Dave Danner

Claudio, I should add that not only do I have the rolls for the Friedrichkreuz, but I also have the rolls for the Red Cross Medal to Anhaltiners, so eventually your brother's bar and the one in the picture may be identifiable. Unfortunately, no Albert the Bear rolls after 1875 appear to have survived World War II.

There were 1172 awards of the Friedrichkreuz am grün-weißen Bande (Anhalt did not use the terms Kämpferband and Nichtkämpferband; it was always am grün-roten Bande or am grün-weißen Bande). The final number is actually 1156, as 16 awards on the green-white ribbon were stricken and replaced with the green-red version. This often happened with personnel who got the noncombatant version while on the homefront, but then were put in for the combatant version when they went to the front. Or because the criteria were changed in 1917, so that some military service in the Heimat would now qualify for the red-green ribbon. For example, Dr. Paul Beckmann, Stabsarzt d.R. and Chefarzt of the Reserve-Lazarett Alexisbad, received the Friedrichkreuz am grün-weißen Bande in early 1915 and then received the grün-rotes Band on 26.3.17 while in the same position. Offizier-Stellvertreter Bernhard Heine, a lawyer in Dessau, received the Friedrichkreuz am grün-weißen Bande in 1915 while with the I. Ersatz-Bataillon of IR 93, and the grün-rotes Band in 1917 while with Landsturm-Infanterie-Regiment Nr. 33.

It might be possible to cross-check SWA BsVs against the Verdienstkreuz, but the Kolonialblatt only gives last names and I am missing 1908.

Dr. Adolf Pellnitz, born 14.11.1882 in Erfurt, received the Anhalt Friedrichkreuz in April 1915.

There is an order of battle for the European Theater of Operations (ETO) here: http://www.history.army.mil/documents/ETO-OB/ETOOB-TOC.htm For each division, it lists the attached units and when they were attached. Note that this is only for the ETO, not the Pacific or Mediterranean theaters. Also, for units such as the 1st and 3rd Infantry Divisions, it only covers when they were in the ETO. So nothing on the 1st in North Africa or the 3rd in North Africa, Sicily, Italy and Anzio. At one time I hoped to create a database with the information here so you could pick any date and get a detailed order of battle for that date. I made one for divisions on up, but I lacked the technical knowhow to make it easy to use or to add in the sub-divisional attachments.

The highest numbered armored division in World War II was the 20th. The ones in the 600s and 700s are separate tank battalions, typically attached to an infantry division. I have a hardcover reference (by Shelby L. Stanton), but I do not know of an online resource that has them all.

I got the information from the Bavarian Army World War I Kriegsranglisten available on Ancestry.com, by subscription. Regards

In case anyone is still interested, there were 64 awards. 25 nominations were turned down (abgelehnt), and 39 others were pending (unerledigt) when the Duke abdicated. No awards were made after that point. I have seen a letter from a Krankenpflegerin returning home at the end of 1918 who spent the entire war at or near the front and asked if she might be considered for an award, as she had nothing to show for her service. The reply in January 1919 was basically "sorry, too late". Regards

Oberstleutnant z.D. Ludwig Käfferlein was born in Bayreuth on 25 August 1864. He was Offizier der Prüfungsstelle München at the time of his death. No dates for his awards in his Kriegsrangliste entry. Oberst z.D. Withelm Eduard Hoffmann was born in Schweinau, Nürnberg on 31 October 1862. If it is him, the photo would date after 24 May 1910, when he received his Red Eagle, and before 12 April 1912, when he received his Zähringen Lion. He also got a crown to his Bavarian Military Merit Order on 25 August 1913. During the war, he added an Iron Cross 2nd Class on 30 December 1915 and a König Ludwig Cross on 7 January 1916. He spent most of the war in command of POW camps. The two awards came during a period when he was Adj. of stellv. II. bayer. Armeekorps.

There are at least two numbering systems. One starts D0000 and the other K0000. At the beginning of the awarding of the cross, the D numbers were used. They must have run out or changed at some point, as all later awards start with K. Where noted in the award files, I wrote down the number and date, but it was not always clear. If there was a roll or index, it is gone, as are at least half of the award file folders.

