Komtur

With the Kaiser and Harnack:

Oberstallmeister Ernst August Graf von Wedel

The granduke Friedrich August with his wife having tea with their dentist Prof. Bruck and his wife.

The story of Dieckmann is told here ?

Bayern, Orden des Hl. Michael, 4. Klasse mit der Krone

Thank you for the kind words! But to be true, it wasn´t the whole story ? The rules opened a possibility to award only the single ribbon to a decoration, one still had, if the kind of ribbon was higher ranking in the question of bravery. This was a rarely used possibility and it seems to me very unlikely, to retrace such a procedure afterwards. But it was: Paul Dieckmann got his Crown Order 4th class with swords on the 2nd November 1905 because of his position as a military veterinary surgeon initial on the white ribbon (with black stripes). But his later merits has been so brave, that he got a separate black war ribbon to his order on 7th December 1907. This medal bar and the fitting miniature chain came without a name. But the combination of orders and medals, especially because of the very scarce Mecklenburg Military Merit Cross on the noncombattant red ribbon for service in the colonies, is suitable only to him:

Yes.

These questions are not silly, because the rules for the different ribbons on Prussian decorations are quite sophisticated. No problem is the normal or official ribbon, e.g. the light blue one for the Order of the Crown. Then you have the so called war ribbon, black with white stripes on both sides. These were normally handed out with orders with swords. Compared with the normal ribbon, war ribbons are scarce. Very scarce are, as you´ve mentioned, the white ribbon with black stripes on both sides. These were given out to decorations with and without swords. These combinations got e. g. military officials and military medicals for there merits in war time. More about these, you find in the article, you´ve linked above. Incredible scarce, but not impossible, are awards of Prussian decorations without swords but on the so called war ribbon. I have currently no numbers, but I am quite sure, Daniel can assist in this question. Finally it make no sense, to invest in a single prussian order without swords but with a black war ribbon more money, you would pay for both of them separately. Only the combination is scarce, not the single items and you will never know, when they were joined together. The only possible connection between them, wich would satisfy me, should be on an medalbar. But I collect these for almost 20 years and can´t remember, to have seen an original appearing medalbar with this combination of ribbon and decoration. Regards, Komtur.

Here you are. Staatshandbuch 1914 and 1918:

Prof. Walter Bruck

Kreuz für Kriegshilfsdienst

Here is a portrait with some of his decorations:

Handbuch für den Königlich Preußischen Hof und Staat für das Jahr 1918:

This could be of some help:

You could also directly contact Dr. Frank Wernitz. He is additionally a member of the scientific advisory council of the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Ordenskunde.

Hm, isn´t this the typical one for that decoration

Found today on a Berlin cemetery.

He didn´t. BTW you can search for awards here: Reichsanzeiger

According to the Könglich Preußische Ordenliste 1905 both von Schuckmann got the Red Eagle Order 2nd class with Oak Leaves: Hugo 18.01.1900 and Oskar 18.01.1901. None of both is there listed with the star.

There is the Großkomturkreuz and the Stern der Großkomture, classes quite similar to a grandcross. But the Hausorden von Hohenzollern (1. Abteilung) has some anomalies. Whereas most of the grandcross (or first) classes of German orders belong of both, cross and star, the Großkomturkreuz and the Stern der Großkomture des Hausordens von Hohenzollern were single awards. Indeed the single Stern der Großkomture often was awarded after the Black Eagle Order.

Indeed.

Could you please show us this extraordinary portrait in high resolution without the red ring marking the St.Stanislaus star? Thanks in advance, Komtur.

Bingo! Very strange! I´ve never seen that before ...

Indeed the Romanian decoration of Wiesmann seems to be one of the few wartime awards to Germans. At the time of the Russo-Turkish War in 1877/78, when the Romanians fought on the Russian side, there was a station of the Prussian Feldjäger in Bucharest. Very likely Wiesmann was appointed there at this time. His Romanian wartime decoration was first mentioned in the Prussian rank list of 1881, a quite normal delay between a war, the afterwards occuring awards and the publication of these awards in the rank lists. The deorations with swords on the top of the cross, as to be seen on the bar shown by Vince, were in contrast awards to military personnel in peacetime.