Les

Kuk/kk units used coloured collar patches called "Egalisierungen" and button colors silver/white or gold/brass to designate regiments instead of using regimental numbers. These went from large patches used before the war, and 1914-1916, to thin up and down strips late in the war. The patches are slightly darker than the background uniform cloth. It might be possible to narrow down the possible units this man was in, although which specific one would be hard to determine based on what's visible in the photo. No "Karltruppenkreuz" for at least 18 months at the front which was instituted 1917, and no Austro-Hungarian wound medal(s) suggests someone who hadn't been in the service for a long period of time during the later war era.

    C-14 dating has reliability limits related to sample size and estimated age. The best methods with a large sample can produce an estimated range of plus/minus fifty years. The oldest samples that can be dated are upwards of fifty-thousand years, and again, with a large sample (roughly a US ounce) at best gives a plus/minus factor of several hundred years. In theory, the plus/minus range of something thought to be a WWII era item, could produce a "plus" date that hasn't yet happened. In short, dating WWII paper items isn't going to work out well. There are however, other methods that can be used to examine the rate of ink or pigment dispersion through Brownian movement, on paper or other surfaces. Dies and pigments used to make ink and paint can be examined to see if all the trace elements and compounds to make specific inks/colors, etc, are correct for the period, or more recent.

The Military Merit Cross (Militär-Verdienstkreuz) was worn on the same ribbon.

    The original edition is now in the public domain, and there is an on-line digital version in PDF format. I think I found it on Google-books. Google-books also has many other books (several editions of the Prussian Army Rangliste, the Michelin Guide series of battlefield tours printed in the 1920's, the American Battlefields/Mounments Commission books on the AEF that include a series of books for Americans wishing to visit where US troops fought and provide good road maps, etc) and is worth taking the time to search for topics of interest, and not only historical or militaria related subjects.

Because something is written in a book, on a forum, or something an "expert" writes on line, that doesn't make it true. Books generally represent what is known at a particular time, and can be biased by the languages the author does or doesn't read, and particular biases. While books are good sources of information, they are never the same as actually examining items at shows, asking questions, and learning to think and evaluate on your own. Buying, and owning books is only the first step in learning. Reading and comparing all of the various sources against each other, using on-line forums which may provide important third-source evaluations of the good and bad parts of book are important to knowing when the book in hand got it wrong. Not all forums are going to be impartial, and caution should be considered when forums and moderators use their positions and friends to hype and shill books. When you find an error in a book, or someone else finds things that are wrong, or controversial, take notes and don't be afraid to pencil in notations in your books, or use something like sticky-note papers on the pages in question, for future reference. As you get older, you'll find your memory isn't as good as it once was, and you'll realize one of the important things about why people write something down, is that it does help you "remember" things. Not long ago, I started scanning and converting my library into a digital format after a Christmas time rain storm flooded my cellar and soaked many boxes of stored books I placed there during a recent move from one house to another. I lost several thousand books in the process, and after that experience decided to scan and store copies whenever possible. Most recent books printed in China, are made using processed paper with surfacing agent that creates a smooth surface for printing images. When one of those printed pages get wet, the surfacing agent resembles a wet clay and becomes very sticky and pages stick together and when they dry, a book that has been soaked turns into a solid brick when dry. One of the side-effects is that my floors don't need special bracing, and I have more library shelf space for the more important books I want to keep as hard-copes. I don't mind the shift to digital copies either, particularly since scanned docs and books that have OCR packages as part of the software means it's possible to do word specific searches of everything in my e-library, and all that implies.

The NPS has been actively attempting to make the battlefield look the way it did the last day of June 1863, by removing or planting trees, buying certain properties, installing split rail fences, etc. There is at least one major aspect of the battlefield that will never be the way it was then. During WWI, the military used the fields between the lines where Pickett's Charge took place for camping and training, and in the process, leveled the north-south running swales and small ridges there which paralleled the Union lines. The bulldozed landscape removed the roller-coaster appearance, and today, changes the way both sides would have seen the fields between the lines. The area today appears to be even more of a killing ground than it was at the time. If one can image in the mind's eye, a series of small ridges that would have provided Pickett's men at times with cover from artillery fire, it becomes possible to see why he thought the frontal attack against the Union center was possible.

