Dave Danner

Some additional information; 1) Sekretär Hillenbrand That should be Veterinär Hillerbrand: Norbert Hillerbrand, *26.11.1883 in Haag, Obb. 2) Rendant Schnabl Johann Schnabl, *3.2.1867 in Waldmünchen, Zahlm. in 4.ChevR, 1917 Rendant 3) Feldw. Ltn. Obermeier Josef Obermeier, *10..12.1867 in Mühlhausen, Mallersdorf 7) Regts. Sattler Fahres Georg Fahres, *24.7.1868 in Hofheim 13) Major v. Regemann ?Kdr.? des Ers. Depots 4. Chev. Regts. Hugo v. Regemann, *14.5.1872 in Augsburg, Maj.d.R.a.D., Kdr. of the Ers.Depot from 1.11.16 14) Uzm. Herhammer I think that's Vzw. for Vizewachtmeister. Regards, Dave

Article 44 of the regulations for the medal states that "La médaille d'or de la défense nationale accompagnant la citation sans croix se juxtapose et précède dans le rang de préséance, la médaille de la défense nationale, échelon « bronze », « argent » ou « or »." Article 46 which covers the palms or stars to be worn on the ribbon, also says "La médaille ainsi attribuée ne comporte aucune agrafe". So you couldn't combine the two even if you wanted to.

Freiherr von Münchhausen is Leopold Karl Ernst, *1872, diensttuender Flügeladjutant S.M. des Kaisers und Königs. He was severely wounded in October 1914 with Garde-MG-Abt. Nr. 1. There are around 40 Friedrich Tiemann's in the casualty lists. Almost all are from Westphalia or the Osnabrücker Land.

It has a different plural - der Gast, die Gasten - so I think it took a slightly different path in the language than the word for "guest". The word originally meant "stranger", and in Latin also took two paths, which is why in English (through French) we have "host" meaning an army (and the related word "hostile") and "host" meaning one who has guests. But, yeah, I guess the basic idea is "anyone on the ship's host who doesn't actually sail the ship". The Etymologisches Wörterbuch des Deutschen, by Wolfgang Pfeifer, mentions: Here is what the Etymologisches Wörterbuch der deutschen Seemannssprache, published in 1902, had to say: That last part is maybe a bit too clever *, but based on my experience with Afghans there is something to it. Tribal cultures, like Pashtuns today and Germans in antiquity, have codes of honor which often include hospitality toward strangers. I suppose because living in a tribal society or nomadic lifestyle, you never know when you might need some stranger's help next. As societies become larger and more organized, like the Romans, they build up new laws and rules of conduct to regulate behavior. The same thing happens with another part of tribal codes, codes of revenge, although I do not think Kluge would say "treffend" that Germans were more vengeful than Romans (or maybe he would). * "Kluge" here is actually Friedrich Kluge (1856-1926), author of the Etymologisches Wörterbuch der deutschen Sprache.

Georg Metzger was from Kirweiler, Zabern, now Kirrwiller in the département du Bas-Rhin. He was severely wounded and appears in Prussian casualty list 367 of 30 October 1915 as a member of 12.Komp., 1.Garde-Reserve-Regiment. The Gefechtskalender of the 1.Garde-Inf.-Div. has the following: "17. bis 27. September - Verfolgungskämpfe in den litauischen Sümpfen". On 4 October 1915, the 1.Garde-Inf.-Div. was withdrawn from the line and put on trains for the Western Front, arriving on 15 October and going into OHL reserve. So if he did return to his regiment, he would have been fighting against French and Commonwealth troops from then on.

My sources: • Preußische Verlustliste Nr. 120, 8.1.15 • Königlich Sächsiches Offizierkorps, by Erhard Roth • Ranglisten der Königlich sächsischen Armee • Kriegsrangliste des Armee-Oberkommandos 6 • Ehren-Rangliste des ehemaligen deutschen Heeres 1914-1918 Christophe gave you his awards. Here is what I have for his Dienstlaufbahn: Heinrich Albert Willibald Benzien *12.10.1872 in Leipzig, †29.11.1914 in Reserve-Lazarett Roulers 12.10.92 eingetreten 24.01.94 Lt., Inf.-Rgt. Nr. 103 09.07.00 Ostasiat.-Exped.-Korps, 2.Ostasiat.-Inf.-Rgt. 27.07.00 OLt. 06.10.01 i.d. Inf.-Rgt. Nr. 134 versetzt 21.05.07 Hptm., k.z. Gr.Gen.St. in Berlin 20.03.08 Adj. 1. sächs. Inf.-Brig. 01.04.10 kdrt. z. Gr.Gen.St. in Berlin 20.03.12 z. Inf.-Rgt. Nr. 134 zurück 25.09.13 z. sächs. Gen.St. versetzt 01.10.13 Maj. 17.08.14 Bahnbeauftragter d. Chefs des Feldeisenbahnwesens zuget. dem AOK 6 09.10.14 dem kgl. sächs. XIX.AK zur Verfügung gestellt 12.10.14 an kgl. sächs. XIX.AK ausgezogen xx.xx.14 dem Res.-Jäg.-Btl. Nr. 24 zuget. 18.11.14 Fhr. Res.-Jäg.-Btl. Nr. 24 Regards, Dave

