FRE_A_K Posted April 13, 2021 Share Posted April 13, 2021 Since this is forum for research and sharing information, it would have been interesting to know why he won that cross. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JohanH Posted April 13, 2021 Author Share Posted April 13, 2021 Unfortunately I don't know why he received it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FRE_A_K Posted April 13, 2021 Share Posted April 13, 2021 I mean, if you gave his name I would have done the research in 2 minutes. Better if we forget about that. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JohanH Posted April 13, 2021 Author Share Posted April 13, 2021 His name was överstelöjtnant Bengt Gustaf Geijer 1885-1968. Teacher in finnish at Krigshögskolan (Royal Swedish Army Staff College). How do you find citations for Finnish awards? Are they digitalized? And is it possible to find citations for awards from the war of 1918? 3rd and 4th class Liberty crosses? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BalkanCollector Posted March 28, 2023 Share Posted March 28, 2023 I need some help determining the years of production on WW2 era crosses of liberty. In this post I will share some "knowledge" I collected so far but it's more of a shot in the dark so hopefully more knowledgeable collectors can give correct information. The first one is 1939 type with numbers popping out and is colored in accordance with the class. The examples I'll show are 4th class, the silver ones. So 1939 was awarded in 1939 and 1940. Was there a possibility of someone being awarded with the 1939 cross during 1941-1945 or after the war? Moving on to the next one, 1941 type 1, the same style as 1939 with colored numbers popping out. I've seen this type coming with award certificates in 1941 and I'm guessing that's the year they were awarded. The next one is 1941 type 2. Its numbers are engraved unlike the previous two examples. Plus, it has a different way of attaching the rose with rivets. I've seen this type coming with a certificate in 1942. Was it possibly awarded in other years (1941-1945) or even after the war as a late award? And the last type that I know of, the same as the previous one, just without the visible rivets. I still haven't seen this piece coming with a certificate to know which years these were awarded. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JohanH Posted March 28, 2023 Author Share Posted March 28, 2023 The earliest awarded 1941 crosses were made in the same style as 1939 crosses with "numbers popping out". These are getting harder and harder to find. There are 1939 crosses with the year stamped, just like the 1941 crosses. These are also difficult to find. Probably given as duplicates or to those who got the award late after the old stock was empty. Honestly I don't think it is possible to make any conclusions on when the different styles were awarded. There are ALOT of different types of Liberty crosses. From small subtle differences to big differences like the ones you show. Also you can never really know if a cross and a certificate really belong together unless they come directly from the original family. To pair up awards with documents to get a higher price is extremely common. With risk of sounding negative, I'm sorry to say it but I think you are working on an impossible task. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BalkanCollector Posted March 28, 2023 Share Posted March 28, 2023 Thank you for your honest assessment! I guess it's impossible to track and notice patterns then. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JohanH Posted March 28, 2023 Author Share Posted March 28, 2023 15 minutes ago, BalkanCollector said: Thank you for your honest assessment! I guess it's impossible to track and notice patterns then. I could very well be wrong. So don't give up just because of me. Here is a 3rd class cross with two rivets awarded in december 1941 to a german oberstabsarzt. IF the document and cross really belong together. To quote Jani Tiainens great book on Finnish awards: "First 1941-types of 3rd and 4th classes of the cross of Liberty were manufactured similarly as 1939 - Winter War types. Surface was painted black with lacquer paint and year marked on the reverse side was embossed. Most of the crosses from Continuation War period have stamped year and black oxidized surface. Awards made during Continuation War have similar stamped numbers as types 1941. Some replacement pieces manufactured after the war can be found with engraved numbers. 3rd and 4th class crosses from Continuation War have much more different variations than earlier types. Differences can be found from general shape, thickness, central rose and its attachment. The heaviest variations are almost 50% heavier than the lightest crosses." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Graf Posted March 29, 2023 Share Posted March 29, 2023 On 26/05/2018 at 10:33, Deruelle said: Hello What a collection, thanks for sharing it with us. congrats Christophe I fully support t and agree with this statement Cheers Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BalkanCollector Posted March 29, 2023 Share Posted March 29, 2023 15 hours ago, JohanH said: I could very well be wrong. So don't give up just because of me. Here is a 3rd class cross with two rivets awarded in december 1941 to a german oberstabsarzt. IF the document and cross really belong together. To quote Jani Tiainens great book on Finnish awards: "First 1941-types of 3rd and 4th classes of the cross of Liberty were manufactured similarly as 1939 - Winter War types. Surface was painted black with lacquer paint and year marked on the reverse side was embossed. Most of the crosses from Continuation War period have stamped year and black oxidized surface. Awards made during Continuation War have similar stamped numbers as types 1941. Some replacement pieces manufactured after the war can be found with engraved numbers. 3rd and 4th class crosses from Continuation War have much more different variations than earlier types. Differences can be found from general shape, thickness, central rose and its attachment. The heaviest variations are almost 50% heavier than the lightest crosses." Thank you for all the info, very interesting! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JohanH Posted October 2, 2023 Author Share Posted October 2, 2023 Here is my newest addition to my collection. The first new Libertycross I got since January 2021 so the ones I still need are getting more and more difficult to find. Here is a Libertycross 1st class with swords and without year on the back. Unfortunately there are some damage to the enamel, but how often do you see these crosses for sale? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BalkanCollector Posted October 3, 2023 Share Posted October 3, 2023 21 hours ago, JohanH said: Here is my newest addition to my collection. That's an amazing addition! Is there any info on how much orders of this type were issued? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JohanH Posted October 3, 2023 Author Share Posted October 3, 2023 Unfortunately I don´t have any numbers of how many 1st class crosses are awarded. But they are not super rare among high-ranking officers. But what makes it rare is that most of the awardees are still alive and in service, so there are not many crosses on the market. In the future it will probably be more available. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BalkanCollector Posted October 4, 2023 Share Posted October 4, 2023 Thank you for the info! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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