Dave Danner

Winterstein, Franz Karl Erich *24.5.1874 in Breslau †13.08.1941 in Berlin-Charlottenburg Hauptmann, 4.GFAR, 18.08.1915 Major (M2m), Kdr. FAR 225, Oberstleutnant a.D. At the time of his death, Oberstleutnant z.V. and Kommandant of Oflag II C in Woldenberg/Neumark. Died of a heart attack.

The King was Großmeister of the Militär-Max-Joseph-Orden. He did not receive a class of the order. This was not an oversight nor due to his not being a field commander, but a matter of either choice or custom. All of highest sovereign allies of Bavaria received the Großkreuz: Kaiser Wilhelm II, King Friedrich August III, King Wilhelm II, Tsar Ferdinand, Sultan Mehmet V, Kaiser Franz Josef I and Kaiser Karl. As Großmeister, he does appear to be wearing a version of the order in the later photos above. Bavarian recipients of the Großkreuz were Kronprinz Rupprecht, Prinz Leopold, Felix Graf von Bothmer, Karl Ritter von Fasbender and Konrad Krafft von Dellmensingen. Bothmer and Fassbender received all three classes. Ludwig III received the EK1 & EK2 in 1914 and the Pour le Mérite in 1916. He also received wartime awards from a few other states. Contra Wikipedia, he did not have the Württemberg Militärverdienstorden.

Picture sucks in quality, but the original can be found in the archives in Freiburg, I suppose. Bender had more awards, but he appears to only be wearing his Prussian decorations. Three EK ribbons in a row for his EK2, HOH3X and KO4X.

Cunz, Hermann Friedrich, Dipl.-Ing. *25.3.1893 in Wiesbaden †22.7.1960 in München 7.8.15 Lt.d.R. (I Darmstadt) im RIR 80

They were brothers. Paul Otto Stoermer, *3.10.1885 in Tessendorf Alfred Gustav Stoermer, *4.3.1887 in Tessendorf Both were police Majors after the war, Paul in Prussian service and Alfred in Bremen. Alfred was a Luftwaffe Oberst (Flak). Paul was a Heer Oberst and Kommandeur of WBK Mohrungen.

Kleist, Diether-Dennies Friedrich Wilhelm Erdmann Ewald August Arthur Richard Georg von *13.3.1890 in Stuttgart †16.05.1971 in Göttingen 25.06.1909 Leutnant 15.07.1917 Oberleutnant 15.07.1918 Hauptmann 01.10.1933 Hauptmann a.D. (16) 15.05.1934 Major a.D. 05.03.1935 Major (E) 01.04.1935 RDA vom 01.08.1934 01.11.1936 Ordungsnummer (22) zum RDA vom 01.08.1934 01.06.1939 Oberstleutnant (10) 01.08.1941 Oberstleutnant mit RDA vom 01.06.1939 (56) 01.02.1942 Oberst (244) xx.xx.1909 in das Garde-Grenadier-Regiment Nr. 1 eingetreten 01.02.1914 zum Flieger-Bataillon Nr. 1 kommandiert 01.08.1914 zum Etappen-Flugzeugpark der 1. Armee kommandiert 23.08.1914 in die Armee-Flieger-Abteilung Nr. 1 versetzt 09.10.1914-27.09.1918 in franz. Gefangenschaft und in der Schweiz interniert 01.10.1918 im Stabe des Chef des Generalstabes des Feldheeres, Abteilung Fremde Heere 09.11.1918-01.02.1919 Grenzschutz Ost 09.04.1920 verabschiedet 01.03.1920-31.12.1921 Adjutant der Sicherheitspolizei, Gruppe Duisburg 1923-1933 Angestellter im Reichsdienst gem. § 56 W.V.G. (L-Offizier Kreis Schlawe) 01.10.1933 Kreisleiter in Schlawe 01.11.1936 Leiter des WMA Schlawe, WBK Stolp (Pommern) (Umbenennung der Stellenbesetzung) 10.11.1938 Leiter des WMA Schlawe, WBK Köslin (Umbenennung der Stellenbesetzung) 01.07.1939 Stabsoffizier beim Stabe des WBK Stolp (Pommern) (zugleich Leiter WMA Schlawe bis 23.02.1940) 19.03.1941 zum Stabe des Militärbefehlshabers im Generalgouvernement kommandiert 09.06.1941 Kommando aufgehoben 01.08.1941 zu den aktiven Truppenoffizieren übergeführt 09.03.1942 stellv. Kommandeur des WBK Neustettin (bis 01.04.1942) 01.09.1942 m.d.W.d.G. des Kommandeurs des WBK Stolp (Pommern) beauftragt 01.05.1943 Kommandeur des WBK Stolp (Pommern) xx.09.1914 EK2 02.12.1914 EK1 13.07.1934 Ehrenkreuz für Frontkämpfer 02.10.1936 Wehrmacht (Heer) Dienstauszeichnung 4. bis 2. Klasse 28.01.1939 Wehrmacht (Heer) Dienstauszeichnung 1. Klasse 24.12.1940 Kriegsverdienstkreuz 2. Klasse mit Schwertern xx.xx.19xx Kaiserlich Russischer Orden vom St. Stanislaus 3. Klasse

