Your favourite NCO Groups ?

[Paul R]

Here are mine!!

[dedehansen]

My favorite Baden bar from Unteroffizier Leopold Karl Scheyer Reserve Infanterie Regiment Nr. 238

He got his medal on 27.04.1918

Regards

Andreas

[Claudius]

Gentlemen;

Theses are all wonderful bars.    Thank you for starting this thread Chris.

I have a couple of entries, but right now I can only add the link to my favorite.  I will confess in advance, it is a bit of a cheat to the category.   Yes, he was a NCO during the fighting, but later became a (Prison) Officer and earned some additional awards.

 

 

[Beau Newman]

Here's one from Saxony and Reuss that started as an NCO and ended up an officer.

[Chris Boonzaier]

That is very unusual.... I would have thought that if he recieved the Olympic medla, he would have been sure to already have a Hindenburg?

Nice Bar!

[dedehansen]

That is very unusual.... I would have thought that if he recieved the Olympic medla, he would have been sure to already have a Hindenburg?

Nice Bar!

I have a problem with this bar too, the Ehrenkreuz for Frontkämpfer should be on the bar, and it wasn´t allowed to fix such an aluminium medal on black, white and red ribbon on a bar at this time. Please show a photo from the back.

Regards
Andreas

[CRBeery]

That is very unusual.... I would have thought that if he recieved the Olympic medla, he would have been sure to already have a Hindenburg?

Nice Bar!

The Hindenburg was not given out to my understanding. A person had to apply for it during 34/35. If this guy did not apply for it he would not have it on his bar. He was most likely done with war and then was somehow pulled back in as a civilian in uniform to get the Olympic medal and 25 year LS. I have a two war NC bar that has the Olympic and a similar LS award with no Hindenburg. It was blessed by Rick as original.

[Chris Boonzaier]

I suppose it is technically possible, but veeeery unusual... the Treuedienst Ehrenzeichen was introduced in 1938... So he was still kicking around without having applied for the Hindie (even more unusual as he was an official) and he also still has the unofficial Red White and black ribonned medal on it?

[Beau Newman]

Here's the back - appears to be period construction.

[Chris Boonzaier]

The flip side of the coin.... if someone were to fake a bar this well... would be make such a howling error and leave off the Hindie for an unofficial medal? I think that may just be even more unlikey than a Vet not having it put on?

[Paul R]

How can someone distinguish an NCO bar from an officer's bar?

[CRBeery]

Paul,

On some bars it is not possible. The others you can tell by the awards. Certain awards were given to specific ranks. The higher ranks would get the wreathed or crowned version (Saxony). Long service medals are also a good tell. Some senior officers have bars that get smaller as awards move to the neck.  They look like an enlisted/NCO bar but the officer LS is still there.

[Beau Newman]

How can someone distinguish an NCO bar from an officer's bar?

There are certain grades of awards that were awarded to NCOs.  For instance, Bavarian privates received the 3rd Class MVK while the higher grades went to the higher enlisted ranks.  Officers would get, at least, the enameled 4th Class Order.  Also, the presence of an enlisted long service award is another indication.

On the Saxony/Reuss group above, there are both the Reuss merit medal, an enlisted award, and the Reuss House Order, 3rd Class, an officer's award.  There is also a 15 Year Long Service Cross which was awarded only to enlisted men.  This indicates several years of pre-war service.  This guy probably started the war as an NCO but received a commission sometime later.

A purely officer's bar will often have house orders.  The only long service awards on an officer's bars will be those designated for officers such as the Prussian 25 year cross for line officers or the 20 year cross for reserve officers.  In the case of an officer who had shorter service and had not been awarded a house order, there is no way to tell.  Prussian officers often received only the Iron Cross which was available to all ranks.

 

Edited September 2, 2015 by Beau Newman

[Ulsterman]

Here is one of my favorites....sorry about the picture...I am using an iPad.

and another...I have gone through the REM awards to see what I could find......I suspect a bandmember or a steward aboard the Kaisers' yaucht or some such person...

