The Eagle Has Fallen: WW1 Hero Sits This One OUT, Medal Bar

[Guest Rick Research]

Wasn't sure which sub-forum to put this in after the Traveling Museum brought it to visit, since the important award is Imperial, and that's the oddity here.

The second award is the Prussian Hohenzollern House Order 3rd Class with Swords-- the WW1 direct equivalent (officers only) of a WW2 German Cross in Gold. Both were for prolonged, repeated acts of heroism en route to winning a Wooden Cross.

Something happened to this one, and the centers fell out, way back then. Despite a huge amount of work--the missing back center disk was painted over the "snot" petrified animal glue in colors as if to mimic what's missing-- (duh!) the front got put on at a 90º angle!

But the REALLY odd thing is that this young former warrior god managed to find himself some cushy rear area job for the next war... in the civil service!

Finding a KVK2X on a bar like this would be routine--an over-the-hill WW2 retread Captain who'd been a go-getting Lieutenant in WW1. Even a civil servant--as the Treudienst Cross indicates--would normally have been called up for Wehrmacht duty.

So why was this guy flying a civilian desk instead of a military one? Was he Reichsbahn? Bahnschutz? Surely not Post Office or Registry of Deeds!

Well, we've placed it here in THIS scection, in case some happy day somebody turns up a PHOTo of this guy from Stettin... wearing this medal bar... crooked eagle and all.

Stranger things have happened.

[Paul R]

That is a smoking hot bar! So if the Prussian Hohenzollern House Order 3rd Class with Swords was for officers, what could the enlisted person have received for the DKiG equivalent?

Is it possible the reason this person did not see war duty is a disability of some sort(Wounds from WW1 or intrawar accident)?

[Guest Rick Research]

A Gold Military Merit Cross--that looked like a XV Years Service Cross.

Now I know SOME amongst you are thinking: "Why not chip out the carefully painted petrified goop and UP-END the freakin' center disk?"

Because.... when and if a photo of this guy (the Bürgermeister? Who knows!) shows up and he's wearing it the way it IS... what Little Monkey Fingers undo can never be corrected. Always best to let... leaning birds lean.