webr55

RAO4 + WF3bX =

and here I think I see - yes, different precedence, but - a wreath on the third ribbon...

and a prewar one with a short bar:

Because, there are two pictures of Prof. Fikentscher, a wartime one with a long bar:

And here is his entry as Polizeimajor in the Schupo-Dienstaltersliste Preu?en 1933 (# 270):

Good point. I don't think it can be Admiraloberstabsarzt Prof. Fikentscher, or could it also be him?

We have two examples in the devices gallery, Dr. Koschel and Hermann Florschütz. With the Navy backing, this should be a doctor with Admiral rank, who had 25+ years of service and no other awards. I think it has to be one of these four: Admiralarzt Dr. Kurt Dütschke, only EK1 from WW1 Admiralarzt Dr. Willy Mücke, only EK1 from WW1 Admiralarzt Dr. Egon Schulte-Ostrop, only EK2 from WW1 Admiralarzt Dr. Johannes Sontag, only EK1 from WW1 (died 1941) However, it will probably not be possible to get him down any further, without a photo.

I'm convinced it can only be this device, the Kleindekoration for a neck grade of the DRK/Volkspflege award:

However, there was a device on the last, Volkspflege/RK ribbon. There is quite a large hole, too large for swords, a horizontal line and faint traces of something round:

Back:

At first glance, this bar (with a dark blue backing) doesn't look very spectacular:

It just never occurred to me that he might be in the Admirals' bios volume: Marinedekan Friedrich August Ronneberger Born: 21 Sep 1886 in Kamenz, Saxony (Sachsen) Died: 16 Jun 1968 in Wilhelmshaven CAREER: Entered the Army as an Auxiliary-Chaplin with the Army in France and Russia (14 Sep 1914-14 Oct 1915) Militärpfarrer (15 Oct 1914) Entered the Navy as Marinepfarrer, Barrison-Priest II, Wilhelmshaven (15 Oct 1915-30 Nov 1915) 2nd Minister in the Formation of Reconnaissance Ships (01 Dec 1915-31 May 1918) On the Hospital-Ship 'Sierra Ventana' (01 Dec 1915-31 Dec 1915) On the Heavy Cruiser 'Von Der Tann' (01 Jan 1916-29 Feb 1916) Marinepfarrer (01 Mar 1916) On the Hospital-Ship 'Sierra Ventana' (01 Mar 1916-31 May 1918) 1st Formation-Minister with the Commander of Security of the North Sea and the 1st Escort-Flotilla (01 Jun 1918-15 Jan 1919) Minister of the Interned-Flotilla in Scapa Flow on the Small Cruiser 'Emden' (16 Jan 1919-25 May 1919) Formation-Minister with the Commander of Security then of the Sea Forces of the North Sea and with the Leader of Minesweeper-Formation of the North Sea an the Liner 'Kaiser Wilhelm II' (27 May 1919-01 Apr 1920) 2nd Minister and Garrison-Minister of the Naval-Station of the North Sea (02 Apr 1920-01 Sep 1926) On the Liner 'Braunschweig', with the Command of Sea Forces (08 Jul 1923-26 Jul 1923) With Fleet Command, on the Liner 'Elsaß' (15 Jun 1925-30 Jun 1925) With Fleet Command, on the Liner 'Schleswig-Holstein' (13 May 1926-19 Jun 1926) Garrison then Station Minister of the Naval-Station of the North Sea (02 Sep 1926-21 Nov 1928) Ships-Minister on the Cruiser 'Emden' (22 Nov 1928-31 Dec 1929) Station-Minister of the Naval-Station of the North Sea (01 Jan 1930-26 Jul 1936) Marineoberpfarrer (01 Aug 1935) Ships-Minister on the Armoured-Ship 'Deutschland' (27 Jul 1936-30 Aug 1936) Station-Minister of the Naval-Station of the North Sea/Naval-High-Command North Sea (31 Aug 1936-08 May 1945) Marinedekan (02 Oct 1938) Marinedekan Elder (11 Dec 1939) Transferred to the Oldenburg State Church (1945) Naval-Minister of the German Minesweeping Administration (00 Jul 1945-31 Dec 1947) Delegated with the Administration of Ministerial-Affairs in Wilhelmshaven (01 Sep 1947-28 Feb 1949) Minister in Wilhelmshaven (01 Mar 1949-31 Dec 1956) Retired (31 Dec 1956)

He did not serve in WW1. Actually, it has until very recently always been the practice to count student time as three years, regardless of how long it took. There are still 25year and 40year documents (but no medal) being awarded for civil servants.

