Deutschritter

Here are the decorations I have at the moment, although I am surely missing some WW I awards:

Preußischer Kronenorden, IV. Klasse

Franz-Joseph-Orden, Ritterkreuz (ÖFJ3)

... später bei vier Klassen in ÖFJ3a und nach fünf Klassen in ÖFJ4 umbenannt

Roter Adlerorden, IV. Klasse

Ehrenritter des Johanniter-Ordens

Militär-Verdienstkreuz (Waldeck), III. Klasse (WV3)

Zentenarmedaille, 1897

Preußisches Dienstauszeichnungskreuz

Orden der Württembergischen Krone, Ritterkreuz mit den Löwen (WK3mL)

Orden der Krone von Italien, Komturkreuz (JK3)

Persischer Sonnen- und Löwenorden, Kommandeurkreuz (PL3)

Krone zum Roten Adlerorden IV. Klasse

Preußischer Kronenorden, III. Klasse

Rechtsritter des Johanniterordens

St. Alexander-Orden, Kommandeurkreuz (BA3)

Militär-Verdienstorden (Spanien), II. Klasse (SMV2)

Roter Adlerorden, III. Klasse mir der Schleife und der Krone

Erinnerungszeichen zur Silbernen Hochzeit 1906

Preußischer Kronenorden II. Klasse

Waldecksches Verdienstkreuz, I. Klasse (WVK1)

Roter Adlerorden, II. Klasse mit Eichenlaub

Stern zum Preußischen Kronenorden II. Klasse

Fürstlich Reußisches Ehrenkreuz, I. Klasse mit Krone (REKj1mKr)

Russischer Orden der Heiligen Anna, I. Klasse (RA1)

Eisernes Kreuz (1914), II. und I. Klasse

Pour le Mérite am 19. Januar 1918

Ehrenkreuz für Frontkämpfer

Does anyone have a better copy of this picture?

Thanks for that! So he started his career in the 1. Großherzoglich Hessisches Feldartillerie-Regiment Nr. 25 in Darmstadt? This is new. Thanks!!! Now I was able to find this: https://books.google.com/books?id=2NQOAAAAYAAJ&pg=PA386&lpg=PA386&dq=1.+Großherzoglich+Hessisches+Feldartillerie-Regiment+Nr.25+friedrich+von+richthofen&source=bl&ots=--65iDq2ux&sig=ACfU3U2UABHK7nDgRZrmsG-H4FZEQ6CRIg&hl=de&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwiQpYqRmJjyAhXBElkFHRNwApwQ6AF6BAgVEAM#v=onepage&q=1. Großherzoglich Hessisches Feldartillerie-Regiment Nr.25 friedrich von richthofen&f=false

Thanks for that!

Great, Glenn, thanks so much ... couldn't find the first two promotions anywhere! Btw, this really surprised me ... his correct name (Genealogisches Taschenbuch der freiherrlichen Häuser) is Friedrich Oswald Ludwig Freiherr Prätorius von Richthofen, his last name therefore Prätorius von Richthofen (Prätorius was later dropped). Son of Carl Friedrich Gottlob Joachim Freiherr Prätorius von Richthofen (1806–1881), Kreisgerichtsrat, and his first wife Luise Caroline, geb. Schröder (1823–1864).

Here with his young wife Elsa (1898–1977) and with comrades. I am sure you recognize the young chap sitting on the stairs in front of him (with cigarette). 1926, even with the Great Depression (seems even then every man wanted to smoke cigars), he died a multimillionaire, making his wife very rich.

Great, thanks! I have him as Major on 15 June 1907 in the Feldartillerie-Regiment Nr. 11 ... am I on the right path?

Thank you, Dave! Was his promotion to Generalmajor "Charakter als"?

17 hours ago, GreyC said:

Hi,

 

 

Because he was registered there (somewhere in Bavaria). It did not matter where you were born, but where you lived at the time you where called to serve. Given the LD2Kl was awarded in 1903 (presuming he did not serve actively after his time in the reserve) these were awarded upon entering the Landsturm, he started service around 1890/1891. You said as Einjähriger which makes sense given his background. Interesting though, that he wasn´t promoted to Officer status earlier than 1917 as Einjähriger. For me that means he found no regiment that wanted to have him as officer. (Just read the WIKI article that confirms my assumption). As he was promoted in 1917, when he was already out of the Reserve I guess Offizier der Landwehr would be correct.

Best,

GreyC

PS Having just read the WIKI article in which it says that after the Abitur he did an apprenticeship, this could well have been in Bavaria.

PPS: The Stammrollen for the Bavarian army are available at the Bavarian State Archive in Munich. The peacetime ones are not online, but with name, unit and approx. date of entry you could request a copy of his data from there, I presume.

 

 

 

Thank you, GreyC!

That confused me, because he didn't really retire, he became 1908 Kommandeur of the 2. Garde-Kavallerie-Brigade.

This should be him (1908)?!

I am looking for the promotion dates of General von Richthofen ... any other information, especially WW I decorations other than EK and Pour le Mérite, would be great. Thank you!

Dave, do you happen to have a list of his WW I decorations? Thank you!

Jacob Wolff (1869--1926) was the owner of a cigar factory with over 4.000 employees. He was once Einjährig-Freiwilliger, but when? Wikipedia has him in the Königlich Bayerisches 11. Infanterie-Regiment „von der Tann“ ... but why should a gentleman from Hamburg serve in the Bavarian Army? Which regiment? He was probably Unteroffizier, later Vizefeldwebel (Reserve? Landwehr?). 1914, 45 yeras old, he reported to the Fliegertruppe, bought and brought his own plane with him. On 6 May 1917 he was finally promoted to Leutnant, some sources say "der Reserve", others "Landwehr". On 27 July 1917, now a 48 year old Jagdflieger, he was badly wounded. Can anyone help out? Thanks! Here are his decorations, corrections welcome. Please look at the picture (surely private), he is wearing his Ritterkreuz II. Klasse as a Komturkreuz (neck order).

