Dave Danner

Saxon 19th century battle credits: Infantry 1

I have uploaded and posted elsewhere on this forum a Stammliste for members of FR90 which includes their decorations. I ran through that and found three close matches (4 out of 5 ribbons) but no 5 for 5s. Regarding regiments, I put together a database of the composition of all infantry regiments. I searched for Bremen and the two Mecklenburgs in the same regiment, and IRs 362, 463, and 464 were the best matches. GR89 and LIR76 are the main joint Schwerin/Strelitz units. Reserve-Infanterie-Regiment Nr. 90, Mecklenburg-Schwerin's reserve regiment, probably also had Strelitzers, but I'm not certain. All three of its battalions were raised in Mecklenburg-Schwerin. Reserve-Infanterie-Regiment Nr. 266, a wartime-raised Mecklenburg-Schwerin reserve regiment, also might have had Strelitzers. Neither had a Bremen connection.

I think you mean Mecklenburg-Schwerin's Military Merit Cross (Milit?rverdienstkreuz), not the Friedrich Franz Cross, a war aid decoration. Regarding possible regiments, you can rule out FR90. The closest matches there are only to four out of five. Infanterie-Regiment Nr. 362, Infanterie-Regiment Nr. 463 and Infanterie-Regiment Nr. 464 included all three states - both Mecklenburgs and Bremen - so those regiments are possibilities. But Hanseatic Crosses went to lots of people with indirect connections to the three cities, so joint Schwerin/Strelitz units like Grenadier-Regiment Nr. 89 and Landwehr-Infanterie-Regiment Nr. 76 are also possibilities.

Bernhard H.Holst's post on the Goldenes Milit?r-Verdienstkreuz to members of Sturmbataillone reminded me of this. There were only five awards of the Prussian MVK in the colonial era, four for colonial actions and one for the Boxer Rebellion: 11.03.1895: Weinberger, ____ - Feldw. in der Schutztruppe DOA 26.02.1898: Zimmermann, Oskar - Oberb?chsenmacher in der Schutztruppe 20.09.1900: Horn, Richard - Uffz., III. See-Btl. 10.11.1904: Hensel, Karl - Feldw. in der Schutztruppe Kamerun 10.11.1906: Liebert, Otto - Feldw. in der Schutztruppe Kamerun A B?chsenmacher, BTW, is a gunsmith. I had to look that one up. In World War I, Otto Liebert was still in Cameroon, and Oskar Zimmermann had joined him. Both were Bezirksleiter. Furthermore, Zimmermann had advanced in rank to officer status, as he had a Crown Order with Swords. With the MVK and the Milit?r-Ehrenzeichen 1st and 2nd Classes, I think that would give him four black-white ribbons, none of which was an Iron Cross. Zimmermann also had an Albert Cross with Swords, while Liebert had a Mecklenburg-Schwerin Milit?rverdienstkreuz 2nd Class (probably an undated one). Those would make for some interesting groups. Here are their Kolonialamt listings:

From Die Deutsche Sturmbataillone im Weltkrieg, the MVK recommendation to the one from Sturm Btl. 11:

When I trained with the Eritrean Army, they didn't even have insignia. The Eritrean People's Liberation Front, which became the army after independence, was somewhat Marxist, so perhaps like Communist China in the 60s and 70s, they avoided symbols of rank and decorations.

As far as I know, the breast badge of the Johanniter was cloth, so it wouldn't have loops. The neck badge (for Rechtsritter?) was a neck badge, often mistaken for the PLM in B&W photos. Loops on the right pocket of a 3rd Reich tunic could be the German Cross, the Spanish Cross, or several other badges.

I think Rick Research can speak in detail on this, but IIRC a Baurat isn't a builder per se, but what we would call an installation manager today. Someone in charge of the builders and maintainers of military or other government buildings.

The rarity is the W?rttemberg Goldene Milit?r-Verdienstmedaille, awarded 1,832 times to W?rttemberg junior officers. The Friedrichs-Orden Ritter II. Klasse mit Schwertern was more common to junior officers - 5,000 awards to junior officers. Daniel would know better, but I'd guess about 60% of the 2,200 or so W?rttemberg Milit?r-Verdienstorden RKs went to Hauptleute and below. Then you'd have to get both the Bavarian MVO and the Austrian MVK, both relatively common for veterans of the Italian front and Romania, less so for others. Some with similar combinations: Rommel: plM, WM3, WF3bX, WgMVM, BMV4X, ?M3KTheobald Lieb: WM3, WF3bX, WgMVM, HH, ?M3K (swap the Hamburg for the Bavarian, and the same but for the plM; Lieb also had the RKdEK with Oakleaves in WW2)Kurt von Greiff: plM, WM3, WF3bX, BMV4XmKr, WK3X, HHO3XWalther Fischer von Weikersthal: WM3, WF3aX, WgMVM, ?M3K; his BMV4 was without swords; also RKdEK in WW2

