for your opinion... I hope that one day we could personally meet so that I can show you it personally... or maybe I have to hope in a sunny day, in order to take some better pictures with a natural and neutral light. Ciao, Claudio

Are you just guessing (on the clasps) or is it an educated judgement based on some founded visual evidences? That's what I like to know... The clasps are very tightly fixed to the bar and don't want to ruin or destroy the bar in order to try how the clasps and theirs hooks look alike. Ciao, Claudio

Always show the back... it could be KM (dark blue almost black):

Detail of the Gefechtsspangen:

Dear forumites, I'd like to introduce to you one of my latest purchases and would appreciate to hear your comment on it, especially on the "Gefechtsspangen" (compaign bars) of the DSWA-medal and on the Allg. EZ (strangely gilted and the reverse "Verdienst um den Staat" worn on the front). ? Preussen, Eisernes Kreuz 2. Klasse, 1914 (OEK 1909) ? Deutsches Reich 1933-45, Ehrenkreuz f?r Frontk?mpfer (OEK 3803), Herst. JK (Juncker Berlin?) ? Preussen, Allgemeines Ehrenzeichen in Bronze, 1912-1918, R?ckseite ?WR? (OEK 1843), vg ? Deutsches Reich 1871-1918, S?dwestafrika-Denkm?nze f?r K?mpfer (OEK 3165) vg, mit Gefechtsspangen ?Hereroland? und ?Gross-Namaland? (OEK 3167 und 3172) ? Preussen, DA 2. Modell, 1913-1920, 1. Klasse f?r den Soldatenstand nach 15 Dienstjahre, Kreuz (OEK1974) Ku vg ? ?sterreich 1. Republik, 1. Weltkriegs-Erinnerungsmedaille ? Ungarn, 1. Weltkriegs-Erinnerungsmedaille am K?mpferband Ciao, Claudio

Wow! You have quite a good memory... like an elephant... (we say in Italian)... you quite have all the interesting bars memorized in your visual brain! Me too, when I like a bar I saw on some catalogue years ago, I quite never forget it! The same memory I have for good looking girls (only the good looking, I am afraid)... Thanks for updating my medal bar with very interesting information that I will save in my "private" archives... Ciao, Claudio

Hi Jason! Here's a list made by a fellow German collector on another website explaining which grades of Bmvk were awarded to which rank: MVK 1. Klasse mit Krone und Schwertern: Feldwebelleutnante, mittlere Beamte im Kriegsministerium MVK 1. Klasse mit Schwertern: Feldwebelleutnante, mittlere Beamte und z. B. Feldhilfs?rzte MVK 2. Klasse mit Kr. und Schw.: Offiziersstellvertreter, Unterzahlmeister, Musikmeister MVK 2. Klasse mit Schwertern: Vizefeldwebel, Feldwebel, F?hnriche MVK 3. Klasse mit Krone und Schwertern: Unteroffiziere und Sergeanten MVK 3. Klasse mit Schwertern: Mannschaften An Unteroffizier would get a MVK 3rd class with swords. Ciao, Claudio

Hi Bolgarin, Although lately there are many fake or newly mounted medal bars coming from Austria on Ebay with lots of Austrian medals in them, I have a good feeling about this one. But I don't think it's researchable from the German side of the rolls... maybe from the Austrian side, but it will be quite a long shot. For sure it was a German medical officer... Ciao, Claudio

Chris, The combination is quite unusual if you consider that only about 1000 RK 2. Kl. mit X of the White Falcon Order have been awarded... plus the other two crosses... I don't think that there are many officers left with that combination... maybe a handful! Ciao, Claudio

@ webr55 : the medal bar you are showing lies in my collection... I bought it from a US collector. Apart from the fact that the Anschluss-Medaillen are missing, also the quality of construction of the bar looks a bit "simpler" than the one of Ribbentrop... very likely it was a Godet... as most VIP or Generals had their bars mounted by first class Orden & Ehrenzeichen vendors or juwellers. Ciao, Claudio

I got no. 46...

Hi Claudius, I also first wanted to bid on # 49, but after discussing it with a fellow forumites, I thought that the Oldenburg Ehrenkreuz with swords could have been replaced... these are quite faked, since they are easy to make (or easier than the enameled orders) and are so rare. I think that very likely in its place there was the Household order of Oldenburg, maybe a RK 1st or 2nd class. The all combination with the Ehrenkreuz didn't really make sense... but apart from that it was quite an interesting Godet bar. I would have like to see that bar personally, but from the picture you can tell that the Ehrenkreuz is attached looser than the other medals. This particular is even more strange if considered that Godet bars are always put together very precisely. Ciao, Claudio

When I saw it, I wanted to say it right away whose ribbon bar was... since I saw once the picture of his medal bar (ex-Stump collection... where's it now???). Ciao, Claudio

Hi Paul, The results are already on line: http://www.andreas-thies.de/ergebnislisten.htm Ciao, Claudio

Hi Paul, I know only the results of numbers 34 (2'300.-) and 46 (2'700.-). Very likely the results will be on line shortly. Ciao, Claudio

@ Paul: you might certainely use my pictures for your thread... @ Rick: I wasn't aware that the Wedding 1918 Jubilee medal's list existed... maybe I could also confirm the identity of this other medal bar's recipient:

a close up of the MVO4x's obverse... a Jakob Leser piece with very nice Golden device in the medallion and the typical translucent and beautiful blue enamel (a bit ruined, though)... I am sure Rick will like it! Ciao, Claudio

a picture of the back...

another picture of the group without the case... As you might have noticed this group was on sale on Niemann's online catalogue a couple of weeks ago.

Dear forumites, I'd like to introduce my newest addition to my medal bar collection; it is quite a nice group complete group, although it would be impossible to research the officer's name. In fact a BMVO4x (over 26'000 pieces awarded during and immediately after WWI) with a WH DA 4 is not enough to find a name for this bar. Here's the bar's description: ? Preussen, Eisernes Kreuz 2. Klasse, 1914 (OEK 1909) ? Bayern, Bayerisches Milit?rverdienstorden, 4. Kl. mit Schwertern (OEK 410), Herst. JL Jakob Leser, Punzen 950 Silber, Auflagen im Medallion in Gold ? Deutsches Reich 1933-45, Ehrenkreuz f?r Frontk?mpfer mit Schwertern (OEK 3803/1), Hersteller L. NBG (Christian Lauer, N?rnberg) ? Deutsches Reich 1933-45, DA-Wehrmacht 4 Jahre (OEK 3855) ? Deutsches Reich 1933-45, Erinnerungsmedaille an den 13.03.38, Anschluss ?sterreich (OEK 3516) ? Deutsches Reich 1933-45, Medaille zur Erinnerung an den 01.10.1938, Anschluss Sudetenland (OEK 3517) ? Bayern, Goldene Hochzeits-Erinnerungsm?nze, 1921-1935, (OEK 552) E Claudio