webr55

First names will always be helpful!

Some more info on Bernhard Pein, later Professor and SS Officer:

https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bernhard_Pein

Also some more on Emil(e) Brumder, who remained in French Alsace, died 1967:

https://www.alsace-histoire.org/netdba/brumder-emile-victor/

(it is the same person, I checked the birth date)

A very interesting idea! Hmmm... But this would mean that someone replaced both eagles. Both the one with prongs visible and the one with prongs behind the backing. That person would then have removed the entire backing... somehow, it doesn't look that way. Actually, after all these years, I'm inclined to think the second eagle just fell off and was replaced by the wearer himself. This would mean 25+ years of service. But yes, not confirmed. 

I did re-post this bar later on, in 2013. These must have been some of the last comments by Rick, he suggested Lw-Oberst (E) Schumburg - who however didn't get the EK Spange according to his file: 

Mystery remains unsolved until today.

Thanks! Yes, it is a possibility.

Recently got this ribbon bar from postwar Bulgaria. Classic style, painted/plastic. Not my main area, I tried to ID as many ribbons as possible, but some leave me puzzled. Especially the first award, does anyone have a clue what it is? Also, what rank would this person have had?

1)    ?? 

2)    Order of the People's Republic of Bulgaria (2nd cl?)

3)    Order of the People's Republic of Bulgaria (3rd cl?)

4)    Order of 9th September 1944 1st cl?? (ribbon slightly off?)

5)    Order of 9th September 1944 (2nd cl)

6)    Order of National Liberty (2nd cl) (probably)

7)    Soviet Medal of Victory over Germany in the Great Patriotic War 1941-45

8)   ?

9)    ?

10) Patriotic War Medal 1944-1945 ?? (ribbon slightly off?) 

11) Medal for Participation in the Antifascist Struggle ?? (1948)

12) ?

13) Jubilee Medal "30 Years of Bulgarian People's Army" (1974)?

14) ?

15) Some Jubilee Medal (zB 1974, 1981, 1988, …)

16) Jubilee Medal "25 Years of People's Rule" (1969)?

17) Jubilee Medal "25 Years of Bulgarian People's Army"/Min. of Interior/… (1968) 

18) Long Service Medal for Armed Forces / Ministry of Interior / … (20 years) 

19) Long Service Medal for Armed Forces / Ministry of Interior / … (15 years) 

20) Long Service Medal for Armed Forces / Ministry of Interior / … (10 years) 

21) Jubilee Medal "20 Years of Bulgarian People's Army" / Ministry of Interior / … (1964)

22) ?

Great research, thank you! So much new light on this 15 year old case!

The Kölner Local-Anzeiger, 2.6.1918, lists Graf zu Solm(s) as a recipient of the Cross of Liberty:

One more first name: Lt dR Karl Gerlinghaus 

From Iserlohner Kreisanzeiger, 15.10.1918 

Ok, for the moment, I believe I'm done with the newspapers that are available digitally. Most areas have now been covered fairly well. 

There are some major newspapers that are in the process of being digitized, in particular the "Kölnische Zeitung", which is supposed to be available some time later this year. The "Königsberger Hartungsche Zeitung", a very valuable resource, has, for some reason, only been digitized until Sep 1918, so the very interesting months after that are missing. For the "Tilsiter Allgemeine Zeitung", the entire year 1918 is missing. "Danziger Neueste Nachrichten" is stuck in 1899. 

Other than that, what remain as particular blind spots are:

- Berlin: local newspapers, such as the "Lokal-Anzeiger" or the "Morgenpost" - interesting years have not been digitized yet. In particular, the award notices (unlike death notices) for Berlin are currently missing almost entirely, and I haven't figured out yet where exactly those were published. 

- Hannover/Braunschweig: the "Hannoverscher Kurier" is in the process, but currently stuck in 1889, hopefully that will advance soon.

So that's where we stand. I actually don't know where 50-60 active (not reserve) officers should come from, since almost all newspapers that I went through turned up less than a handful of new HHOXs, often rather only one or two. Even if those missing newspapers mentioned above contained some more, I don't see how we could arrive at 50-60 new recipients. 

Another Verdienstorden + Albrechtsorden:

Lt dR Herbert Schwarze

From Leipziger Tageblatt, 22.12.1918

Here is GL Otto von Trotha's DOA 1908 entry - actually, as Direktor of the DOA:

For the Verdienstorden, I only have these, maybe you've got them already:

Leo Rittner 

and

Fritz Barth (if "Hausorden" means "Verdienstorden" here):

Both from Juni 1918

While doing the research for the Hohenzollern House Order recipients, now and then I came across a notice for an Albrechtsorden recipient, by chance. I wanted to collect these in a separate thread here, might be interesting especially for Deruelle.

