Dave Danner

They appear to be Uzbek wings. Also, not a major, but Brig. Gen. Steven Duff, deputy commander, U.S. Army Special Forces Command (Airborne).

Given the crown and that they are older French-style shoulder boards, I would guess Morocco.

The NCO two rows behind the Grand Duke is probably Feldwebelleutnant Wilhelm Strobel. He received the Merit Cross of the Order of the Zähringen Lion on the ribbon of the Karl Friedrich Military Merit Order on 20.7.1916. Oberlt.d.L.a.D. Eduard Erxleben and Lt.d.L. Kurt Wibel received their Zähringen Lion Knight's Cross 2nd Class with Swords on the same date. They are probably this guy and the guy behind him: The two officers to the Grand Duke's right (our left) with the Knight's Cross 2nd Class with Oakleaves and Swords are probably Hauptmann Hermann Koch and Hauptmann d.L. Franz Walter. The officer over the Grand Duke's left shoulder with the cigar may be Hauptmann d.L. Friedrich Krank, who received the Knight's Cross 1st Class with Swords on 17.2.1916. However, the medal bar shows a peacetime Zähringen Lion to go with his Baden Jubilee Medal and LD2, which doesn't show up in the 1914 ranklist. Krank was a Notar in the Amtsgericht Kehl II, Landgerichtsbezirk Offenburg, so he might have gotten the peacetime award sometime in 1914.

The two Generals von der Heyde were third cousins: ┌─Paul Heinrich Sigismund Adrian (1862-1946) ┌─Paul Heinrich Sigismund August (1836-1910) ┌─Friedrich Wilhelm (1798-1864) Johann Daniel von der Heyde (1750-1808) └─Detlaw Gustav Friedrich Wilhelm (1785-1863) └─Friedrich Heinrich Sigismund (1816-1900) └─Hermann Heinrich Sigismund (1857-1942) Regards

6. Landsturm-Inf.-Btl. Heidelberg XIV/37 was assigned to the 10. Armee on the Eastern Front. Second from right, next to Gen. Dürr, is an officer with Bavarian general's Kragenspiegel. This would appear to be Generalmajor z.D. Karl Schupbaum. He was Inspekteur des Militär-Bezirks III, Etappen-Inspektion 10. His headquarters was in ... you guessed it ... Suwalki. Next to him, and between him and Feill, appears to be Generalmajor z.D. Georg Heer. He was Inspekteur d. Militär-Bezirks I, Wilna.

The officer to the Grand Duke's left and the viewer's right is Oberstleutnant a.D. Heinrich Feill. He received the Order of Berthold I, Knight with Swords, on 17 Feb. 1916 as commander of 6. Landsturm-Inf.-Btl. Heidelberg XIV/37. The officer at the far right with the Adjutant's badge and Berthold commander's cross around his neck is Gen.d.Inf. Carl Dürr, Generaladjutant S.K.H. des Großherzogs. He kind of looks like Scotty from Star Trek.

It says "Großherzog von Baden in Suwalki 26.7/16. ________________________ mit den Offizieren der Landsturmbat. Heidelberg" Can't make out the one word.

It is clearly something someone put together recently. The ribbons, the mounting, the precedence are all wrong, and the combination is questionable at best: a soldier no higher than Gefreiter with decorations from 5 different states. I would value it at no more than the total of the individual medals, which at least appear OK.

Probably not a native. Quite a few non-Bavarians served in the Bavarian Army. Among other scenarios, often a Prussian college student at Munich, Erlangen or Würzburg Universities would end up doing his military service in the Bavarian Army. If he was in the right unit in 1897, he would have gotten the Centenary Medal. If he stayed in as a reserve officer, he could have gotten the Jubilee Medal in 1905 and a Landwehr-Dienstauszeichnung. But by 1914 he is out of Bavarian service and back in some job in Prussia - junior civil servant or war industry, for example. He is not recalled to active Bavarian service, so no wartime military decorations, but his civilian or civil service position merits the Merit Cross for War Aid. For the third ribbon bar, I would guess a civil servant around the Rat level - Rechnungsrat, Baurat, Bergrat, etc. A PrVfK/RAO4/LD2 combination is not uncommon for these, and he would be old enough to have lost a son in the war. That's assuming it is a Red Eagle; I am getting more color-blind and sometimes can't tell a Red Eagle from an Allgemeines Ehrenzeichen. Regards

