arb

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

Dr. Nußbaums Orden from the 1885 Militär Handbuch des Königreichs Bayern: Bayerische: Milit. Verdienst Orden- Großcomthur Verdienst Orden des Bayer. Krone- Ritter Verdienst Orden von heiligen Michael- Ritter 1. Kl. KDM für 1870/71 (aus Bronce) Armee Denkzeichen 1866 Österreichische: ÖEK3 ÖFJ2mSt Preußische: EK2w Päpstliche: Orden Gregor des Großen- Ritter Königreich beider Sicilien: Orden Franz I- Ritter 1. Kl. Königliche Spanische: Orden Karls III.- Ritterkreuz As a side note, when I lived in Munich from 2003 until 2007 I lived at Nußbaumstraße 14, very near to Sendlinger Tor. This part of Munich is home to many clinics and hospitals. In a small park directly across from my apartment is a statue honoring the good doctor. Gone- but not totally forgotten.

Claudio, Thanks very much. That's the first one I've seen. Andy

Gents, I am not certan that there was only one person to whom that chain might have belonged. There are two infantry captains, Wilhelm Reuß (18. IR) and Julius Rohe (5. IR), who had the same combination in 1914. They both, unlike Dr. Hans Heim z.D., also had the 24 year long service cross. Both survived the war as well. What is the third medal from the left???? Andy

Vince, Heinrich von Fransecky (04.01.1842-04.06.1917) 17.06.1897-12.08.1898 Kom. d. 49. Inf. Brig. 16.06.1896-17.08.1897 Kom. d. IR 13 15.07.1893-16.06.1896 Insp. d. Marine Infanterie Andy

Vince, Thure von Kuylenstjerna (24.03.1829-23.03.1888) went on to command Ulan. R. 12 11.02.1873-12.03.1878 and then he became "Inspekteur der Train", retiring on 05.02.1887 as a Gen.Lt. Andy

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Vince, If you send me a PM with your e-mail address, I'll send along a scanned copy of his entry from the IR 78 Offiziers-Stammliste. In additon to the info in the scan, he died 14.06.1909. At the time of his retirement (as shown in the 1897 Rangliste) he had the following awards: PRAO3mSchl PKrO3 EK2 PStJO PDK BMV3a GHVP3amSchw ?FJ3 RA3 RSt2 Andy

Vince, I just sent you a PDF with M?ller's bio, to include a photograph. Andy

Paging through the Biblio series "Die Generale and admirale der Bundeswehr 1955-1999", volume three, the only General named M?ller who had any Bundesgrenzschutz (BGS)service was Alfred Johannes M?ller (20.08.1909 in Sperbitz bei Dresden-07.02.1997 in Kroberg/Taunus). The photo of him shows only part of his two-row ribbon bar. The odd thing is that the second ribbon on the lower bar appears to be "Frozen Meat Award" (Eastern Front). While it is conceivible he would have left this off his 1957 ribbon bar, it does present a question. For a moment let's assume this is the guy: He entered the Reichswehr 01.04.1929 in 10. Inf. R. (L?bau). After initial training he was promoted Leutn. on 01.05.1933 with a seniority date of 15.10.1932After serving with Inf. R. Potsdam and then IR 31, he attended the Kriegsakademie from 03.11.1938-25.08.1939. He served in General staff postions through 1944. For a brief period (13.01-13.03.45) he commanded Parachute Regiment 1. Highest Wehrmacht rank attained was Oberstlt. i.G. 01.05.1943. He was a POW from 02.05.1945-28.03.1947. Called to the BGS in 1951 as a Major, he served in various posItions (rising to the rank of Oberstlt. im BGS 24.06.1954) until being called up to the Bundeswehr on 30.06.1956, and promoted Oberst the following day. From then until his retirement on 31.03.1968, he served in staff positions with no troop time or commands. Highest rank attained was Generalmajor- 20.12.1965. As I am still a scanning novice and am not eligible to post larger files to the forums, I am not able to post his photo here. Andy

There is another point that should be mentioned regarding the numbers Eric listed and sourced to the Ordens-Listen. Those numbers are for individuals who had received the Orders AND who were still alive as of the date of that particular Ordens-Liste. This became clear to me as I was working through the recipients of awards for the 1866 War (as given in an excerpt from the 1867 Milit?r Wochenblatt Nr. 91 which provides a summarized list of award recipients) and then cross-checking his listings. Before anyone suggests that I am impugning Eric's work, I am not. I am merely drawing attention to the fact that he provides totals as reflected in the Ordens-Listen, not necessarily totals awarded that year. And, as Werner correctly points out, who can be certain of absolute numbers so long after the award dates absent primary sources? Heck, even the Milit?r Wochenbl?tter contain errors and omissions. That said, Eric's work certainly deserves the respect and admiration found here on GMIC. Andy

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Now that would have been something to see!!

The number and variety of the Ranglisten is simply astounding. Just when I think I've seen the last one another type pops up. My most recent pick up was the "Allgemeine Rang- und Quartierliste f?r das VIII., IX. und X. Armeecorps und die Reserve Infanterie Division des Deutschen Bundesheeres f?r 1860" This little beauty, a privately created work of an LT in the 1. Infanterie Bataillon L?beck, provides a level of detail I have not seen anywhere else on the Bundesheer. I'd just love to get an 1866 edition, if one was even prepared.

