Bulgaria What Ribbon For a Bulgarian MVO?

[Scott]

Can anyone show the proper ribbon for this beautiful medal?

Thanks!

Scott

[Carol I]

This appears to be the Officer's cross of the Order for Military Merit. The white ring indicates a wartime award, but in this case the badge should have also has a war decoration (see Bulgarian medals and ribbon bars).

[Scott]

Thanks Carol!

[Guest Rick Research]

War decoration wreaths seem to have rarely been awarded to non-Bulgarian recipients, at least during the first World War.

This Order could also be awarded--again, seeming randomly--on the yellow with black and white edges statute ribbon. The swords belong to the Order no matter whether it was a wartime or peacetime award.

This one was given to a Bavarian reserve officer in February 1918:

[Scott]

Thanks Rick!

Scott

[Carol I]

This one was given to a Bavarian reserve officer in February 1918:

This is an interesting award. I have always thought that only the wartime awards with white ring and war laurel wreath could be presented with the ribbon of the Order for Bravery.

[Dave Danner]

This appears to be the Officer's cross of the Order for Military Merit. The white ring indicates a wartime award, but in this case the badge should have also has a war decoration (see Bulgarian medals and ribbon bars).

This is an interesting award. I have always thought that only the wartime awards with white ring and war laurel wreath could be presented with the ribbon of the Order for Bravery.

Rick's is a proper wartime award for military merit. The war decoration, despite its name, did not distinguish a wartime award from a peacetime award, as was Austrian custom. The war decoration distinguished a combat award from a non-combat award. The ribbon of the Military Order for Bravery was used as a war ribbon, both for combat and non-combat awards.

The statutes state that when awarded with the war decoration, the order must be on the war ribbon, but apparently allow for wartime awards without the wreath to either be on the war ribbon or the statute ribbon. It isn't clear (to me at least) when a wartime award would be on the statute ribbon, perhaps for homefront staff-type stuff or for long service.

I think you are right that Scott's example ought to have a wreath, since the statutes state that when awarded with the war decoration, the ring on the center medallion is changed to white enamel.

Since only the IV and V Classes could be awarded with the wreath, and only the V and VI classes could be awarded with or without crown, these are the possible variations of the lower grades of the National Order "For Military Merit":

• IV. Class with crown and war decoration, on the ribbon of the Military Order for Bravery
• IV. Class with crown, on the ribbon of the Military Order for Bravery
• IV. Class with crown, on the statute ribbon (like this)

• V. Class with crown and war decoration, on the ribbon of the Military Order for Bravery
• V. Class with crown, on the ribbon of the Military Order for Bravery (Rick's example in Post #4)
• V. Class with crown, on the statute ribbon
• V. Class without crown, with war decoration, on the ribbon of the Military Order for Bravery (your example in Post #2)
• V. Class without crown, on the ribbon of the Military Order for Bravery
• V. Class without crown, on the statute ribbon

• VI. Class with crown, on the ribbon of the Military Order for Bravery
• VI. Class with crown, on the statute ribbon
• VI. Class without crown, on the ribbon of the Military Order for Bravery
• VI. Class without crown, on the statute ribbon

[Carol I]

The statutes state that when awarded with the war decoration, the order must be on the war ribbon, but apparently allow for wartime awards without the wreath to either be on the war ribbon or the statute ribbon. It isn't clear (to me at least) when a wartime award would be on the statute ribbon, perhaps for homefront staff-type stuff or for long service.

I do not think this is correct. Below is an image from one of Petrov's book on Bulgarian decorations showing badges with war decorations on the statute ribbon of the Order for Military Merit.

Since only the IV and V Classes could be awarded with the wreath...

I thought it was the other way around: all the classes could be awarded with the laurel war wreath (see image above), but only classes IV and V could be awarded with the light blue ribbon of the Order for Bravery (and only those with white ring and war laurel wreath).

• IV. Class with crown and war decoration, on the ribbon of the Military Order for Bravery
• IV. Class with crown, on the ribbon of the Military Order for Bravery
• IV. Class with crown, on the statute ribbon (like this)

The type below is missing from your list.

[Dave Danner]

I do not think this is correct. Below is an image from one of Petrov's book on Bulgarian decorations showing badges with war decorations on the statute ribbon of the Order for Military Merit.

I thought it was the other way around: all the classes could be awarded with the laurel war wreath (see image above), but only classes IV and V could be awarded with the light blue ribbon of the Order for Bravery (and only those with white ring and war laurel wreath).

You're right. I misspoke, as I was consolidating remarks I had made a while ago on WAF and left out the context, which was the lower classes, not the higher ones. Of the lower three classes in the breakdown I gave, only the IV and V Classes could be awarded with the wreath, not the VI Class. And of those classes, when the IV and V Classes were awarded with the wreath, they had to be on the war ribbon.

I wasn't talking about the higher classes at the time and should have been clearer on that. They could be awarded with the wreath and white enamel ring without changing the ribbon.