I had a quick look at the published lists, but have not checked thoroughly whether we have these already. I mostly but not always have the bibliographical information for the notices, will try to provide on request, for those who look interesting. 

So here they are, in alphabetical order: 

First name: Lt Siegfried Rosenstrauß 

Interesting: a Jewish officer. 

This is from a publication called "Im deutschen Reich: Zeitschrift des Centralvereins deutscher Staatsbürger jüdischen Glaubens", Heft 9 (September 1918). 

Matty had him already, but here is the scan again, I don't find him in our list: Karl Weber from Frankfurt, Lehrer at the Schwanthalerschule.

Very late award, so might not be in the list yet.

Frankfurter Nachrichten und Intelligenzblatt, 19.11.1918

Egon von Beroldingen died in 1933, 48 years old: 

From Neueste Zeitung (Frankfurt), 21.10.1933

I know we had him already here, but here is some more info:

Georg Krüger-Gühne, died 1944 as OTL aD 

In 1914, he was Olt in FAR 31, name still "Krüger". So he might be the Hauptmann Krüger in our list who hasn't got a first name yet. 

Straßburger neueste Nachrichten, 3.8. and 5.8.1944. 

Something about the career of Lt Werner Willikens, later SS-Gruppenführer and Staatssekretär: 

Also here:

https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Werner_Willikens

Offenburger Tageblatt, 9.2.1943

Casimir Katz died 1936:

Der Führer, 28.12.1936

Some statistics for Bad. LeibGrenReg 109 from Badische Presse, 26.2.1927:

1 PLM and 11 HHOX awarded: of course, affiliations between RIR/LIR may change, for now we have for LGR 109:

Arnim, Conrad, Ens, Forstner, Hofer, Hollmann, Hornstein, Kuenzer, Laber, Livonius, Neufville, Schumacher

If Forstner is counted separately (since he got the PLM), these are indeed 11.

Hptm Senden is Eduard from FAR 50. So both Sendens with KFO got HHOX as well. 

Badische Presse, 6.7.1918

This seems to be a new one: 

Lt dL Knaus from Offenburg, should be Eugen Knaus according to Zähringen list

From a publication called "Beilage des Alten Offeburger", 29.6.1919

Karl Lindow died 1944: 

From Hallische Nachrichten, 29.1.1944.

3) Some typos/mistakes here:

- Olt dR aD Spilling from Halle must be Otto Spilling (full name is in the Adressbuch Halle), so maybe the rank is wrong in our list

- Olt dL aD Winckler seems to be our Lt dL Richard Winkler from RIR 36 

- Heydenreich is probably Heidenreich

- Bonsdorfer might be Lonsdorfer

- Faulbaum should be Faulborn

- K. Leonhardt might be Kurt, Stadtbaudirektor in Halle (as per Adressbuch) 

- Metzke is Fritz Maetzke, KIA as Oberst 1942, his ribbon bar (with other awards) can be seen in this thread here at GMIC:

I checked everyone on the list. 

1) One seems to be totally new, at least I couldn't find anyone who fits:

- Hptm aD Haucke from Paupitzsch Krs. Delitzsch

2) Several new first names / more info: 

- Dr. med. Bodo Schmidt, Olt aD, Zahnarzt in Halle (Diss. med. Univ. Halle 1921)

- Dr. Ernst Müller, Zahnarzt Eisleben (first name according to Adressbuch Eisleben 1936), Major aD (Diss. med probably Univ. Leipzig 1921)

- Friedrich Tromp, Landgerichtsdirektor, Halle, lived 1875-1954, more info here: https://www.catalogus-professorum-halensis.de/trompfriedrich.html 

- Major aD Hugo Klemmert, Halle (in Adressbuch Halle)

- Hptm Otto Westram, lived in Halle, active Wehrmacht on the Staff of Heeres-Nachrichten-Schule

- Hptm dR aD Rudolf Selhausen, Bergw.Direktor, Nietleben

Died 4. Januar (1943) in Berlin-Dahlem: Dipl.-Ing. Rudolf Selhausen, Bergwerksdirektor und Vorstandsmitglied der Braunkohlenwerke Salzdetfurth AG (https://docplayer.org/191521909-Glueckauf-berg-und-huettenmaennische-zeitschrift-zeitschrift-des-vereins-deutscher-bergleute-im-nsbdt-und-folgender-verbaende.html ) 

While doing all this research, sometimes you find a gem. Maybe not the holy grail, but a little gem at least.

This is from Hallische Zeitung, 15.1.1938, - an article about a regional meeting of HHOX recipients. Even comes with a photo:

And what's best: The article includes a list of all living recipients in that region at the time:

With an addendum a few days later (22.1.):