A Geriatric R.A.D. Super Hero

[Guest Rick Research]

Did you know it could be impossible to identify somebody with 13 WW1 decorations? That with awards found in SIX Rolls, it is still possible to come up

zip

zero

nichts

nichevo

nada?

Feast your eyes on this thorny dilemma, boils & germs:

the upper of two rows, a full set of two rows, and the lower of two rows-- from three sets of ribbons

1) Iron Cross 2nd Class 1914

2) Prussian Hohenzollern House Order 3rd Class X (HHOX)

3) Hessian General Decoration for Bravery (HT)

4) Saxe-Weimar Order of the White Falcon-Knight 1st X (gold swords. GSF3aX)

5) Saxe-Ernestine House Order-Knight 1st Class X (HSH3aX or EH3aX if you like shorter Rank List abbreviations)

6) Bavarian Military Merit Order 4X (BMV4X)

7) Saxon Albert Order undoubtedly a Knight 1st X (SA3aX)

8) W?rttemberg Friedrich Order undoubtedly a Knight 1st X (WF3aX)

9) Oldenburg Friedrich August Cross 2nd Class (appears the pinback bar at top had a "vor dem Feinde" bar. OK2 or OFAK2)

10) Reuss Honor Cross 3rd or 4th Class with Crown and Swords (REKj/?3XmKr or REKj/?4XmKr?)

11) on the double row set Austro-Hungarian Military Merit Cross 3rd Class with War Decoration wreath (?M3K)

12) Hindenburg Cross X

13) blank dark blue long service-- never had any device

14) blank dark blue long service never had any device

15) Westwall Medal

16) "W?rttemberg long service award" on the set but see the lower half below-- apparently meant for a Turkish Liakat Medal (in gold with Sabers Bar-- upside down!!!) (TL1X)

17) Turkish War Medal star (TWM/EHM)

#4 indicates the person decorated was a MAJOR when this class was received-- assuming that the GOLD Xs are correct.

#5 indicates that the person was a Captain when decorated. So we have a Captain promoted to Major during the war.

#6 indicates the recipient was a Captain when decorated since Majors received this with Crown as an initial award. Gold Xs on the Ernestine and silver Xs here seem to indicate careful precision as to grade being displayed, so will go with "correct" White Falcon identification from its device.

#s 4 & 5 thus identify the class of #s 7 and 8.

#10 I am not sure of exactly which rank got this, being not sure of exactly which grade IT is. But in line with the others as Captain/Major

The double BLANK long services show this fellow was not called back up into WEHRMACHT service. As a wartime Major, the first one would certainly have been a 1920 XXV Years Service Cross, with war years counted double and joined the service no earlier than 1897 (no 22.3.97 Centenary Medal).

Hence my surmise that these two ribbons represent an Imperial XXV and an R.A.D. 4. Many "over the hill" ex officers found jobs if not promotion prospects with the Nazi National Labor Service.

Rolls have been published for the HHOX (probably 80% of them, though insufficient data with only last name and rank to identify many of them), for the BMV4X for officers Cpatains up, for the WW1 Saxon Albert Order.

I've done the unpublished rolls for Saxe-Weimar (such as they are, and I'd bet 90%+ for the GSF3aXs), and added Sachsen-Coburg (all) and Sachsen-Meiningen (only to 1916) to Erhard Roth's Sachsen-Altenburg Rolls.

NO JOY.

Can he be MISSING from ALL THREE Hohenzollern, White Falcon AND Ernestine Rolls, or just ONE unknown yet crucial one that puts a name to this combination? The Bavarian/Saxon pair is too common to help. The Friedrichs to non-W?rttembergers Daniel is still slaving over.

Reuss...

wellllll, can't tell from the war ribbon if it's Younger Line or Elder Line. Could that 7th undone, uncopied roll be the key?

Why me? Why me?

[webr55]

I remember thinking about buying this one ... and someone said "Oh yeah, that should be doable"...

[Paul R]

I remember thinking about buying this one ... and someone said "Oh yeah, that should be doable"...

Me too!! Maybe one day...

[Stogieman]

Yeah, but the guy who works so hard and never gets any joy needed a boost.... so I gave these to him so he could ponder the ways & woes of the world and perhaps be so deep in thought he fails to note that soon, oh so sad and soon.... it will SNOW here.............