Kriegsmarine Officer's group, Leutnant z. See Meyer

[Claudio]

Dear forumites,

I am quite glad to present you my latest acquisition from Ebay. It's a very simple yet nice medal bar in very good condition of a Kriegsmarine Career officer who was involved in some way in the terrible earth quake of 1908 in Messina (Sicily, Italy), see last medal.

Here's the pic of the front:

Ciao,

Claudio

Edited March 16, 2006 by Claudio

[Claudio]

Here is a pic showing the obverse and the reverse. Very typical is the reverse made of black fabric, which denotes quite clearly the provenience: Kriegsmarine!

[Claudio]

The medal bar came with some medals and pins...

[Claudio]

On the last image I have erroneously put the ribbon up side down... sorry! The last ribbon used for the Italian commemorative medals is a Saxon, since they couldn't find anything better.

Here's a close up of the ribbon of the "Hindenburg Cross's" ribbon with the stickpins...

[Claudio]

The group was split in several parts... some documents, some headgear stuff and the medal bar. Unfortunately I wasn't enough to get all the other document, but luckily enough the Ebay seller was enough intelligent to sell the medal bar with the document to the Oldenburg's House Order, RK 2. Kl.. So the name of the officer and its unit before WWI is known to me:

As for mid 1913 this officer was still a Leutnant zur See bei der 5. Batterie der II. Matrosen-Artillerie-Abteilung.

It would be great if anyone, especially the research gurus on this forum, could add some valuable info about this officer after WWI and with which rank did he end WWII.

Here's the picture of the document, very simple design...

[Claudio]

Here's the envelope in which was the document sent to the Order's recipient about 93 years ago...

I thank you in advance for your interest and am looking forward to hear your comments on this group.

Ciao,

Claudio

[Ulsterman]

Gerhard Meyer? If so, in 1931 he was a Korvettenkapitan at the Kiel Arsenal. He's certain to have made Kapitan zur See and probably Konteradmiral 9 years later. Other s have the Admirals book and can tell you more.

Great bar.

[HeikoGrusdat]

Oh Claudio..... we should intensivate our communication... that could save a lot of money in the future.... great bar!!!

[Stogieman]

Another nice bar into the fold Claudio. My congratulations! Rick

[medalnet]

...I am glad you got this one. Very nice group.

[webr55]

Good to see it's yours!

That is indeed Gerhard Meyer, born 3.1.1889, entered Navy 1.4.1908. As Seekadett, he was onboard SMS Victoria Louise in the Messina relief campaign. (BTW, one of his comrades on this ship was Wilhelm Peters, whose ribbon bar with the Messina medal I have, see below).

He made Lt. 27.9.1911 J5i, Oberlt. 19.9.1914, Kapt.Lt. 18.8.1918 and was an officer on the "Pillau" in WW1.

He advanced to Korv.Kapt 1.4.1927 in the Reichsmarine, FregKapt 1.10.1932.

His last rank is char. Kapt zur See z.D. (!) with (probably retroactive) seniority of 30.9.1934. Never made Admiral (just a guess: there may be political reasons!).

[Claudio]

Thanks to everybody for your interest and your nice comments.

@ Heiko: I am really sorry about bidding against you, but since I don't know your Ebay name and the fact that this medal bar didn't have any colonial medal, I didn't think that you were participating to this auction as well. Btw you already notice my Ebay name, I guess... what's yours? Just in case...

The bar was made by a professional taylor: it's really put together perfectly. The Ehrenkreuz f?r Frontk?mpfer is a "G & S" (Godet und Sohn). I think also the EK could be a G & S... judging from the quality. I noticed that, in a couple of groups or medal bars of Senior officers, you can almost see the difference in quality... that's very interesting.

I am sure our Ricky (L.) will like this bar as well!

Ciao,

Claudio

[Paul C]

I find it interesting that there are no WWII decorations, not even a simple EK2 clasp. I have a 1944 KreigsMarine RL home and will check later. It will be interesting to see if he is listed.

I checked my 1936 and 1944 RL and do not find him.

Edited March 16, 2006 by Paul Chepurko

[Claudio]

Hi Paul,

For sure he got a least a KVK 2. Kl. mit Schwertern... I also noticed in the past that not always the recipients of the Clasp of the Iron Cross 2nd class 1939 put the device on the medal bars... some of them preferred to wear it on the botton hole.

Ciao,

Claudio

Edited March 17, 2006 by Claudio

[Stogieman]

Agreed, often not just the EK2 clasp, but a KVK ribbon at the buttonhole. I currently have a WW1/2 group. Medal Bar (mint!), matching ribbon bar (mint!). Second ribbon bar adds the KVK2wX.... but he apparently did not update the medal bar!

[Guest Rick Research]

That is a bar and I am glad that it has found a PERMANENT home after many travels-- I must have researched this group at least three times for various "rental" owners over the years. Sadly, I don't keep my notes, figuring that is the duty of the research recipient... and obviously all my hard work and international collaboration got chucked out somewhere along the ownership trail before YOU rescued it!

Anyway, from what I can recover,

his final grade was charakterisiert Kapit?n zur See (E) 30.9.34, in which he was "active" in 1937 on the staff of the Reichs War Ministry, Naval High Command, Abteilung f?r Artillerieentwicklung und Konstruktion ("M Wa I") of the Marinewaffenamt. The pre-war 1939 M.O.V. Directory shows him as "zD" but still there, with his office phone number! I have only that he went zD in 1940-- undoubtedly from GlennJ, who can provide what he did in WW2 from the WW2 naval officers assignments book. (This'll be the LAST time we do this Glenn, Claudio is a "keeper!" )

He commanded the "Friedrich August Batterie" of XII. Matrosen-Artillerie Abteilung until November 1918 and then as a Watch and the Gunnery Officer on S.M.S. "Pillau" for the rest of the war.

In 1960 he was living with his wife Marie Luise (born 8.6.1XXX) at Breitestrasse 13, Berlin-Steglitz, and was a sales representative of the "CDH" bedding company of Bochum, specializing in quilts, mattresses and so on. By 1963 he had re-retired from that job, and was living at 15 Hortenstrasse 20B, Berlin 15.

Kapit?n zur See au?er Dienst Gerhard Meyer died 17 August 1980.

[Claudio]

I can't say that this medal bar will stay forever in my collection, because you never know. Until now I never sold my favourites medal bars. This one is going to fill a special place in my collection, since I was long looking for a named medal bar with the Italian commemorative Messina's 1908 earthquake medal.

All the data given to me on this site will be put in my personal files (catalogue)... see below. Nothing will be lost. If one day for very important reasons (family, financial difficulties, sickness, etc...), hopefully not, I will be forced to sell this bar, the new owner will receive it with my "catalogue file"... see below!

We collectors don't own "the past" or "the stories"... we could merely preserve history and pass it on on future generations.

Ciao,

Claudio

[HeikoGrusdat]

Great work Claudio, in my collection it is nearly the same. All big bars or groups with history and names will be held together with all the information I have - thats a very important part of collecting in my eyes!!!

[Ulsterman]

Good idea. I would also invite you to "tag it" by adding the photo of the bar to the OMSA web sites' medal bar section. There it should live on a decade or so-or maybe much longer, depending upon how technology evolves (don't you love these memory sticks?).

In the USA high end collectors are now filing UCC papers for specific bars-establishing a permannent trail of provenance and insurability.