8th Time's the Charm

[Dave Danner]

Apparently, for this guy, an Iron Cross 2nd Class and a Württemberg Silver Military Merit Medal came relatively quickly, but it took three years and eight nominations to get a Bavarian decoration, in this case a Military Merit Cross 2nd Class with Crown and Swords on the ribbon for war merit. First proposed on 30 December 1914, finally awarded on 16 January 1918.

Edited June 10, 2011 by Dave Danner

[Chris Boonzaier]

Some guys just need a lot of pratice!

What unit was he in?

Best

Chris

[avadski]

Hello, interesting...may I ask what book/rolls is that taken from? Thanks

[Dave Danner]

Feldwebel und Beamten-Stellvetreter Walter Findt, born 10 February 1881 in Friedrichshafen, Württemberg. He served from September 1914 to February 1919 in the same unit, but the unit kept changing names.

It was originally the 3. württ. San.-Kraftfw.-Kol., then the San.-Kraftfw.-Kol. 6, then Etappen-San.-Kraftfw.-Abt. 6, and finally bay. San.-Kraftfw.-Abt. 6. It was the ambulance unit for the 6th Army. Probably because it started out as a Württemberg unit, a lot of its records are kept in Württemberg format rather than Bavarian.

During the entire period, the unit had the same commander, Oskar von Haidlen. Those who have Erhard Roth's volume on Bavarian military awards in World War I may find an award of the Military Merit Order 4th Class with Swords to a Kgl. Württ. Rittm.d.L. Oskar von Haidlen, and an award of the Military Merit Order 4th Class with Crown and Swords to Kgl. Bayer. Maj.d.L. Oskar von Haidlen. They are the same person. He was a native Württemberger, in fact a fairly prominent one: an Oberlandesgerichtsrat, Senatspräsident at the Kgl. Oberlandesgericht in Stuttgart, and Mitglied d. Staatsgerichtshof, etc. He formed the unit when the war began and led it throughout. Born in 1854, he was a Rittm.d.L.a.D. when the war began. He was made a char. Major by Württemberg in August 1915, and on 13 August 1917 became a Bavarian Major der Kraftfahr-Truppen des Beurlaubtenstandes. His Kriegsrangliste entry says King Ludwig III himself administered his oath.

Needless to say, Maj. von Haidlen did not have the same problem getting his awards rejected. The only one he seems to have been turned down for is the "V.K.Kr." proposed on 11.9.17. I assume this is the Prussian Verdienstkreuz für Kriegshilfe. He ended up with the Iron Cross 1st and 2nd Class, the Württemberg Friedrichsorden Knight 1st Class with Swords, the Württemberg Charlottenkreuz, the Bavarian Military Merit Order 4th Class with Crown and Swords, the Lippe-Detmold War Merit Cross, and the Hamburg Hanseatic Cross, all to go with his prewar Württemberg Landwehr-DA and pinback Order of the Württemberg Crown.

[Dave Danner]

This guy had it worse than Findt. Pion., later Gefr., Josef Feuerecker, seems to have needed 9 nominations for his EK2 and 3 for his MVK. His civilian job was listed as Kraftwagenführer, so I assume even though they gave him the rank of Pionier, he was an ambulance driver.

[Dave Danner]

Another interesting one. Jakob Häring, born 14 April 1896 in Berg ob. Landshut. He got a Prussian Red Cross Medal 3rd Class on 28 July 1915 (the date was in his Stammrolle entry). In the summer of 1916 he was put in for an Iron Cross and a Bavarian Military Merit Cross, but got neither. A second Iron Cross recommendation in September was approved in November.

A year later, he was put in for the Iron Cross 1st Class and a Bavarian Military Merit Medal (Bravery Medal). Nothing happened with the Bravery Medal. However, he did get promoted to überzähliger Gefreiter (supernumerary lance corporal), maybe in lieu of the medal. In December, he was made a statutory Gefreiter.

It took a year for his Iron Cross 1st Class to get approved. By then, in April 1918, he was in the hospital (Res.-Feldlazarett 31). According to the Stammrolle, he was hospitalized from 28 February to 9 May 1918 for wounds from a mortar round. The entry said he was wounded in the back by shell fragments, and maybe someone thought that didn't sound great, so they added that he was wounded while transporting the wounded. So to the Iron Crosses and Red Cross Medal below, he added a black Wound Badge on 13 June 1918.