Dave Danner

Rather closely. Char. General der Infanterie Paul Emil von Lettow-Vorbeck (1870-1964) was the son of General der Infanterie Paul Karl von Lettow-Vorbeck (1832-1919). Paul Karl was the older brother of Moritz. The lineages are on two separate pages, so I can't combine them very well. I hope these will line up reasonably closely:

He wasn't "von Lettow-Vorbeck" as the Prussian court did not approve that hyphenation until 1891. Right about here:

I don't know if this list has been generated elsewhere and I'm not entirely certain how complete it is, but I hope it will be of some interest (though maybe not of use since you don't exactly see this combo every day). Below is a list of recipients of both the Merit Medal of the Military Karl-Friedrich Merit Order (Verdienstmedaille des Militärischen Karl-Friedrich-Verdienstordens), Baden's highest award bravery for enlisted soldiers and NCOs, commonly referred to as the Karl-Friedrich Military Merit Medal, and Prussia's Military Merit Cross (Militär-Verdienstkreuz), the so-called "Pour le Mérite for NCOs and enlisted men", commonly referred to as the Golden Military Merit Cross. Brändlin, Martin - Silver Karl-Friedrich Military Merit Medal as an Uffz. in Badisches Leib-Grenadier-Regiment Nr. 109 on 3.10.17 (#577); Golden Military Merit Cross as a Vzfw. in LGR 109 on 31.1.18 (#61) Christ, Georg - Silver Karl-Friedrich Military Merit Medal as a Vzfw.d.L. in 2. Badisches Grenadier-Regiment Kaiser Wilhelm I. Nr. 110 on 3.10.17 (#591); Golden Military Merit Cross as an Offz.Stellv. in GrenR 110 on 8.11.18 (#1678) Demmer, Josef - Silver Karl-Friedrich Military Merit Medal as a Gefreiter/Ersatz-Reservist in Badisches Leib-Grenadier-Regiment Nr. 109 on 3.10.17 (#584); Golden Military Merit Cross as a Sergeant in LGR 109 on 21.4.18 (#199) Emmerich, Adolf - Silver Karl-Friedrich Military Merit Medal as a Vzfw. d.R. in Füsilier-Regiment Fürst Karl-Anton von Hohenzollern (Hohenzollernsches) Nr. 40 on 24.11.17 (#627); Golden Military Merit Cross as a Vzfw. d.R. in FüsR 40 on 12.2.18 (#67) Kleiser, Emil - Silver Karl-Friedrich Military Merit Medal as an Uffz.d.R. in 9. Badisches Infanterie-Regiment Nr. 170 on 8.6.17 (#349); Golden Military Merit Cross as a Vzfw. in IR 170 on 11.5.18 (#659) Ludwig, Heinrich - Silver Karl-Friedrich Military Merit Medal as a Vzfw. in Reserve-Infanterie-Regiment Nr. 236 on 12.4.18 (#958); Golden Military Merit Cross as a Vzfw. in RIR 236 on 11.4.18 (#112) Marzenell, Jakob - Silver Karl-Friedrich Military Merit Medal as a Vzfw. in 8. Badisches Infanterie-Regiment Nr. 169 on 13.7.18 (#1021); Golden Military Merit Cross as a Vzfw. in IR 169 on 30.6.18 (#813) Metzner, Fritz - Silver Karl-Friedrich Military Merit Medal as an Uffz. in Badisches Reserve-Infanterie-Regiment Nr. 109 on 13.2.15 (#15); Golden Military Merit Cross as an Offz.Stellv. in RIR 109 on 7.7.18 (#858) Nold, Theodor - Silver Karl-Friedrich Military Merit Medal as a Vzfw. in 8. Badisches Infanterie-Regiment Nr. 169 on 4.1.17 (#258); Golden Military Merit Cross as an Offz.Stellv. in IR 169 on 29.3.18 (#96) Odenwald, Oskar - Silver Karl-Friedrich Military Merit Medal as a Vzfw. in Badisches Leib-Grenadier-Regiment Nr. 109 on 18.7.17 (#422); Golden Military Merit Cross as an Offz.Stellv. in LGR 109 on 8.11.18 (#1669) Seitz, Wilhelm - Silver Karl-Friedrich Military Merit Medal as a Gefr.d.R. in Ersatz-Infanterie-Regiment Nr. 29 on 15.12.17 (#684); Golden Military Merit Cross as a Sergeant in ErsIR 29 on 21.4.18 (#151) Seubert, Georg - Silver Karl-Friedrich Military Merit Medal as a Vzfw. in 2. Badisches Grenadier-Regiment Kaiser Wilhelm I. Nr. 110 on 3.3.16 (#165); Golden Military Merit Cross as an Offz.Stellv. in GR 110 on 110 3.5.18 (#521) Spies, Hermann - Silver Karl-Friedrich