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    Claudio

    Old Contemptible
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    Posts posted by Claudio

      7er Feldspange alter Art

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

      Posted · Edited by Claudio

      Dear Forumites,

      I'd like to show my latest addition to my ribbon bars "alter Art" (trapezoidal ribbon bars worn before WWI):

      - RAO3+Schleife

      - KO3 (KO4?)

      - Pr DA 25 für Offiziere

      - Fürstliches Hohenzollern Hausorden

      - Zentenarmedaille

      - BZ Eichenlaub

      - Rumania, Crown Order with rosette

      Anybody has him... I know that there was for sure a least a cavalry regiment with a Rumanian connection (the king of Rumania was "chief" of the 1. Hannoversches Dragoner Regiment Nr. 9"), but I didn't find him there in 1914, before the war.

      I thank you already for your interest and your comments!

      ciao,

      Claudio

      post-199-009393100 1286746005_thumb.jpg

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      Rise of the Nazi's... fault of the allies?

      in The Great War 1914 to 1918

      Posted · Edited by Claudio

      Wilson's 14 points could have been good if they had implemented fairly ( http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fourteen_Points ), but it was strongly flawed from the beginning. Just to name a couple about the settlement of the borders:

      All French territory should be freed and the invaded portions restored, and the wrong done to France by Prussia in 1871 in the matter of Alsace-Lorraine, which has unsettled the peace of the world for nearly fifty years, should be righted, in order that peace may once more be made secure in the interest of all.

      Ok, I might agree that the French wanted to take back what they lost in 1871; but why don't let the people decide in a plebiscite?

      A readjustment of the frontiers of Italy should be effected along clearly recognizable lines of nationality.

      Yeah... my ass! The Italians had before WWI signed a triple alliance with the German Empire and Austria-Hungary Empire... (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Triple_Alliance_(1882) ). They entered WWI on the side of the allies only because they were promised more territorial gains and in the end they got also territories out of their lines of nationality (like Südtirol).

      The peoples of Austria-Hungary, whose place among the nations we wish to see safeguarded and assured, should be accorded the freest opportunity to autonomous development.

      Again my ass... and the Sudeten German and the other German or Hungarian speaking in the old empire have they ever had a chance to develop their autonomous development? Don't think so... they created artificial states like Czechoslovakia or Yugoslavia in which minorities where not given a chance to express themselves. In Bohemia there were clearly distinct areas where Germans were the majority, same also in Transilvania with Hungarians and Germans. Some areas the plebicites were strongly flawed (see in Upper Silesia, Burgenland, Memel,...)

      An independent Polish state should be erected which should include the territories inhabited by indisputably Polish populations, which should be assured a free and secure access to the sea, and whose political and economic independence and territorial integrity should be guaranteed by international covenant.

      Ok, but what about the city of Danzic... there lied already a big problem; the city was ethnically German (in the 1923 census 7'896 peoaple out of 335'921 gave Polish, Kashubian or Masurian as their native language) and was put under polish control, although the facto a "free state". Not to mention the German minorities in West Prussia, which were expulsed or suffered of being under Polish rules during the years between the wars.

      These are only a couple of example how the treaty was one-sided, bound to fail and sooner or later there have must been a sort of re-adjustment. Not to speak about other points. Like the Chris pointed out that the Germans destroyed the entire economy in the occupied parts of Belgium and France... ok, what about the Naval blockade in which basically only the poorest and less responsable Germans population suffered heavily, especially children and old people for the lack of food...

      Who started WWI? I don't think you can single out a responsible... every one wanted the war; the Germans to reach economical, territorial and political supremacy in Central Europe, Austria-Hungary to survive, Russia to help the Serbians and take care of their interests in the Balcan area (see also take over the control of the strait of Bosphorus), France to revenge their defait almost 44 years before, the British Empire to contrast the German Colonial expansion and threat of their Kriegsmarine, Italy to free the last Italian speaking areas under KuK control and even go further in controlling the Adriatic sea, the smaller states in the Balcan who already fought 2 wars before 1914, to reach their own territorial and political gaines, and so on and on.... Every-one was involved in some way.

      By the summer of 1914 it was just sufficient that something like the Sarajevo assasination to give way a fire which was going to spread out so quickly helped also by an intricate system of alliances in Europe which were brought to the brink of war by this rather small but fateful event. I completely agree with the statement that WWII it was just a mere continuation of a badly finished first world war... to me it looked to the Germans went through another fateful 30 years war like in the 17th century. What a disaster and waste of people... the whole Europe suffered immensly because of it. In the end who really lost, IMHO, is Europe as whole, which gave way to the new new powers arise to become superpowers (like USA and Soviet Union... later China, India).

      Just my 2 cents.

      Claudio

      post-199-092430300 1286093907_thumb.jpg

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      Ribbon bar - good ore bad

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

      Posted · Edited by Claudio

      @ Paul: the more I look at it, the less I like it; I wouldn't buy it. The swords devices are all different, no IC at the beginning, should be a krieger/combattant bar and has Saxon-Meiningen war cross ribbon for non-combattant, the needle on the back is much shorter than the bar itself, don't like the colour and fabric of the back... Well, enough said... ;-)

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      Ribbon Bar Hardware

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

      Posted

      That's great... if it is his ribbon bar.... Felmy flew with his comrade at arms in Palestina, Oberstleutnant Falke (see my thread http://gmic.co.uk/index.php?showtopic=42728&hl=falke&st=0 ).

      So if there's anyone that has to have it... it's me!!!! ;-) I am joking... :whistle:

      I must say I don't like to much the color of the fabric on the back (red backing was more used before WWI), but the obverse it looks quite good to me.

      Ciao,

      Claudio

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      Neufchàteler Erinnerungs-Medaille

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

      Posted · Edited by Claudio

      Hi everybody,

      The correct spelling is "Neuchâtel". I have already seen this medal several times for sale in Switzeland; they mostly come with repro new ribbons, due to the age of such medals and ribbons. My brother has an original medal with original ribbon. Don't have a picture of it right now to show.

      Here I found a description, which also confirms what Tom already wrote:

      Small circular silver medal with loop for ribbon suspension; the face with the crowned arms of Neufchatel within a wreath of oak and laurel; the reverse with the crowned cipher of King Friedrich Wilhem III, circumscribed ‘FIDELITÉ AU DEVOIR ET A LA PATRIE’ (Loyalty to Duty and the Country), dated ‘1831’ at the base; diameter 24.56mm (0.97 inch); on a shortened piece of rare original ribbon. The medal was instituted by King Friedrich Wilhelm III on 18 January 1832 and awarded ‘to those who participated in the military operations and took up arms against the rebels in the year 1831 and maintained order in their communities’ (‘die an den militärischen Operationen gegen die Rebellen im Jahre 1831 teilgenommen und zur Aufrechterhaltung der Ordnung in ihren Gemeinden die Waffen ergriffen hatten’). In 1831 some of the residents of the then Prussian controlled Principality of Neufchatel (now Neuchâtel in Switzerland) participated in an uprising against heavy-handed Prussian rule. Although the uprising was put down quite quickly, Neuchâtel maintained its desire to throw off Prussian rule and was successful in 1848. The medal was designed by the Neuchâtel-born Professor François Henri Brandt and 7,006 examples in all were struck. The medal is very rare.

      As you can see the above-mentioned pictured shown in the beginning of this thread is not correct, "close but no cigar". ;-)

      Ciao,

      Claudio

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