Show us your Reuss stuff!

[Blitz]

Yet another one I haven't seen before.. Interesting and thank you for sharing!

[Wild Card]

Gentlemen,

I would like to take a moment to say what a terrific thread this has developed into; and to thank all who have contributed to it. I am reluctant to comment on any particular items without mentioning all; but I do have a couple of comments and questions that I can not pass up.

A. Is the honor cross 3rd class with crown and swords (post #89) not exceptionally rare? Does any one know how many were awarded?

B. The pair in post #91 is one of the most beautiful pair I?ve seen since..., sorry, we shall maintain our decorum.

C. Again, I do not think that there are many of these around (?); but also I could not help but to realize that - Oh great, another plain blue ribbon to take into consideration when trying to decipher ribbon bars!

D. Post #93 - I am still trying to find the words. Can we settle on spectacular?

In closing, I would like to present another old timer and his little brother. Again, thanks to all.

Wild Card

[Wild Card]

Little brother, who brought a couple of friends along for a group picture.

[Blitz]

Super!

To answer questions A and C, Nobody knows. Even nimmergutt only has Reuss-Greiz numbers from 1908/09-1914. And just as a reminder, Greiz was the smaller of the two. Reuss wartime awards rolls haven't surfaced yet so there are no numbers what so ever as to how many medalls and honor crosses were awarded with swords. But one thing is clear.

1st, 2nd and third class honor crosses are FAR MORE numerous than the officers cross, 4th cl and anything with swords and/or crown, because the original three classes were awarded 1869-1918 and all the others only between 1909-1918.

[Kronenorden]

...a special for Wild Card........

[Kronenorden]

my favorite, Reuss merit medal without!!! swords..

[Kronenorden]

..backside..

[Mark M]

Wild Card

Like most Prussian awards the grade of Reuss Honor Cross award was based on rank.

1st class with crown - General Leutnant and above

1st class - Major General and Oberst

Officers Cross - Oberstleutnant

2nd class (with or w/o crown) - Major

3rd class with crown - Captain

3rd class - Oberleutnant, Leutnant

4th class (w or w/o crown) - NCO

As Blitz mentions the swords were added to the award around 1909 to indicate combat awards. In January 1915 the ribbons were changed from the amaranth to the more commonly seen "war time" ribbon of yellow with red and black stripes. What makes #89 unusual is that it is a combatant award on the pre war ribbon.

Mark

[Kronenorden]

veterans medal maybe 1920

[Kronenorden]

back..

[Kronenorden]

veterans member batge...

[Blitz]

Another bunch of awards I have not seen before..

To continue what Mark said about the honor crosses.. ..The silver merit medall was founded in 1885 by Heinrich XIV and the golden medall in 1897 by the same man. Swords were added to the medals in 1909 and also a crown for the golden medall. Silver medals were awarded to privates and corporals while the golden ones were for NCO's or civilians of matching rank/status. The silver merit medal Mark just posted is the first cased one I have seen.. Very nice..

[Wild Card]

Gentlemen,

Thank you Blitz and Mark M for the answers to my questions. With the new and serious interest in research, perhaps these records will surface or be made available if the right person decides to pursue them. Kronenorden, as I suspected, she?s as beautiful walking away as she coming towards you. Those two were, as they say, made for each other. Thanks.

I am sorry to say that it seems that the modem on my main computer has taken sick; so what little I can do, and it isn?t much, is being done on an old laptop through the slowest dial-up in the western hemisphere. So my contributions to the forum will be severely curtailed until at least Tuesday! I?ll be looking in from time to time.

Thanks again and have fun,

Wild Card

Edited April 1, 2006 by Wild Card

[Kronenorden]

My new!!!! Medal, Reuss ?.L. Medal for Treue und Verdienst

[Kronenorden]

.....

[Kronenorden]

A rare original photo. Prince Heinrich XXII in his house uniform (General) with his woman.

Edited April 19, 2006 by Kronenorden

[Stogieman]

Kronenorden, welcome to The Forum! Interesting items! Thanks!

[Kronenorden]

@stogieman@ Thanks

Labor Merit Medal in original case from "Scharffenberg Dresden" in best condition.

[Wild Card]

Hi Kronenorden,

I am glad that you brought this thread back to life. In reading it back, I realized that I failed to thank you for your post #105 , so please accept my belated thanks. I really think that 4th class cross is a beautifully executed piece. Following is a medal that I had overlooked when this thread was rolling which is a variation of your post #114.

Thanks again and best wishes,

Wild Card

[Kronenorden]

What kind of a wonderful piece, I thank you.

[webr55]

Here is my new Reuss ribbon bar. The EK ribbon is in bad condition, as you can see. The swords on the Reuss ribbon look gold or bronze. I'm not sure - an officer? Then he would have a prewar AOR and SEHO w/oX. Or a reserve NCO - without LS and with merit crosses???

Edited November 14, 2017 by webr55

[webr55]

The back:

Edited November 14, 2017 by webr55

[webr55]

With the Centenary and no LS, I would think that this is the bar of a regular officer who entered service before 1897 and was a Hauptmann in 1914. I find only one candidate in the 1914 RL; all others with only SA3b and HSH3b were either too young or got other WW1 awards. My suspect is a certain

Hauptmann Graffunder

Lt 22.3.95. He is listed without first name in the DOA 08/09, in IR95, has got the SA3b, HSH3b, Centenary and the Russian St. Stanislaus. Hptm 27.1.1912Q. In 1914, he is still in IR95, with an additional Bulgarian St. Alexander. He didn't get anything else from Saxony during WW1, but the Reuss award seems possible, given IR95 was a Thuringian unit. Major aD in 1919.

This might be his wartime bar, provided he wore only his German awards.

[webr55]

However, there is a problem: Graffunder got the HHOX, gazetted on 19.4.1917. So if it is his bar, then it must have been an early wartime one, before this date.

[Guest Rick Research]

This could certainly be a 1916 ribbon bar... and perhaps the HHOX was worn from the buttonhole.