Military Merit Medal as a Vzfw. in 8. Badisches Infanterie-Regiment Nr. 169 on 2.9.16 (#210); Golden Military Merit Cross as a Vzfw. in IR 169 on 28.11.17 (#46) Triebskorn, Leopold - Silver Karl-Friedrich Military Merit Medal as a Gefr. in Badisches Leib-Grenadier-Regiment Nr. 109 on 17.10.17 (#550); Golden Military Merit Cross as a Vzfw. in LGR 109 on 31.1.18 (#62) Vogt, Josef - Silver Karl-Friedrich Military Merit Medal as a Vzfw./Offz.Stellv. in Infanterie-Regiment Nr. 470 on 25.8.17 (#512); Golden Military Merit Cross as an Offz.Stellv. in IR 470 on 13.10.18 (#1419) Weber, Gustav - Silver Karl-Friedrich Military Merit Medal as a Vzfw./Offz.Stellv. in 2. Badisches Grenadier-Regiment Kaiser Wilhelm I. Nr. 110 on 13.11.16 (#225); Golden Military Merit Cross as an Offz.Stellv. in GrenR 110 on 3.5.18 (#522) Wieber, Josef - Silver Karl-Friedrich Military Merit Medal as an Offz.Stellv. in Infanterie-Regiment Nr. 185 on 11.2.18 (#738); Golden Military Merit Cross as an Offz.Stellv. in IR 185 on 2.6.18 (#479) Wißler, Robert - Silver Karl-Friedrich Military Merit Medal as an Offz.Stellv. in Infanterie-Regiment Nr. 185 on 11.12.17 (#682); Golden Military Merit Cross as an Offz.Stellv. in IR 185 on 25.4.18 (#343) Wurth, Josef - Silver Karl-Friedrich Military Merit Medal as an Offz.Stellv. d.L. in Badisches Reserve-Infanterie-Regiment Nr. 111 on 4.1.17 (#251); Golden Military Merit Cross as an Offz.Stellv. d.L. in RIR 111 on 29.3.18 (#93) My guess on the Silver Karl-Friedrich Military Merit Medal where two ranks are listed is that there was a promotion between the time of the act of bravery and the time the award was made. The numbers after the dates are their places on the respective rolls of the two decorations. There are three others who are probables/possibles, but about which I have questions: Uffz. Johannes Körber of Feldartillerie-Regiment Großherzog (1. Badisches) Nr. 14 received the Silver Karl-Friedrich Military Merit Medal on 15.8.17 (#434). Vzwm. Johannes Körber of FAR 14 received the Golden Military Merit Cross on 1.9.18 (#1139). Same (not too common) name, same unit. Only question is whether a little over a year from Unteroffizier to Vizewachtmeister is feasible. Uffz. Karl Emil Stober of 2. Badisches Grenadier-Regiment Kaiser Wilhelm I. Nr. 110 received the Silver Karl-Friedrich Military Merit Medal on 3.10.17 (#587). Vzfw. Emil Stober of GrenR 110 received the Golden Military Merit Cross on 30.6.18 (#829). Essentially the same question: slight difference in name, same unit, but is less than nine months from Unteroffizier to Vizefeldwebel feasible? Vzfw. Emil Haas of 9. Badisches Infanterie-Regiment Nr. 170 received the Golden Military Merit Cross on 8.11.18 (#1675). Three Vzfw. Emil Haas's received the Karl Friedrich MVM. One can be ruled out because he was an aviator. The others were Vzfw. Emil Haas of 5. Badisches Infanterie-Regiment Nr. 113 (Silver Karl-Friedrich Military Merit Medal on 16.12.15 (#135)) and Vzfw. Emil Haas of Ersatz-Infanterie-Regiment Nr. 29 (Silver Karl-Friedrich Military Merit Medal on 1.10.18 (#1180)). With the first Haas, you have a three-year window to migrate from IR 113 to IR 170, without an intervening promotion, so it is possible but not proven. At first glance, the second Haas would seem unlikely. He was in ErsIR 29 in October 1918, and IR 170 in November? But, and like J-Lo's this is a big but ... ErsIR 29 was actually disbanded in September 1918. The men of its I. and III. Bataillone were dispersed among IR 169 and IR 170. So the Baden orders chancery could easily have been processing an award for an NCO of ErsIR 29 at the end of September and made the award as of October 1, even though by then he was in IR 170. Again, possible but not proven, but maybe more likely.

