Bavarian officer research help

[JBFloyd]

I'm trying to pin down the wartime (WWI) awards of Wendt Arthur Alexander Edmund Karl Rudolf Ernst Franz Oscar, Freiherr von und zu Thungen (born March 1870).

I know he served mostly in Belgium (Charleroi and Hasselt) and received an Iron Cross, second class. Later on, he received the Ehrenritter grade of the Johanniter Order. However, I'm drawing a blank on his wartime awards.

His pre-war awards include a Spanish Order of Carlos III and a Swedish Order of the Sword. The Spanish award dates from service in the Germany Embassy in Madrid and the Swedish award apparently was from a Swedish royal visit to Munich.

Can anyone fill in the blanks, please?

Edited September 21, 2014 by JBFloyd

[Dave Danner]

Hi Jeff,

Wartime awards:

EK2 (19.4.15)

Bavarian Militärverdienstorden 4.Kl. mit der Krone und Schwertern (13.3.15)

Schaumburg-Lippe Kreuz für Treue Dienste (30.3.15)

Hamburg Hanseatenkreuz (1.3.17)

Besides the Spanish and Swedish awards, prewar ones were the Prussian Crown Order 4th Class, the Bavarian Landwehr-Dienstauszeichnung 1.Klasse, and the Jubilee Medal of the Bavarian Army.

[JBFloyd]

Many thanks, Dave.

It's interesting that he chose to mount up his Iron Cross, but not his Bavarian MVO, and he obviously liked his Spanish and Swedish awards.

[Dave Danner]

It looks like he added the Iron Cross improperly to the end.

The Jubilee Medal ranked after the EK2 and ahead of other Bavarian decorations, so it is properly first on his peacetime medal bar. The Prussian Crown Order probably should not come ahead of the Bavarian LD1, but an officer of the Beurlaubtenstand was perhaps less dutiful in these matters.

He might have worn the Bavarian MVO as a buttonhole award. And simply found it easier, if a bit insulting to the King of Prussia, to stick the EK2 on the end than at the front. Not sure about the SLK, which was awarded at the same time as the Bavarian and Prussian decorations, or the HH, which came later.

It does not appear to be a Frackspange, but maybe he just wore it that way after sticking the EK2 on the end.

[Paul C]

Jeff, How did you tie the bar to this officer?

[JBFloyd]

It's not mounted as a frackspange, but certainly could have been worn that way. There are enough questions about him and his awards to keep a researcher going for a while. But, in any case, an unusual combination of awards.

[JBFloyd]

Paul,

The connection was made by a Dutch researcher through various Ordensalmanach editions, rank lists and similar sources. The attribution was done 30 years ago, with the Spanish and Swedish awards being key.

[Paul C]

Thanks.