tamara Tamara Order - ID officer and orders & medals on the bar

[Claudio]

Dear Forumites!

First of I wanted already excuse to have used this beautiful photo from a website. This portrait shows a senior, to me not identified, German officer wearing an impressive medal bar and especially a beautiful Breast Star of the Tamara order, which this very one seems to be a very nice high quality piece (brilliantierter Bruststern).

The medals on bar are IMHO the following:

1) Pr EK2 1914

2) Pr HHOX

3) Pr KO4X

4) Pr DA 25J

5) China Med mit 2 Gefechtsspangen

6) Pr Zentenar Med

7) Bay MVO4 Kr&X

8.) Würt KO RK mit X

9) Würt MVO RK (?)

10) Hessen Tapferkeitsmed (?)

11) Mecklenburg-Schwerin VK 2 Kl

12) Mecklenburg-Strelitz Kreuz Ausz im Kriege 2 Kl

13) Anhalt Friedrich-Kreuz 2 Kl

14) Lippe-Detmold KVK 2 Kl

15) Bremen Hanseatenkreuz

16) KuK Österreich-Ungarn, MVK 

17) Osmanisches Reich, grosse Liakatmed (Gold oder Silber)

18) Osmanisches Reich, kleine Liakatmed (G/S ?)

What do you think? Is it correct? 

Furthermore I would like to know the color of the insignia (Litzen) on the collar (silver with white Waffenfarbe?), shoulder boards (grey/silver,  Waffenfarbe white?).

Thank you very much for your inputs and interesting comments.

cheers,

Claudio

Edited September 22, 2020 by Claudio

[Dave Danner]

It is Theodor Duesterberg (1875-1950). 

The order after the WK3X and before the HT is the HP3bX. He was a native of Hessen-Darmstadt.

Most of his WW1 awards were received as Adjutant of the 13. Infanterie-Division or while serving in the Kriegsministerium as head of the Abteilung Verbündete Heere.

[Claudio]

Thanks Dave! 
I’m wondering what kind of insignias (Just mere Infantry or Battallion/Regimental commander?) is wearing as a major here (I don’t see any pips), very likely in the the end of the war or early 20ies in the Weimar Republic serving in 100’000 men post war army.
C

 

PS1: Wikipedia https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Theodor_Duesterberg

Edited September 22, 2020 by Claudio

[Claudio]

I found some other interesting pictures of Duesterberg... interesting political career, which finally was compromised by the discovery of his Jewish b his political opponents:

During the 1932 presidential elections, the Nazis went out of their way to taunt Duesterberg for having Jewish ancestry with Joseph Goebbels and Richard Walther Darré being especially vicious in their attacks. Duesterberg was so hurt by Darré's attacks that he challenged him to a duel, a challenge that Darré rejected because it was beneath him to fight a man with “Jewish blood”. Duesterberg then took up his dispute with Darré before the court of honor of the Former Officers of the 1st Hanoverian Field Artillery Regiment of Scharnhorst, number 10 to which Darré belonged. Duesterberg argued before the court of honor that Darré should be expelled for engaging in behavior that was unbecoming of a German officer while Darré argued that he had right and duty to subject Duesterberg to anti-Semitic insults. The court of honor ruled in Darré's favor, stating that he was right to insult Duesterberg for having “Jewish blood”.

Ironically, Duesterberg was offered a position in Hitler's cabinet when Hitler became Chancellor of Germany in 1933, but Duesterberg flatly refused the proposal. Franz Seldte, however, did enter Hitler's cabinet, which undermined Der Stahlhelm and Duesterberg's authority over the organization, and thus he resigned his leadership position in 1933. In April 1933, Duesterberg was strongly urged to resign from Der Stahlhelm by President Paul von Hindenburg and the Defense Minister, General Werner von Blomberg who told him that he was now a liability to them with Hitler now chancellor.

Edited September 22, 2020 by Claudio

[VtwinVince]

Pretty ridiculous, the way brave German officers were treated for having 'Jewish blood'. My grandfather quit his government job under pressure to divorce my grandmother, who was part Jewish.

[scottplen]

I wonder how many imperial German officers and soldier perished in the holocaust? 

[laurentius]

I don't know exactly how many, but the number has to be in the thousands. I know of atleast two rabbi's who were fieldrabbi's (I don't know the correct title, I fear chaplain won't suffice) during WW1 who were killed at Auschwitz. Anne Frank's father Otto was a soldier in WW1 who almost perished in the camps. I doubt we'll ever have an exact figure, but I think we could atleast name a couple dozen soldiers and officers who perished during the Third Reich.

[Claudio]

Generalfeldmarschall Milch was also Jewish...  

 

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Erhard_Milch

 

There were also other Generals and senior officer who had Jewish blood in their veins.

https://www.amazon.com/Hitlers-Jewish-Soldiers-Descent-Military/dp/0700613587

https://oe1.orf.at/artikel/205907/Hitlers-juedische-Soldaten

http://www.ggg-laupheim.de/Berichte von Mitgl/Judische Soldaten/Juedische Soldaten.htm

https://forum.axishistory.com/viewtopic.php?p=2193809

 

Edited September 24, 2020 by Claudio

[laurentius]

Not to mention Generalleutnant Zukertort, winner of the Imperial Saxon trio (St. Henry, Merit Order and Albrecht Order), also had some jewish ancestors. As in all things, the nazi regime seemed to be picky.

[webr55]

Interesting, I was not aware that Duesterberg was in the Hanoverian Field Artillery Regiment No. 10 (Scharnhorst). Actually, one of my relatives served in that regiment during WW1. His name was Erich Beutnagel, Lt d R. He was also active in the Stahlhelm during Weimar time, and anti-Nazi from a conservative angle. Must have known Duesterberg well.