The ribbon is supposed to be gray-green. The medal is the same for all versions; The Wikipedia entry has more detail; I wrote it: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wound_Medal_%...tria-Hungary%29

Ed Emering's website also cover a lot of African countries, mainly former French colonies: http://www.emering.com/medals/index.html That wouldn't help for most of the countries on you short list, though. To Ed's mention of South Africa, I would add UDI-period Rhodesia and Imperial Ethiopia as places where there is some knowledge out there. And Werlich's book also covered a lot of African orders. There's probably about a dozen African countries represented in my collection, yet I am woefully ignorant on most of these countries' ODMs.

The period you describe starts on the third page there: 19.12.14-12.5.1915: 3.Landw.Div.: K?mpfe an der Lososina und Czarna 29.1.-15.2.1915: 3.Landw.Div.: Stellungsk?mpfe bei Huta-Nowa und H?he 261 17.2.-3.3.1915: 3.Landw.Div.: Vorpostengefechte bei Jasien und Barycz 5.-8.3.1915: 3.Landw.Div.: Gefecht bei Lopuszno 9.3.-11.5.1915: 3.Landw.Div.: K?mpfe in der befestigten Stellung von Lopuszno 12.5.1915: 3.Landw.Div.: Aufkl?rungsgefechte bei Kuzniaki und Olszowka 13.5.1915: 3.Landw.Div.: Gefecht bei Turmlin und Kuzniaki 14.5.1915: 3.Landw.Div.: Gefecht bei Suchedniow 16.5.1915: 3.Landw.Div.: Gefecht bei Mirzec und Wierzbica 17.5.1915: 3.Landw.Div.: Gefecht bei Osiny 18.5.-16.7.1915: 3.Landw.Div.: Stellungsk?mpfe bei Ilza 18.5.-30.6.1915: 3.Landw.Div.: Stellungsk?mpfe bei Osiny 17.6.-3.7.1915: 3.Landw.Div.: Stellungsk?mpfe bei Krupno ? Michalow 24.6.1915: 3.Landw.Div.: Gefecht bei Kruki 30.6.1915: 3.Landw.Div.: Vorpostengefecht bei Modrzeiowice ? Wolka 15.7.1915: 3.Landw.Div.: Vorsto? ?stlich Osiny, Vorpostengefecht bei Nowa-Wies 15.-16.7.1915: 3.Landw.Div.: Gefechte bei Dombrowka 17.7.1915: 3.Landw.Div.: Durchbruchsschlacht bei Sienno 18.-19.7.1915: 3.Landw.Div.: K?mpfe an der Ilzanka 20.-21.7.1915: 3.Landw.Div.: Durchbruch der Vorstellung von Iwangorod ?stlich Zwolen 22.-28.7.1915: 3.Landw.Div.: Erkundungsgefechte an der Weichsel 29.7.1915: 3.Landw.Div.: Weichsel?bergang 29.7.-1.8.1915: 3.Landw.Div.: Uchacze und Maziejowice 30.7.-7.8.1915: 3.Landw.Div.: K?mpfe auf dem Ostufer der Weichsel um Maziejowice 1.8.1915: 3.Landw.Div.: Podobolin und Domaszew 2.-6.8.1915: 3.Landw.Div.: Pogorzelec - Ksawerynow 8.8.1915: 3.Landw.Div.: Chenciny ? Lonki 8.-18.8.1915: 3.Landw.Div.: Verfolgungsk?mpfe zwischen Weichsel und Bug 10.8.1915: 3.Landw.Div.: Roza 13.-14.8.1915: 3.Landw.Div.: Prochenki ? Olzanka 19.-24.8.1915: 3.Landw.Div.: Schlacht an der Pulwa ? Nurzec 20.8.1915: 3.Landw.Div.: Tymianka und Siemichorz ? Nurzec 22.-23.8.1915: 3.Landw.Div.: Waldgefecht bei Wolka, ?stlich Czeremcha 23.8.1915: 3.Landw.Div.: Opacy 24.8.1915: 3.Landw.Div.: Boblinka 25.-31.8.1915: 3.Landw.Div.: Verfolgungsk?mpfe an der Bialowieska ? Puszcza 29.8.1915: 3.Landw.Div.: Krynica und am Bagno ? Dziki ? Nikor 30.8.1915: 3.Landw.Div.: Haleny

LIR 7 was part of the 3.Landwehr-Division. See here for a war chronicle for the division: http://www.1914-18.info/erster-weltkrieg.p...ndwehr-Division

Yes, R?dental was in the Duchy of Sachsen-Coburg und Gotha. I drove by there a few months ago.