Just for clarity, Saxe-Coburg-Gotha was a duchy, not a grand duchy. Ferdinand and Boris seem to have accumulated a lot of awards from their cousins back in Germany, but the cousins weren't always as prolific among themselves. Some of the states weren't that prolific. At the beginning of World War I, Bernhard III Duke of Saxe-Meiningen had only 12 orders and decorations. He was a veteran of the Franco-Prussian War, and this list included the 1870 Iron Cross 2nd Class, the Mecklenburg-Schwerin 1870 Military Merit Cross 2nd Class, the Schaumburg-Lippe Military Merit Medal and the Ducal Saxe-Ernestine House Order 1st Class with Swords, as well as various orders typical of rulers and heirs to thrones. His only foreign orders were the Italian Grand Cross of the Order of St. Maurice and St. Lazarus, the Hungarian Grand Cross of the Order of St. Stephan, and the Russian Order of St. George 4th Class. He added more during the war, including the Austro-Hungarian Military Merit Cross 1st Class with War Decoration and the Saxe-Coburg Duke Carl Eduard Medal 2nd Class with Swords and Date Clasp. Bernhard III's younger half-brother Ernst had retired from the army in 1902 as a char. Major. He had 10 orders and decorations in the 1914 ranklist, which with the exception of his long service cross and Russian Order of St. Alexander Nevsky, were all Grand Cross-level awards of German states. Bernhard III's other younger half-brother, Ernst's younger brother Friedrich, was a Generalleutnant. He had 11 orders and decorations, essentially the same as his brother, and would have no chance to earn more. He was killed in action on August 23, 1914 in command of 39. Reserve-Infanterie-Brigade. As for some grand duchies: Adolf Friedrich VI, Grand Duke of Mecklenburg-Strelitz, had 10 decorations in the 1913 ranklist, although a few more might have come when he succeeded to his father's throne that June. Seven were from German states, 1 from Great Britain, and 2 from Montenegro. He added more during the war, including the Iron Cross 1st and 2nd Class and the Mecklenburg Strelitz Cross for Distinction in War and Cross 1st Class for Distinction in War, but was an unhappy figure, committing suicide in February 1918. Prinz Max von Baden, the heir to the throne of that state, had 21 orders and decorations in 1914 (13 from German staes and 8 foreign). He added several more during the war including the Commander's Cross with Star of the Military Karl Friedrich Merit Order, but his activities during the war were primarily on the home and political fronts. As Reichskanzler, he was the one who had to lead the delegation to get the Kaiser to abdicate. Georg Ludwig Duke of Oldenburg, the brother of Grand Duke Friedrich August, had 9 decorations in 1914. Besides the long service cross, there were 7 orders from German states and one from the Netherlands. Duke Paul Friedrich von Mecklenburg-Schwerin, the uncle of Grand Duke Friedrich Franz IV, had 22 orders and decorations in 1914. A Franco-Prussian War vet, his included the 1870 Iron Cross 2nd Class, the Mecklenburg-Schwerin 1870 Military Merit Cross 2nd Class, the 1870 Mecklenburg Strelitz Cross for Distinction in War, the Schaumburg-Lippe Military Merit Medal and the Ducal Saxe-Ernestine House Order 1st Class with Swords. Duke Johann Albrecht von Mecklenburg-Schwerin, Paul Friedrich's younger brother, had 31, pretty much all grand crosses of orders. He had served as regent of the Grand Duchy of Mecklenburg-Schwerin from 1897 to 1901 and of the Duchy of Brunswick from 1901 to 1913. Their younger brother Duke Adolf Friedrich von Mecklenburg-Schwerin had 13. As for their youngest brother Duke Heinrich von Mecklenburg-Schwerin, our Herr General probably can find out more easily, as he married Wilhelmina van Oranje-Nassau and became H.R.H. Prince Hendrik of the Netherlands in 1901.

