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Christer, Always happy to help. I think the certificate (#3) was issued at Newport News while the ship made a port call in that city. I do not believe that he took any training there. NEvertheless, it's not something you see every day. Andy

Christer, #1 is the envelope in which the EK 2 was sent to "Ob. Heiz." (Ober Heizer- stoker) Otto Merten #2 is the temporary award certificate for the EK 2 #3 is his “Certificate of Conduct, which basically states Certificate for stoker Otto Friedrich Merten, Stoker Otto Friedrich Merten has served aboard the SMS Bremen since 27 May 1906. He successfully learned and maintained the boilers. He conducted himself very well. Newport News (Virginia, USA- still a large US naval base today) 23 May 1908. #4 is the more formal and final certificate of conduct- Otto Merten was born 13 Aug 1886 in Grünfeld, Osthavelland (Potsdam district). He served from 01 Feb 1906 to 10 Juy 1908 with the 2. company of the I. (First) Werftdivision. He had no charges or serious disciplinary actions taken against him. Signed by Kapt.Lt. Paschen at Kiel on 10 Juli 1908 This document was required by most employers after a man left the service. Without receiving at least a “good”, it was difficult to get a good job. Andy

From "Handbuch der Verbände und Truppen der deutschen Heeres 1914-1918, Teil IX; Feldartillerie, Band 1 (page 180) 02.08.1914-25.07.1916 18. Feldart. Brig. (FAB) 18. Inf. Div. (ID) 26.07.1916-13.08.1916 18. ID 14.08.1916-14.02.1917 18. Feldart. Brig. (FAB) 18. Inf. Div. (ID) 15.02.1917-22.02.1917 18. ID 23.02.1917-02.06.1917 Arko 18 (18. ID) 03.06.1917-Nov. 1918 Arko 146 (3. Marine Division) This is an outstanding series. Oddly, they have published two volumes of field artillery and only one on infantry so far. The author of the series Jürgen Kraus but Hartwig Busche put together these two. They are published by Verlag Militaria, Vienna 2007. If you like German WWI arty (and can handle German), then these two volumes are just what you need. Andy

The Marine Ranglisten for the years 1910-1914 do show a "Maschinist" Riediger, although the spelling of the name changes in 1913 to Ridger, but it also includes "Otto" as his first name. Otto entered naval service on 01.04.1900 and became a "Maschinist" on 01.11.1909, serving with the II. Werftdivision aboard the S.M.S. Leipzig, althought by 1913 he is no longer on sea duty but still with the II. Werftdivision. Despite the change is spelling, there is no doubt that the "Riediger" found in the 1910 Rangliste is the same as the one seen on page 42 of the 1914 appendix for "Deckoffiziere." Now, he is listed as having only one single decoration and that is the FW3 (1914 now shown as D1).

Bob was on the right track. The honorary "Chef" of the IR 31 and for whom it was named was Julius von Bose (12.09.1809-22.07.1894) Here are his major commands: Chef IR 31 02.09.1873 Kom. Gen. d. XI. AK 18.07.1870-06.04.1880 Kom.d. 20. Div. 30.10.1866-18.07.1870 Kom. d. 15. Inf. Brig. 25.06.1864-30.10.1866 Chef. d. Armee Abtl. i. Kr. Min. 20.09.1861-25.06.1864 Kom. d. FR 40 08.05.1860-20.09.1861 Chef d. Gen. St. IV. AK 08.05.1858-08.05.1860 Andy

Komtur, I believe that this medal bar belonged to Dr. K A R L Rudolf August Oelker. In 1866 he was an Oberarzt with the hannoverian medical corps. In 1867 he was taken into the Prussian army in Feldart. R. 10. During the 1870/71 war he was the regimental doctor in Inf. R. 57. He eventually retired a Gen.Arzt. In the 1871 Rangliste there is only one other officer who had the only the EK2w and HG4. This was Major Marcard (1866 Rittm. in the Königin Hus. R., Reg. Quartiermeister) He is shown with an EK2w and HG4, but in the 1872 Rangliste his EK2 is now for combatants. Also, he is not listed in the 1877 EK award roll uneartherd by Glenn. So, I think there is a strong chance Dr. Oelker is your man. Andy

I was dimayed to see that twice Terry has visited this site since I and Glenn provided him information as requested regarding his post. For the life of me, I simply can not fathom why he could not make the effort to acknowledge the postings. Perhaps he has the information and was just looking to determine whether others could confirm his information. While highly unlikely, I must consider it a possibility. Far too often members will provide information in response to postings. Often they may have that information readily at hand, other times they choose to spend time researching the question in an effort to provide a meaningful and informative response. Speaking just for myself, I do not believe it is too much to expect acknowledgement of that effort. While I have used Terry's post to make this point, he is certainly not alone in simply taking the information without a word of thanks. Perhaps some of us have been too free with our information. I for one intend to be more selective in providing response in the future.

