Help

[ar41]

Hi everyone. I was hoping to get some help on identifying this medal. My wife's Great Uncle brought it back from the Great War along with a few other trinkets. Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Regards

Fred

[ar41]

Closer shots of some of the other things.

[hunyadi]

I will try to help from what I can. First thing would be to post a better shiot of just the medal front and back. But it is probably a comemmorative medal of some sort.

Gray woll cloth had several dvices that I dont know but the medal bar is an EK2 and Bavarian KVK medal bar (minus medals) Then it looks like Reich coins and a rank 'pip' (the star burst) The zink disc is a 'dog tag' for a member of a Jager Regiment.

The bullet looks to be a Springfield rifle type (??) Hope that starts the process - ohters probably know what the eagles are and the other badges...

[Ulsterman]

It is the Hessian "war honour decoration":

see Dave Danners' most excellent site:

http://home.att.net/~david.danner/militaria/hessen.htm

[ar41]

Thanks for the info guys. By the way, the cartridge is a 1918 dated 8mm.

Regards

Fred

[Daniel Murphy]

Nice grouping of items. The German dog tag was for a man of the 5th Company / Landwehr Infantry Regt. (L.J.R.) 36. LJR 36 was in the 5th Landwehr Division throughout the war and were at St. Mihiel during the american attack. This is most likely where he acquired the dog tag.

"The (5th Landwehr) division was engaged in the attack in the St. Mihiel salient. It lost heavily in prisoners.... The division retreated with orders to take up positions between the first and second positions of the Hindenburg Line. Here it had orders to hold the St. Mihiel zone under all circumstances. The division continued in line until the armistice.... The 5th L.D. was rated as a fourth class division. In 1918 it held the Apremont sector continuously, showing no initiative of capacity for offensive operation , but due to small losses and a heavy number of effectives it offered as much resistance to our attack in September as did the other German divisions in the salient. "

Source: Histories of the 251 divisions of the German Army which participated in the war (1914-1918), London Stamp Exchange 1989 reprint.

Dan

Edited December 15, 2006 by Daniel Murphy

[ar41]

Thanks for the great info Dan.

Fred