one more officer to ID and one for your pleasure

[HeikoGrusdat]

Hello all,

after this great succes with the two officers id?d on photos yesterday here is one more navy officer that should be possible - look at his neck order!!!

As a little "thank you" for your great work here is another photo that shows Major von Rappart wearing a very nice medal bar - unfortunately he has been killed in action on 26.9.1914 in Sandfontain/Southwestafrica - ENJOY!!!

greetings

Heiko

[HeikoGrusdat]

here are the details....

[HeikoGrusdat]

and my little "new years present"

Major von Rappart

[Guest Rick Research]

The Schutztruppen officer was actually

Emil Ritter und Edler von Rappard

born in Aplerbeck 26 November 1863, and shown in the Helden-Gedenkmappe as killed at Sandfontein on 27 September 1915.

That's Red Eagle 4 w Crown (a tiny one--note the interior red enamel!) and X, XXV, SWA, 1897, and the Bavarian MMO4X on the pre-war one-and-only ribbon. He was promoted to major in 1910 and received a Johanniter Order between 1912-13, so this photo dates 1910-12.

The naval officer is a problem. He is definitely either zur See (crowns on sleeves) dR or dSW, since that is an XX, and he has no 1897 despite having a China medal (so can't be PRE-1897).

It all cmes down to WHAT he is wearing around his neck. There is another candidate--and another possible identification of what that is,

but I'm leaning towards

Hamburg-Amerika Linie Kapit?n- und- Inspekteur Otto Reichenb?cher, born 30 July 1869 in Heinersdord, Reuss.

Navy since 1.4.93. Oberlt zS dR 28.9.06 E,

Kapit?nleutnant zS dR 13.6.12 F

He had a Red Eagle 4 for his merchant navy status even while still only an Oberlt zS dR, had the XX by 1914 (this photo would DATE about then, because of the XX), the Russian St Stanuislaus 3rd Class and

the Portugese Order of Our Lady of Villa Vicosa "Knight."

I can't even find what the ribbon for that was, but I think there is a tiny crown atop the starry rays, and as the ONLY holder of the 3 "findable" awards on the medal bar AND something else with lots of points, I'd hazard that it is HIM. Normally a knight grade should be worn on a medal bar, but I know nothing about the Portugese decoration except the looks of its Grand Cross from a drawing in a book of "Catholic" Orders.

ALL OF THIS IS PURELY SPECULATION WITHOUT BEING ABLE TO POSITIVELY IDENTIFY THE NECK ORDER. Somebody may be able to, but I can't.

Reichenb?cher served in a variety of shore staff positions in Hamburg and with the army in Bulgaria, ending WW1 as chief of Danube river shipping. EK2, HH. After the war he resumed his HaPag career, and was an Abteilungsdirektor (WHICH Abteilung is not specified) until retiring between 1935 and 1937. He was alive in 1939 at Blumenau 83, Hamburg.

[Mike Dwyer]

- look at his neck order!!!

It's kind of hard to see at that angle, but it almost looks like the Imperial Order of the Star of Honour of Ethiopia, founded by Emperor Menelik I sometime in 1884-1885, but it has too many points.

Personally, I don't think it's shaped quite right for Villa Vicosa either.

Edited January 1, 2006 by Mike Dwyer

[Bob Hunter]

Congratulations, Heiko! I like a man who knows how to treat himself well.

[Guest Rick Research]

The difficulty is that there is NOBODY with ANYTHING "Commander" grade among the Kapit?nleute dR or dSW who COULD be him. I thought maybe Venezuelan Bolivar Order...

there is another guess, but he did not have the other suspected Order in '14 either.

There isn't even anyone else with a "medal bar" grade award to add to the Red Eagle and Stanislaus with XX (or LD2 even) combination.

I have '95, '08, and '14 MRLs, and I suppose that somebody MIGHT fall through those gaps BUT reserve officers in the navy--merchant captains mostly-- were singularly UNdecorated.

The very few pages of officers of this rank are a of LD1 and LD2, mostly.

[Mike Dwyer]

I don't really think it's the Bolivian Order of Simon Bolivar either, the star isn't shaped quite right. I've looked at a bunch of orders, but I can't find anything that's shaped quite like this one.

Edited January 1, 2006 by Mike Dwyer

[Pete A]

How about the White Elephant of Siam?

Edited January 1, 2006 by Pete A

[Guest Rick Research]

You know, I think you're on to something there, Pete! The OTHER "only" possible WAS in China in 1914, so was in the right area of the world --

There were only 14 Kapit?nleute zS dR and dSW I & II with only a Red Eagle 4 and no other German decorations, and that includes dR and dSW of Matrosenartillerie (I'm not sure whether they wore sleeve crowns). Out of these only TWO had a Stanislaus. None of the 14 had anything "extra" that did not immediately exclude them except Reichenb?cher, and now I agree that is out too-- the crown on that is much too large.

[webr55]

You know, I think you're on to something there, Pete! The OTHER "only" possible WAS in China in 1914, so was in the right area of the world --

There were only 14 Kapit?nleute zS dR and dSW I & II with only a Red Eagle 4 and no other German decorations, and that includes dR and dSW of Matrosenartillerie (I'm not sure whether they wore sleeve crowns). Out of these only TWO had a Stanislaus. None of the 14 had anything "extra" that did not immediately exclude them except Reichenb?cher, and now I agree that is out too-- the crown on that is much too large.

So here's the other possibility:

Edwin Deinat

Shown in the MRL 1913 as KaptLt dR, 8.6.07, with RAO4, LD1 and St. Stanislaus3. During WW1, he was a POW in the US, so no awards for the war.

He was aD 21.1.20, promoted to char. Korvkapt dR aD 29.8.20, died 26.3.23.

[JapanX]

- look at his neck order!!!

 

 

This is chinese order of double dragon. 

[VtwinVince]

Wow, what an ancient thread. Whatever happened to Heiko?