ehrentitle

And here is a scan of the reverse of mine showing the 900 silver mark -

Gordon - Here is that photo you mention above with the silver content on your VVO. Mine VVO in Silver is also marked, I just need to dig out the photo. Kevin

And here is a scan of my VVO in Silver -

Here are Gordon's VVOs:

Gordon - How I envy you being in Hungary, the poor man's Germany. I lived in Kaposv?r several years ago and spent some time in Budapest as well and enjoyed every minute of it. Your VVOs are there at: http://www.wehrmacht-awards.com/forums/sho...ad.php?t=178906

Looks like lots of activity since the last time I visited this forum, I need to visit more often. I have two Bronze and one Silver VVO, all the early type with the double loop suspension. I'll try to post a couple of scans this weekend. Here is a link to a great thread on the VVO at the WA DDR forum: http://www.wehrmacht-awards.com/forums/sho...p;highlight=VVO Kevin

And here is a closer view -

Here is a photo showing Soviet soldiers sitting at the Bismarck memorial in the Tieergarten Berlin in 1946 -

Chris - I have a British anti-looting poster from Berlin in the late 1940s. I picked it up at a Berlin flea market in the 80s. Unfortunately it's too big to scan. Kevin

The Army Women's Museum has a special display featuring Hester & mentioning Nein - Heroes Turn Out for Exhibit Opening at Army Women's Museum The first woman to win the Silver Star Medal for direct actions against an enemy force turned out for the opening of the Global War on Terrorism exhibit Feb. 3 at the U.S. Army Women's Museum here. The exhibit showcases contributions women have made during the war. Sgt. Lee Ann Hester made history when she earned the medal during actions March 20, 2005, while reacting to an ambush by insurgents near Baghdad. She is also the first woman to earn the award since World War II. Hester and most of the other members of her squad from the Kentucky Army National Guard's 617th Military Police Company, to which she was assigned when the action occurred, were present for the exhibit's opening. It was the first time they had all been together in more than a year, Hester said. The exhibit's centerpiece is a life-size diorama of the squad's actions. Others in the unit also received the Silver Star, including Staff Sgt. Timothy Nein, the squad leader, whose award has recently been upgraded to a Distinguished Service Cross, the second-highest award for valor. The Distinguished Service Cross ranks is second only to the Medal of Honor. While the exhibit focuses on the actions of Hester and Nein, both soldiers emphasized that the entire squad worked together to succeed. "It wasn't one person's actions that day," Hester said. "It was us as a team. You know, I wouldn't be standing here today without these guys having had my back that day." The squad, call sign Raven 42, was escorting a convoy near the town of Salman Pak, south of Baghdad, when the convoy came under heavy fire. Acting without hesitation, the Guard soldiers drove their vehicles between the insurgents and the convoy. Hester and Nein dismounted from their armored Humvees and led the counterattack against the ambush. Twenty-seven insurgents were killed, and seven were captured. Two soldiers in the squad were wounded during the engagement, which lasted roughly 30 minutes. But it could have been far worse, because the insurgents had getaway vehicles pre-positioned with open doors and trunks. They also had handcuffs, perhaps indicating they intended to take prisoners. While Hester was quick to downplay her role during the counterattack, others feel she did much more than simply her job. "It's amazing," said Pat Sigle, director of the Army Women's Foundation, which oversaw the funding for the exhibit. "I hope she understands, and I think in time she will, just how amazing that team was, how they all came out alive, how they pulled together and did what they were supposed to do." The fact that Hester is a woman who has served in a combat zone, and in direct combat action, has been highlighted by many people. But it wasn't anything out of the ordinary to her. It was just another aspect of life in the squad, she said. "I believe everybody in my squad changed a lot of minds," she said. "Not just me. We're a blend of several different cultures, and being a woman, to me, is just one of those cultures. It makes no difference. If you can do the job, you can do the job. Some people can, and some people can't." Others in the squad agreed. "A hundred years ago, I guarantee our forefathers would never have thought a squad that was as successful as we were that day could come from so many different backgrounds and look so different physically," said Sgt. Jason L. Mike, an African-American medic assigned to the unit who also was awarded the Silver Star for his actions that day. While many in attendance expressed awe at the actions of Hester, Nein, Mike and the others in Raven 42, the squad members stood in awe of the exhibit that depicts their actions. "They did an outstanding job," said Hester. "It's amazing what they did. I believe it captures the actions of March 20, 2005, very well." But, for Hester, it still comes down to just the squad's soldiers doing their jobs that day. "There's a lot of soldiers that are doing this job right now," she said. "Right this minute, right now, they're doing now what we were doing then, and they're not getting the credit they deserve. Look at the big picture. We did great one day, but there are people doing that every day. Don't lose sight of that." Source: U.S. Department of Defense