Neubecker says he got these: Decorations & Awards: - Pour le mérite: am 02.06.1918 als Oberleutnant und Führer der Jagdstaffel 27 - Grosskreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes: am 19.07.1940 als Generalfeldmarschall und Reichsminister der Luftfahrt u. Oberbefehlshaber der Luftwaffe - Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes: am 30.09.1939 als Generalfeldmarschall und Reichsminister der Luftfahrt und Oberbefehlshaber der Luftwaffe (Aushändigung des Ritterkreuzes durch Adolf Hitler) - Ritterkreuz des kgl. Preuss. Hausordens von Hohenzollern mit Schwertern: 20.10.1917 - 1914 Eisernes Kreuz II. Klasse: 15.09.1914 - 1914 Eisernes Kreuz I. Klasse: 22.03.1915 - Ritterkreuz II Klasse des Grossherzoglich Badischen Ordens vom Zähringer Löwen mit Schwertern: 08.07.1915 - Ehrenbecher für den Sieger in Luftkampf: 15.04.1916 - Ritterkreuz des Grossherzoglich Badischen Militär Karl-Friedrich-Verdienstordens: 20.10.1917 - Kgl. Preuss. Flugzeugbeobachter-Abzeichen: 15.11.1914 - Kgl. Preuss. Flugzeugführer-Abzeichen: 12.10.1915 - Verwundetenabzeichen, 1918 in Schwarz - Türkischer Eiserner Halbmond - Blutorden der NSDAP (ohne Nr.): 09.11.1933 - Goldenes Ehrenzeichen der NSDAP: 01.12.1933 - Grosskreuz des Kgl. Italien. Militärordens von Savoyen - Ehrenzeichen des Deutschen Roten Kreuzes, Halskreuz mit Bruststern, Sonderstufe - Großkreuz des Herzoglich Sachsen-Ernestinischen Hausordens (2. Modell) - Fliegerschaftsabzeichen (19.01.1935 von Göring gestiftet) - gemeinsames Flugzeugführer- und Beobachterabzeichen in Gold mit Brillanten, sog. Luftwaffen-Doppelabzeichen (Stifter und erster Träger dieser ad personam ehrenhalber verliehenen Auszeichnung) - Luftwaffen-Ärmelband Jagdgeschwader Frhr. v. Richthofen Nr. 1 1917/1918 gestiftet und am rechten Arm angelegt: 00.10.1935 - Ehrenkreuz für Frontkämpfer - Gauehrenzeichen Silberner Gauadler des Gaues Thüringen der NSDAP: 20.04.1937 - Goldenes Gauehrenzeichen des Gaues Berlin der NSDAP - Luftschutz-Ehrenzeichen 1. Stufe: 20.04.1938 - Großkreuz des Danebrog-Ordens mit den Insignien in Diamanten und der zum Großkreuz gehörenden Ordenskette (höchster dänischer Orden): 06.08.1938 - Großkreuz des Kgl. Ital. Ordens vom Heiligen Mauritius und Lazzarus: 00.00.1938 - Großkreuz des Kgl. Schwed. Schwerterordens mit Kette: 02.02.1939 - Wehrmacht-Dienstauszeichnung IV. Klasse - Spange zum Eisernen Kreuz II. Klasse: 00.09.1939 - Spange zum Eisernen Kreuz I. Klasse: 00.09.1939 - Kreuz von Danzig II. und I. Klasse: 00.10.1939 - Große Ordenskette des Annunziatenordens (Kgl. Orden der Heiligen Verkündigung von Italien): 22.05.1940 - Orden vom Joch und den Pfeilen, höchste Stufe (Imperial del Yugo y las Flechas de España , Spanien) - Kgl. Rumän. Orden Michael der Tapfere Orden Michael der Tapfere III., II. und I. Klasse: 21.10.1941 - Großkreuz des Militärordens von Savoyen mit Stern und Schulterband: 27.11.1941 - Grosskreuz des finnischen Freiheitskreuzes mit Schwertern: 25.03.1942 - Großkreuz des Kaiserl. Japan. Palowina-Ordens: 29.09.1943 - Slowakisches Kriegssiegerkreuz I Klasse - Komturkreuz des Kgl. Rumän. Ordens Aeronautische Tugend mit der Kriegsdekoration und Schwertern - Grosskreuz des finnischen Löwenordens mit Schwertern - Grosskreuz des Ordens der Finnischen Weissen Rose mit Schwertern - 1 Schwert des japanischen nationalen Verbandes Shochoku Seishin Shinkokai - Grosskreuz des Kgl. Italien. Ordens des Sterns - U-Bootkriegsabzeichen, 1939 mit Brillanten - Kgl. Rumän. Flugzeugführer-Abzeichen