Terry, This cutlery belonged to the first Bavarian field artillery regiment (1. BFAR) (Prinz Regent Luitpold, Munich). Although I don't have many Bavarian Ranglisten, I believe the year engraved on each is the year in which that particular officer joined the regiment. With a little effort, it would not be difficult to find first names for the officers, as the Bavarians, unlike the Prussians, always included first names in their Ranglisten. Of particular note is Johann Streck. He commanded the 1. BFAR from 22.02.1900-01.10.1901 and then the 5. Field Art. Brig. from 01.10.01-20.08.05. He was reactivated in 1914 and commanded the bavarian 6th Reserve Division from 16.11.1914-02.12.14, when he was wounded. He subsequently died of his wounds on 12.12.1914 So, at least you now have a starting point, and who knows what else you can find out. Andy

Komtur, The good doctor's first name was Moritz. I found it in the 7th Nachtrag to the 1905 Ordensliste on page 634. In 1914 he was the Chefarzt Garnison Lazarett Mörchingen. Andy

Rick, I think this is Hptm. (3 stars on the collar indicate Hptm.) and Flügeladjutant (aiguillette) Otto Frhr. von Dungern (*Wiesbaden 01.06.1831 †Freiburg 01.03.1911, Freiherr auf Henriettenthal.) Gotha Freiherr Handbuch 1913 Andy

Friedrich Karl Cunow was commissioned a Sek.Lt. in Gren. R. 6 on 09.03.1872. He remained in that regiment through 1899 and in 1900 was transferred to Inf. R. 18 as a batallion commander. On 17.02.1903 he became the commander of Landwehr Bezirk Stolp. He was given the "Charakter" of Oberstlt. on 14.06.1903. He died on 10.03.1907 while commander of Landw. Bez. Stolp. Andy

Vince, what is the time frame??? Andy

In Laurenz Demps' "Zwischen Mars und Minerva- Wegweiser Invalidenfriedhof", there is an entry regarding Ernst Böhmer. The only information it contains not already provided by Glenn is that he died 03. February 1939 in Berlin. It also lists his last rank as Oberst der Reichswehr. Andy

Christer, z.V. = zur Verwendung. Loosely translated "at the disposal of", normally, but not always, followed by a unit, such as a division, army corps and the like. Andy

Georg Naegelsbach. *28.04.1876 in Zweibrücken +00.00.1945. He was a Bavarian infantry officer. In 1939 he was on the staff of the "Wehrersatz Inspektion München." He was promoted Gen.Maj. with a date of rank of 01..04.1942. He did not command any field units during the war. Andy

Just a minor addition: Stechow was commander of the Garde Pion. Batl. 18.10.1903-29.03.1908†

Anyone else notice who signed the document awarding the 25 year long service cross? Sure looks like GFM Helmuth Gr. von Moltke, Chief of the General staff himself put pen to paper for this one. Andy

Hans Henning von Gersdorff *07.08.1886 Frankfurt a.O. †08.05.1965 Vater: Landrat und Rittergutbesitzer. - Mutter: geb. Collenbusch Eintritt in 3. Garde Regiment zu Fuß (Berlin) als charakterisierter Fähnrich 18.11.1905 Fähnrich 18.08.1906 Leutnant 1907-01.10.1912 Kompanie Offizier im 3. Garde Regt. zu Fuß 01.10.12-00.05.1913 kommandiert b. Garde Schloß Garde Kompanie 00.05.1913 kommandiert zur Dienstleistung b. 4. Garde Feldartillerie Regiment 01.10.13-1914 Kompanie Offizier b. Garde Maschinengewehr Abteilung Nr. 2 (zugeteilt d. II./Garde Grenadier Regiment 3) 18.08.1906 Patent als Leutnant 27.01.1916 Patent als Hauptmann Unfortunately, I have nothing about his 1914-1918 service record. In 1939 he was a Major serving as on the Staff of the II. Armee Korps als der 2. Adj. b. GFM Mackensen Andy

Rick, Even though Hptm. Wolff was placed z.D. on 01.04.1892 and went off to Trier as a Landw. Bezirksoffizier, he still continued to gain service credit until he finally retired on 18.08.1903. He received his PDK between April 94 and Apr 95- as the 1895 Rangliste entry at Landw. Bez. I Trier shows him having it. Now that we've begun pulling you back into the 19th century, where there is a great deal of enjoyment to be had, the sources will begin to make more sense and become easier to read. Andy