The first name is Bruno, so you likely have a German or Austrian recipient, but I can't make out the last. The first two letters are "Tu-" or "To-", and the last letter is an "r", but the middle combo throws me. The last part is an "h", which also can stand for an "e" or short "a", but the loop on the front may or may not be an "m". That could give you "To__er" or "Tu__er". Maybe Tummer. If there were another "r" after the "T", it might have been Oberst z.D. Bruno Trommer-Pasha, who served with the German Military Mission in Turkey. Maybe a misspelling?

The officer on the left appears to be a Teniente General (Lt. Gen.) of the Spanish Air Force, so I'd go with Owain's suggestion. Regards

RIR 93 is another example of confusing relations with parent regiments. RIR 93 was garrisoned in Magdeburg but had nothing to do with nearby Anhalt's IR 93. RIR 93 was, as you great-uncle's experience shows, a Guard unit. It was raised in Berlin by the 4. Garde-Regt. zu Fuß.

I don't know if Joe ever got an answer to this question, but just in case not: LIR 87 was mobilized with 4 battalions. The regimental staff and the I., II., and III. Btle. were raised in Mainz, and the IV. Btl. in Worms. There's your Hesse connection. The regimental staff was dissolved on 7 February 1915. II/LIR 87 and III/LIR 87 with the attached IV/LIR 76, a Mecklenburg battalion from Rostock, were assigned to 6.Armee in December 1914. This only lasted a few months, and in March 1915, II/LIR 87 became III/RIR 17 (RIR 17 was originally a two-battalion regiment from the Rheinprovinz) and III/LIR 87 became III/RIR 30. IV/LIR 76 became III/RIR 69 in summer 1915. RIRs 17, 30 and 69 were all from the Rhineland, so it is likely that by this point, the original LIR 87 and LIR 76 battalions had lost most of their Hessians and Mecklenburgers and the replacements were from the more populous Rhineland. The other two LIR 87 battalions, I/LIR 87 and IV/LIR 87, with the attached V/LIR 76 from Wismar in Mecklenburg-Schwerin, remained with Generalgouvernement Belgien and became Regiment Moß in early 1915. This was redesignated as the "new" LIR 87 in May 1915. I.Btl. remained the same, V/LIR 76 became the II.Btl., and IV/LIR 87 became the III.Btl. So "new" LIR 87 had two Hessian battalions and one Mecklenburg battalion. Also, regarding the 2xx-series RIRs, RIRs 201, 202, 203 and 204 were all raised from Prussian Guard regiments. As Glenn stated, RIR 202 was formed from the Ersatz battalions of GGR 1, GGR 2, and GGR 4 RIR 201 was formed from the Ersatz battalions of 2.GRzF, 4.GRzF, and the GFüsR RIR 203 was formed from the Ersatz battalions of 5.GRzF, GGR 5, and GGR 3 RIR 204 was formed from the Ersatz battalions of 1.GRzF, 3.GRzF, and the LehrIR I don't know if this makes things more or less confusing. :rolleyes:

The Bavarian military records on Ancestry.com or Ancestry.de It is a subscription service.

Karl von Reck, born 19 February 1864 in München. He commanded the 20.bay.IR until 31 July 1916. He then commanded the 8.bay.Inf.Brig. until 29 Sept. 1917. After that, he commanded the 39.Reserve-Division until demobilization on 9 December 1918. He was promoted Oberst on 25 Oct. 1913 and Generalmajor on 17 January 1917. He was characterized as a Generalleutnant on 2 August 1920. The medal bar is: 1. Bavarian Military Merit Order 4th Class with Crown (pre-war award) 2. Prussian Iron Cross 2nd Class (13.09.1914) 3. Anhalt Friedrich Cross (14.08.1915) 4. Bavarian 1905 Jubilee Medal for the Bavarian Army (pre-war award) 5. Anhalt Order of Albert the Bear, Knight 1st Class (pre-war award) 6. Princely Hohenzollern Honor Cross 2nd Class (pre-war award) 7. Prussian Order of the Red Eagle 4th Class (pre-war award) 8. Bavarian Long Service Cross for Officers (1st or 2nd Class depending on when the photo was taken; BDA1 on 02.05.1918) 9. Japanese Order of the Rising Sun (the Germans called it a Knight 1st Class, but I think the Japanese would call it a 5th Class) (pre-war award) v. Reck also received the Military Merit Order 2nd Class with Swords and Star with Swords (the 2nd Class is around the neck), the Iron Cross 1st Class, and the Wound Badge in Black. He also received the Military Merit Order 3rd Class with Crown and Swords and the Military Merit Order Officer's Cross with Swords, but these were replaced by the 2nd Class (the 4th Class stayed on the medal bar because it was pre-war).

