Hauptmann

Many thanks! Just hoping I can learn more about this one and the EK doc. Dan

Chris B. popped me over a wonderful surprise and most generous gift... this award document for a Black Wound Badge. My first WB document and funny enough, the day it arrived I ended up getting an EK with it's original award document so now these are my only two Imperial award documents. My deepest thanks to Chris for his extremely kind gift! Dan

By the by... here's the EK. It's mounted in the frame together with the document... all professionally matted and behind UV glass. Dan

Will keep my fingers tightly crossed! Thanks! Dan

Just acquired this set and would like to like to learn more re: the document. Problem is the typewritten part is extremely faded. I've posted a request for help in the preservation/restoration section but hoping someone might be able to read the handwritten part, signature and seal. Any help would be deeply appreciated! Would really love to bring this set back to life and discover who the EK was awarded to, his unit, etc. I've darkened these up a bit which I hope helps to make them out better.

Wondered if any of our members might be able to help me out with this. I've acquired a WW1 EK with it's original award document. It's a great set, framed, etc. It has both handwriting and type written material on it. Problem is the type written material is extremely faded. I've scanned it (900 dpi) and fiddled with the image but wondering if perhaps one of our members might have more experience with doing this than I and might be willing/able to help me out? I can send over what I've got and what I've done so far. Send me a PM so we can exchange emails and I'll then send over what I have. I'd really love to bring this document back to life and especially learn the history of who this EK was awarded to, etc. Keeping my fingers crossed that someone out there can help me out with this. Many thanks! Dan

Here's a color photo of him wearing his American Legion cap much later in life in the hopes it will help: Will keep my fingers tightly crossed. Thanks!!!! Dan

Would anyone possibly be interested in colorizing this one? It's of my wife's Grandfather Ferdinand Benjamin Peik in WW1. If it would help I'll be happy to email you a higher resolution scan (the one posted here is downsized).

Was just checking old threads and ran across this one. Extremely interesting. I saw your question was never answered so did some snooping (no pun intended... well maybe just a little one. ) and came up with this: Yukikaze (雪風?, "Snowy Wind") was a Kagero-class destroyer in service with the Imperial Japanese Navy during World War II. She was the only member of her class to survive the war. The attrition rate of Japanese destroyers was extremely high due to heavy, prolonged combat and the need to use them to transport supplies to scattered Japanese island garrisons. Early in the war she took part in the invasions of the Philippines and the Dutch East Indies. She participated in the battles of Midway, Santa Cruz, Leyte Gulf, and the Philippine Sea, as well as a lengthy stint on Guadalcanal troop runs and the naval battles around that island.Yukikaze also survived Operation Ten-Go, the abortive attack on the American force landing on Okinawa, during which the Yamato was sunk. Between these major engagements, Yukikaze participated in escort duty for ships in transit, particularly in the redeployment of Shinano during which the newly completed carrier was torpedoed by USN submarine and sunk. She spent the last months of the war on security duty in Japanese harbors and survived many Allied air raids. After the war, she was used as a transport to bring home Japanese military forces still abroad. Yukikaze and Hibiki were the only ships to survive among the 82 Japanese destroyers built before the war. [edit]ROCS Tang Yan On 6 July 1947, Yukikaze was transferred to the Republic of China as a war reparation, where she was renamed Tang Yan (丹陽). She was finally scrapped in 1970, after running aground during a typhoon, and following a campaign to get her returned to Japan for preservation as a museum ship. Her rudder and one of her anchors were repatriated to Japan. Yukikaze is very popular in Japan, being called "the unsinkable ship". http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Japanese_destroyer_Yukikaze A shame to have survived all that, gotten that far along only to end up at the breakers, especially when she could have lived on as a museum ship in Japan... so little left from a once great naval power. Dan

Well, that's very true... it's all relative. I also remember when you could buy a nice Chevy convertible for around $2,500! Try that now! Even a used one! And yes, so many of our members deserve so much in the way of thanks and tons of credit for improving the hobby, making information much more widely available, not only through the club but also by writing references, etc. Of course the rising prices can be one result but more folks in the hobby with more education under their belts is definitely a good thing. So much has been uncovered and brought to light in so many areas since I started and one can only imagine how much more will come out of the woodwork over the next twenty to thirty years, including in new areas that folks have tended to ignore till now. I see more interest in Africa and the Middle East as an example. There have always been collectors in those areas but I feel it's becoming more widespread as folks are priced out of other areas and moving on to greener (and cheaper) pastures. Dan

WOW... many thanks! That's just what the doctor ordered!!!! Great info and tells me tons more than I've known up to this point. This is one I picked up well over 25 years ago at a little militaria shop, not even knowing what it was but just that it looked neat and had the enamels I love. Can hardly believe they've risen so much but seeing as how even German Hindenburg Crosses have gone up, at least on some Ebay sales and dealer prices I guess anything is possible. I remember we used to pick up double court mounted bars of WW1 EK 2's and Hindenburg Crosses for like $12 to $15 each! Now... they go upwards of $100 to $150 on Ebay and it blows me away each time I see that. The world turned upside down. But admittedly 20 to 25 years or so is a long time when it comes to prices and such. I remember when if you paid $1.00 for a paperback book it was a really thick one and that was pricey. Comic books ran .15 to .25 cents each... oh for the good old days! Again thanks so much for this great info! I deeply appreciate your help on this! Dan

Many thanks in advance! Dan

Could have sworn I'd posted this years ago but after doing a number of searches and being unable to find it I decided to scan and post it. Am I correct that this is the Order of St. Alexander V Class with Crown and Swords? Also, can anyone give me an idea of the value of this Order? Any help is as always deeply appreciated!

The Lady Be Good: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Lady_Be_Good_Wreckage_Discovery.jpg Dan

I'll let Nick take it from here. Dan

Starting this one for Nick (Obergefreiter).

I'll let Nick take it from here. Dan

Starting this one for Nick (Obergefreiter). Great Britain: First World War British Victory Medal R.M.A. 10891 Gr. A. Birch. Comes with Copy of Birch’s personnel record. Birch served as a Gunner in the Royal Marines Artillery, enlisting in 1904, served at Ostend and Dunkirk in 1914 entitled to 1914 Mons Star; later served with the BEF in France from Sept. 1915 until May 1917. Has initials W.Mc.M. on the lower left obverse. GW 30.3gr. Diameter 36.13mm x 3.5mm. Paul Peterson, Maritime Military Medals and Collectables, Eastern Passage, Nova Scotia , February 14, 2011. NAT.

Thanks again Frank for all your help! Dan

I agreed with Frank that I needed something in the way of a bar that made more sense as far as him being a HSU, etc. So, with Frank's very generous help checking out pics, discussing back and forth I finally put one together. All are copies with the exception of the Valor and the VOG. However, the Valor was, I suspect, a blank one which was made into a duplicate. I figured that had already made it a compromised piece so decided to use it for this. I hope this makes more sense.

Many apologies for any problems the link in my original post caused. No idea what the problem is as when I click the link it goes right to the catalogue... I can scroll down page by page through the entire publication and exit with no problems at all. Don't know if it matters but I use Google Chrome as my browser. I used to use only Internet Explorer but got really tired of it locking up, shutting down, having glitches, security loopholes, etc. I've yet to have problems with Chrome. But re: the link, when I pull it up there's nothing about facebook, having to join anything or register... nothing like that at all. Just the publication. Before I posted I previewed the post, checked to make sure the link worked (which for me it did) so I posted. When I found it I thought I'd share the discovery as others might be intro'd in the information contained therein, but I had no desire to cause anyone any problems on their systems. Again, very sorry. Dan