Rick makes an interesting point and I would like to expand upon it. In addition to the corps of active duty officers, there were other officers who, in effect, made up another separate corps- these were referred to as “Offiziere zur Disposition in etatsmäßigen Stellen” In the 1914 Rangliste there are 138 officers of half pay carried as Offiziere zur Disposition in etatsmäßigen Stellen . These were broken up into: Pferdevormusterungkommissare (73 in 1914)- Remount Commissioners- they were in charge of a district’s horse population- and every two years mustering those horses for accounting purposes. This was necessary for the authorities to know how many horses would be available in the event of mobilization. Mainly cavalry officers filled these positions, but artillery officers can be found as well. Vorstände der Artillerie Depots (37 in 1914): Ordnance Depot Directors- in charge of the ordnance stored at a depot. Mainly artillery officers, but more than a few infantry officers held these slots. The key was good organizational and leadership skills Kommandanten der Truppen Übungsplätze (21 in 1914)- training area commandants The remaining few occupied other very specialized positions. In the early 1890s, the War Ministry wanted to expand the number of staff officers assigned to the Army Corps staff, but could never get the positions added to the establishment as well as others, So, as a way around this, they created positions for officers on half pay- mainly officers with General staff experience who could remain at the HQ for much longer periods of time and provide tremendous experience and continuity. Anyone who has served on a military staff quickly understands how valuable experience and continuity can be. These greybeards worked long and hard and without any real recognition- certainly “history” has forgotten them. Then there were the Landwehr Bezirks Kommandeure und Bezirks Offiziere.. These were officers who had been placed on “half pay” as the Brits would say and given positions, while very important to the efficient running of the Army, were not part of the authorized peace time strength of the active officer corps. In 1914 there were 796 Landwehr Bezirks Offiziere (commanders, staff and local officers). These men were in charge of maintaining the rolls of those eligible for the draft, the affairs of the Reserve and Landwehr officers as well as organizing the annual call up of recruits and in August 1914, mobilizing the reserves for war. The commanders ranged in rank from Major to Colonel with the rank of a regimental commander for the largest and most populous military districts. The most senior of these men were normally much older than their active duty counterparts and so, as this bar shows, could and did serve in both the 1870/71 war and WWI without rising to the ranks of general officers. As relates to this bar, one should consider expanding the parameters of the search and look not only at the Landwehr Bezirks commanders and staff officers and attached staff officers, but also to the Artillery Depots, Remount Inspectors and the like. As has been mentioned more than a few times, finding a bar’s owner requires more than simply turning the pages of an Army list looking for the right combination. You can do just that, or, based on a broader understanding of the army’s structure, make an educated guess where to start looking. Even then, there is no guarantee of success, but it sure can save a great deal of time and wear and tear on 100+ year old books. The key to this entire hobby is as comprehensive a library as one can afford. There is absolutely no substitute for contemporary sources. It takes a whole lot of time and money to acquire the resources needed and years of practice and experience reading between the lines to pull an individual officer long dead out of obscurity and present him via the internet for others to meet. Thankfully, there is a group of people with similar, but not identical interests which, when working in unison, can come up with the greater part of the whole story. There are those who enjoy the bars themselves and those who enjoy tracing the career of the owner (and hopefully finding his full name.) This field is simply too vast for anyone to master by themselves. Andy

From the "Gefechts Kalender des deutsch-franösischen Krieges 1870-71. Herausger Großer Generalstab, E.S. Mittler u. Sohn, Berlin 1886. Spicheren Colombey-Nouilly (minus F. Batl.) Gefecht im Bois de Vaux (minus F. Batl.) Gravelotte-St. Privat Einschließung von Metz Noisseville (minus 6., 7. 9., 10. and 11. comp.) Belagerung von Diedenhofen Belagerung von Montmédy Belagerung von Mézières Gefecht bei Rimogne und Tremblois (minus 9. and 10. comp.) I. Batl. Handstreich auf Rocroy Avantgarde Gefecht bri Bugnières und Marac Schamützel vor Langres Gefecht bei Sombacourt II. Batl. Handstreich auf Rocroy Avantgarde Gefecht bri Bugnières und Marac Schamützel vor Langres Gefecht bei Chaffois Fus. Batl. Ausfall Gefecht bei Colombey, Peltre und Mercy le Haut Andy

The GR 109 Oberst is Josef von Fallois. He went on to command 57. IB 29. Div. and XIII. AK. Andy

The clasps are a match for the staff of 10. ID. However, I do not think Gustav (von) Kuhlmay is your man. In 1897, as commander of the 29. Kav. Brig., he had the following: PRAO3mSchl PKrO2mSchwaR PKrO4mSchw EK2 PDK BMV3a SLVMmSchw RumK3 RA2mBr He went on to become Inspekteur d. 2. Kav. Inspektion As for FAR 4, only two of the three clasps are a match. Andy Can you tell which 1866 cross that is? That will make a difference when looking for the "owner".

Vince, He was still with DR 22 in 1914 as the regimental vet. According to the Militär Wochenblatt 1920, he died on 10.03.1920. Let me know the level of your interest, as I could trace his whole career for you. Also, as of 1914, he had these decorations: PRAO4 PKrO4 PDK BZ3a. Andy