Wehrmacht Attach?s In Japan 1933-1945 ?

[Guest Rick Research]

I have been trying to find the names of all German holders of the armed forces military attach? positions, as well as subordinate officers-- mainly to see if I can FINALLY and definitively identify the original wearers of the top two ribbon bars below:

This is what I've been able to dig up so far:

Military Attach? 15.9.38 to Dec.40 = Gerhard MATZKY (1894-alive 1985) as Oberst (1.4.37). Later General der Infanterie and holder of KCIC

Support officers for Military Attach? as of January 1939

Oberstleutnant (1.10.38 #24) SCHOLL, ?with Uniform Inf Rgt 3.? WW1 Inf Rgt 81?Leutnant ernannt 22.5.15 but final seniority 1.9.15 #97, Oberleutnant 1.4.25 #76 (!!!). held both 1914 EKs and 1918 Black Wound Badge. Oberst (T) 1.10.41 #41 in the May 1944 Seniority List. Japanese Order of the Sacred Treasure in last place. POSSIBLY his ribbon bar at top?

Hauptmann (1.6.34 #152) Dr. von PETERSDORFF, ?with Uniform Inf Rgt 9.? Presumably Leutnant 1.12.26 #99 Inf Rgt 14. Oberstleutnant (T) 1.4.42 #462 in the May 1944 Seniority List. Japanese Order of the Sacred Treasure in 5th place. POSSIBLY his ribbon bar 2nd from top? NOT the same officer, it would appear, as the Hans vP who won a German Cross in Gold 1942 or the Manfred vP who was a Ritterkreuz holder.

Air Force Attach? 15.4.39 to 21.1.45 (theoretically replaced but never returned home before Germany surrendered and interned by Japanese and U.S.) = Wolfgang von GRONAU (1893-1977) as Oberstleutnant (1.1.39), Oberst (1.1.40) and Generalmajor (1.7.43). Known Japanese awards are: Order of the Rising Sun-Commander and Japanese Red Cross Member Medal.

Naval Attach? 28.12.33 to 2.9.37 AND again from 21.3.40 to 8.5.45 = Paul WENNEKER (1890-1979) as Fregattenkapit?n zS (1.10.33), Kapit?n zS (1.4.36), Konteradmiral zS (1.10.39), Vizeadmiral zS (1.8.41) and Admiral zS (1.8.44), receiving German Cross in Silver (24.4.44) and Knight?s Cross of the War Merit Cross X (18.1.45) for that assignment. Known Japanese award: Order of the Rising Fun-Grand Cross.

Naval Attach? 24.8.37 to 30.3.40 = Joachim LIETZMANN (1894-1959) as Fregattenkapit?n zS (1.5.35) and Kapit?n zS (1.1.37). Ended the war as Vizeadmiral zS and holder of the German Cross in Gold. Japanese award: Order of the Sacred Treasure- Commander. Two sets of his double row ribbon bars at bottom.

It is entirely possible that the original wearers of the two ribbon bars above Admiral Lietzmann?s double sets never left Germany at all, and received ?Fr?hstucksorden? for duty at, say, the War Academy as liaison or instructors for Japanese staff officers in Germany.

But having gone through the 1914 German army and navy holders of Japanese Orders of the Sacred Treasure, none of the SIX recipients with no other ribboned awards at that time match. It is therefore certain that the upper bar?s wearer could only have received this during the Third Reich. Obviously that is also the case for the officer with the two Rumanian and three Finnish awards on the second ribbon bar.

As far as I can tell, Scholl is the ?best? match for the top ribbon bar, and Dr. von Petersdorff for the second.

[Great Dane]

Maybe a stupid question, but is it totally impossible that these could be the ribbons for the Spanish Order of Isabella the Catholic?

/Mike

[Bernhard H.Holst]

Hello:

Gen.d.Inf. Gerhard Matzky died 9.June 1985. He was also the recipient of the German Cross i. Gold and served in the Bundeswehr .

Bernhard H. Holst

[Guest Rick Research]

Thanks Bernhard!

Mike: though faded by the decades and not perhaps clear from the fronts, these have the extremely pale blue remaining on the back sides of the Sacred Treasure-- which is NOT actually white, though often faded out so it LOOKS that way. An Isabella was also even more unusual to German recipients than was the Sacred Treasure.

And Admiral Lietzmann's bears an enamel rising sun device presumably meant to indicate the Commander grade.

[Great Dane]

Right.

See? I knew it was a stupid question...

/Mike

[Guest Rick Research]

No, actually there was simply usually a pattern to foreign awards to Germans.

Not always though

look at the plain green ribbon with gold crown device on the admiral's ribbon bars. If his awards were not known, that would be a real "problem" since a "normal" attach? SHOULD have received the Swedish Order of the Sword and NOT their Order of Vasa!!!!!

[webr55]

Rick Research said:

Hauptmann (1.6.34 #152) Dr. von PETERSDORFF, "with Uniform Inf Rgt 9." Presumably Leutnant 1.12.26 #99 Inf Rgt 14. Oberstleutnant (T) 1.4.42 #462 in the May 1944 Seniority List. Japanese Order of the Sacred Treasure in 5th place. POSSIBLY his ribbon bar 2nd from top? NOT the same officer, it would appear, as the Hans vP who won a German Cross in Gold 1942 or the Manfred vP who was a Ritterkreuz holder.

This must be FRITZ-JULIUS von Petersdorff. He got a Dr. phil. from the University of Leipzig on 3/12/1931 in... Japanese philology! The title of his dissertation was "Beiträge zur altjapanischen Phonetik: Bericht über Takeshi Kitasato: 'Forschungen über das altjapanische Sprachlautsystem'", published in Shanghai (!) in 1931. He was obviously the perfect choice for an attache in Japan!

I have not been able to confirm whether he is identical to this one, but might be: There was a resistance fighter Oberstleutnant von Petersdorff who was apparently imprisoned together with Canaris, Bonhoeffer etc. in Flossenbürg in 1945, maybe hanged as well.

Edited November 13, 2017 by webr55

[Guest Rick Research]

Yes indeed, that made him a GREAT match for Japan...

but not so great for Rumania and Finland, I think!

Yet so far these are my only "suspects."

Much appreciated information-- thanks!!!