IrishGunner

Looks like the medal for the veterans organization; Kyffhäuserbund Medal http://www.omsa.org/photopost/showphoto.php?photo=1760

Hmmm...

Agree with Bernhard - the cord is a fouragere. And it looks like he has a citation star on his Croix de Guerre. The other medal appears to be the Verdun medal. Definitely a "hard eyed fighter".

One interesting aspect of this endeavor is an attempt to piece together some history of the Imperial German Artillery during the First World War. Of course, many of the regiments, particularly those with lineages existing before August 1914, published a written history of the regiment's wartime service. These are also highly collectible and I have three regimental histories already in my collection; 4. FAR, 49. FAR, 7. Bayr. FAR. There are many more out there and I'm always on the watch to add new volumes. There are also Das Ehrenbuch der Deutschen Feldartillerie and Das Ehrenbuch der Deutschen Schweren Artillerie, which include references to many regiments. Unfortunately, I still don't have these volumes. Like all collectors, my wish list seems longer than my holdings list! It's often said, buy the book first and I wholeheartedly agree. Other references are useful for gaining an understanding of the basic organization of the Artillery within the German Army and of the guns with which the batteries were armed. My basic library includes the following books and I recommend this as a basic starting bibliography for the Imperial German Artillery enthusiast: Imperial German Army 1914-18; Hermann Cron Handbook of the German Army, 1918; British General Staff Handbook of Imperial Germany; Robinson and Robinson 251 Divisions of the German Army; US Army G2 Artillerie im 20. Jahrhundert; Franz Kosar German Artillery of World War One; Herbert Jager Certainly, this list is not exhaustive; simply a good starting point. Any suggestions of references specifically related to German Artillery are greatly welcomed in the comments.

You know, this crossed my mind for a second as well; but I passed it off as my being not fully informed. Looking forward to expert answers.

In December 2009, I set for myself the goal of collecting at least one item (medals, postcards, death cards, photos, shoulder straps, militarpass, etc) from each Imperial German Artillery regiment and other Artillery units, both Feld-Artillerie and Fuss-Artillerie. This clearly is a daunting task considering the number of German Artillery regiments (Prussian, Bavarian, active, reserve) and the number of separate battalions, batteries, and munitions columns. As of March 2011, I have collected 59 regiments and 15 other Artillery units, as well as several photos and postcards from unknown units representing the guns and uniforms of the Imperial German Artillery. I have also added several Austrian, British, French, and American units and artillery pieces to the mix. There is still a long, long way to go and I am looking for any artillery-related items of Imperial Germany. This blog hopefully will document my search for these many regiments.

A Google search turned up several references to a Colonel Harold Gibson as the MI6 Chief in Istanbul in the early '40s. Could be your man.

I'll admit, this feature has my curiosity.

Th alternative which I am not sure is feasible yet is to advertise all sales in the preferred choice of payment out of Euro GBP or US Dollar. This of course, would be the preferred option if feasible.

Nice group; a lot more history is most certainly behind this man's story. Thanks for sharing.

Stayed with that until my luck ran out in Beirut, 1983. Hi there, Old Dominion "neighbor" - the above line could be worth a blog entry of it's own...

So, what is the spouse tax on a collection like that? A new Porsche every year? ;)

I'm no expert - but my first reaction was Orthodox rather than Catholic. Of course, that would make him Russian rather than German. And those fellows in the back look German. Certainly, he's from a monastic order with that frock.

Beer stock is inadequate. :whistle:

Ed, thanks for the offer. My US "wants" are few and quite minor. Usually just pick something up at an antique market just so I don't go home empty handed. ;)

Jeff, yes, I have seen this one. I believe it's the WWI version of the 1911 1870/71 unofficial medal. It's ribbon is a variation of the Medaille Militaire (yellow with green edge stripes) and was available for private purchase by volunteers to the Army during WWI. Later once the official WWI commemorative medal was issued, volunteers were authorized to wear the Engage Voluntaire bar on that medal.

Frank, it's the Pennsylvania WWI Victory Medal for the 28th Div vets. A large number of unissued medals were discovered a few years; so, there are dozens of these around still in the original boxes/paper. That's what this one is ... rather than an issued piece. It cost $12 at the gun show. Crazy e-site has these for insanity prices in the $100s sometimes! :whistle:

Nothing overly special in this lot; picked up last weekend at an antiques market on Saturday and a gun show on Sunday. Fills some minor holes in my US wants. Edging back in the game.

Hey guys, I've been on a collecting pause and am on vacation right now. In an antique shop I've come across a WWI German bayonet marked "Gebr Weyersberg Solingen" on one side and on the other has "2B.718" and another mark on the guard - "47889". I wasn't allowed to take a photo, but from a quick internet search I'm sure it's a 1871 bayonet. I found a site that said Weyersberg only made 1871s. So, I'm rather sure. It has no scabbard, asking price is under $100. I think that's a great deal, but since I don't know much about bayonets, wanted to see if I could get any confirmation regarding 1871 bayonets. Thanks!

Got a mortar huh? Still want to have a big gun, don't ya? :whistle:

I have no clue, just wanted to say that I am so envious of your ribbon bar finds - how do you do it?

Very, very nice. I'm envious. :cheers: