My next question - pin backs...

[W McSwiggan]

Here we go again ? I?m having fun at least!

Of the pin back awards introduced during the war as listed:

Gro?herzogtum Hessen-Darmstadt - Krieger-Ehrenzeichen in Eisen

Gro?herzogtum Sachsen-Weimar-Eisenach - Wilhelm-Ernst Kriegskreuz

Herzogtum Sachsen-Altenburg - Herzog Ernst Medaille 1. Klasse mit Schwertern

Herzogtum Sachsen-Coburg-Gotha - Carl Eduard-Kriegskreuz

F?rstentum Lippe-Detmold - Kriegsehrenkreuz f?r heldenm?tige Tat

F?rstent?mer Reu? - Kriegsverdienstkreuz "1914"

Would anyone consider any of these as comparable to the Pour le merite? Numbers are deceiving given the tendency to hand out awards to high ranking officers and glamour activities. Small numbers to small populations can also lead to wrong impressions as well. That said, given that these states either did not make significant use of their orders (Hesse) or had only one to offer, do any of these rise to the Blue Max standard for junior combat officers?

Edited May 30, 2005 by W McSwiggan

[Guest Rick Research]

The Hessian I'd put in sort-of the league with "ordinary" pinback 1st Classes like the Oldenburg Friedrich August etc, though more towards an HHOX than an EK1.

The others were in no sense comparable to even an HHOX, being dementedly rare only because they were from tiny places and reserved almost entirely for local natives, thus reducing numbers for that reason and not because of unreachable standards for bestowal while still breathing. My Evil Twin even had a photo of one of these (I forget which one) being worn at a 1920s wedding... with no EK1! (That might have been the Lippe Detmold one.)

I'd call all of these "EK1s-Plus."

[W McSwiggan]

Thanks Rick - great reply & information as always.

This is where I'm supposed to say "I knew that" - right?

Actually I am temporarily expended with this stuff. If you meld the answers to my verious questions, you get a pretty good template by which to guage distinguished service (for junior officers) - at least to the extent that military awards will allow. The system (that is any system) is simply too quirky and subject to foible and less than honorable motives to be reliable.

Senior officers have always been a seperate breed in every army.

Then there are the enlisted grades... mind boggling but I tend to view almost any recognition going to the enlisted folk as being significant. As always - bottom of the food chain rarely eats well...

Thanks again Rick & all.