When the war started, Maj. Benzien was assigned to the Zentral-Abteilung of the Saxon General Staff in Dresden. He assumed command of Reserve-Jäger-Bataillon Nr. 24 after Maj. Boguslav Scholten was killed in action on 18 November 1914. Maj. Benzien was also wounded soon thereafter and died of his wounds on 29 November 1914.

After Willibald Benzien returned from China, he was assigned to IR 134. IR 134 moved to Plauen in Vogtland in 1903.

I seem to recall one guy, born in Mecklenburg-Schwerin, owned a factory in Hamburg, and did his military time in a Bavarian regiment with a foreign Inhaber, either 4.IR or 8.IR. So he ended up with awards from Prussia, Bavaria, Mecklenburg-Schwerin, Hamburg and either Baden or Württemberg. And I remember Rick had a ribbon bar with the EK2, Bavarian MVK, Baden silver Merit Medal and Sachsen-Meiningen Medal for Merit in War. So likely a native of Meiningen serving in 8. Inf.-Regt. Großherzog Friedrich II von Baden. One of the few ways an enlisted man could rack up multiple state awards. Another interesting awards note with this Sterbebild is that Kerbl spent almost his entire war as an officer in a Baden regiment and did not receive the Zähringer Lion. Baden was bad about not putting in officers for the order if they already received the Silver Merit Medal before commissioning. This was quite different from the practice in several other states with rank-based awards, like Bavaria and Saxony. You see a lot of Friedrich-August Medal/Albert Order combos, for example, but very few silver Merit Medal/Zähringer Lion combos.

I do not think it was customary for Bavaria to award decorations to its native sons who served in non-Bavarian contingents. Bavarian awards to Prussians and other non-Bavarians tended to be for other reasons; units with Bavarian chiefs or princes a la suite, such as IR 47, IR 52, KR 1 and FAR 29, non-Bavarians assigned or attached to Bavarian units, or non-Bavarians on commands and staffs with subordinate Bavarian units. I suppose Saxony and maybe Württemberg were the same way, although I haven't looked into it in any detail. Prussia, of course, could not, since its awards doubled as general German awards. Prussia could hardly deny the EK to a Prussian serving in the Bavarian Army at the same time it was awarding EKs to Bavarians in the Bavarian Army. The smaller states were different. They really didn't have much choice in where their Landeskinder were assigned. So they had no reason to penalize someone for not serving in the home contingent. Thus a Mecklenburg-Schweriner who ended up as a Bavarian officer, perhaps because he was a student in Munich, might get the MMV2, but a Bavarian who ended up in the Mecklenburg contingent, perhaps because he was a student in Rostock, would not likely get the BMV4X. Still, some states were strict. Reuß ä.L., for example, routinely turned down awards to its native sons if they left home and had not spent the majority of their adult life in the principality. Braunschweig also turned down a lot of awards to native sons who had not maintained their citizenship in the duchy.

The combination of clasps fits certain Saxon units, primarily from the 23.Division: LGR 100 (less III.Btl.), GR 101, IR 102, IR 103 (less III.Btl.), IR 104, and HR 18. Most other Saxon units also qualified for the VILLIERS clasp along with these four.

For what it's worth, the guy who signed Lichtenberg's Wound Badge document, Henning von Vieregge, also had the HOH3X

Your postcard is more picturesque than the current view: The building on the right just across the bridge in your postcard is still standing: I don't see anything on GoogleEarth that looks like an old airfield around Dobele/Doblen. Nor does one appear on the 1917 German map, the 1930 Latvian Army map, or the 1935 Soviet Army map of the region. I suppose they might have just had a field or temporary strip.

He had the House Order of Hohenzollern, so he certainly also had the EK1. He was born in Oppeln, now Opole, Poland. He was severely wounded in 1915 with 7./RFAR 14, so he presumably also had a Wound Badge. I presume the wounding occurred during the "Herbstschlacht bei La Bassee und Arras", as it was published in the Prussian casualty list of 19 October 1915, and the same list included OLt.d.R. Josef Freiherr von Fürstenberg, who was killed on 29.9.15 with 2./RFAR 14. Fürstenberg was killed at the Ferme d'Hurtebise on the Chemin des Dames. I note that the 13.ID Gefechtskalendar shows they were fighting around Hurtebise again in 1917. Regards

The Handbuch über den preussischen Hof und Staat for 1918 is a valuable resource. Here is an example from just one page, for the Finanzministerium, where you will find 10 recipients of the EK2w. And another, for the Landratsämter in Cassel, with 14 recipients. Indeed, almost every Landrat in Prussia had the EK, either on the black/white or on the white/black ribbon.