Landwehr-Dienstauszeichnung, II. Klasse (LD2) am 16. April 1903

Rettungsmedaille am Band am 20. Juni 1916

Eisernes Kreuz (1914), II. Klasse und I. Klasse

... EK II am 30. Juni/1. Juli 1916

... EK I am 30. Mai 1917

Militär-Flugzeugführer-Abzeichen am 10. September 1916

Hamburgisches Hanseatenkreuz am 3. November 1916

Ehrenbecher für den Sieger im Luftkampf am 23. Februar 1917 (Verleihungsurkunde von Ernst von Hoeppner unterschrieben)

Silberne Medaille vom Roten Halbmond

Hausorden vom Weißen Falken, Ritterkreuz II. Klasse mit Schwertern am 4. September 1918

Verwundetenabzeichen (1918) in Schwarz

Flieger-Erinnerungsabzeichen (1914) im Mai 1919

Thank you very much! Even Getty gets it wrong sometimes! That's why the Mecklenburger Verdienstkreuz didn't make sense!

Julius Buckler received the Goldenes Militär-Verdienst-Kreuz (November 1917) and three weeks later, now Leutnant (der Reserve???), the Pour le Mérite. Did he also get the Hohenzollern Hausorden? It is said, he had the Krieger-Ehrenzeichen in Eisen (his city of birth Mainz was then a part of Hessen), so maybe also the Hessische Tapferkeitsmedaille, which was supposedly mandatory? Any WW II decorations? Thanks!

How great, thank you so much! About the China-Denkmünze: Deutscher Ordens-Almanach does not have it for Hugo.

Thank you! Once again, you have a good eye! I got this from Wikipedia (https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hugo_Meurer) ... I know, a terrible source -- they write: Marinekabinett (Hrsg.): Rangliste der Kaiserlich Deutschen Marine für das Jahr 1918. E.S. Mittler & Sohn, Berlin 1918, S. 7 --  so now I have looked myself (Rangliste 1918, p. 7), and NO  BMV3mKr⚔ ...!!!

Do you have anything on his cousin Vizeadmiral Alexander Albert August Meurer? Thanks!

Thank you, Gentlemen. I think GreyC is right, he was Admiralstabsoffizier from 1902 until 1907 and surely organized some transports. This is what I have now for Meurer, additions and corrections welcome:

Zentenarmedaille, 1897

Roter Adlerorden, IV. Klasse

Preußische Rettungsmedaille am Bande

Krone zum Roten Adlerorden IV. Klasse

Südwestafrika-Denkmünze in Stahl

Orden vom Doppelten Drachen III. Klasse, 1. Stufe (CDIII.1) am 11. Mai 1907

Preußischer Kronenorden, III. Klasse

Preußisches Dienstauszeichnungskreuz

Roter Adlerorden, III. Klasse mit der Schleife

Ritterorden der hl. Mauritius und Lazarus, Kommandeurkreuz (JM3)

Preußischer Kronenorden, II. Klasse

Albrechts-Orden, Komtur II. Klasse (SA2b)

Eisernes Kreuz (1914), II. und I. Klasse

Schwerter zum Albrechts-Orden Komtur II. Klasse (SA2b⚔)

Schwerter zum Kronenorden II. Klasse am 4. Dezember 1917

Militärverdienstkreuz (Mecklenburg), II. Klasse (MMV2)

Friedrich-August-Kreuz, II. und I. Klasse (OFA1)

Bayerischer Militärverdienstorden, III. Klasse mit Krone und Schwertern

Roter Adlerorden, II. Klasse mit Eichenlaub und Schwertern

Finnischer Orden des Freiheitskreuzes, I. Klasse mit Schwertern und Brillanten im Mai 1918 (Halsorden)

... nur noch in einem weiteren Exemplar an den Generalmajor von der Goltz verliehen

Erinnerungsmedaille des Freiheitskrieges 1918

Krone zum Roten Adlerorden II. Klasse mit Eichenlaub und Schwertern am 31. Mai 1918

Ehrenkreuz für Frontkämpfer

JohanH, looking at the large ribbon bar, I would love to know, why exactly Meurer received the Südwestafrika-Denkmünze (Stahl?) ...? Thanks! And yes, only Meurer and von der Goltz received the "Brillanten" to their liberty cross.

I tried zooming in, but I still cannot say one way or the other ...

Thierry, about the observer, this rather seems to be the Gemeinsames Flugzeugführer- und Beobachterabzeichen in Gold mit Brillanten für Verdienste um die Luftwaffe, which he probably received as Ministerialdirektor and Chef des Stabsamtes des Preußischen Ministerpräsidenten Generalfeldmarschall Göring or, as of July 1940, Chef des Stabsamtes des Reichsmarschalls des Großdeutschen Reiches. He also received the Großoffizier of the Großer Imperialer Orden der Roten Pfeile from Franco on 26 December 1940: https://www.boe.es/datos/pdfs/BOE//1941/042/A00971-00974.pdf

Here Gritzbach is wearing something Italian (neck and breast star).

Once again great, Daniel, thank you! I'm reaching a little, but as leader of the Landungsabteilung „Brandenstein“ I am quite sure he received the Freiheitskreuz 1st class, even Friedrich Karmann, Generalmajor Graf von der Golz' "Adjutant" received the 1st class, of course not with "Brillanten" like the Generalmajor. Of course they all received the Erinnerungsmedaille des Freiheitskrieges 1918 (roundabout 15,000 Germans), so surely also von Brandenstein ... (?!)

He wasn't just an author, but also a publisher: