Freikorps EK2 ?

[Chris Boonzaier]

This young man saw no combat in WW1, but did serve in Charlottenburg until November 1919... I assume his EK2 was for Freikorps actions?

Any thoughts?

Thaks

Chris

[bolewts58]

I believe this is the case. I've seen a number of post 1918 awards to soldiers with no combat experience during the war, but with extensive Freikorps period experience. However, I believe that many of these recipients tended to be members of the regular army/Reichswehr and not the more unofficial Freikorps units, unless those units were attached to and later absorbed into the Reichswehr.

[Chris Boonzaier]

Hi,

Agreed, Reichswehr. I tend to slip into the trap of using a generic "Freikorps" for everything in that era

I have a number of Garde EK2s and 1s awarded in 1919, but most seem to have had WW1 Service, so one can argue it was simply a late award, this was the first one where the guy had it black on white that he was not involved in action during the war, so I am happy with the Berlin connection..

Best

Chris

[dante]

While the excepted dates of WW1 have been either based on the armistice 1914-18 or the Allied victory medal 1914-19, what is the German view...did the war officially end in the east with the treaty of Brest-Litovsk or were these actions decreed an extension of WW1?

[The Prussian]

Hello Chris!

What about "Mitgemachte Gefechte"? Is it crossed-out or is there just nothing written?

That´s  a differecet. Sometimes in early 1919 they didn´t had any official infos about his battles. 

He could have recieved the EK since july 1918, when he served with the 442

Edited January 22, 2017 by The Prussian

[Chris Boonzaier]

Hi,

He never got to the front with the 442

 

Best

Chris

[Ulsterman]

I wondered about that too-where was the 442nd? Also, where was the Queen Elizabeth Garde Regiment in the fall of 1918?

Edited January 23, 2017 by Ulsterman

[The Prussian]

A good question. Chris, how could you know, he hadn´t been in frontline with 442? Could you please show the entire document?

I can´t see a date, when he awarded the IC.

His units were:

1.7.18 (IR 442): 231.Inf.Div. (Avocourt/Verdun until august 7, 1918)

Since 3.8.18 Garde-Gren.Rgt.3 (maybe Ersatz-Btl.): 5.Garde-Inf,.Div. (Marne, Aisne-Ailettes, Argonne, Woevre)

 

 

[Chris Boonzaier]

On 23.1.2017 at 04:07, The Prussian said:

A good question. Chris, how could you know, he hadn´t been in frontline with 442? Could you please show the entire document?

 

Hi,

 

sorry, was a bit fast off the bat there, he spent one month with the II. Batl, then seems to have gotten sich and transfered out.

So the month with the 442 was his only front experiance.

There are no other relevant entries. There is an entry that he is only Garnison Dienst fähig.

The question is, if a probably wimpy guy arrives in the unit, spends a month there then goes hom sick... what unit would recommend him for an EK ?

I think its impossible to say, maybe the 442 service was what ge got it for, but he seems to have had a more active time with the Reichswehr?

[ostprussenmann_new]

This is an interesting post.  It could have been a simple error of the PAC Clerk due to a rush to complete records before War's end..  Hench this example:  When my unit first redeployed from Iraq.  We had a bunch of new people in my Battalion that was in the unit over the last two months.  Our unit saw so much combat that they decided to give Combat Action Badges and Combat Infantry Badges in mass to everyone who did not have their paperwork completed so they could get everyone's awards before everyone either got out or PCSed.  Well because the ADMIN team just submitted an entire Battalion Manifest to the Division S-1, there were people who ended up getting awarded CABs and CIBs, legitimately, who never left our duty station.

So why do I share this?  Well maybe that was the case of this guy.  The unit commander wanted to award everyone EKIIs as Service medal instead of a Valor award to people in his regiment or battalion as the war ended.  My great grandpa was in a Baden unit.  He was awarded his EKII for value in early 1918, however, within days of him mustering out of service he was also awarded a promotion to Gefreiter and the Baden Silver Merit Medal (Baden EKII Equivalent) and a thanks for service and thanks for surviving award.  I would not be surprised that guys in his unit that were brand new at least got a Baden silver Merit medal within days of the war ending as a service award.

Just my two cents.