Ribbon bar of an Admiralarzt?

[webr55]

At first glance, this bar (with a dark blue backing) doesn't look very spectacular:

Edited November 11, 2017 by webr55

[webr55]

Back:

 

Edited November 11, 2017 by webr55

[webr55]

However, there was a device on the last, Volkspflege/RK ribbon. There is quite a large hole, too large for swords, a horizontal line and faint traces of something round:

Edited November 11, 2017 by webr55

[webr55]

I'm convinced it can only be this device, the Kleindekoration for a neck grade of the DRK/Volkspflege award:

Edited November 11, 2017 by webr55

[webr55]

We have two examples in the devices gallery, Dr. Koschel and Hermann Florschütz.

With the Navy backing, this should be a doctor with Admiral rank, who had 25+ years of service and no other awards. I think it has to be one of these four:

Admiralarzt Dr. Kurt Dütschke, only EK1 from WW1

Admiralarzt Dr. Willy Mücke, only EK1 from WW1

Admiralarzt Dr. Egon Schulte-Ostrop, only EK2 from WW1

Admiralarzt Dr. Johannes Sontag, only EK1 from WW1 (died 1941)

However, it will probably not be possible to get him down any further, without a photo.

Edited November 11, 2017 by webr55

[Guest Rick Research]

I agree. This is a circa 1936-39 ribbon bar-- what a REAL All Brass one should look like, stamped "C" catch etc.

Since this is a pre-war ribbon bar, and a person of this rank would have received this class and not a lower one which was "upgraded" with the addition of a device, I think D?tschke can be struck off as too junior at that time.

Good luck finding an original device for the repair!

[webr55]

I agree. This is a circa 1936-39 ribbon bar-- what a REAL All Brass one should look like, stamped "C" catch etc.

Since this is a pre-war ribbon bar, and a person of this rank would have received this class and not a lower one which was "upgraded" with the addition of a device, I think D?tschke can be struck off as too junior at that time.

Good point. I don't think it can be Admiraloberstabsarzt Prof. Fikentscher, or could it also be him?

[webr55]

Because, there are two pictures of Prof. Fikentscher, a wartime one with a long bar:

Edited November 11, 2017 by webr55

[webr55]

and a prewar one with a short bar:

Edited November 11, 2017 by webr55

[webr55]

and here I think I see - yes, different precedence, but - a wreath on the third ribbon...

Edited November 11, 2017 by webr55

[Guest Rick Research]

Bingo!

Cannot be ENTIRELY sure one of the others did not ALSO have this award, but you've found ONE matching group in a very small list of suspects who COULD have had it!

His long ribbon bar is

EK2 1914

KVK2X 1939

Hindenburg X

25

12

Red Cross/Volkspflege-Commander.

[webr55]

[webr55]

Here's the bio information for Prof. Fikentscher, who was Medical-Chief of the Kriegsmarine from 1940 to 1943. The DRK commander is missing in the awards sections, but it's clearly there on his bar.

 

Admiraloberstabsarzt Prof. Dr. med. Alfred Fikentscher

Born: 30 Apr 1888 in Augsburg

Died: 10 Jan 1979 in Kiel

Promotions:

Marineunterarzt (11 May 1914); Marineassistenzarzt (14 Jul 1914); Marineoberassistenzarzt (16 Jul 1915); Marinestabsarzt (19 Apr 1918); Marineoberstabsarzt (01 Jan 1928); Marinegeneraloberarzt (01 Oct 1932); Geschwaderarzt (01 Apr 1934); Flottenarzt (01 Oct 1935); Admiralarzt (01 Nov 1938); Admiralstabsarzt (01 Nov 1939); Admiraloberstabsarzt (01 Sep 1942)

Career:

Entered the Army as a One-Year-Volunteer with the Infantry-Leib-Regiment of the Royal Bavarian Army (01 Apr 1910)

Entered the Navy as a One-Year-Volunteer (01 Apr 1914)

Transferred to the Active-Officer-Corps and with the I. Sailor-Division (11 May 1914-01 Aug 1914); Half-Flotilla-Medic with the 2nd Torpedo-Boat-Half-Flotilla (02 Aug 1914-00 Apr 1916)

Auxiliary-Medic on the Heavy Cruiser 'Seydlitz' (00 Apr 1916-21 Jun 1919)

At the same time, Detached as Auxiliary-Medic on the Mine-Cruiser 'Brummer' (00 May 1917-00 May 1917)

POW, then Returned Home and Placed to the Disposal of the Chief of the Admiralty (21 Jun 1919-20 Apr 1920)

Placed to the Disposal of the Station-Medic of the Naval-Station of the Baltic Sea (21 Sep 1920-05 Oct 1920)

