A group of new heroes

[IrishGunner]

I got this photo thinking it was a group of new EK2's. However, upon closer inspection - both under jeweler's loop and with a scanned photo, I am pretty sure they are not/not EK's.

I am not sure what decoration they may be instead. The ribbons are more light (not as black as would be for an EK), which made me think Bavarian. Under magnification, I thought I could discern both the Hamburg and the Lubeck ribbons. That might be an imagination working overtime.

The shape of the medals themselves haven't become clear.

So, I offer it here so you can strain your eyes for a bit. :whistle:

[drakegoodman]

Not often you see awards other than the EK2 being awarded en-masse. Thanks for posting your picture.

The image is too grainy for me to be able to tell what kind of award we are looking at. You mention the possibility of them being a Bavarian award. Here's a good comparison photograph depicting an EK2 beside a Bavarian Military Merit Cross (Militär-Verdienstkreuz).

[IrishGunner]

Unfortunately, the original is fairly blurry too; it's on a post card, but only takes up about a third of the area. I am almost certain the ribbons are not EK black; they appear as almost all white in the photograph. (Would black EK ribbons washout to white in a photo of this era?)

Under x9 magnifying loop, I can see that the two ribbons on the left have a wider and lighter center stripe with narrower darker side stripes; suggesting to me that it's possible they are Bavarian MVK.

Another possibility would be the Wuerttemburg Military Merit Medal.

The problem is that I can't really make out any of the shapes of the medals; nothing comes clear as a EK shape. Nothing really looks round either.

So, it's a pure guess really, but I think they are Bavarians. Curious if anyone has evidence of an en masse awarding of the MVK. Seems logical.

[drakegoodman]

I too doubt the EK2 ribbon would have that much 'white' in it. Obviously nothing on the picture's reverse to give us any clues as to what state etc?

[IrishGunner]

I too doubt the EK2 ribbon would have that much 'white' in it. Obviously nothing on the picture's reverse to give us any clues as to what state etc?

Unfortunately, a completely blank reverse; not even a "printed by" name.