Paul - I can only speak for Army Civilian awards. They are considered honorary awards and normally the only day you wear the medal is the day it was awarded. Although I've seen folks wear the lapel pins. Kevin

I remember the Bester from your posting in Aug. Good luck, the bronze should be easier to find than the silver and gold. And these medals are still reasonably priced compared to their Soviet counterparts. Kevin

Welcome to East German collecting. Those Kampfordens are not easy to come by so it looks like you are off to a good start. Kevin

slava1stclass - Well I was young and had yet to find my taste for wine, back then my tastes and budget were for beer. I did however pick up some insignia on my forays into the French sector.

Thierry - No problem. I used to make a special trip to the Economat des Armees in Berlin to pick up a copy of Militaria each month. I couldn't read French, but the photos were so good. There was a double issue (No 22/23) from June-Aug 1987 that has a huge number of color photos of airborne uniforms, equipment, patches, badges, etc... Kevin

Dave - Interesting, there is still a Ted Mataxis serving in the military as an officer, I believe he is Quartermaster. Maybe a grandson? Kevin

Here is a bit on the 3rd Award from the Feb 05 Militaria Magazine - The possibility of awarding the CIB for a third time arose in 1963. On February 7th 1963, the Secretary of the Army Cyrus R. Vance authorized its award, retroactive to March 1st 1961, to the American military advisors in Vietnam. Furthur opportunities are rare as the operations in with the United States took part are not considered full fledged wars. Indeed, since the end of the Vietnam War, the interventions in Grenada, Panama and the Gulf are considered as one and the same war, meaning that only one award can be made. Prior to the Gulf War only 230 American soldiers had been awarded the CIB with 2 stars.

Thierry - Talking from my limited experience as an Infantryman nearly 20 years ago...the CIB 3rd Award was so rare that the National Infantry Museum at Fort Benning had an area dedicated to it with names of recipients on little engraved plaques. Although I've see badges for the 4th Award they were never officially presented. The Institute of Heraldry designed CIBs for up to the 8th Award if I recall (5th-8th were gold versions). There are an excellent series of articles on the CIB in the January and Febuary 1995 Militaria Magazine that was published in France if you can still get you hands on one.

Thanks for the tip, I'll put it on my list for the next time I visit Fort Leavenworth, Kansas for business. Now there is something else to see besides the The Steamboat Arabia Museum and the Casinos. Kevin

Rick, I think it is an excellent reference, but as was pointed out in the WA DDR forum some perfer Frank Bartel's DDR Spezialkatalog which has seen several updated printings since the first came out in 1991. I like the Battenberg because all of my TR catalogs date to the late 80s and I have nothing on Bundesrepublic awards. Kevin

Ed - It's 464 pages. No detailed commentary, just photos, names (including variations) and values. A good part of the Bundesrepublik section are 1957 de-Nazified awards, then current federal awards and finally modern awards for several of the German states. One shortfall of the DDR section is it does no show badges, but the TR and Bund 57 sections do. And thanks, I think you were the one who alerted me to the value of Abebooks in locating hard to find books at a good price. Kevin

Sample pages -

Back cover -

Although this book covers German medals and orders from 1871 to Present I'm posting it here because it's one of the few new books that covers DDR. I just received my copy of Deutsche Orden und Ehrenzeichen, Battenberg Verlag, 2006, ISBN 3-86646-002-3, thru www.abebooks.com. The size of the book is 7 1/2" x 5" or about 19 x 12.5 cm. It's an outstanding book with a huge section on the DDR with color plates and a ribbon chart. On most medals it shows the front and back and valuations in Euros. The book cost me $26 + $6.98 postage = $32.99. Since I opted for the cheaper surface postage it took almost 45 days to get here, but well worth the wait. Of course it can be had for 19,90 EUR in Germany. Kevin

They are not hard to find, but prices are a bit higher than they used to be. Check on both US and German E-bay. Kevin