Baden Baer, Joachim von

[Dave Danner]

The picture below is from the Wehrmacht personnel file of char.Maj.z.V. Joachim von Baer. He was born in 1877 and served in Baden's Leib-Grenadier-Regiment Nr. 109 from 1897 to 1907. He was recalled in August 1914 and served in some Landsturm postings and as a Bahnhofskommandant (OLt.a.D. 10.9.14, Hptm.a.D. 3.11.15, char.Maj.a.D. 6.4.21 for those keeping track). He was recalled to service in January 1938 and became a char.Maj.z.V. on 15.6.38.

As you can see, the file lists his awards as the EK2, the Knight 2nd Class with Swords of the Order of the Zähringen Lion, the Honor Cross for Combatants and the Hungarian WW1 Commemorative Medal.

But as you can also see, his ribbon bar has 5 ribbons. I am thinking the unidentified ribbon is the 1902 Baden Regierungs-Jubiläumsmedaille, since he was an active officer in LGR 109 in 1902. Any guesses as to why it was not listed under "Auszeichnungen"? Also, it is hard to tell from the picture, but it looks like the order might be EK2-BZ3bX-FKE-UngKEM-BadRJM[?]. If this is the BadRJM, is it out of order after a foreign award?

Thanks and regards

[Chris Boonzaier]

Could it be another one of the "buy your own foreign medal" awards? Bulgarian?

[Dave Danner]

I guess it could be, but there's no notation in the file. Usually, Weimar and Third Reich pre-1938 awards are all listed. World War II awards are often omitted. Anschluss and Sudeten medals are often left out, too.

Since I first posted this, I have found other Wehrmacht officers whose files are missing peacetime pre-World War I decorations. I have also noticed that the Deutsche Ordens-Almanach rarely lists the Baden Regierungs-Jubiläumsmedaille.

Based on what Sascha posted in an older thread from the Baden regulations, an active officer in a Baden regiment in 1902 should have gotten the Jubilee.

I suppose it will remain a mystery until and unless the bar ever shows up.

[dedehansen]

The order of ribbons on such a bar is usually first the decorations for wartime service

and than the decorations from peacetime so the order off ribbons is correct. Every baden

citizen who was soldier, public officer or public servant 1902 got this Regierungsjubiläumsmedaille

Andreas