A medal for a hero?

[Chris Boonzaier]

While working on some research I found the following passage....

An extremely hard attack was launched at the left wing where the 8./ b.R.Fda.R.5 was in position about 1500m Southwest of Guignicourt between the road to Berry au Bac and the Aisne. Under the calm orders of Leutnant Ibach the battery engaged enemy assault troops in the fields along the Aisne over open sights. The enemy, who had made it to Guignicourt were hit from the rear and seven tanks were destroyed at close range. Finally the artillery position was overrun, The 2. and 7. /B. R.Fda.R.5 who had taken up position just behind the trenches fired until the last moment but were swamped by the enemy attack as well.

I have an Iron Cross award document to a guy who was in this gallant battery (the 8th), awarded 4-5 days after the action. This action is mentioned in a book that condenses the whole bavarian war effort into one volume, so i assume it gained a bit of notice back in the time.

Does anyone know if Ibach got a high award of some sort? He would probably have been a RK candidate in WW2.

Best

Chris

[Chris Boonzaier]

Hi,

A member kindly provided me the following info...

On the third of November 1918 he received the Milit?r Max Josephs Order for his deeds in Aisne. On 6.November 1918 he received his Adelsbrief ,his emblem in the Adelsbrief was a turtle surrounded from 7 Grenades(stands for the 7 tanks he has destroyed). From this point he was called Friedrich Ritter von Ibach.He died on 25.May 1968 in Schwabach/Mittelfranken.

In ww2 he was the kommandeur of a POW Camp for Russian POWs in Weissenburg(Lager W?lzburg) my hometown.He was not

accused for any war crimes and the Russians which have survived this dark Era only talked good about him,some of the Russian survivors meet in my hometwn in the early 90ies.

Thanks to Andreas :-))))