- His name is on the picture postcard. - The SH3/SA3aX Albrecht Tasche appears to be the only Hauptmann Tasche in the Saxon Army - According to his entry in the Prussian Court and State Handbook, Tasche did have Saxon and Lippe decorations, although the entries there are messed up (they have "LMVK", which is not the abbreviation for an award in the index; it should be LKEK or LKVK; they also don't show the SH3 and the SA3a is missing a "[m.Schw.]", but messed-up non-Prussian awards are typical in the Prussian handbook) - Tasche received his SH3 on 21.3.15 and the SA3aX a year later, on 25.1.16. The picture may have been taken between those two dates, perhaps when he received the LKEK. Not a perfect answer, but my best guess based on the available information.

Dr. Albrecht Tasche was a Landesversicherungsrat in the Rheinische Provinzialfeuerversicherungsanstalt in Düsseldorf. He was commissioned a Sekondelieutenant der Reserve in Saxon IR 107 on 16 November 1898. He was promoted Oberleutnant der Reserve on 24 June 1907 and Hauptmann der Reserve on 22 May 1913. He wasn't an officer in 1897, so I'm not sure that is a Centenary Medal. Dr. Georg Tasche, who I assume was his brother, was commissioned a Leutnant der Reserve in IR 107 on 27 July 1900. He is not even in the list of Inaktive Offiziere in the 1914 Saxon rank list, so he must have died or completely left Saxon service. Regards, Dave

The ribbons don't go with the medals. The first medal is a civilian shooting medal, as Naxos says, and the last is a Saxon Friedrich-August Medal. No idea on the middle one, but it also appears to be something unofficial. The first ribbon I'm not sure about. The second is for the Bavarian Feuerwehr Dienstauszeichnung, and the third is for the Kaiser Wilhelm I Centenary Medal.

Regarding the guy who started the thread (Schmalberger, not Boonzaier): Johann Schmalberger was in the 1. Komp., I. Btl., 1. Jäger-Regiment geb. 24.12.1899 in Kleinkötz Son of Bauer Michael Schmalberger u. Amalie, geb. Fritz [i hope she didn't have a sex-change!] 2.6.17 als Ldst.Rekr. z. 4./II.Ers/1. Jäg.-Btl. 14.7.17 vereidigt 24.8.17 z. 3./II.Ers/1. Jäg.-Btl. 26.9.17 z. 1./II.Ers/1. Jäg.-Btl. 15.11.17 z. 1./I.Ers/1. Jäg.-Btl. 6.12.17 z. 5./I.Ers/1. Jäg.-Btl. 19.2.18 z. Feld-Rekr.-Dep. Alpenkorps 21.2.-24.5.18 Stellungskämpfe in Lothringen 14.6.18 eingetr., zum I./1. Jäg.-Regt. versetzt 11.9.18 i. Inf.-Gefecht durch Granatgeschoss verwundet 13.9.18 im bay. Feldlaz. 44 gestorben 14.9.18 auf dem Heldenfriedhof Malicourt, Grab 165, beerdigt Probably because he was killed, the record-keeper didn't bother to update Schmalberger's "mitgemachte Gefechte" to include his time in the regiment, but presumably it was where his company was at the time. The intro to the Kriegsstammrolle says "8.8.18-25.9.18 Abwehrschl. a. d. S." [somme?]. Also, call me ignorant of the basic stuff, but how did recruit training work in this period? He appears to have entered service in June 1917 and spent over two months in the 4th Company of the 2nd Replacement Battalion, then one month in the 3rd Company, then almost two months in the 1st Company. I assume that was basic and advanced infantry training, but three years into a costly war, even that seems like a long time. Then he goes over to the 1st Replacement Battalion, spending a few weeks in the 1st Company and three more months in the 5th Company. I would guess that was unit-level training, to integrate the new soldiers together and practice section, platoon, and company operations. Then it's off to the Field Recruit Depot for another four months? I assume the credit for "Stellungskämpfe in Lothringen" means the Field Recruit Depot put the new soldiers in the line in a quieter sector to season them before sending them on to their front-line unit? So basically it was a full year from enlistment to his actual unit? Oh yeah, they finally added the Jäger records. :beer:

