EK 1914 EKII document

[sef1962]

Hello just got this today can anybody help some info about the regiment and its whereabouts when this was awarded thanks Mark

[Chris Boonzaier]

Hi,

The Division was pulled from the front on the 1st of August 1918, Your guys unit took part in the fighting to the West of Rheims in the Marne-Champagne offensive... see here for a brief explanation...

http://www.kaiserscross.com/41902/43401.html

[Guest Rick Research]

While we can never be sure of the paperwork processing delays involves (? weeks ? months) the regiment was, as Chris says, last in line 14 July to 1 August on the Antheny-Bois de Trottes sector against the French, as part of the German 103rd Infantry Division.

It was signed by Oberstleutnant Wilhelm von Marcard (1866-1940) who had only taken over the regiment on 18th August, coming from Brunswick Inf Rgt 92. Von Marcard earned a Hohenzollern House Order 3X as a battalion commander just before taking over the Brunswick regiment.

The 103rd Division had suffered prolonged losses against the French in 1918, losing 2,000 prisoners in September from what British intelligence described as war weary despair.

There was a heavy contingent of Meiningers in the 32nd Infantry, so it is not impossible that your Musketier Eigen had the Saxe-Meiningen War Honor Medal. I've got the Rolls-- but 23,000 names is waaaaaaay too much to hunt for on speculation!

Von Marcard never got anything from Meiningen-- just not in the unit long enough.

[Chris Boonzaier]

While we can never be sure of the paperwork processing delays involves (? weeks ? months) the regiment was, as Chris says, last in line 14 July to 1 August

Indeed, but there is a very strong trend that units had a bunch of awards pushed through right after major actions. It was done to improve the moral of the survivors who had left a lot of friends behind and were still sometimes is a rather miserable state.

Usually units were pulled from the line, sent to rest and "Whammo" they got their EKs.