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    Posted (edited)

    Finally, an 1870 combatant/1914 non-combatant group - the Wilhelm cross is the blank reverse type for home front welfare service:

    Edited by Beau Newman
    Guest Rick Research
    Posted

    Post #179--

    I've just been looking through the material from Eric Ludvigsen's library and found a copy of Louis Schneider's 1872 pamphlet on the 1870/71 War Medal. This gives COMPLETE requirements and... military physicians got the combatant medal on combatant ribbon, by specific mention.

    That was crazy, since enlisted medical personnel serving under them got the steel medal on noncombatant ribbon for battlefield service. :speechless:

    But this weirdness explains groups like Beau's-- noncombatant 1866... noncombatant Iron Cross... and combatant 1870 medal.

    I suspect some of the weird groups we see from time to time with TWO 1870s are because of the illogical way medical officers were awarded these medals.

    Posted

    Yes. There are two 'double campaign medals' groups to Drs. out there (for the Franco-Prussian war )-one was in the JOMSA and these are substantiated by documents. In these groups the noncom campaign medal was awarded a year + after the combat one (1872/73).

    • 3 weeks later...
    Posted

    Post #179--

    I've just been looking through the material from Eric Ludvigsen's library and found a copy of Louis Schneider's 1872 pamphlet on the 1870/71 War Medal. This gives COMPLETE requirements and... military physicians got the combatant medal on combatant ribbon, by specific mention.

    That was crazy, since enlisted medical personnel serving under them got the steel medal on noncombatant ribbon for battlefield service.

    I suspect some of the weird groups we see from time to time with TWO 1870s are because of the illogical way medical officers were awarded these medals.

    Rick,

    "Double" awards may represent two separate acts, in different categories of the award.

    What if the Doctor(s) in question did two separate actions that a higher ranking officer felt deserved recognition. Assume at one time he is awarded a non-com EKII for treating a general who cut himself shaving and needed bandaging. Later same Doctor is serving in a capacity where he might be much more might be going on and he treats severely wounded, etc.

    The Prussian awards system at that time, didn't differentiate between a first or second act that qualified for an EKII, but -someone- might have felt that a "heroic" act by an officer in a non-combatant situation, and another heroic act -in- a combat situation should be differentiated by two separate awards. The "Occam's Razor" principle applied to the awards system did not prevent a double award in the event of two separate acts, one for a non-combatant award with it's special ribbon, and a combatant award with it's war ribbon.

    Granted, the system could also be illogical. Particularly when officers are involved. The Prussian class system paid far more attention to the wants, needs and vanity of officers than enlisted men. A titled officer serving as a doctor got far more deferential treatment than members of the great unwashed classes who served as "common" stretcher bearers bringing in gun shot and artillery wounded men.

    Whatever "confusion" seems to be present, is the regulations governing the award(s) and how the officers entitled to make the awards understood those regulations, classified the act, and their interpretation of the regs.

    Les

    Guest Rick Research
    Posted

    The regulations are quite clear-cut and incapable of interpretation in their illogicality.

    Posted

    I thought it was timing. Wasn't the noncom campaign (1870) medal enacted @ 6 months after the original combat medal?

    Posted

    Gentlemen,

    Thanks to all who have contributed such a fine assortment of

    really interesting and high quality bars to this thread.

    Posted

    .........hmmmm , now that is not really a noncom bar - ok , the Ludwigscross was a noncom award given to people who normally never would get a combattant award - but this guy got even two of them !!! Now you have a combattant bar with one noncom on it...... :speechless: :wacky:

    Posted (edited)

    A few from my collection past and present. :jumping:

    These first 3 no longer in the collection.

    Edited by luftkreig
    Posted

    This is one of my favourite bars in my collection love.gif...don't know how or why i forgot to post this before!

    The Anschluss medal is a rare varient, it is slightly larger than the standard Flower War medals and it is also magnetic! army.gif

    Best regards

    Pierce

    • 5 weeks later...
    Posted (edited)

    Not too often you see both Faithful Service Decorations represented! love.gif

    Edited by luftkreig
    • 3 months later...

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