Hendrik

Yes, they did exist. Have a look at the entry under "France" on Hendrik's Medal Corner

Many thanks for posting this one Gerd. I've enjoyed my first (and certainly not last !) visit there and have happily added it to my site's links. The multimedia feature is a magnificent piece of work ! Hendrik

and reverse of same : [attachmentid=38382]

And for still being alive 10 years later : 60th Anniversary of the Victory etc. etc. Obverse : [attachmentid=38381]

And to make matters "worse" (well, not really if one likes these), not only regiments had their commemorative medals, even battalions did ! Below is my one and only : 5th Jaeger Battalion with clasps for WWI Verdun and Eastern Front campaigns. Happy sliding that particular slope ! Hendrik [attachmentid=38185]

Same here and always happy to explore a new watering hole I'll send you a PM on that later ... Prices : quite right and the same goes for medal purchases here in Belgium. Nothing to be found at flea markets, only at militaria sales and with specialised dealers. My remark on the general rise in prices is based on what I've encountered at the Rungis (formerly Baltard) militaria show in past years. Hopefully (and my wallet agrees with that completely), the present level will stay with us for a while Hendrik

Gents, Apologies ! I notice I made a mistake in the identification of the ribbons in the picture : no. 2 is not the Sudeten medal but the KVK II with swords ! As per the 1941 entry in the Wehrpass. Cheers, Hendrik

Hello Christophe, Good ideas both ! I'll be in Paris end of this month and will pay a visit to the Palais Royal shops then ... You'll find prices have gone up a bit since 1992 where French ODM's are concerned but generally the level is still acceptable and I found I just can't stay away from them Cheers, Hendrik

Stijn, That was very quick !!! Even ahead of my asking for it

Mmm, I counted eight based on the recipient's picture posted earlier : four in the ribbon bar : EK II Sudeten Medal Eastern Front Medal LS Medal three on his chest : IAB KVK I Wounded badge and, not visible in the picture, award no. 8 : the Kurland cuff title ! Or does this not rate as a proper award ??? As Paul suggested earlier, a picture of the listing of the awards in the WP would be a nice addition to this thread Cheers, Hendrik

Hello Christophe, You're quite likely right in this. In any case, I too recall seeing the "Arabie Saoudite" clasp before the "Moyen-Orient" one appeared. On the subject of M?daille d'Outre Mer bars, have you ever seen the "R?publique D?mocratique du Congo" one for operations between 2 June and 26 September 2003 ? I'm still looking for that one for my collection ! Cheers, Hendrik

Well done Stijn !!! Very nice little group Looking forward to learning more about the original recipient ... Cheers, Hendrik

Hello Christophe, I've never understood where this non-official bar came from or what it was intended for. In fact, I've never fully grasped why any medal recipient would want unofficial bars on his official medal ! The service it refers to would in most cases be amply recognized by an official clasp. By way of example : the number of unofficial bars for the M?daille Coloniale far exceeds the number of official ones Was this just some medal manufacturer's idea of trying to make more money by offering these for sale or is there another reason ? Any ideas ? Here's one other version for (H)Ormuz It's supposed to belong to the M?daille Coloniale and not the M?daille d'Outre Mer !!! [attachmentid=37881] Cheers, Hendrik

Hello Pat, It is indeed a nice one but ... unofficial I'm afraid. Not all that rare either. Supposedly it's to be hanging from the half yellow, half maroon ribbon of the March on Rome medal (Fascist Italy medal) but I've seen it suspended from other ribbons as well. As it is an unofficial memento, it doesn't really matter all that much which ribbon it is on, I guess. It's probably fair to assume the medal was made by a quick-witted Italian medal manufacturer who wanted to make some money Cheers, Hendrik

Hello Christophe, I don't think so : the Ormuz bar commemorates operations in the area between 1987 and 1990, i.e. just preceding the 1st Gulf War. The official bar for the 1st Gulf War is the "Moyen Orient" one as far as I know. Cheers, Hendrik [attachmentid=37763] [attachmentid=37764]

Hello Chris, Ormuz, aka the Strait of Ormuz, lies between the Gulf of Oman and the Persian Gulf and is strategically important because a fair amount of the world's oil has to ship through it. Cheers, Hendrik

Hello Ed, I tend to believe so as well. In another "window" as the one Jan posted pictures of, there's also his unique collar of the Liberation Order (the only one ever awarded). Unfortunately (and as Jan confirmed me last weekend), the collar is displayed right where two glass partitions meet ... impossible to take a decent picture of it. Ed, do PM me as to when you will be in Paris (and possibly stopping in Brussels) ... 't would be nice to have a drink/meal together and have a chat if your time table allows for it. Cheers, Hendrik

Hello Eitze, For more information on both the Colonial and the Overseas Medal, check out my site : Hendrik's Medal Corner The correct order for the Overseas Medal bars would normally be (bottom to top) : Tchad - Liban - Za?re - Ormuz - Cambodge ... but even the French don't care all that much about it Nice 1st type Colonial Medal too ! Cheers, Hendrik

Very nice to see one of the French Colonial orders with its certificate. The recipient appears to be a crew chief (the correct English word escapes me for the moment) of the French railroads in the Eastern Africa colonies. Cheers, Hendrik

Hello Steve, A extraordinary complete and very rare group ! Many thanks for posting it for our viewing Cheers, Hendrik

Hello Pat, Looks like the WWI Hanseatic Cross from Hamburg to me. Cheers, Hendrik

Thanks for the link - very nice webpages there !

They are "yummy" indeed !

And, finally, 3. Knight class of the Order of Saharian Merit [attachmentid=36550]

2. Officer in the Order of Social Merit ... on the correct ribbon this time [attachmentid=36548]