Crown Prince Rupprecht of Bavaria had 38 orders, decorations and medals in the 1914 Milit?r-Handbuch des K?nigreichs Bayern, which unlike the Prussian ranklists included service and commemorative medals. Bavaria ? Haus-Ritter-Orden vom heiligen Hubertus Bavaria ? Haus-Ritter-Orden vom heiligen Georg, Gro?priorBavaria ? St. Georgs-MedailleBavaria ? Milit?r-Verdienstorden, Gro?kreuz Bavaria ? Milit?rische Jubil?ums-Medaille mit der KroneBavaria ? Milit?r-Dienstauszeichnungskreuz II. Klasse f?r 24 JahreBaden ? Hausorden der Treue Baden ? Orden Berthold des Erstens, Gro?kreuz,Brunswick ? Gro?kreuz des Hausordens Heinrich des L?wen Hesse ? Gro?kreuz des Ludewigs-Orden Hohenzollern ? F?rstlich Hohenzollernscher Hausorden Ehrenkreuz I. Klasse Mecklenburg Grand Duchies ? Gro?kreuz des Hausordens der Wendischen Krone mit der Krone in Erz Oldenburg ? Gro?kreuz des Haus- und Verdienstordens von Herzog Peter Friedrich Ludwig mit der goldenen Krone Prussia ? Schwarzer-Adler-Orden (carrying the right to wear the Roter-Adler-Orden Gro?kreuz)Prussia ? K?niglicher Hausorden von Hohenzollern Gro?komturkreuz Prussia ? Erinnerungszeichen an die silberne Hochzeit des Deutschen KaiserpaaresSaxony ? Orden der Rautenkrone Saxon Duchies ? Gro?kreuz des Herzoglich Sachsen-Ernestinischen Hausordens W?rttemberg ? Gro?kreuz des Ordens der W?rttembergischen Krone Germany ? S?dwestafrika-Denkm?nze f?r Nichtk?mpferGermany ? Zentenarmedaille 1897Austria-Hungary ? Order of the Golden FleeceAustria-Hungary ? Grand Cross of the Order of St. Stephan Austria-Hungary ? Milit?r-Jubil?umskreuz 1908Belgium ? Grand Cross of the Order of Leopold China ? Order of the Double Dragon 1st Class 2nd Grade Great Britain ? Knight Grand Cross of the Royal Victorian Order Great Britain ? Jubilee Medal 1887 Great Britain ? Coronation Medal 1902Japan ? Order of the Chrysanthemum Luxembourg ? House Order of the Golden LionRomania ? Grand Cross of the Order of the Star of Romania Sweden ? Order of the Seraphim Sweden ? Jubilee Medal Sicily ? Grand Cross of the Order of St Ferdinand and of MeritSpain ? Grand Cross of the Order of Carlos III with ChainTuscany ? Grand Cross of the Order of St. JosephOttoman Empire ? Order of Osmania 1st Class with BrilliantsHe commanded 6th Army from the beginning of the war to August 1916 and an army group named for him, Heeresgruppe Kronprinz Rupprecht, from then until the end. He was promoted to Field Marshal in August 1916. During the war, he added numerous further awards. I don't know an exact count, but they include the following: Anhalt ? FriedrichkreuzBaden ? Milit?rischer Karl-Friedrich-Verdienstorden, Gro?kreuz (12.1.15)Bavaria ? Milit?rischer Max-Joseph-Orden, Gro?kreuz (26.8.14)Bavaria ? Erinnerungskreuz f?r die Mitglieder beider Kammern zum 100-j?hrigen Jubil?um der bayerischen Verfassung, 1918Brunswick ? Kriegsverdienstkreuz II. KlasseHamburg ? HanseatenkreuzLippe-Detmold ? Hausorden des Ehrenkreuzes Gro?kreuz mit Schwertern (13.12.17)Lippe-Detmold ? KriegsverdienstkreuzLippe-Detmold ? Kriegsehrenkreuz f?r heldenm?tige Tat (7.6.15)Prussia ? Orden "Pour le M?rite" (22.8.15)Prussia ? Eichenlaube zum Orden "Pour le M?rite" (20.12.16)Prussia ? 1914 Eisernes Kreuz, I. Klasse Prussia ? 1914 Eisernes Kreuz, II. KlasseSaxony ? Milit?r St. Heinrichs-OrdenW?rttemberg ? Milit?r-Verdienstorden, Gro?kreuz (2.12.14)Austria-Hungary ? Milit?r-Verdienstkreuz I. Klasse mit der Kriegsdekoration (6.6.15)That is based on various sources, as well as the medal bar of his that was stolen from Hohenschwangau in 2005, pictured in the BDOS alert on the theft. There were certainly other awards, as this appears to have been a wartime award bar. It is shorter than the bar he was wearing in his 1921 wedding photo. Among other states which may have also given him decorations but which aren't on the list above are Bremen, Hessen-Darmstadt, L?beck, the Mecklenburg Grand Duchies, Oldenburg, the Reuss principalities, Sachsen-Weimar-Eisenach, Sachsen-Altenburg, Sachsen-Coburg-Gotha, Sachsen-Meiningen, Schaumburg-Lippe, the Schwarzburg principalities, Waldeck, Bulgaria and the Ottoman Empire. Also, given his general popularity and post-war (both wars) philanthropic activities, he might have received other decorations later in life.

Guards Sergeant Zainadin Khusnueldinov Senior Sergeant Khait Khuzhmatov Senior Sergeant Fyodor Kononovich Moskalenko Senior Sergeant Vitalii Onufriyevich Polyakov

By the way, there are many things I am missing, but one that I could really really use is a copy of the Z?hringen Lion award list for WW1. Can anyone help me with getting a copy?

Thanks everyone! The picture is great and also points me up to a typo on my original list or the trouble of staring too long at little icons on pages. That should be an RAO, not a KO But is it just me, or does that look like an RAO3X, not a 4X, notwithstanding what the ranklist says? Maybe just a trick of the lighting. One of my follow-up questions when I read Glenn's detailed bio was, since he was in Baden service in April 1902, did he get the Jubilee Medal? But the photo appears to have answered that as it looks like that's the last medal on the bar. Another curiousity: a family website for the Gandenbergers mentions that the son of a Hessian general and commander of the Gro?herzogliches Artilleriekorps, also a Hessian officer, was granted the right to combine the name Gandenberger with that of his wife's family, von Moisy, by the Grand Duke of Hesse. Ludwig's Philip Order from the Boxer Rebellion indicates a continuing Hesse connection. But it seems that almost all of the Gandenbergers von Moisy who served in World War I served in Baden regiments - Ludwig in RIR 40 and RIR 110, another whose first name I don't know in IR 113, and Fritz and Hans in Fu?AR 14 (though Hans was also an observer and Fritz may also have been an aviator). The only outlier was the one in IR 13, a Westphalian regiment, though he had a prewar Z?hringen Lion so presumably also a Baden connection. So the family relocated from Gie?en in Hesse to Baden at some point, but still had enough of a Hesse connection to get Ludwig a Philip Order in China (and Hans a General Honor Decoration for Bravery in WW1).

Looking for any additional information on this guy, to better flesh out the MKFVO bios. What I know/think I know: Promotions: Hauptmann from 23.03.01Major from 18.10.12Oberst a.D. in the EhrenranglisteAssignments:1900 or so: 3./I. Seebataillon, Marine-Infanterie, deutsche Landstreitkr?fte in Ostasien. He sailed on the Wittekind with the Marine-Infanterie expeditionary corps. 1912: Kp.Fhr. 8./GR 1101914: Stab/GR 1108.1914: on mobilization, becomes Btl.Fhr. of III./RIR 40?.1915: to RIR 110?-end of war: Rgt.Kdr. RIR 110Decorations:Milit?rischer Karl-Friedrich-Verdienstorden on 27 December 1915 as a Major with RIR 110.prewar Prussian Crown Order 4th Class with Swords, Hesse-Darmstadt Order of Philip the Magnanimous Knight 1st Class with Swords, Chinese Order of the Double Dragon 3rd Class 1st Grade, and Russian Order of St. Anne 3rd Class. All of these were probably from the Boxer Rebellion.presumably an EK2 and probably an EK1, given the MKFVO, and also probably a Z?hringen Lion? Maybe commanding a battalion of RIR 40 would also have led to a Princely Hohenzollern House Order?Below is a picture of officers on the Wittekind cropped from here. Gandenberger von Moisy is in the upper left corner. The larger guy in the middle is Major von Madai, the commander of I. Seebataillon. To Madai's right is Hauptmann Freiherr von Rheinhaben, who would die of typhus in Peking, and to Madai's left is Generalmajor von H?pfner, the Marine-Infanterie expedition commander.

What about Albert and Karl? They were all born within 5 years of each other: Gustav Ritter von Schoch - 1858 Albert Ritter von Schoch - 1860 Emil Schoch - 1862 Karl Schoch - 1863 ("Ritter von Schoch" from 1.2.1915) Gustav and Albert were prewar knights of the Merit Order of the Bavarian Crown, and Albert also received the MMJO in August 1918 (albeit for actions in February 1916). Karl received the MMJO in September 1914 for actions in August, and, as noted above, his patent of nobility the following February.

MVKs were essentially the Bavarian equivalent of the EK, only awarded based on rank. The lowest class, the MVK3X, awarded to junior enlisted soldiers, was awarded about 290,000 times. Sources differ, but the silver MVM was awarded about 2,900 times and the golden MVM about 1,000 times. For comparison to the other top enlisted awards of the German states: Prussia, Goldenes Milit?rverdienstkreuz - 1,770 or 1,773 Saxony, Goldene Milit?r-St. Heinrich-Medaille - 150 Saxony, Silberne Milit?r-St. Heinrich-Medaille - 8,299+ W?rttemberg, Goldene Milit?rverdienstmedaille - 2,402 to non-officers (it was also awarded to officers) Baden, silberne Verdienstmedaille des Milit?r-Karl-Friedrich-Verdienstordens - 1,282 Of course the one that beats them out for rarity is Baden's goldene Verdienstmedaille des Milit?r-Karl-Friedrich-Verdienstordens, since despite a number of recommendations, that was never awarded in World War I.