I am not an Oldenburg expert, or an expert on manufacturing styles of any state. I did write an article a few years ago on the different styles of swords on German decorations, but that has disappeared into the ether with the rest of my web pages. I still hope to rebuild that soon. I haven't seen any other Oldenburg decorations with the Roman-style hilts you show. From what I have seen, the floral style, which I refer to as "Baroque", is most common. For Oldenburg, this usually has a specific form. The quillons (the parts of the cross-guard that stick out, making it a cross) are in the form of flowers, while the center of the cross-guard is box-shaped, and has a cross within it. Below is a cross from eMedals.ca, along with some other examples of Oldenburg hilts. The two hilts on the top right and top left are from honor crosses like yours, while the other two on the left side are from knight's crosses. This style seems unique to Oldenburg, although neighboring Hannover appears to have had a similar style. The Hannoverian example here is more elaborate, but it is also for a higher-grade order: The "Baroque"-style seen on Baden decorations has flowers in the center of the cross-guard. The Roman style is standard for Prussian decorations. Perhaps Oldenburg crosses with the Roman style hilts were made by Prussian jewelers like Godet, while the Baroque flower style was an Oldenburg court jeweler's version.

A little late, but better late than never. The recipient of the Belgian Order of Leopold Grand Cross was not Heinrich. It was Joseph Anton Emil (20.02.1835-07.10.1911). At the time, he was a Kgl. bay. Gen.d.Kav. and commanding general of the II. Armeekorps. Later, he was promoted to Kgl. bay. Gen.Oberst.d.Kav.z.D., à la suite 2. Schw. Reiter-Regt., à la suite 4. Chevaulegers-Regt. Heinrich was his younger brother, Heinrich Arnold (19.02.1840-23.03.1905). He was a Kgl. bay. Gen.d.Inf., à la suite 5. Inf.-Regt., who was commanding general of the III. Armeekorps at the same time. There were five brothers: 1. Georg Otto (18.05.1823-09.02.1903), only a Hauptmann in Bavarian military service, but father to Oskar (16.01.1856-22.5.1940), the World War I general (and grandfather to Oskar's two sons, both officers in the 1. bay. Inf.-Regt.). 2. Georg Robert (24.08.1830-28.10.1905), Kgl. bay. Gen.Lt.z.D. No children. 3. Hermann Anton Oskar (27.05.1832-28.06.1916), Kgl. bay. Oberstlt.a.D. Father of a medical doctor, a Gutspächter, two Prussian officers and three Bavarian officers. His two youngest sons, a Bavarian Hauptmann and a Prussian Hauptmann, were both killed in action. 4. Emil. As Elwyn noted, Emil was the father of Rudolf and grandfather of Wolfdietrich. His other son Egbert was a Bavarian cavalry major. He also had a daughter Vera 5. Heinrich. No sons, but his daughter Therese married a Württemberg officer, Oberst Theodor Freiherr von Schellerer. Regards

Karl Noack born 03.01.1889 24.08.1910 Leutnant mit Patent vom 15.08.1908 16.05.1915 Oberleutnant 13.10.1917 Hauptmann 31.03.1920 ausgeschieden That's all I have. There is a Saxon named Johannes Hünlich, 02.07.1884-22.07.1949, who died in a Communist prison in Bautzen, but I don't know if that's the same person.