Just found the table of contents of this book: U-BOAT STORIES: NARRATIVES OF GERMAN U-BOAT SAILORS EDITED BY KARL NEUREUTHER AND CLAUS BERGEN AND WITH EIGHT ILLUSTRATIONS IN COLOUR, AND THIRTY-FOUR IN BLACK-AND-WHITE AFTER DRAWINGS BY CLAUS BERGEN TRANSLATED BY ERIC SUTTON CONSTABLE & COMPANY LTD LONDON 1931 CONTENTS PAGE 1. MY U-BOAT VOYAGE. BY CLAUS BERGEN. 1 2. MY FIRST U-BOAT VOYAGE (SEPTEMBER, 1914). BY ENGINE-ROOM ARTIFICER KARL WIEDEMANN. 59 3. CHRISTMAS AND NEW YEAR, 1914-1915, ON U 24. BY ENGINE-ROOM ARTIFICER NIKOLAUS JAUD. 63 4. U-BOAT CO-OPERATION. BY COMMANDER KARL NEUREUTHER, COMMANDER OF UB 73 . 71 5. CAPTAIN 'SWIVEL-EYE.' BY BOATSWAIN'S MATE CHRISTOF LASSEN. 76 6. ENGINE REPAIRS AT SEA. BY ENGINE-ROOM ARTIFICER NIKOLAUS JAUD. 80 7. BAVARIANS IN THE IRISH SEA. BY CHIEF PETTY-OFFICER ROMAN BADER. 87 8. HURRICANE. BY LEADING SEAMAN W. SCHLICHTING. 95 9. TWICE RAMMED. BY WIRELESS OPERATOR KOLLAND. 102 10. SIR ROGER CASEMENT'S LAST VOYAGE. BY ENGINE-ROOM ARTIFICER KARL WIEDEMANN. 108 11. OFF DUBLIN. BY COMMANDER KARL NEUREUTHER. 111 12. THE WHITE SHIP. BY NAVIGATING OFFICER GRASSL. 120 13. BETWEEN A SINKING SHIP AND THE BOTTOM OF THE SEA. BY LEADING SEAMAN KARL STOLZ. 124 14. DISTURBED NIGHTS IN THE OCEAN DEPTHS. BY NAVIGATING OFFICER GRASSL. 130 15. BURIED ALIVE. BY LEADING SEAMAN W. SCHLIGHTING. 143 16. THE SINKING OF THE 'ARMENIA'. BY ENGINE-ROOM ARTIFICER NIKOLAUS JAUD. 146 17. A PARTICULARLY UNPLEASANT EXPERIENCE. BY LEADING SEAMAN KARL STOLZ. 151 18. A U-BOAT DECOY. BY WIRELESS OPERATOR HAIDT. 158 19. THE SINKING OF THE 'JUSTITIA'. BY WIRELESS OPERATOR HAIDT. 166 20. FROM TRAINING-SHIP TO THE HIGH SEAS. BY BOATSWAIN'S MATE SEIDEL. 172 21. FROM KIEL TO CATTARO. BY WIRELESS OPERATOR RUHLAND 178 22. RAID ON THE SARDINIAN PORT OF CARLOFORTE (s. PIETROISLAND). BY BOATSWAIN'S MATE SEIDEL. 183 23. AIR ATTACK. BY BOATSWAIN'S MATE SEIDEL. 188 24. IN EASTERN WATERS. BY LEADING SEAMAN A. UNTERLEITNER. 190 25. SURRENDER OF A U-BOAT TO ENGLAND. BY LEADING SEAMAN O. WEHNER. 201 EPILOGUE. BY COMMANDER KARL NEUREUTHER. 205

Thanks. I've got this calculation of civil service time for a teacher. It is postwar, but I bet they had the same method of calculation during the TR. He was born in 1898, went to the teacher's seminar in 1915 - that's where he started adding up service time, although they counted only three years for 1915-20. But would he have made it to the Treudienst 25?

This question has been puzzling me for some time: When did the 25/40 years civil service time start? I have seen that for teachers, they started counting when the guy turned 17 - which means that someone born 1898 would have had the Treudienst 25 at 42, in 1940, right? Chris

And here's a picture of Cumberland with family, medal bar in Austrian style:

Neureuther published several books about his WW1 adventures, among them one in English: "U-boat stories" (1926).

Very impressive! I would not have thought that this could be a unique bar!

Perfectly fine, nice chain! The BLD2 was given to reserve officers and NCOs alike. Chris

The shape of the pinback is not Reuss. I think that is rather the Honor Cross of the W?rttemberg Crown Order.

We're lucky here, because I've got a slightly better pic of this man. He's wearing the Reuss 2nd classX. Here's the close-up. I think the awards on his bar are: EK2, RAO3, PrKO3, DSWA, China medal (?), XXV (?), HSHX (??), Meiningen (??), but here I'm already lost.

Great! Makes a very nice New Year's Eve present!

Thanks very much! That's quite a lot of information I didn't have yet! Chris