Bayerisches Landwehr-Infanterie-Regiment Nr. 1 was raised in Munich. Bayerisches Reserve-Infanterie-Regiment Nr. 1 was raised in Munich, with its III.Bataillon in Rosenheim. Trostberg is 44 kilometers northeast of Rosenheim and about 90 km east of Munich. The 1. Pionier, Train and Telegraphen units were all in Munich. The 1st Bavarian J?gers were in Freising north of Munich.

Grand Admiral Heinrich Prinz von Preu?en, the Kaiser's brother, had 49 orders and decorations in the 1914 naval rank list. Again, that doesn't include service, coronation and jubilee medals. In the February 1918, he had added another 12, including the Pour le M?rite, the Oakleaves to the Pour le M?rite, both classes of the Iron Cross, all three Hanseatic Crosses, and both classes of Oldenburg's Friedrich August Cross. So that's 61 decorations, plus service medals, plus whatever came after February 1918.

Not to rain (or reign ) on any parades, but I suspect quite a few princes of the German Empire, royal or not, dwarf most of those listed so far. Like Ed's example from India, you have to account for not only awards from various foreign states but also from the component states of their empires. There is an entire book on Kaiser Wilhelm II's awards. If anyone has it he can probably do a count. His son, Wilhelm Deutscher Kronprinz, had 46 decorations in the 1914 rank list: Prussia - Schwarzer-Adler-Orden mit der KettePrussia - Roter-Adler-Orden, Gro?kreuz mit der KronePrussia - Kronen-Orden I. KlassePrussia - K?niglicher Hausorden von Hohenzollern Gro?komturkreuz Hohenzollern - F?rstlich Hohenzollernscher Hausorden Ehrenkreuz I. KlasseAnhalt - Gro?kreuz des Hausordens "Albrecht des B?ren"Baden - Hausorden der TreueBaden - Gro?kreuz des Ordens vom Z?hringer L?wenBavaria - Haus-Ritter-Orden vom heiligen HubertusBrunswick - Gro?kreuz des Hausordens Heinrich des L?wenHesse - Gro?kreuz des Ludewigs-OrdenMecklenburg Grand Duchies - Gro?kreuz des Hausordens der Wendischen Krone mit der Krone in ErzOldenburg - Gro?kreuz des Haus- und Verdienstordens von Herzog Peter Friedrich Ludwig mit der goldenen KroneSaxony - Orden der RautenkroneSaxe-Weimar-Eisenach - Gro?kreuz des Gro?herzoglich S?chsischen Hausordens der Wachsamkeit oder vom Wei?en FalkenSaxon Duchies - Gro?kreuz des Herzoglich Sachsen-Ernestinischen HausordensW?rttemberg - Gro?kreuz des Ordens der W?rttembergischen KroneBelgium - Grand Cross of the Order of LeopoldBulgaria - Grand Cross of the Order of St. AlexanderChina - Order of the Double Dragon 1st Class 2nd GradeDenmark - Order of the ElephantGreece - Grand Cross of the Order of the RedeemerGreat Britain - Knight Companion of the Order of the GarterGreat Britain - Knight Grand Cross of the Royal Victorian OrderJapan - Order of the ChrysanthemumKorea - Order of the Eight Trigrams 1st ClassItaly - Order of the AnnunziataMonaco - Grand Cross of the Order of St. CharlesMontenegro - Grand Cross of the Order of DaniloNetherlands - Grand Cross of the Order of the LionNorway - Commander's Cross 1st Class of the Order of St. Olaf with ChainAustria-Hungary - Grand Cross of the Order of St. StephanPersia - Order of the Lion and Sun, Quds OrderPortugal - Order of Christ and St. Benedict of Aviz (meaning he already had received the Military Order of Christ and the Military Order of AvizPortugal - Grand Cross of the Order of the Tower and Sword with ChainRomania - Grand Cross of the Order of Carol I with ChainRomania - Grand Cross of the Order of the Crown of RomaniaRussia - Order of St. Andrew Sweden - Order of the SeraphimSerbia - Grand Cross of the Order of the White EagleSiam - Order of the Royal House of ChakriSpain - Order of the Golden FleeceOttoman Empire - Ottoman House OrderOttoman Empire - Nishan-i-ImtiazOttoman Empire - Nishan-i-IftikharOttoman Empire - Order of Osmania 1st Class with BrilliantsNote, however, that these are only orders and decorations. Service and commemorative medals, except the long service decorations, are not listed in the Prussian rank lists. Crown Prince Wilhelm also had the 1897 Centenary Medal and likely any number of jubilee and coronation medals. During the war, he added a number of others. Those I know about include the Pour le M?rite, the Oakleaves to the Pour le M?rite, the Iron Cross 1st Class, the Iron Cross 2nd Class, the Grand Cross of the Baden Military Karl Friedrich Merit Order, the Grand Cross of the Saxon Military Order of St. Henry, the Grand Cross of the W?rttemberg Military Merit Order and I believe the Grand Cross of the Bavarian Military Order of Max Joseph. Presumably he received war decorations of most of the other German states and Central Powers allies as well.