Just the photos: "... bedenken Sie bitte da? Sie ausschlie?lich auf 8 Fotos bieten und nicht auf das Kreuz !!!!!!!!!! " = "...please note that you are bidding exclusively on 8 photos and not on the cross!!!!!!!!"

I think MTC is probably Multinational Training Center. No badges, but I have this:

Here's a possibility: Ludwig Erhard, father of the West German Soziale Marktwirtschaft and Adenauer's successor as Chancellor. Erhard was born in F?rth, in Mittelfranken, Bavaria. He served as an artilleryman from 1916 to 1918 and was wounded at Ypres in 1918.

Yes However, looking again at the decorations and practicing more Google Fu, I note something else: Georg zu Isenburg-Philippseich has PMV and BrMDZ "PMV" is Prussian Milit?r-Verdienstorden. That's the Pour le M?rite, received on 7 August 1820 when he was 26 years old (he received the 50 year crown on 27 January 1870). "BrMDZ" is the Bavarian Milit?r-Denkzeichen f?r die Feldz?ge von 1813 und 1814. So he was apparently in Bavarian service. I suppose his father could also have been.

The Grafschaft ended up in Grand Ducal Hesse when Prussia redrew the maps after 1866. The 1870 Grand Ducal Hessen state handbook has Heinrich's eldest son as a Generallieutenant a la suite and Generaladjutant. I assume he is in Priesdorff, but just in case: Georg Kasimir Friedrich Ludwig zu Isenburg-Philippseich Born: 1794, Philippseich Died: 1875, Philippseich Ludewigsorden, Commander 1st Class - 10.2.1839 Order of Philipp the Magninimous, Grand Cross - 26.12.1841 Ranklist entry:

I have a blackbelt in Google-fu.

Heinrich Ferdinand Graf zu Isenburg-Philippseich was born in 1770 in Philippseich and died in 1838 in W?chtersbach. Both towns were in the Kurf?rstentum Hessen. He received the title of Graf in 1779. That would have made him 61 in 1831. His oldest son was born in 1794, so he would only have been in his late 30s, so not old enough to be a general. Heinrich is the only Isenburg-Philippseich in that timeframe at the right age. His father's other sons died young, as did his father's brothers. His grandfather was the first Graf zu Isenburg-Philippseich, so there wouldn't be anyone else with that name. Why would a member of the higher Hessen nobility be a Bavarian officer? Heinrich's grandson, Ferdinand zu Isenburg-B?dingen-Philippseich (1832-1893) was a Prussian general, who probably started service in the Kurf?rstlich Hessische Armee.

I have access to practically every ranklist with a few days' notice. I just have to request them from the New York Public Library, which has them in offsite storage, so it takes 2 days or so for the library to retrieve the book.

Do you have any dates?

Posted in the "Rolls" thread, my contribution to Reuss phaleristics: http://gmic.co.uk/index.php?showtopic=1640...st&p=192033 Orders and decorations of the Principality of Reuss-Schleiz (Reuss j?ngere Linie) listed in the Amts- und Verordnungsblatt, 1915-1918 These are primarily civil decorations, although many are on the war ribbon, and one Lifesaving Medal was to a Flieger for saving the life of an NCO. Mostly awards of the various grades of the Honor Cross, the merit crosses and medals, plus 4 Lifesaving Medals, 3 Medals for Art and Science, and one with a really long name I can't remember right now (for females for war aid). I also should be adding a supplement with non-Reuss decorations also gazetted in the Amts- und Verordnungsblatt. These are mainly from Mecklenburg-Schwerin, along with a few from Saxony, Bavaria and the other Thuringian states.

Another freebie from me: Orders and decorations of the Principality of Reuss-Schleiz (Reuss j?ngere Linie) listed in the Amts- und Verordnungsblatt, 1915-1918 These are primarily civil decorations, although many are on the war ribbon, and one Lifesaving Medal was to a Flieger for saving the life of an NCO. I also should be adding a supplement with non-Reuss decorations also gazetted in the Amts- und Verordnungsblatt. These are mainly from Mecklenburg-Schwerin, along with a few from Saxony, Bavaria and the other Thuringian states. Best regards, Reuss_Schleiz_Orders_and_decorations.pdf