Adolf von Lupke

[Mark M]

Rick

I have a puzzle that I am hoping you can solve. I have two names and a date on a presentation sword that I can not find anything to tie all together. The sword was presented to Adolf von Lupke by Kreigsminister Genera der Infanterie Josias von Heeringen on January 18, 1913. von Lupke's name appears on the obverse blade and von Heeringen's name and date on the reverse. The pommel cap is engraved with the von Lupke family crest so I am pretty sure he was the recipient. I know the following about von Lupke's career. He entered the service on 21 September 1889 as a Lt with 2. Hanseatisches Infanterie=Regiment Nr. 76. He was promoted to Oberleutnant on 10 September 1897 while serving with Regiment Nr. 76, and in 1899 was reassigned to Infanterie Regiment von der Marwitz (8. Pommerisches) Nr. 61. On 15 November 1904, he was promoted to Hauptmann and reassigned to 2. Hannoversches Infanterie Regiment Nr. 77. He remained with Regiment Nr. 77 until his promotion to Major on 17 February 1914 and subsequent reassignment to 5. Westpreussisches Infanterie Regiment Nr. 148. He served with Regiment Nr. 148 in WWI and was wounded on 28 December 1916 and died in hospital on 4 January 1917 in Boldul, Rumania. Is there anything that you can find which might indicate what the connection between these two men and the date might be?

Thanks in advance,

Mark

[Guest Rick Research]

The specific date is enigmatic... not a promotion or birth date.

Oddly enough, the usually excessively detailed Helden-Gedenkmappe lets us all down on von L?pkes-- he and two others (relationship unspecified) are stuck in the APPENDIX without any additional family information, noted as "cousins all" to the lone civilian von L?pke in the main text. The little 1919 Gotha "Ehrentafel" also does not specify what relationship any of the von L?pkes bore to each other.

So, disappointingly-- not a clue!!!

BUT!!!

The fatality was CARL, not ADOLF, so if it says "Adolf" on the sword, not a clue who THAT was.

Carl was born 5 October 1868, mortally wounded 28 December 1916 at Boldul on the River Sereth, and died of wounds 3/4 January 1917 at a hospital in Gergheasa.

[Mark M]

Rick

Thanks for checking. Anything on von Heeringen and the date that might tie into von Lupke? Married daughters? It seems strange that a Krigsminister and General der Infanterie would bestow a sword on a lowly captian for no reason.

Thanks again,

Mark

[Mark M]

Rick

I missed the lower half of your post. Here is the name on the sword. The sword is a deluxe IOD 89 wth damascus blade. Hmmm! The mystery thickens.

Mark

[attachmentid=23222]

[Guest Rick Research]

I was probably adding that during simultaneous typing.

Now the mystery deepens, since there seem to be NO Adolfs around spare.

There WERE two YOUNG von L?pkes, first names unknown--

one commissioned in Inf Rgt 79 and char. Oberlt aD, the other commissioned in Inf Rgt 80 and also char. Oberlt. aD.

I couldn't find the IR 80 one at all in the horruhs that are the unindexed wartime Seniority Lists.

The IR 79 was ernannt Leutnant 6 January 1915-- which suggests he even while older was probably too young to have received a January 1913 sword, even as a Cadet prize.

Nobody else turns up.

I've also been through my Starcke Verlg volume on the von Heeringens-- including the war Minister: no blood or marriage connection to von L?pkes.

Some sort of Best In Class cadet/? godchild present is the only thing that seems at all possible.

[Mark M]

Rick

OK. Sorry about the bum info on the first von Lupke. The ranklists can be such a pain by not adding the first name! OK, what about this approach. Since this does not indicate any rank for von Lupke, perhaps a someone who was retired?

Mark

[Guest Rick Research]

Nope. Carl was the oldest military one. In 1890 he was a baby 2nd Lt and nobody else serving by that name. Nobody retired recalled for WW1 or in the Orders Almanac in 1908/9.

I'd say somehow or other it's one of the two young ones, though even "79" would seem not to have been able to WEAR such a thing for months and months after January 1913--

perhaps this was a case like parents who buy bicycles and footballs for infants because "some day?"

[Mark M]

Rick

Again, many thanks for looking into this. It just seems really odd that he would have been presented with a sword with a Krigsminister/General's engraved signature as a cadet present if there was no connection between the families. You don't think that maybe he was a civilian? Anyway, you can't win them all. I got lucky with the colonial lion head but struck out on this one, at least for now.

Thanks again,

Mark