Just how big do big bars get?

[landsknechte]

Having recently picked up a yardstick of a ribbon bar myself (a 12x bar to a senior Bavarian NCO), I'm curious as to just how big the really big bars out there are. I'd be interested to see what the biggest medal bars or ribbon bars that y'all have might be? Even if you don't own it, what's the biggest one that you've seen?

--Chris

[Claudio]

Hi Chris,

I don't think there were limitations but usually it was common that the German officers with lots of decorations could wore their ribbon on two rows. I have never seen Senior officers wearing more than two rows, though. There were quite a few exeptions of Senior officers who would wear their ribbon bars on two rows. I could name soldiers like Sepp Dietrich, Ritter von Epp, Erich R?der, etc. Usually officers who had many ribbons they used the narrower type of ribbons (10 mm instead of 15mm)... I have these type of ribbon bars being worn by Ritter von Epp, GFM Keitel, GFM von Blomberg, etc.

My biggest ribbon bar ever does show 17 (!!!) different decorations. Mostly in these cases officers wanted to show all their decorations even the Foreign ones...

Ciao,

Claudio

[Claudio]

Here is R?der's ribbon bar and Epauletten as an example which were sold by Hermann Historica Auction House a couple of years ago.

Ciao,

Claudio

Edited January 29, 2006 by Claudio

[landsknechte]

Very nice.

To clarify my original post, I was thinking more in terms of the number of decorations present than sheer physical size.

Edited January 29, 2006 by landsknechte

[Bob Hunter]

I take it the Raeder bar is yours, Claudio? Well done!

[Stogieman]

I've seen a triple row.........

[mravery]

Here is a double that I once had... and now lives in a very nice home in Germany

Edited January 30, 2006 by mravery