A Hamburg Hanseatenkreuz and a Mecklenburg-Schwerin MVK (more common than a Meckl-Strelitz Cross for Distinction in War) would seem to indicate a naval connection. There aren't any army unit connections that jump to mind for Baden and those two, especially for an enlisted soldier, and no dynastic connections, though an enlisted aviator is a possibility. Recipients with naval connections aren't that common either. Just skimming rapidly because I don't have much time, the first one I encountered was at the letter "D" - Unteroffizier Friedrich Deschner, who received the Silver Military Karl Friedrich Merit Medal on 6 September 1917 while serving with Marine-Infanterie-Regiment Nr. 3. The next one wasn't until "F" - Sergeant d.R. Johannes Fischer of Marine-Infanterie-Regiment Nr. 1 (Silver Medal on 31 October 1918). I ran across 4-5 aviation recipients in the same pages, but it's probably easier to look up those in Neal O'Connor's Volume VI. It's not easy to quickly scan the list as it includes all recipients of all grades - Grand Cross to Silver Medal - from all wars - Napoleonic to WW1.

To round out the combinations, if you have two MKFVO ribbons - one with a green enameled wreath and one without - that would most likely indicate a junior officer who received the Verdienstmedaille on the MKFVO ribbon as an officer candidate and then the MKFVO as an officer. But in many, if not most cases, such an officer would likely have received a Z?hringen Lion Knight 2nd Class in the interim, which would take precedence between the two. W?rttemberg also used wreaths to distinguish the Military Merit Order from the gold and silver Military Merit Medals.

Be clear which wreath is which. A green enameled wreath indicates the Military Karl-Friedrich Merit Order. A silver wreath indicates the Merit Medal of the Military Karl-Friedrich Merit Order. No wreath indicates the Merit Medal on the ribbon of the Military Karl-Friedrich Merit Order, the basic Baden equivalent of the Iron Cross 2nd Class.

Thanks Glenn! One other I forgot: III./IR 75 was garrisoned in Stade in the Prussian province of Hannover. Was it Prussian? Same goes for III./RIR 75, also in Stade. So for mixed prewar regiments and those formed on mobilization (wartime mixing is a mess to follow), I think I have these so far: IR 55 - Prussia and Lippe-Detmold IR 71 - Prussia and Schwarzburg-Sondershausen [iR 75 - Bremen and Prussia][?] IR 83 - Prussia and Waldeck GR 89 - Mecklenburg-Schwerin and Mecklenburg-Strelitz IR 95 - Sachsen-Coburg-Gotha and Sachsen-Meiningen IR 96 - Prussia, Reu?, Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt IR 153 - Sachsen-Altenburg and Prussia IR 162 - L?beck and Prussia RIR 15 - Prussia and Lippe-Detmold RIR 31 - Hamburg and Bremen RIR 32 - Reu?, Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt, Prussia RIR 36 - Prussia and Anhalt RIR 66 - Prussia and Sachsen-Altenburg RIR 71 - Prussia and Sachsen-Meiningen RIR 73 - Prussia and Braunschweig RIR 74 - Prussia and Oldenburg [RIR 75 - Bremen and Prussia][?] RIR 78 - Braunschweig and Prussia RIR 79 - Oldenburg and Prussia RIR 82 - Schwarzburg-Sondershausen, Prussia and Sachsen-Coburg-Gotha RIR 83 ? Prussia and Waldeck RIR 84 - Prussia and Mecklenburg-Strelitz RIR 88 ? Prussia and Hessen-Darmstadt LIR 32 - Sachsen-Meiningen and Sachsen-Weimar-Eisenach LIR 36 - Sachsen-Altenburg and Prussia LIR 71 ? Prussia and Reu? LIR 74 ? Prussia and Braunschweig LIR 75 ? Hamburg and Bremen LIR 76 - Mecklenburg-Schwerin, Mecklenburg-Strelitz and Prussia LIR 78 ? Prussia and Braunschweig FAR 24 - Prussia and Mecklenburg-Strelitz FAR 46 - Prussia and Braunschweig FAR 62 - Prussia and Oldenburg The other odd-man out is the family of "40"s - FR 40, RIR 40 and LIR 40. F?silier-Regiment Nr. 40 was at least notionally "Hohenzollernsch" but was garrisoned in Baden. But RIR 40 and LIR 40 seem more like Tochterformationen of GR 110 rather than FR 40, and more likely to have been mainly Baden in 1914. Any ideas here? I suppose from a limited military collector's perspective it doesn't matter, since if the regiments were considered "Hohenzollernsch", soldiers serving in them might have received the various grades of the Princely House Order and its medals whether they were from Sigmaringen, Mannheim, Cologne or Berlin.