A little late, but some additional information: Achill Arthur Hermann Wilhelm Friedrich von Oertzen, was born on 12 June 1872 in Hamburg. He was married on 23 October 1909 to Ilse Karoline Luise Julie Erdmuthe von Kottwitz (7 June 1884). Achill was promoted to Major on 28 November 1914. His MMV2 was gazetted on 8 March 1915, although the actual award date was probably a little earlier. His brother, Max Wilhelm Konrad von Oertzen, was born on 20 November 1877. In 1914 he was a Rittmeister and Adjutant of the 9. Kavallerie-Brigade. He is erroneously listed in Wegner's Stellenbesetzung der deutschen Heere 1915 bis 1939 as having commanded Kürassier-Regiment Nr. 4 at the end of the war. However, that was another Max, Maximilian Eduard Hugo von Oertzen, who in 1914 was a Major and Adjutant of the 3. Kavallerie-Inspektion. Achill's and Max's parents were Hermann Arthur Friedrich von Oertzen (9 Dec 1844 - 8 Mar 1906), a Prussian Major, and Ernestine Wilhelmine Gräfin von und zu Westerholt und Gysenberg (4 Dec 1849 - ?). Achill's nephew, Max's son Max-Friedrich von Oertzen, born 30 Oct 1909, was killed in action as a Hauptmann on 26 September 1942 near Voronezh. Max had another son, Joachim Ernst, born 23 June 1913, but I don't have any information on him. If Achill had any children, they were born after 1920. As Colin suspected, Achill and Hans-Ulrich von Oertzen were not closely related. Achill was part of the house of Bagentz. Hans-Ulrich was from the house of Teschow. Those two houses' common ancestor would have been back in the 1600s. And finally, Achill's uncle, Arwed Wilhelm von Oertzen (2 Aug 1843 - 3 Feb 1917), was commander of the 28. Division in 1898-1900. He was a Generalleutnant z.D. in 1914, but does not appear to have been recalled to active duty. Regards, Dave

Werner von Rohrscheidt was, as far as I can tell, the only Oberleutnant von Rohrscheidt in November 1917. Werner Friedrich Wilhelm von Rohrscheidt, born 11 June 1889, was at the beginning of the was a Leutnant in Husaren-Regt. Nr. 6. He had just before the war transferred to the reserve, but returned to the active officer corps in August 1914. He was promoted Oberleutnant on 28 December 1916 and the Ehrenrangliste shows him as a Rittmeister a.D. He wasn't an Oberleutnant in 1916, though. There was an Oberleutnant d.R. von Rohrscheidt in 1917 - Paul Dietrich von Rohrscheidt - but he was an Adjutant in 3. Garde-Feldart.-Regt. and the only award I have for him is an EK2. There was also Oberleutnant z.S Erik Henning von Rohrscheidt, but he was a submariner and the 1918 navy rank list shows him with just the EK1&2. Of the other von Rohrscheidts: 1. Manfred v.R., Werner's brother, was a Lt. in HR 6 for the entire war. Commissioned a Lt. in June 1914, he was retired from active service as a Lt. in the Ers.Esk. of HR 6 in May 1918. 2. Kurt Gerhard v.R. was a Lt. in GR 5, promoted OLt. on 22.3.18 3. Friedrich Georg Arno Kurt v.R. was an OLt. in JRzP 10 in the 1914 RL, but was promoted Rittmeister on 4 July 1914. He was killed on 20 October 1918 with RIR 222. 4. Hans Kaspar Amandus v.R. was a Saxon OLt.d.L. 2. Aufgeb. who doesn't appear to have any front-line service. 5. Ernst Konrad Horst v.R., a Lt. in IR 28, was killed in action on 3 May 1917 with RIR 25. 6. Paul Friedrich Robert Max v.R. was a char. Major in the Invaliden-Haus in Berlin. 7. Egon v.R., Hptm. in FR 34, promoted Maj. on 5 Oct. 1916. 8. Bernhard Eduard Walter v.R., Major on the Great General Staff 9. Dr.jur. Hans Fritz Rudolf v.R., Hptm.d.R., 3.GFAR, on 15 February 1915 10. Herbert Gunter v.R., in 1914 a Lt. in the Reit.-Feldjäg.-Kps., promoted OLt. on 8 Oct. 1914 and Hauptmann on 18 Dec. 1915. 11. Joachim Jürgen v.R., killed in action on 24 August 1914 with HR 3. 12. Bodo Gerhard v.R., died as a result of wounds on 4 August 1915 as a Fähnrich in FR 33. 13. Friedrich Wilhelm Hans v.R., Oberst a.D., recalled as Kreis-Chef in Belgium, promoted to Generalmajor z.D. on 30 March 1918. 14. Klaus Hans Gustav Karl v.R., promoted Lt. in IR 93 on 1 March 1915, died as a result of wounds on 11 April 1917 with RIR 263. There were also two von Rohrscheidts in Austro-Hungarian service. Ernst Alfred Friedrich was an Ökonomie-Offizier in Garn.-Hospital 1 and a Hptm.i.d.Ruhestand, and his brother Rudolf Alfred was a Gefangenen-Kontrollor and Hptm.i.d.Evidenz. For two family members I don't have any information. Hans-Ulrich, the younger brother of Werner and Manfred, born 12 March 1900, was probably a cadet or officer candidate when the war ended, but I can't be sure. Günther Theodor Konrad von Rohrscheidt, born on 24 Dec. 1888, seems old enough to have served, but doesn't appear to have.