With the Naval-Hospital Kiel-Wik then with the Personnel-Office Baltic Sea and District-Medic Hulk 'Kronprinz' (06 Oct 1920-29 Nov 1921)

At the same time, Acting-Garrison-Medic Friedrichsort (15 Dec 1920-13 Jan 1921)

At the same time, Acting-Ships-Medic on the Cruiser 'Medusa' (17 Dec 1920-05 Jan 1921)

At the same time, Acting-Naval-Family-Medic Kiel (20 Jan 1921-18 Feb 1921)

At the same time, Acting-Chief-Medic of the Naval-Hospital Mürwik (23 May 1921-21 Jun 1921)

At the same time, Acting-Chief-Medic of the Naval-Convalescent-Home Holsteinische Schweiz (14 Jul 1921-12 Aug 1921)

At the same time, Acting-Battalion-Medic of the Infantry-Battalion, Stralsund (06 Sep 1921-29 Nov 1921)

Battalion-Medic of the Infantry-Battalion (30 Nov 1921-31 Mar 1922)

Battalion-Medic of the 2nd Battalion of the Ships-Cadre-Division of the Baltic Sea (01 Apr 1922-24 Apr 1923)

At the same time, Chief Medical Officer at the Naval-Hospital-Battalion Stralsund (01 Oct 1922-24 Apr 1923)

Medical Service in Berlin (01 May 1925-30 Sep 1925)

Placed to the Disposal of the Station-Medic of the Naval-Station of the Baltic Sea, Detached to the University Ophthalmic Clinic Berlin (01 Oct 1925--5 Oct 1928)

Senior-Medic of the Naval-Hospital Kiel-Wik and also Acting-Ships-Medic on the Liner 'Hessen' (06 Oct 1928-26 Sep 1929)

At the same time, Senior-Medic at the Naval-School Kiel-Wik (06 Oct 1928-02 Jan 1930)

At the same time, Senior-Medic at the Ship-Artillery-School (01 Nov 1928-29 Mar 1932)

At the same time, Acting-Division-Medic of the Ships-Cadre-Division of the Baltic Sea (01 Jul 1930-10 Jul 1930)

Chief-Medic of the Naval-Hospital Kiel-Wik (30 Mar 1932-18 Jun 1936)

At the same time, Chief Medic at the Naval-Hospital Kiel-Wik (30 Mar 1932-30 Sep 1932)

Medic with Fleet-Command (19 Jun 1936-28 Oct 1938)

Station-Medic and Chief of the Medical-Office of the Naval-Station of the North Sea (31 Oct 1938-26 Nov 1939)

Chief of the Naval-Medical-Office (27 Nov 1939-31 Dec 1939)

Chief of the Naval-Medical-Office and Medical-Chief of the Kriegsmarine, OKM (01 Jan 1940-30 Nov 1943)

Retired (30 Nov 1943)

Placed to the Disposal of the Kriegsmarine without being Mobilised (01 Dec 1943)

Decorations & Awards:

- Deutsches Kreuz in Silber: am 21.09.1943 als Admiraloberstabsarzt und Chef des Marinemedizinalamtes und Sanitätschef der Kriegsmarine

- 1914 EK I

- 1914 EK II

- Ehrenkreuz für Frontkämpfer

- Wehrmacht-Dienstauszeichnung IV. bis I. Klasse

- Kriegsverdienstkreuz I. Klasse mit Schwertern

- Kriegsverdienstkreuz II. Klasse mit Schwertern

Edited November 11, 2017 by webr55

[webr55]

Dr. med. from the University of Straßburg in 1913.

Edited November 11, 2017 by webr55

[webr55]

Found some additional information on Fikentscher in an article on him from the Marine-Rundschau 1959:

He got an honorary professorship from the University of Berlin in 1941.

After he retired in 1943, he went zV and became "Bevollmächtigter für sanitäre Planung und Wirtschaft beim Reichskommissar für das Sanitäts- und Gesundheitswesen". He apparently held this position until 1945.

He was released from POW status in June 1947 and became eye specialist in Kiel.

Edited November 11, 2017 by webr55

[Ulsterman]

A small bar but with a lot of history behind it! congrats on obtaining it.

[kzw]

Imo the hole was for swords.

[Paul R]

1 hour ago, kzw said:

Imo the hole was for swords.

How can you tell?

[kzw]

First of all; I am very skeptical on the existence of this round device.

I'll be glad to learn somthing if there a device like that exist, but until now, i dont found.

[Paul R]

It does not make sense for a German neck order to have a wartime ribbon bar representation, when no others did.  I was kinda thinking the same thing, but I am not so knowledgeable on these so I kept quiet.

[kzw]

according to my research, the only possible device on this ribbon is swords

[webr55]

On 04/01/2008 at 15:49, webr55 said:

"There is quite a large hole, too large for swords, a horizontal line and faint traces of something round"