Some order of battle/state of origin-type questions, to try to better clarify which regiment were or considered themselves to be affiliated with particular states of the German Empire: I. First questions revolve around Infanterie-Regiment L?beck (3. Hanseatisches) Nr. 162. In this thread - http://gmic.co.uk/index.php?showtopic=15514 - Tom Y mentions that Hessenthal states that only II./IR 162 was from L?beck. I don't have the source and I can't remember, but for some reason that sounds right. I./IR 162 was also garrisoned in L?beck, though. III./IR 162 was garrisoned in Eutin. So question #1 is, was I./IR 162 indeed a Prussian regiment garrisoned in L?beck but raised elsewhere (and if so, where)? And question #2: Eutin is a town north of Hansastadt L?beck in the F?rstentum L?beck. The F?rstentum L?beck belonged to the Grand Duchy of Oldenburg. Was there any connection between III./IR 162 and Oldenburg? It is not identified as an "Oldenburgisches" battalion, but not all battalions are so identified. Oldenburg House and Merit Orders aren't that common in the regiment, and the only holders in the 1914 rank list weren't in the III. Bataillon. II. Next question relates to 4. Hannoversches Infanterie-Regiment Nr. 164. The regiment was headquartered and mostly garrisoned in Hameln, but the III. Bataillon was in Holzminden. Holzminden was in the Duchy of Braunschweig (Brunswick). Was this a Hannoverian (Prussian) battalion that just happened to be garrisoned in Braunschweig? There doesn't appear to otherwise be a Braunschweig connection. Of all the ruling princes, the Duke of Braunschweig seems to have been the most liberal with awards of his house order (the House Order of Henry the Lion) to members of "his" regiments. But only one captain, one Oberzahlmeister and one Zahlmeister have the order in the 1914 rank list, which is significantly less than one sees in IR 92, HR 17 and FAR 46. III. Next 7. Th?ringisches Infanterie-Regiment Nr. 96. Just to confirm, although both I. and II./IR 96 were based in Gera, only II./IR 96 was a Reu? unit, while the other was Prussian? IV. 8. Th?ringisches Infanterie-Regiment Nr. 153: Two of IR 153's battalions were based in Altenburg while the third was a Prussian battalion in Merseburg. But were both I. and II./IR 153 made up of Altenburgers, or was this another case of a Prussian battalion garrisoned with a local one? Thanks!

Not sure about books but: http://www.lexikon-der-wehrmacht.de http://www.feldgrau.com/ http://www.axishistory.com/index.php?id=30 http://www.diedeutschewehrmacht.de/

Assuming you mean the 1940 invasion, if I remember correctly, there was a prototype for a campaign or victory medal, but the course of events meant it went nowhere.

The most typical, especially without long service or other awards, would be a 4th class or a merit medal as an officer candidate and a 3rd class as a lieutenant. I think this is why Rick suggested a Lt. or Lt.d.R. as a candidate. Of course, in this case, if a Saxon officer candidate, one might also expect a silver Friedrich-August-Medaille. Adolf Heusinger, who entered the Reu? regiment, IR 96, as a Fahnenjunker in June 1915, received the Silver Merit Medal with Swords in June 1916 while a F?hnrich. He was commissioned a Leutnant on July 4, 1916 and received the Honor Cross 3rd Class with Swords in June 1917. He wore both Reu? ribbons on his Reichswehr, Wehrmacht and Bundeswehr uniforms.

Well I guess that makes sense, though it makes me wonder how many other double entries there might be. It's bad enough with the officers missing from the book. Thanks for all the help.

Just "VO". The Saxon Verdienstorden (Merit Order) was originally founded as a civil order, the Zivildienstorden (Civil Service Order) and is sometimes still called that, although civil fell out of the name in the 19th century and Dienst became Verdienst. Also, likely not navy as Reu? awards were exceedingly rare in the German navy. As Rick notes, the most common Saxon recipients of Reu? decorations were in Kgl. S?chs. 2. J?ger-Bataillon Nr. 13, to which the reigning prince of Reu? j?ngere Linie, Heinrich XXVII (who was also regent of Reu? ?ltere Linie) was ? la suite.