OK, somewhat more detailed but also a bit of a guess, if Saxony had the same or similar rules as Bavaria: The Bavarian rank lists, unlike the Prussian and Saxon, do include the Centenary Medal. I reviewed the December 1897 Bavarian rank list and identified which officers received the medal. I also checked this against some later RLs and against the Kriegsranglisten where I could find the person. From what I can tell, Bavarian recipients fall into 4 categories: 1. Veterans of 1870/71 war. 2. Officers serving, even temporarily, in Prussian units, schools, etc. For example, Eduard Doehla and Anton Löhr (both later "Ritter von") received the Centenary Medal while at the Prussian Militär-Turnanstalt in 1897. Ludwig Seeger, then with the 5. bay. FAR, received the Centenary while assigned to the Prussian Artillerie-Prüfungs-Kommission. Karl von Nagel zu Aichberg got his while Adjutant of the IV.Armee-Inspektion. Luitpold Freiherr von Horn was commanded to the Great General Staff in Berlin. Maximilian Graf von Zech auf Neuhofen was a student at the Prussian Feldartillerie-Schießschule. 3. Active officers in certain units. In these units, it appears every officer was eligible. Surprisingly, they are not the units to which the Kaiser or a Prussian prince was Inhaber. Instead, they were the Bavarian units then in Alsace-Lorraine. They were: - 4. Inf.-Regt., Metz, part of the 10. Inf.-Brig. - 8. Inf.-Regt., Metz, part of the 10. Inf.-Brig. - 3. Chev.-Regt., Dieuze, part of the 5. Kav.-Brig. - 5. Chev.-Regt., Saargemünd, part of the 5. Kav.-Brig. - I. Btl./2. Fußart.-Regt., Metz - III. Btl./2. Fußart.-Regt., Metz Also, most of the officers of the II.Btl./23.bay.IR in Saargemünd also had the Centenary Medal. This battalion was formed in April 1897 from the 13. and 14. companies of the 4.bay.IR and of the 8.bay.IR. 4. Finally, a random assortment of about 40 other officers I can't account for. Many were reserve officers and might have had a civilian connection to Prussia. Some I just don't know. For instance, Friedrich Ritter von Bogendörfer was regimental adjutant of 6. Inf.-Regt. from 1895 to 1900. No other regular officers of his regiment got the Centenary Medal. Bogendörfer had previously received the Crown Order 4th Class in 1896. -- So, if Saxony followed similar rules, besides veterans of the Franco-Prussian War and officers serving in Prussian units, there were two Saxon units whose officers were probably all eligible. These were Inf.-Regt. Nr. 105, in Straßburg i.E. under the Prussian XV. Armeekorps, and Fußart.-Regt. Nr. 12, in Metz under the Prussian XVI. Armeekorps. Regards, Dave