The type below is missing from your list.

The ribbon is wrong on that type. As stated, for the IV and V Classes, when awarded with the wreath they had to be on the war ribbon and they had to have the white enamel.

Here is the relevant text and my translation from Petrov:

Петата и шестата степен на ордена се дават и без корона, а по време на война последните три степени се раздават и с лентата на военния орден ?За храброст?. освен това с изключение на последната степен орденът се раздава и за бойни отличия по време на война, украсен с лавров венец. В тези случаи без изключение IV и V степен се даряват само на лентата на ордена ?За храброст?, а пръстенът около медальона на аверса и реверса е винаги от бял емайл.

"The fifth and sixth classes of the order could be awarded without crown, and in time of war the lowest three classes could also be conferred with the ribbon of the Military Order ?For Bravery?. Furthermore with the exception of the lowest class, the order could also be conferred for combat distinction in time of war, adorned with a laurel wreath. In such case without exception the 4th and 5th classes were only given on the ribbon of the order ?For Bravery?, and the ring around the medallion on the obverse and reverse was always of white enamel."

So for all classes from Grand Cross to 5th Class, if there was a wreath, the enamel was white. And for the 4th and 5th Class, if there was a wreath, not only was the enamel white, but the ribbon had to be the Bravery Order ribbon. The 6th Class could be awarded on the Bravery Order ribbon, but not with the wreath, and of course it had no enamel.

Sorry for the confusion.

Of course, for more confusion, I have a 3rd Class (Commander's Cross) on the war ribbon (here), which does not appear to be authorized. It was awarded to a German, though, so like Rick says, awards to non-Bulgarians sometimes didn't follow the rules.

Edited June 12, 2007 by Dave Danner

[Carol I]

You're right. I misspoke, as I was consolidating remarks I had made a while ago ...

I see. The regulations seem quite complex. If I understood you right, all classes could be awarded with the laurel war decoration, the Grand Cross class as well as 1st to 3rd classes on the yellow-black-white ribbon, while 4th and 5th classes on the light blue ribbon of the Order for Bravery. Furthermore, all the badges with the war decoration sported the white ring. The 'regular' badge with green ring on the other hand could be awarded on the yellow-black-white ribbon for peacetime awards and on the light blue ribbon of the Order for Bravery for wartime awards (but the latter only for classes IV-VI).

The question that remains is: Are there any badges with white rings, but without the laurel war wreath (like Scott's badge in post #1)? If yes, where do they come into the picture?

Sorry for the confusion.

No problem. It is good that we could eventually piece the truth.

[Dave Danner]

I see. The regulations seem quite complex. If I understood you right, all classes could be awarded with the laurel war decoration, the Grand Cross class as well as 1st to 3rd classes on the yellow-black-white ribbon, while 4th and 5th classes on the light blue ribbon of the Order for Bravery. Furthermore, all the badges with the war decoration sported the white ring. The 'regular' badge with green ring on the other hand could be awarded on the yellow-black-white ribbon for peacetime awards and on the light blue ribbon of the Order for Bravery for wartime awards (but the latter only for classes IV-VI).

Not quite. Everything is correct except that all classes except the 6th Class (Silver Cross, сребърен кръст) could be awarded with the laurel wreath (лавров венец).

Also, just to confuse things, the 1st Class was the Grand Cross (Голям кръст) until 1933, when a higher grade, also called the Grand Cross but using a different word for "grand" (Велик кръст), was added above the other grades. Голям's main meaning is "big" or "large", but it also may mean "grand" or "great", as in голям любов ("grand passion") or голямa София ("greater Sofia"). Велик is a stronger word, and always means "great" or "grand", such as Велики княз ("Grand Duke") or Великата отечествена война ("the Great Patriotic War").

Also, there is one other distinction. The 1st through 3rd Classes, and after 1933 the Велик кръст, could also be awarded with diamonds (с брилянти).

These would be the classes:

Велик кръст - Grand Cross (after 1933)

Голям кръст (I степен) - Grand Cross

Голям офицерски кръст (II степен) - Grand Officer's Cross

Командирски кръст (III степен) - Commander's Cross

Офицерски кръст (IV степен) - Officer's Cross

Кавалерски кръст (V степен) - Knight's Cross

Сребърен кръст (VI степен) - Silver Cross

The question that remains is: Are there any badges with white rings, but without the laurel war wreath (like Scott's badge in post #1)? If yes, where do they come into the picture?

There shouldn't be. But as Rick noted, awards to Germans and other foreigners sometimes didn't follow the rules.

[Carol I]

Thanks Dave.

Not quite. Everything is correct except that all classes except the 6th Class (Silver Cross, сребърен кръст) could be awarded with the laurel wreath (лавров венец).

I never included the 6th class in my list.

There shouldn't be. But as Rick noted, awards to Germans and other foreigners sometimes didn't follow the rules.

Scott, does your badge have traces of the wreath attachements (as if the wreath had come off)?