I don't have my field artillery reference with me, so I can't check what regiment(s) formed FAR 247. There was a Franz Keßler, Unteroffizier in FAR 46, who received the Anhalt Friedrichkreuz. This was an early award, shortly after the cross was created, though I don't have a date - December 1914 or early 1915. I don't see any other field artillery Keßlers. Dave

Kaufmann, Johann, born 5.5.1881 in Reuendorf, Oberamt Ulm, Kgr. Württemberg. Horb is crossed out in the Kriegsrangliste, as he moved at some point during the war to the Rosenbergrealschule in Stuttgart. He was released from service on 26 November 1918 to Stuttgart. 1.10.06-30.9.07 Einj.-Freiw. 1. bayer. Fußart.-Regt. 28.5.09 Vfw.d.R. 10.1.11 Ltd.R. (Pat. #97) 5.8.14 Adj. 1. Landsturm-Fußart.-Btl. I.b.AK 10.9.14 z. bayer. Res.-Fußart.-Btl. Nr. 6 9.9.15 OLt.d.R. (Pat. #63 v. 1.7.15) 15.5.16 z. Ers./3. bayer. Fußart.-Regt. 23.6.16 Battr.-Fhr. 7.Battr. bayer. Res.-Fußart.-Regt. Nr. 3 26.11.18 entlassen nach Stuttgart (Bez.Kdo. Mindelheim) EK1&2, BMV4X, WF3bX, PRLM At the front for almost the entire war. His entry for "mitgemachte Gefechte" ends with "1.1.18-8.1.18 eine Reihe Schlachten i. Westen". I guess the clerk got tired of writing individual battles. It looks like all his service was on the Western Front. Might he still have wrangled the Tirol Medal?

The first two ribbons on the bottom row, and the two medals on either side of the neck badge in the shadow box photo, are Vietnamese decorations - the Psychological Warfare Medal and the Veterans' Medal. The neck order below the Medal of Honor is the Iowa National Guard's highest award, the Medal of Valor. Day was commissioned a 2LT in the Iowa National Guard and was activated to serve in the Korean War. He transferred to the active USAF at the end of the Korean War. The Chinese medal with the ribbon device is the Chinese National War Memorial Medal. I do not believe it was ever officially accepted for wear by the US Armed Forces, but retirees, especially ones with the Medal, have some latitude.

Colonel George "Bud" Day, USAF Retd, passed away on 27 July 2013. As several obituaries note, he was a Medal of Honor recipient who was in the Hanoi Hilton with John McCain. But more than just the Medal of Honor. Col. Day was, as far as I can tell, the last living recipient of all his nation's awards for valor. Besides the Medal of Honor, Col. Day also received the Air Force Cross, the Silver Star, the Distinguished Flying Cross, the Bronze Star with Valor Device and two Oak Leaf Clusters, and the Purple Heart with three Oak Leaf Clusters. That is in addition to all his awards for merit and meritorious service - the Air Force Distinguished Service Medal, the Legion of Merit, another Bronze Star without the "V", the Defense Meritorious Service Medal, and a whole bunch of Air Medals. Besides these and various service medals and unit awards, also worth a mention is the National Order of Vietnam in the grade of Commander, and the Republic of Vietnam Gallantry Cross with Palm. I believe that Maj. Gen. Patrick H. Brady, US Army, Retd., is now the only remaining living recipient of both the Medal of Honor and his service's highest valor award, in his case the Army Distinguished Service Cross. Blue skies, Col. Day.

He didn't receive Swords to his WF3b. Rather, he received the WF3aX on 9.8.15, gazetted in the Kgl. Württ. Militär-Verordnungsblatt on 21.8.15 (Nr. 52).

Rick, the Bundesarchiv has short bios like this for a number of cabinet ministers and senior civil servants from the "Akten der Reichskanzlei. Weimarer Republik". Here is Walter: http://www.bundesarchiv.de/aktenreichskanzlei/1919-1933/1000/adr/adrsz/kap1_5/para2_31.html Here is the main page and introduction: http://www.bundesarchiv.de/aktenreichskanzlei/1919-1933/0000/adr/index.html

Bavarians named Hinkel were generally from the Palatinate (Pfalz), especially around Pirmasens. The other large concentrations are in Hessen. Those other two red parts in the east are Berlin and, oddly, the Erzgebirgskreis. Hinkel's award was gazetted in the Verordnungsblatt des Königlich bayerischen Kriegsministeriums on the same day as found on the document, 9 February 1917. It was part of a large number of awards to navy personnel all approved by the king on the same day, 20 December 1916. There are 15 pages of awards of the Military Merit Order and Military Merit Cross of virtually every class, from the MVO 2nd Class with Star and Swords to Vizeadmirals Gerhard Gerdes, Erhard Schmidt and to Wilhelm Souchon all the way down to the MVK 3rd Class with Swords to Seesoldat Emil Hartmann. No units are listed. So Hinkel could have been almost anywhere, from Flanders to a ship to a shore station.

