HeikoGrusdat Posted December 29, 2009 Posted December 29, 2009 Especially for my french saxon friend Christophe - the next saxon superhero !!! photo is made in Sachsen-Anhalt....
HeikoGrusdat Posted December 29, 2009 Author Posted December 29, 2009 and the medal bar - hmmmmmmmmmmmm that`s a bar :love:
Naxos Posted December 30, 2009 Posted December 30, 2009 (edited) Great portrait! I can make out: KALAHARI 190 ? I can not read last digit but I guess it's 1908 Edited December 30, 2009 by Naxos
Deruelle Posted December 30, 2009 Posted December 30, 2009 Hi Heiko, What a great photo you have there. Brave man he is. Do you have name ? Thanks a lot for sharing it with us Christophe
HeikoGrusdat Posted December 30, 2009 Author Posted December 30, 2009 it should be Kalahari 1908 of course... No , unfortunately there is no name or anything else written on the reverse... no more info :(
Claudius Posted December 30, 2009 Posted December 30, 2009 and the medal bar - hmmmmmmmmmmmm that`s a bar I can't make out what #1 & #3 are. For the rest of us, could someone name off the medals L-R?
Stogieman Posted December 30, 2009 Posted December 30, 2009 Saxon Military Order of Saint Henry Medal (Silver?)(Gold?) Saxon Honor Cross with Swords Saxon Friedrich August Medal (Silver?) Prussian EK2 Merit Cross to Sax-Ernestine House Order with Swords Sax-Altenburg Bravery Medal Saxon Long Service Cross (15 Years-NCO)(possibly a 20 year depends on what year pix was taken...) Prussian SW Afrika KDM w. Kalahari 1908 Service Bar (Note the oddity of period photography that reverses color hues on the St. Henry & FAM ribbons)
TacHel Posted December 30, 2009 Posted December 30, 2009 Quite the rack for an NCO! He is a feldwebel, correct?
Guest Rick Research Posted December 30, 2009 Posted December 30, 2009 (edited) The only match from the Rolls-- uniform and rank unexplained is... Wachtmeister Alban Freitag, K.S. Husaren Rgt 18 sStHM 10.02.15 (Roth) SKzX 22.01.17 (Roth) EH4X-Coburg 03.08.16 (Lundström & Krause) That appears to be a M1915 dress infantry uniform. Can't explain it. There were only 12 Saxon recipients of the EH4X, and for the trio of awards above, ONLY HIM. Edited December 30, 2009 by Rick Research
Naxos Posted December 30, 2009 Posted December 30, 2009 Quite the rack for an NCO! He is a feldwebel, correct? Offizierstellvertreter in the rank of a Vizefeldwebel
Guest Rick Research Posted December 30, 2009 Posted December 30, 2009 Yup, which makes no sense based on three separate rolls. Freitag was a Hussar Wachtmeister (= Feldwebel)so even if he transferred OUT of "circus lion tamer" uniformed cavalry into ? Schützen (darker looking than infantry red ??) or ??!! Pioniere in 1918... he'd have had a second cuff stripe for his permanent rank. I can't account for anybody else with the unique trio of awards. Naughty man wearing Xs on ribbons, too.
Naxos Posted December 30, 2009 Posted December 30, 2009 Is it possible to read the number on the shoulder strap?
Guest Rick Research Posted December 30, 2009 Posted December 30, 2009 Exactly what I was thinking while I was away wrestling with the combination in the Rolls again. KURT Harnisch sStHM 14.01.16 as Vizefeldwebel-Offizierstellvertreter K.S. IR 107 (Roth) EH4X (Altenburg) 15.08.17 as VFw-OffzSV 7./ IR 107 (Lundström & Krause) annnnnd as "OTTO" Harnisch, SKzX 25.05.17 VFw-OffzSV IR 107 (Roth) the first names threw me off, but that makes Harnisch the ONLY one who matches the rank and uniform....
sambolini Posted December 30, 2009 Posted December 30, 2009 Hi, Odd that he has sword devices on the ribbons of a couple of awards that have swords incorporated into their design aready. Sam
Guest Rick Research Posted December 30, 2009 Posted December 30, 2009 I can't account for the Vorname discrepancies for Harnisch in the late Erhard Roth's work, since to this day we don't know what rolls he saw. Nobody has gone back to see what the saxon sources ARE. But here the Sachsen-Altenburg wartime Ernestine House Order Roll (the one kept SOLELY for the Duchy itself of... five versions) confirms first name as Kurt: I've now rechecked and re-checked again all the 12 Saxon EH4X winners by last names under ANY first names and only Freitag and Harnisch have the trio. 5 of the 12 were Feldwebelleutnants when they got the EH4X so cannot be any of them, 2 more were Unterzahlmeisters--again can not be them, and 1 was an Obermusikmeister... only leaving 4 "suspects." This is a truly amazing set of awards for a senior NCO/Warrant Officer.
TacHel Posted December 30, 2009 Posted December 30, 2009 About the ribbon mounted swords... If the awards are simply hooked under the ribbons, he might've used the very same bar in the undress "sans gongs"... No?
Guest Rick Research Posted December 30, 2009 Posted December 30, 2009 No. These are sewn down permanently-- you can most clearly see the restraining thread sewn across horizontally under the "W" of the Iron Cross.
HeikoGrusdat Posted December 30, 2009 Author Posted December 30, 2009 Wow.... a very good discussion with a lot of information - thanks to all !!! here is the shoulder board in closeup...
Naxos Posted December 31, 2009 Posted December 31, 2009 (edited) And Ricky pulled it off, again! The proof: 107 :cheers: Edited December 31, 2009 by Naxos
Guest Rick Research Posted December 31, 2009 Posted December 31, 2009 Aha! Technological magic! This was "easy" given the extraordinary number of awards limiting suspects. Just that bit of confusion in the sources over first names and-- all it takes always is Just Having The Right References. Well, that and some fool dedicated person spending years transcribing Rolls that have never been published before. It seems extraordinary to me that Warrant Officer Harnisch-- who'd have been discharged as a Leutnant aD IF he survived-- got SEVEN awards but NOT the Gold St. Henry Medal. Definitely worth seeking out a WW1 regimental history of Saxon IR 107.
Deruelle Posted December 31, 2009 Posted December 31, 2009 In the history unit n° 107, Kurt Harnisch received the SsHM on 20.00.1915 by the Saxon König. he belonged to the 7. Komp Christophe
Chris Liontas Posted December 31, 2009 Posted December 31, 2009 WOW!!! Amazing photo and great work Rick!! :cheers:
Deruelle Posted December 31, 2009 Posted December 31, 2009 Hi, Here is all medals and orders awarded during the war by officers and men of the IR 107 Christophe
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