Johannes Kurt Taddey was born on 5.6.1888 in Danzig. At the time of his marriage in 1924, he was an Oberpostinspektor, and he is still listed as an Oberpostinspektor in the 1940/41 Danzig Adreßbuch. He was commissioned a Lt.d.R. (Neustadt) in RIR 61 on 6.6.1915. RIR 61 and MGSSA 70 were XVII.AK formations.

RIP

Just to be clear, Brüser was in bayerisches RFußAR 3, not to be confused with preußisches RFußAR 3. The HOH3X was awarded on 4.9.1918, according to the Militärkabinett. 20.9.1918 is either the date the Bavarian authorities approved the award, or the date of receipt.

Hauptmann d.R. Auerbach from FAR 23 received the HOH3X on 24.11.1917. He was: Auerbach, Paul *4.12.1869 in Cöln am Rhein, †5.5.1931 Ingenieur; OLt.d.R., FAR 23, 28.10.1914 Hptm.d.R., Hptm.d.R.a.D. also LD2

No one by that name in the 1916/17 and 1918/19 Bonner Adreßbücher either. Not even a remotely similar name among the residents of Weberstr.

The FAR 25/RFAR 56 officer was not Otto, but Karl: Melior, Karl Wilhelm *09.08.1883 in Büdingen †xx.xx.1954 in Darmstadt (bestattet 05.03.1954 in Heidelberg) - 27.01.1909 Leutnant d.R., 18.04.1915 Oberleutnant d.R., 20.04.1918 Hauptmann d.R. - Regierungsassessor, kommissarischer Hilfsarbeiter im Reichsamt des Innern, 16.02.1916 Großherzoglicher Kreisamtmann, nach dem 1. WK Geheimer Regierungsrat, Ministerialrat im Reichsministerium des Innern Other know decorations: EK1, BMV4X, HT RFAR 56 was a Hessian regiment. Three of its original batteries came from Nassau regiments (FAR 27 and FAR 63) and three from grand ducal regiments (1 from FAR 25 and two from FAR 61).

Servaes, Carl Franz *22.01.1883 in Ruhrort am Rhein (jetzt Duisburg-Ruhrort) †19.08.1960 in Gernsbach, Baden-Württemberg 01.10.1901 Fahnenjunker im UR 7 18.07.1902 Fähnrich 12.02.1903 Leutnant 21.02.1911 Oberleutnant 01.10.1911 zur Kriegsakademie kommandiert 02.08.1914 Adjutant der 31. Infanterie-Division 08.10.1914 Rittmeister 09.05.1915 zur Verwendung in einer Generalstabsstelle zur 9. Kavallerie-Division versetzt 16.10.1915 unter Belassung in seiner Dienststelle in den Generalstab der Armee versetzt 06.12.1915 in den Generalstab der Etappen-Inspektion der 6. Armee versetzt 21.09.1916 in den Generalstab der Etappen-Inspektion der 1. Armee versetzt 22.09.1914 EK2 10.12.1915 EK1 05.08.1916 BMV4X xx.xx.19xx PB3b

There was no him after World War I. He was killed in action on 18.10.1918 by Le Cateau. He was a Lt.d.R. of IR 21.

