webr55

Thanks, very good to have this list here! For some reason, the Militär-Handbuch Bayern stopped listing the Non-Bavarians in 1911. So the last Non-Bavarians wearers listed are those who got the order in 1909. Chris

This is most certainly not the "acting" archbishop of München and Freising. He would have had higher decorations, such as a Bavarian Crown Order commander. Probably this is some ecclesiastical official.

Strange. The BZ3a means he must have been a (not too young) Major in 1914, but he was still Major when he got the BZ3aX. I have found 9 candidates in the 1914 RL, but none of them got the BZ3aX in WW1. Those who got a Z?hringen with X got the BZ3amEX already. Maybe he got his BZ3a immediately before the war, after the 1914 ranklist came out... ... or might the oakleaves be missing?

I'm not sure whether this question has come up before: Has anyone ever tried to find out whether there are any rolls for German officers who received the ?M3K? Archives in Vienna should have survived intact, I would assume.

... but didn't have the proper Z?hringen oakleaves, maybe?

I had the same problem with another bar some time ago. Silk feels very different, much softer to the fingertips, if you compare 30s bars and WW1 bars.

Thanks for your concerns, but: The metal mounting device does not look new at all under the ribbons. The spoke has not been freshly cut at all from what I can see. The entire bar also shows considerable and consistent wear. The ribbons are not in an obviously wrong order. Certainly this has the Austrian look, but of which Austrian period? We all agree that this is not pre-1918, but why can't it be 1920s for an Imperial Russian officer in Austrian exile? Another point: Wouldn't a faker most probably make all ribbons overlap in an equal manner? The last two do not. Chris

Ain't it horrible? I feel with you. But I think your candidate looks good. How many can there have been with an LD1 AND the Portuguese one? And he wasn't too old to get all those WW1 decorations. I find three possible candidates for a Dr. Wolff, though the last two are rather improbable. Wilhelm Wolff, Dr. med. from the University of Berlin on 31.07.1877, Dissertation "Über den Zusammenhang des Muskels mit der Sehne". Most probably him. Wilhelm Wolff, Dr. med. from the University of Würzburg in 1889. This one was "from Kitzingen". I'm not sure whether this was his birthplace or residence, but either way, he looks rather Bavarian. Wilhelm Theodor Wolff, Dr. med. from the University of Halle in 1875. This one is probably too early (at 23), but in those days, it might have been possible. Chris

Wow! He must have got the EK 1914 when he was attach? in Berlin from 1916-20. I try hard to remember, but I think I have never seen a picture of a non-Central Powers soldier wearing an EK before WW2. Chris

Georg Scheidt: strange - why did he go aD at 52, during the war and with a promotion to char. VizeAdm? Rick will have an explanation. But (provided the bar is ok), I don't think it can be him, for several reasons: - The Osmanie 3rd cl was a NECK order. I think the last ribbon can only be a Bavarian Jubilee. - With a PKO2 by 1912, he cannot have worn a PKO4 or 3 on his bar. - His DOA entry might be wrong, but no China medal is listed there. If the bar is ok, I think #2 is an 1870 medal, and this is a Major/Oberstlt who went aD before WW1 and got the Ludwig Cross (and EK2) as a rear area/Landwehr commander.

That would surprise me! Have you got any fake "bicycle spoke" pin ribbon bars to compare?

no, there isn't. But as I said, he lived in Krotoschin, so I would think either FüsR 37 or another one in the Posen area. Chris

It might have been FüsR 37, because he lived in Krotoschin.

This is a picture of a relative, probably taken around 1908. He lived in the Posen area and probably served around there, but I guess it is not possible to ID the regiment?? Chris

so it's not Otto? (Hasse - old thread, another time, another place)

Thanks for your reply!

Thanks for the pics! The GenHonDec had not occurred to me, but that might be. I have (carefully!) tried to push the backing away a little (which also reveals the stripes on the Hungarian ribbon): #4 seems to have been white in the center, not blue. Also, #5 and #6 seem to have different center stripes, even under the backing: #5 purple and #6 light red, as Rick says. Maybe there was some weird Mecklenburg award with a light red center stripe? If #4 is the GenHonDec, I would say Zahlmeister. About the Mecklenburg LS: were they awarded until after 1918? And only to the Mecklenburg regiments?

The navy ranklists list under "Danish awards" a "Golden Medal" and a "Silver Medal". The army ranklists show no such thing. Would that be your "Medals of Merit"?

Thanks, I didn't think of a Danish medal. I am still trying to find out what type of guy this is. Maybe not an officer, but a senior NCO with a Mecklenburg XII or XV? It should have at least been some rear area guy (Zahlmeister?), with the War Aid Cross. Or a reserve officer from the Mecklenburg Landwehr? The backing is black, not navy blue.

It is difficult to make a good scan of the back, because the bar is curved. But I think this is a Godet catch.

Gentlemen, I have a new ribbon bar from a Mecklenburger. The ribbons are quite faded, but three Mecklenburg awards are recognizable. I am not sure what these are: 1) EK2 1914 2) Mecklenburg (Schwerin?) Comb War Merit Cross 3) Bavarian, but Cross or Order? 4) Looks like Hessen 5) Mecklenburg Long Service? 6) something else from Mecklenburg? 7) War Aid Cross 8) Hindenburg X 9) Austrian Commem 10) Hungarian Commem 11) Italian Crown Order (?) Any ideas on this one, maybe from one of the Mecklenburg experts? Chris

Good luck with this project, I know it is a hard one! I haven't been able to find his Dr. iur. date. Even tried different spellings of "Berends". Chris

I'm not yet decided on this one, but the seller, our old 'friend' thor_1918, is often questionable!

You find this information in several German university library catalogs, for example the Staatsbibliothek Berlin. About his "Professor" title: As I find no further publications of his, I would most definitely think that he was not a university professor, but a senior teacher at some Gymnasium ("Gymnasialprofessor"). Regards Chris