Cross of Valor (Αριστείον Ανδρείας). Came in three classes - Commander's Cross, Gold Cross and Silver Cross. The Silver Cross was all-silver, and the Commander's Cross was a neck badge, so this is the Gold Cross. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cross_of_Valour_(Greece)

Christophe, Ernst Gerke rose to Generalleutnant in the Wehrmacht. Also, no ÖM3K Reinhard Gringmuth: Oberst 1.4.42 (252); no ÖM3K; received the Wehrmacht DA 4. bis 3. Kl. and KVK1X&2X I have nothing on the others.

Hans Soltmann was born in 1876 and had the SLD2.

Fritz Weihrauch. All I had from his Kriegsrangliste was: Born 10.11.1871 in Niederwörresbach, Fürstentum Birkenfeld Dienstzeit 31.3.89-23.5.11 10.4.06 Hptm. The 1913 Directory says Hptm.a.D., IR 171 The 1907 rank list shows him in IR 67, so he must have transferred to IR 171 shortly thereafter. The 1905 ranklist shows him as an Oberleutnant (10.9.98) in IR 67. According to the 1899 regimental history, Sekonde-Lieutenant in IR 67 on 20.9.90. IR 67 was a Magdeburg regiment and was stationed in Metz, so there's no obvious connection to any Bundesstaat other than Prussia. The Principality of Birkenfeld was an exclave of Oldenburg way down in the Rhineland near the Saarland. I know of no Oldenburg commemorative from 1907. So I'm increasingly inclined to think it's a mistake for the Centenary. An odd mistake to make, though. Perhaps a clerk was transcribing from something which had "Er.Med. '97" or the like, and misread the "9" as a "0".

Any idea what this could refer to? My first thought was the Lippe-Detmold Denkmünze an den erstrittenen Thronanspruch, However, the officer in question was in IR 67 in Metz during the period and was a native of Oldenburg. My other thought was that it was simply a typo for 1897.

Südwestafrika-Denkmünze, not Kolonial-Denkmünze.

The regiment suffered pretty heavily in the fighting, though perhaps not as bad as the British regiments they faced. These are the pages with RIR 99's casualties in the 25. August 1916 Prussian casualty list, which appears to be the first consolidated list of Somme casualties. Each page contains approximately 380 names. Josef Rehm appears among 3.Kompagnie casualties and Wilhelm Braun appears among 13.Kompagnie casualties. http://files.genealogy.net/verlustlisten/14335.jpg http://files.genealogy.net/verlustlisten/14336.jpg http://files.genealogy.net/verlustlisten/14337.jpg http://files.genealogy.net/verlustlisten/14338.jpg http://files.genealogy.net/verlustlisten/14339.jpg http://files.genealogy.net/verlustlisten/14340.jpg http://files.genealogy.net/verlustlisten/14341.jpg And the 26. September 1916 Prussian casualty list wherein Uffz. Gerhard Sommers appears among 9. Kompagnie casualties. This list also includes corrections and updates to the lists above. http://files.genealogy.net/verlustlisten/15077.jpg http://files.genealogy.net/verlustlisten/15078.jpg Sommers was also wounded in 1914 as a Gefreiter in the same company: http://files.genealogy.net/verlustlisten/02369.jpeg Rehm was wounded in 1914 as a Wehrmann in 15./RIR 99: http://files.genealogy.net/verlustlisten/00175.jpeg Rehm was a native of the Hohenzollernsche Lande. Rick might be able to tell you if he received the Silver Merit Medal with Swords associated with the Princely House Order of Hohenzollern before his death.

Post #5: The breast stars are for the House Order of the Honor Cross from Lippe-Detmold and the Order of the Wendian Crown, probably from Mecklenburg-Strelitz. The medal bar: • EK2 • Lippe War Merit Cross • Mecklenburg-Strelitz Cross for Merit in War • Red Cross Medal • Lippe House Order • three others I can't make out, though one is presumably the Commemorative Medal of the Contended Claim to the Throne. It appears to be Julius Ernst Prinz zur Lippe (1873–1952), whose wife was Maria Herzogin von Mecklenburg-Strelitz.