Baden Confusing Baden ribbon bar

[Paul C]

This one is a little confusing to me. Here is what I can tell:

1. EK2

2. Looks like long service

3. RAO or HH. I would say RAO

4. Baden

5. Baden

6. SMK

Does the combination make sense?

If it is a LSC it should be at the end, maybe it is something else

What are the two Baden awards?

Any help is appreciated.

[ixhs]

not two times baden - it could be finnish bravery medal bronce or brunswick house order...

[dond]

Perhaps a wartime Prussian?

[dedehansen]

Hello Paul,

No. 3 could als be RAO-Medaille or AEZ

No. 4 could be silberne Verdienstmedaille am Bande der Militär Carl Friedrich Verdienstmedaille OEK 214 / 215

or Verdienstkreuz des Zähringer Löwens am Bande der MCF Verdienstmedaille OEK 160 both Baden

No. 5 could be Dienstauszeichnung 2. or 3. Klasse Baden OEK 314 or 315

I don´t think that it is an officers ribbon bar, there is missing the Zähringer Löwe ribbon with swords, no 4 and 6 are

missing the attachment for officers.

My Badenbar with Verdienstkreuz and Dienstauszeichnung

and his ribbon bar

Regards

Andreas

[Paul C]

Andreas, I have to agree with you and thanks for the help.

[Jani Tiainen]

Finnish medal of Liberty 2nd class ribbon has narrower yellow stripes so not that one. Also the medal of Liberty was given for enlisted ranks only.

Jani

[Dave Danner]

On Paul's ribbon bar, #5 appears to be the Braunschweig House Order, maybe the Verdienstkreuz or Ehrenzeichen, rather than the Baden DA, which after 1854 should have narrow red edge stripes. The precedence still bugs me, since both the RAO Medal and the AEZ should rank ahead of any DA, and I can't think of any blue ribbon that would take precedence over the RAO/AEZ.

Maybe a Navy petty officer, native to Saxe-Meiningen, who got the Henry the Lion before the war while serving on the SMS Braunschweig and got the Baden Merit Medal on the Karl Friedrich ribbon during the war while serving on the SMS Baden. That makes the order of the last three war-peace-war, but it's also alphabetical by state.

Another possibility is a Saxe-Meiningen native NCO in Königin Augusta Garde-Grenadier-Regt. Nr. 4. Many members of Regiment Augusta received the Henry the Lion in 1913 for services during the wedding of Ernst August Herzog von Braunschweig and Viktoria Luise von Preußen. And since the regimental Chef of GGR 4 was the Grand Duchess of Baden, many GGR 4 officers and men received Baden awards during the war. In fact, GGR 4 may be the most common "peacetime Braunschweig/wartime Baden but no wartime Braunschweig" combination.

Jani, it does seem that the Baden ribbon was often used as a "close enough" substitute by tailors who did not have the Finnish ribbon in stock. I even have a medal bar where they appear to have used it for the Cross of Liberty 3rd Class, which makes even less sense:

[Paul C]

Thanks.

[Jani Tiainen]

Jani, it does seem that the Baden ribbon was often used as a "close enough" substitute by tailors who did not have the Finnish ribbon in stock. I even have a medal bar where they appear to have used it for the Cross of Liberty 3rd Class, which makes even less sense:

That is correct. I have seen the same.

Jani