Seems like a good possibility. If so, that points to Ludwig as the HOH3X-Träger, since Wilhelm does not appear to have the EK1 in the photos of him on Wikipedia Commons.

There were at least two Leutnants der Reserve Ritterbusch - Ludwig commissioned on 26.10.1914 and another Lt.d.R. d. Inf. (Torgau) commissioned on 8.9.1917 (no unit given). Ludwig lists no decorations in his personnel file, and as he became a Volksschulrektor in 1934, he is not in the 1941 DAL of higher Schuldienst officials. He seems a good possibility, but we can't say for certain.

Adolf Rinn was born in 1877. He entered JB 8 in 1896, so he would have also had the Centenarmedaille.

Reye, Johann Wilhelm *7.2.1873 in Straßburg i.E. †14.2.1952 in Berlin-Zehlendorf - Oberleutnant d.L.-Felda. I (Molsheim) (27.1.00 Lt.d.R. d. FAR 62, 20.4.10 OLt.d.R.), 7.10.14 Hauptmann unter gleichzeitiger Versetzung zu den Reserve-Offizieren des FARs 51, z.Zt. im FAR 51. - 1911 Oberförster, 1920 Reg.- u. Forstrat, Oberforstmeister i.R. - HOH3X (23.4.1918, Hptm.d.R., FAR 225), LD2 3./FAR 225 and 6./FAR 225 were taken from FAR 51. Reye was an Oberförster in Reichsland Elsaß-Lothringen before 1918, so he does not show up in the Prussian Court and State Handbook. As a former FAR 62 reserve officer, he might have received the Oldenburg Friedrich-August-Kreuz, but there's no way to confirm.

Franz Cohnitz 1883-1960 Kaufmann in Hamburg 19.7.1911 Leutnant d.R. (I Hamburg) des Feldartillerie-Regiments Nr. 3 15.10.1916 Oberleutnant d.R., z.Zt. in der Ersatz-Abteilung des Feldartillerie-Regiments Nr. 39 16.12.1916 Fürstlich Schaumburg-Lippisches Kreuz für Treue Dienste 1914 7.4.1917 Königlich Sächsischer Albrechts-Orden, Ritterkreuz 2. Klasse mit Schwertern xx.5.1918 Finnisches Freiheitskreuz 3. Klasse mit Schwertern All three of these awards were received as an Ordonnanz-Offizier in the staff of the 3. Garde-Kavallerie-Brigade. The later General der Panzertruppe Hans-Karl Freiherr von Esebeck received his Commemorative Medal of the Liberation War on 15.8.1918 as Adjutant of the 3.GKB; Cohnitz likely received his medal around the same time. I can't confirm the Hanseatenkreuz, but it stands to reason given his Hamburg connections. If the repair job was done in Rio de Janeiro, where he lived for many years, that might explain why it was done badly.

Thanks, I don't think I have ever seen the Hungarian device before.

The ribbon is wrong, but it is a Japanese Red Cross Medal.

If you don't have Volle's article, you could also go to the primary sources: In the words of the Großherzog, "Als erneutes äußeres Zeichen Meiner Anerkennung für die ruhmvollen Kriegstaten Meiner Hessen habe Ich heute das » Kriegerehrenzeichen in Eisen « gestiftet. Ich will es hessischen Staatsangehörigen, die sich bei andauernder Betätigung in vorderster Kampflinie durch Tapferkeit ausgezeichnet und ihr Blut vergossen haben, auf Vorschlag ihrer Vorgesetzten und auf Grund besonders ergehender Bestimmungen verleihen." And from the statutes:

I think he had a son named Christian.

Christoph, not Christian. According to a Familienstammbaum, born 2. Februar 1817 in Erfurt, died 3. Mai 1893 in Cassel.

Your medal bar also represents another rabbit hole, one I tried for a while. This is a way of collecting the state awards of the different German states in the form of a classic trio common to many veterans, especially common soldiers who wouldn't have lots of decorations and service medals. The basic trio - Iron Cross, state award, Ehrenkreuz für Frontkämpfer - is a nice way to display the state award rather than just having the loose award.