Vergissmeinnicht Three weeks gone and the combatants gone returning over the nightmare ground we found the place again, and found the soldier sprawling in the sun. The frowning barrel of his gun overshadowing. As we came on that day, he hit my tank with one like the entry of a demon. Look. Here in the gunpit spoil the dishonoured picture of his girl who has put: Steffi. Vergissmeinnicht. in a copybook gothic script. We see him almost with content, abased, and seeming to have paid and mocked at by his own equipment that's hard and good when he's decayed. But she would weep to see today how on his skin the swart flies move; the dust upon the paper eye and the burst stomach like a cave. For here the lover and killer are mingled who had one body and one heart. And death who had the soldier singled has done the lover mortal hurt. Keith Douglas

If you haven't found this site, it's worth a visit for the up-close and very detailed photos of aircraft bodies and mechanical parts. The majority of the aircraft are Central Powers models, however, there are a few Allied and early post-war models also. http://idflieg.com/aircraft_walkarounds.htm

The Gutenburg Project has kindly posted a listing of their WWI books that are available through their site, and can be downloaded as PDF documents, free. There's a broad listing of subjects, and for anyone interested in WWI, there ought to be something of interest, and something not on your real or virtual bookshelf: http://www.gutenberg.org/wiki/World_War_I_%28Bookshelf%29

The back of the bar?

"So this is a very old family-done posthumous restoration using what was then the avaailable type." You've ruled out the piece wasn't modified by a dealer or someone else?

Wikipedia, for whatever it might be worth, lists all of the recipients of the award. Some of the long-ago recipients include more than a few actors, singers (Frank Sinatra got his in 1985 for little more than singing, and being friends with who....?), and so on. The practice of "handing them out" apparently has been around for quite some time, and not limited to one party or the other. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Presidential_Medal_of_Freedom_recipients

Don, Sasha specifically said the marks you refer to, "come on maker marked crosses." Why not ask him to explain what that means, the difference between maker and control/assembly marks, and for any photos he might have with more than one marking.

Chris, "at" or very near Verdun? There were two Austrian divisions that were in the lines near the Meuse during the later part of 1918. Austrian assault troops did use modified and lightened mountain guns for getting up close and personal. It's possible the brass could have been theirs.

    Very much so!

I have one that's missing the tie-cord, and doesn't have any markings on it. Erich,you have a very nice one and the markings are the icing on the cake. It seems the Simon brothers were in the cloth/clothing business, with their plant located near the Saxon-Bohemian border. The green bottle may have been made by another firm, and only the cover made by Gebr. Simon. Glass bottles were still being blown by old fashioned lung power at that time, and blown into wooden molds. My father's mother's father owned and operated the third largest bottle making plant in the Germany during the war and until his death in 1927. Most of what he produced was green bottles for wine being bottled in the nearby Moselle region. As an aside, Moselle wines are typically bottled in green glass, while other wines are bottled in clear or brown bottles. The plant was eventually "renovated" by the Allies in 1942, courtesy a few misplaced bombs and the firm and plant never recovered afterwards. Prior to 1914, he had 250 full time workers in his plant and was producing upwards of five million bottles per year. The location of the Gebr. Simon firm on the eastern rather than western side of Germany tends to suggest the green bottles probably were not being made in his plant.