I think perhaps the second strap is not LGR 100, but another Saxon regiment, 1. Feldartillerie-Regiment Nr. 12. Same crown and AR cypher, but different colors.

I haven't been to Landau since those barracks were still a French caserne, but GoogleEarth shows them as still there. The infantry caserne appears to be mostly gone, though.

Frank Zelosko's book, Für Badens Ehre, Volume II, published in 2003. It lists all the recipients from 1807 on.

He received the order twice. Commanderkreuz on 18.8.1849, received on 27.10.1849, as Chief of the General Staff of the II.Korps of the Operationsarmee. Großkreuz on 18.10.1867 as General der Infanterie and Kriegsminister. So the Commander's Cross for killing Badeners and the Grand Cross for a career of killing Prussia's enemies. He was Kriegsminister from 1859 to 1873, so the Grand Cross was probably not for anything specific, but more likely a courtesy award for his role in the reconciliation between Baden and Prussia after the 1866 war, in which Baden had been on Austria's side.

Rösler, not Rosler. He was an NCO in the Saxon Army, in FußAR 12, from 1897 to 1913. On mobilization, since he was already in Alsace-Lorraine, he went to FußAR 14 and stayed in Prussian service. Decorations: Prussia: EK2 Prussia: EK1 Saxony: Dienstauszeichnung 2.Klasse für Unteroffiziere und Mannschaften Austria-Hungary: Goldenes Verdienstkreuz am Bande der Tapferkeitsmedaille Hungary: World War I Commemorative Medal with Swords and Helm

Unfortunately for him, you'd be wrong. He stayed an Oberst. Oberst Günther Franz Adolf Irmisch, born 3.10.1892 in Berlin. Entered service in March 1911 as a Fahnenjunker in Eisenbahn-Regiment Nr. 3 and transferred to the Kraftfahrtruppe in 1919. On 10.11.38, he became commander of Pz.Rgt. 25. On 1.1.40, he was transferred to the Führer-Reserve OKH. Subsequent assignments: 11.6.40-15.4.41 Stabsoffz. Gruppe Verkehrsregelung, Stab HGr. B 16.4.41-16.9.41 A.O. Kraft (Armee-Kraftfahr-Offizier), Stab AOK 6 17.9.41-19.10.41 Führer-Reserve OKH 20.10.41-14.5.42 Kdr. Schützen-Ers.-Rgt. 23 15.5.42-10.10.42 Führer-Reserve OKH, kdrt. z. Heersnachschub-Führer 11.10.42-1.11.42 Führer-Reserve OKH 2.11.42-11.11.42 Führer-Reserve OKH, kdrt. z. mil.-Befh. i. Frankr. 12.11.42-9.12.42 m.d.F.b. Feldkommandantur 669 ab 10.11.42 Kdt. Feldkdtr. 669 No entries after March 1944 in his personnel file, but Feldkdtr. 669 came under the 19th Army in late 1944 and Riviera to the Rhine mentions a Gruppe Irmisch under LXXXV Armeekorps facing the French 1st Army offensive in the Belfort Gap in October 1944. Awards: 1914EK1&2, KVK1X&2X, BMV4X, BrK2, BremH, ÖM3K, TH, WHDA1

Meyer: Meier: Mayer: Maier:

There was a Lt.d.R. Otto Mayer who was wounded in May 1917. He was born on 12 January 1892 in Straßburg in Elsaß. I can't say for certain if it is him, since 1917 casualty lists don't include units, but he's the only officer with that name I came across. Oddly, I would never have thought of "Otto Mayer" as a regional name, but around two-thirds of them in the casualty lists were Württembergers, and many of the rest were also south Germans - mostly Badeners and Bavarians. The second ribbon is likely the Hessen General Honor Decoration "For Bravery", since Ernst Ludwig Großherzog von Hessen und bei Rhein was the Inhaber of IR 17.

Is the third guy in the second picture sitting on a hobbyhorse and holding a doll?

Indeed. Military Order of William (Militaire Willems-Orde) and Expedition Cross (Expeditiekruis) with bar for Atjeh 1901-05. I would guess a Prussian reserve officer who was living in Sumatra during the Aceh War. Perhaps an active officer seconded to the Netherlands Army and then transferred to the reserves. Another example of an unusual award, albeit for an Austrian: the later-General der Gebirgstruppe Franz Böhme was an Austrian Army observer with the Italian Army in Ethiopia. He received the Commemorative Medal for Operations in East Africa (Medaglia Commemorativa delle Operazioni in Africa Orientale) with swords. It is second-to-last on the Ordensspange in this photo: '>