Just to add additonal sources to strengthen the id of Rudolf Sass: On page 27 of the "Rangliste der Intendanturbeamten des Deutschen Reicheeres, der Kaiserlichen Marine und des Reichs Kolonioal Amts f?r 1914 (abgeschlossen am 10. Juni 1914), E.S. Mittler & Sohn, Berlin, 1914, there is listed Rechn. Rat Sass. He was assigend to XIV AK and is listed as having the PKrO4 and MD2 (Milit?rdienstkreuz f?r 15 j?hrige Dienstzeit). Further confirmation can be found in the 5th Supplement to the 1905 Ordensliste on page 244, which announces the awarding of the PKrO4 and povides his given name as Rudolf. Andy

Terry, What level of detail of information are you looking for? For starters, Gen.Lt. Louis Hahn was, as evidenced by this award document, commander of the 9. Division (21.04.1898-18.05.1901). Prior to that, he commanded the 3rd Field artillery brigade (17.03.94-21.03.98) and Field Artillery Regiment 16 (24.03.1890-17.03.1894). He was born 27.10.1842. None of my sources list his date of death, to include Reinhard Montag's list of Generals. Odd for a Gen.Lt. that no one knows when he was called to the Grand Army! I'd be quite interested to see the remainder of the documents- always nice to have several to an individual. Andy

Gentlemen, LIR equates to Lehr Infanterie Regiment. Hans von Tippelskirch (1863-1945) was commadner of that regiment from 18.07.1916 until 18.01.1917, when he became commander of the 11. Landw. Brigade. Andy

Walter Frhr. von Esebeck was born 17. July 1853 in Berlin to Karl, retired Major from the Garde F?s. R. He was commissioned a Sek.Lt. on 16.10.1873 in the 3. Garde Ulanen R. He served as a squadron officer in the 3rd squadron from 1873-1879. After a year as the regimental adjutant (1880), he was seconded to the Embassy in Vienna for a year. Back to the regiment in 1882 (2. Esk.), then then spent two years (1883-1884) at the Milit. Reit Institute. Two more years of squardon duty awaited him upon his return. On 19.09.1888 he was promoted Rittmeister and given the 4th squardon, which he commanded until 1896 when he was attached to the Meldereiter Detachment d. Garde Korps. From 1897-1898 he was the personal adjutant of Prince Friedrich Leopold of Prussia. 1899 and 1900 he was on the staff of Drag. R. 24. In 1901 he was placed "zur Disposition behufs ?bertritt i.d. Kgl. Hofdienst m. Pension und der Uniform d. 3. Garde Ulanen R." In 1903 he was the Vize-Ober-Stallmister. Oberst 16.06.10* Oberstlt. 24-12.03* Major 01-09-96 Rittm. 19-09-88 Prem.Lt. 03-03-83 Sek.Lt. 16-10-73 *charakterisiert Andy

Friedrich M?ller (21.09.1864-16.02.1921) was commander of IR 68 from 17.03.1915-30.07.1917. He went on to be the commadner of Landwehr Bezirk C?ln. Andy

I believe that to be the signature of G.d.I. Moritz Frhr. von Lyncker, Vortr. Gen. Adj. Sr. Majest?t, Chef d. Milit. Kab., ? l.s. 1. GRzF Andy

Chris, His pre-war career. Not sure of his dates as Gouv. of Metz during the war. Walter Pelkmann (1859-1919) xx.xx.xx-xx.xx.xx Gouv. v. Metz 01.04.13 mit Pension zur Disposition gestellt 19.12.11-01.04.13 Insp. d. 1. Fu?art. Insp. (Berlin) 14.04.07-19.12.11 Kom. d. 3. Fu?art. Brig. (Metz) 22.03.02-14.04.07 Chef d. St. d. Gen. Insp. d. Fu?art. (Berlin), U.d. Fu?art. R. 11 18.08.00-22.03.02 Kom. d. Fu?art. R. 11 (Thorn) 18.03.99-18.08.00 1. Art. Offiz. v. Platz in Stra?burg 17.04.97-18.03.99 Kom. d. Fu?art. Batl. 14 (Ulm) 19.12.93-17.04.97 in Fu?art. Abtl. (A5) im Kr. Min. 25.03.93-19.12.93 Adj. d. Dir. d. Allg. Kr. Deptmt., k.z. Dienstl. b. Fu?art. Abtl. im Kr. Min., ? l.s. Fu?art. R. 2 14.02.91-25.03.93 Chef 5./Fu?art. R. 2 (Danzig) 1888-14.02.91 Adj. d. 2. Fu?art. Insp. (Berlin), ? l.s. Fu?art. R. 1 1885-1887 Adj. d. Fu?art. R. 2 (Swinem?nde) 1884 ?berzahliger Oberlt. b. Fu?art. Batl. 9 (Bremerhaven) 1881-1883 Adj. I./Fu?art. R. 2 (Swinem?nde) 1879-1880 k.z. Art. u. Ing. Sch. v. Fu?art. R. 2 1878 in 1./Fu?art. R. 2 (Swinem?nde) Gen.Lt. 10-09-10 - Gen.Maj. 18-05-07 A Oberst 22-03-03 Bb Oberstlt. 15-12-00 E Major 24-07-94 O Hptm. 13-11-88 Oblt. 13-12-83 Leutn. 12-02-76