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    Is it possible to identify this Dutch General with German Awards?


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    Wow! He must have got the EK 1914 when he was attach? in Berlin from 1916-20. I try hard to remember, but I think I have never seen a picture of a non-Central Powers soldier wearing an EK before WW2.

    :beer:

    Chris

    Edited by webr55
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    Guest Rick Research

    :Cat-Scratch::speechless1::speechless1::speechless1:

    That is FREAKISH! :speechless1:

    No neutral attach? would have qualified for frontline combatant awards! :speechless1:

    I hope you can get his military records to explain those completely inappropriate German wartime decorations!!!!

    :speechless1::speechless1:

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    :Cat-Scratch::speechless1::speechless1::speechless1:

    That is FREAKISH! :speechless1:

    No neutral attach? would have qualified for frontline combatant awards! :speechless1:

    I hope you can get his military records to explain those completely inappropriate German wartime decorations!!!!

    :speechless1::speechless1:

    Maybe he did some covert advisory work on the front?

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    He received the Militar Verdienstorde on 26-02-1918. Before the end of WWI. Maybe Erik Muller knows more about these German decorations.

    In 1918 he had the rang of a lieutenant colonel and received the MVO 3. Class with Crown and Swords.

    Bernd

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    Guest Rick Research

    The problem with Bavarian wartime rolls is the unit given is either a pre-war affiliation or something generic for non-career draftees like "of a reserve infantry reiment." He is not on the roll as published years back by Michael Autengruber. I'm stumped.

    How in God's name did a NEUTRAL get a COMBATANT frontline award? If they had given him the perfectly normal "peacetime" version on statute ribbon without swords, that would have been odd (in wartime), but the usual. Swords on the front ribbon is insane-- unless he was SHOOTING at the Allies. :speechless1::banger:

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    Here are all his awards:

    Dutch

    Commander in the Order of the Dutch Lion ( First Knight 30-08-1922, later updated to commander 27-06-1927)

    Knight in the Order of Oranje Nassau

    Museum medal in silver

    Flood of 1926 medal in silver ( Watersnoodmedaille 1926 )

    Officiers long service cross for 30 years of service

    Mobilisation Cross WWI

    Foreign

    Grandcross in the Order Of Sint Olaf from Norway

    Granofficer in the Legion of Honor from France

    Commander Grandcross in the Swordorder of Sweden

    Grandofficier in the Order of Leopold II from Belgium

    Commander 1st classe in the Order of the Dannebrog from Denmark 10-05-1922

    Officer in the Crownorder of Italy

    Third Class in the Order of the Crown for Prussia

    Third Class with Sword and Crown in the Military Merit Order of Bavaria 26-02-1918

    Second Class of the Iron Cross 1914-1918 from Germany

    Kriegserinnerungsmedaille from Austria

    Edited by Herr General
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    The problem with Bavarian wartime rolls is the unit given is either a pre-war affiliation or something generic for non-career draftees like "of a reserve infantry reiment." He is not on the roll as published years back by Michael Autengruber. I'm stumped.

    How in God's name did a NEUTRAL get a COMBATANT frontline award? If they had given him the perfectly normal "peacetime" version on statute ribbon without swords, that would have been odd (in wartime), but the usual. Swords on the front ribbon is insane-- unless he was SHOOTING at the Allies. :speechless1::banger:

    On the 26 Feb 1918 five officiers received the MVO 3. class with crown and swords. Two Prussians, one navy, one Netherland and one Spanish. None of them is listed in Autengrubers book. In the prefix he wrote that his list in incomplete because after 12 March 1917 the recipients of Bavarian orders are not listed anymore. Thats why a few are missing.

    Bernd

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    it is indeed General Theodor Frederik Jan Muller-Massis. Another photograph of the General appears in an interesting article in the January/February 1968 issue of the Zeitschrift f?r Heereskunde titled "The award of the Prussian Iron Cross to foreigners". It states that General Muller-Massis was awarded the EK not as a volunteer in the German Army but as the Dutch Military attach? (!) It goes on to state that the award was first listed in the 1922 Dutch Army list and speculates that the EK2 was then only awarded in 1921. (Ridder 2. Klasse Ijzeren Kruis (Pruisen)).

    The other gentleman pictured is the Swedish Colonel Nils August Domingo Adlercreutz awarded the EK2 as the Swedish Military attach?. It is reported he received his EK2 in 1919.

    Regards

    Glenn

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    2 Thoughts from an EK point of view...

    I would guess they would not have awarded him one during the war, the statutes for the white ribboned cross would have been just right for this. I would assume that it was a bit of political stroking done in the post war period. tossing a few medals their way to get brownie points and who cares about the prussians anyway.

    I would put it down as an two off wierdo occurance.

    secondly, how do "Neutrals" get awards for war service to germany?

    They may have been good attaches, but the Iron cross is for Military, or at least "war " service, hardly something neutral attaches would provide.

    It is probably a postwar gesture by someone who did not really give 2 farts about what he was awarding.

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    Lieutenant-General Muller Massis was also awarded the Austrian Kriegserinnerungsmedaille. I don't know why he was awarded both the MVO3 as the EK2, but I know he wasn't the only Dutch officer to receive the EK2 for being a military attache (and off course, when needed, you can never find their names).

    The ribbon of the Grand Cross is that of the Order of the Sword of Sweden.

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    Lieutenant-General Muller Massis was also awarded the Austrian Kriegserinnerungsmedaille. I don't know why he was awarded both the MVO3 as the EK2, but I know he wasn't the only Dutch officer to receive the EK2 for being a military attache (and off course, when needed, you can never find their names).

    The ribbon of the Grand Cross is that of the Order of the Sword of Sweden.

    Which would mean the others would have gotten it during the war...

    I wonder if the Dutch Attaches in England got MIDs or MCs?

    What kind of "war service" were they providing the germans?

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    Which would mean the others would have gotten it during the war...

    I wonder if the Dutch Attaches in England got MIDs or MCs?

    What kind of "war service" were they providing the germans?

    As far as I know they were attache's who acted as observers on the front lines. Another well known example of this was the Dutch Colonel Thompson, who was an 'observer' on the Greek-Turkish front in 1912. He was killed-in-action in Albania in 1914.

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    So far I found mention of the following Iron Crosses 1914, all 2nd class, to Dutch officers, besides the earlier mentioned Lieutenant-Colonel Muller Massis:

    J. Fabius (1888-?), First Lieutenant of Artillery (authorisation to wear by royal decree July 1922)

    Haro baron van Hemert tot Dingshof (1879-?), Captain, Royal Netherlands Marines, Commander of the Guard of the Dutch Legation in Bejing (05-09-1913 / 15-03-1920)

    Johan Lodewijk von Leschen (1868-1949), Captain, Royal Netherlands Navy, Naval Attach? in Berlin (10-09-1917 / 21-08-1919) (authorisation to wear by royal decree 28 juli 1920)

    Leonard Spiegelberg (1882-?), Captain, Royal Netherlands Marines, Guard of the Dutch Legation in Bejing

    P. te Wechel (1871-?), Captain, Royal Netherlands-Indies Army (authorisation to wear by royal decree September 1920 and September 1922)

    In the newspaperclipping stating the award to Von Leschen it was specifically mentioned that he received the EK2 for 'numerously visiting the front lines, as Dutch naval attache in Berlin'

    The Marine Captains received their EK2's for 'merit to German residents in Bejing, China'

    For which Captain Te Wechel and First Lieutenant Fabius received their awards, I can't tell.

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