I used to collect swords, and eventually reached the point in my collecting that I ran out of space, and decided to start limiting what I actively collected and would keep in my collection. The Ames markings aren't the same as originals. That alone is a red-flag. Swords can be taken apart, grips replaced, re-wrapped, and so on, and that usually results in the tang being rivetted/peened a second time, and that can produce a finish not seen on machine mass processed pieces. The leather washers can be a give-away the blade is a fake, or has been taken apart and remounted. The leather washers were stamped cut, and after decades of being inside a scabbard, the edges are rounded and compressed in a way that newly cut leather isn't. Put a suspect piece next to a known original, and many other details will be apparent. The Ames dies didn't disappear. During the 1980's, I saw numerous what appeared to be engraved/presentation sword blades at some of the larger shows across the US, minus the scabbard, hilt and grips. I'm not talking about one or two blades; one dealer had around ten alone on his table. The blades were all in pristine condition. After making enquiries, I learned the Libbey Corporation had acquired machinery and dies that were once part of the Ames Mfg. Co. I wrote Libbey and was told they weren't using the dies to make new blades. There was another Ames company that supplied hardware to the US military and government, to make....shovels. http://www.ames.com/about-us/our-history.aspx

I wonder how many Soviets who did something during the war that led to their being given recognition by Western states, survived Stalin's post-war purges? Stalin's paranoia was a bad thing to be on the wrong side of, and being one of the few Soviets to be awarded a prestigious award might have could have resulted in a death sentence, deportation to the east and years of hard labor, or both.

Dean, I can. I have a 1938 BMW r-71 and know when I'm looking at a Chinese knock-off. Mine came out of Poland and I spent a long time tearing it completely down, rebuilding it using all German made parts, etc. That includes Pagusa seats, a newly made electrical looom for the 6-volt system using fibre wrapped wiring and, Continental brand tyres with the correct street bike tread pattern, and many many more details. I can easily spot and "nit-pick" when I see a Chinese made bike.

The motorcycles aren't original WWII era German; they are Chinese made Chang Jiang 750cc postwar production pieces. This particular type (both bike and sidecar) was made by the Chinese and used for the PLA from the very late 1950's through to the 1970's. They are similar but not identical to the German made BMW R71 made between 1938-1941. The majority of re-enactors using these, usually over paint the bike and sidecar, replace the Chinese made gas tank, add unit markings along with decals and tags, and "et voila" call it done.

There are several versions of Suetterlin script available free on-line as fonts that can be downloaded and installed onto a computer. Once one of the fonts is installed, it can be easily changed to another font. It shouldn't be hard for anyone to see how this can be used to "proof" or test their reading of Suetterlin script by switching the fonts back and forth. The same fonts can be printed out and used to create signs, text, etc. A quick google or on-line search engine using the words such as free download Sutterlin fonts or script should do the trick.

If my point wasn't clear, I was referring to the actual manufacturers of fake medals who supply the items to retailers for direct sales to individual customers. Kelly's website is full of items they obviously bought from other sources, and are re-selling and did not make themselves or have someone else make them for their shop on a contract basis.

Why fake commonly found medals (or anything else)? There's a saying about learning to crawl before walking, and walking before running. No one learns how to make top-notch fakes of rare/costly items without developing the requisiste basic and necessary methods and skills first. If someone learns how to make and fob-off commonly found items that are convincing that can be developed into increasingly more complicated items with higher returns for their efforts. The combination of learned skills, methods, and knowing what the differences between a fake and the real thing is, can eventually be used to pass off fakes that are very difficult, if not impossible, to tell from the real thing.

Really nice items in this thread! John, all of us tend to flop about after we start getting "too" old, however, it's better than the alternative to not getting older. ;-)