[Wild Card]

Gentlemen,

 

Some really beautiful bars shown here. Thank you all for sharing. Here is my candidate. The awards to Feldwebel Hermann Stude of the 4th Guards Grenadier Regt. -

[Claudio]

Wow Chris!.... that's a stunning German unifications wars medal bar.... with the Russian St. George Cross really highly desirable...

Ciao,

 

Claudio

[dedehansen]

Wow Wild Card, very nice bar

Here his comrade from Garde Grenadier Regiment No. 3 Sergeant / Feldwebel Gottfried Hellwich

Regards

Andreas

[Paul R]

Beau,

Thank you for the detailed explanation.  So Prussian bars could go either way, in most cases.

You all have some mind blowing medal bars.  

This bar(Below) is simply amazing.  Feldwebel Hermann Stude saw a lot of history: Second Schleswig War and BOTH wars of unification.  WOW.  He has the full house going on there.  I bet he had a lot of great "war stories."

 

Gentlemen,

 

Some really beautiful bars shown here. Thank you all for sharing. Here is my candidate. The awards to Feldwebel Hermann Stude of the 4th Guards Grenadier Regt. -

[dedehansen]

Here is one of my favorites....sorry about the picture...I am using an iPad.

and another...I have gone through the REM awards to see what I could find......I suspect a bandmember or a steward aboard the Kaisers' yaucht or some such person...

Hi Ulsterman,

I like your bar with the Rote Adler - Medaille

When you look through the Rangliste der kaiserlich deutschen Marine from 1914, you will find

a couple of possible recipients, not all aboard Kaisers Yacht. For eyample such as Oberbootsleute Arpe from

I. Matrosendivision and Bootsleute Eckhoff from I. Matrosendivision both with AEZ, DA1, RAM and Centenarmedaille.

Regards
Andreas

 

[Beau Newman]

An 1870 group to a long serving Baden NCO.

[jaba1914]

One more. The group of Oberfeuerwerker Kurt Porske.

In the navy from 1902, serving on many ships (S.M.S. HERTHA, S.M.S. LORELEY, S.M.S. MÜNCHEN, S.M.S. MAGDEBURG, S.M.S. KAISER, S.M.S. PRINZREGENT LUITPOLD, S.M.S. KOENIG). He was onbord of SMS KÖNIG during the battle of Skagerrak. From 1917 - 1919 with the airship service.

He recieved both ottoman medals during his service at the Feuerwerker school as teacher. Maybe prevent some guys for doing stupid things :-)

Edited September 19, 2015 by jaba1914

[ccj]

Baden bar, the MKFO Silver Medal added to complete display. 

[dedehansen]

Hi ccj,

I would remove the MKFO medal and replace a silberne Verdienstmedaille.

Regards
Andreas

[Claudius]

One more. The group of Oberfeuerwerker Kurt Porske.

In the navy from 1902, serving on many ships (S.M.S. HERTHA, S.M.S. LORELEY, S.M.S. MÜNCHEN, S.M.S. MAGDEBURG, S.M.S. KAISER, S.M.S. PRINZREGENT LUITPOLD, S.M.S. KOENIG). He was onbord of SMS KÖNIG during the battle of Skagerrak. From 1917 - 1919 with the airship service.

He recieved both ottoman medals during his service at the Feuerwerker school as teacher. Maybe prevent some guys for doing stupid things :-)

AH yes, this is a great group! 

Alex, what is the Hamburg cross doing there?  If he earned it, why didn't he represent it on his medal bar and the ribbon bar?

[jaba1914]

He got the Hamburger and worn it on the medal bar during the war. Later on when he got the Ehrenkreuz he changed it with the Hanseatenkreuz. I have a picture of him wearing this medal bar befor the cross was chaged. Same bar. The Ehrenkreuz was more important for him. 

Regards Alex