Luftmensch

Beautiful EARLY license, with a classic Foto!  Well done, Alex!

Omigod...TEXTBOOK!   A pair of beautiful identical twins...wie heisst...eineiige Zwillige? 

Fantastic, Alex!  TWO Sea Pilot badges to the same man--the first time I have ever seen this!

I've seen this coat of arms, but I'll never remember where.

Anyone recognize it?  A clue might be the signature on the other side. Can anyone read the name?

!

The signature of the donor?

Do not blame the actions of the soldiers!

To those who die there,

You should give them what they want!

Let them drink, let them kiss

Who knows when they have to die.

Don't see any famous names inside, but lots of girlfriends!  Christa, Ulla, Elsy, Kaete!

Hi, Vince

It does look like that! 

Luftschiffharry says it may be a mourning band that is cinched around a framed portrait of the deceased.

RIF is German for R.I.P.  -- "Ruhe in Frieden" -- and that the last "F" is "Freund".  So the band was given by military comrades for their deceased friend. 

Confirmation would be nice, but if true maybe this custom has died out!

Thanks , Andreas.

Only one object came with the paper.  Any ideas what this could be?

Thank you, Alex.  Thank you for not outbidding me!

Since you mentioned it, below is his "Flaschenpost" to his wife.  You can still see the folds where he rolled it up to stuff it in the opening of a thermos along with other crew messages including one from KptLt. Loewe who got blood on his card.  The thermos was found on the Swedish coast 6 months later when the world learned from one of the messages that the King Stephen refused to take the crew off and filed a false position report when it returned to home port. 

Alex, can you show me a picture of what this medal looked like?  Was it named?  Thanks.

“Meine liebste Frau und mein lb. Alwin.

Leider will es Gott daß wir uns nicht

wiedersehen. Liebste Frau, ich

glaube unsere lb. Eltern nehmen sich

Euch an. Auf Wiedersehen in

der ewigen Seligkeit. Nochmals

viele herzl. Grüße Euch allen

Andreas “

"My dearest wife and my beloved Alwin.

Unfortunately it is God’s will that we will not  

see each other again. Dearest wife, I

believe our beloved parents shall take care

of you. Goodbye in

eternal bliss. Again many

heartfelt greetings to all of you

Andreas "

I have a paper group to Segelmachersmaaten Andreas Busch who drowned with his comrades when L19 crashed into the North Sea and the British trawler King Stephen declined to rescue them, most likely because they were fishing illegally in Dutch waters.

Can anyone give me Busch's service record and list of decorations?

Below is the Urkunde for his Karl-Friedrich-Verdienstmedaille.  Is there any information out there as to who qualified for it and the conditions of awarding?  I'm not a medal collector and was surprised this was named, given to officers and other ranks, and even awarded posthumously as it was to Busch.

Many thanks!

PS  Those interested in the story, can read it here in english... 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zeppelin_LZ_54

auf deutsch...

http://www.zeppelin-museum.dk/D/german/historie/l-19/l-19.html

More early 1600s, I think.  

Their production company is in Brooklyn.  One of the PAs jobs is to cruise eBay for interesting high-end items and contact the seller to persuade him to come on the show...oh, and you have to fly your own ass to Vegas for the honour of being on camera and making their show a success.  I had a Polish Winged Hussar helmet that I had NO incentive to let Gottlieb pronounce over in 50 countries--or wherever they are syndicated. The PA (twenty-something gal) called me back a year later saying Rick thought it would be neat to have a Viking sword on his show, and did I know where there were any! 

And yes, EVERYTHING is worked out ahead of time right down to the back and forth of the negotiation.  But why mutton heads don't put their genuine treasures into legit auctions I guess goes to the lure of the 15 minutes of fame.

All the sub guys gone?

Going over the posts from 10 years ago, it seems that these should be die struck.

Brass alloys don't rust but can show corrosion, but I'm not sure what we're looking at here.

Otherwise this looks like an unusual "CE Juncker" badge Tim B posted from a Detlev N. catalog, which I repost below.  Top pair is another textbook Schott for comparison.

Tim B points out that in this CEJ the base of the radio mast in front extends forward, rather than back towards the stern as in the Schotts and Meybauers.  I also see the sloping keel and the extra detail in this die...

A very interesting U-bootkriegsabzeichen 1918 from a dealer's site.  I show a textbook Schott for comparison.

What confuses me is this is heavily pitted like a bad cast, but the detail and design on it are amazing! 

Look how the keel contours, and how the bow curves,  Look at the detail to the deck housings, or the stern rudder and flag.  Super crisp!

Is this an unknown type or a fake?  Were some of these cast?  If a fake are many badges turning up that look better than originals?  Can't say I've seen that with aviation badges, but heard that was true with some Third Reich badges.  Be very curious for your comments.

Excellent!  Thanks!

Alex (jaba1914) emailed me the following IDs--

This is the best photo I could find from the war.

Can any of you "Adleraugen" identify the bar?  Thanks!

Wow, maybe this will be a two-way miracle, Vince.  A laying on of hands and a laying on of Heilige Ordensspange!  Can we have a photographer present?

Thanks, Christophe.  Not really being a medal guy I thought "x" meant "cross"!  

You can laugh, but while I'm not the kind of guy to hobble to Lourdes and leave my crutches (if I had crutches to leave),  I am DEFINITELY mailing my B-B famous chest to you once I build it so you can touch it.  I assume your dad shook hands with B-B at some point, and you've touched your dad.  Maybe there is some of B-B's DNA on you!!!  Time to take the tablets...  

Hey, if you're going to drop names, who better than a WW1 Zep ace!!!  

Understand, though I imagine it gets more complicated from there--those who were ennobled or "entitled" in the King's service, like Count von Bismarck, who probably started out in life as just another Junker with a five pointed crown.   I wonder if he was given a land grant? 

At any rate, thanks for the clarification.      

Ritter, Herr, Freiherr?  Or below these?

Thank you, Vince.  I remember reading that before about your dad!  I'm sure you've read B-B's book, it is a hoot (not the raids against England, but his hijinks on the ground).

Now if I do a famous chest I'll just have to let my imagination run wild!

Hannes sees  the PLM, HHOx, Ek1&2, HamburgX and Friedrich August X 1&2 (the last two incl. Hamburg Cross many airshippers seem to have gotten).  But I think there may be are one or two more I see in photos...

Happy hunting in 2018!

Can anyone give me a list of awards to:

Freiherr Horst Julius Treusch von Buttlar-Brandenfels (the Zeppelin ace).

Many thanks!

I didn't think of that.  Thanks!

So, that eliminates Friedrich August II, Grand Duke of Oldenburg?

Leaving Friedrich August III, King of Saxony?

But who is SW?

FA's wife (who ran away after being accused of sleeping with her dentist, a man named O'Brien) was called:

Luise Antoinette Maria Theresia Josepha Johanna Leopoldine Caroline Ferdinande Alice Ernestine, Princess Imperial and Archduchess of Austria, Princess of Tuscany, Hungary and Bohemia.

Every letter in the alphabet but SW....

I'm crosseyed looking at cyphers!

The simple cigarette case below has one on one side and his wife, presumably (with the smaller coronet), on the other.  I'm guessing it's a household gift to someone of not-exalted rank.

But who from?  FA and SW or WS.  I know there was a Friedrich August in Saxony and another in Oldenburg at this time, but the other cypher doesn't match their wives.

Hallmarks are : crown, 800, 201236, D.R.G.M. and BC.  My DRGM list dates this to 1903.

Can anyone help?