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    OK, here's another puzzler that shouldn't be hard. Hindenburg was known for generally wearing only Prussian awards on his medal bar. Yes, there are photos of him wearing Austrian medals when he was in Austrian uniform, etc. but generally he only war Prussian or Imperial medals and orders.  (Uh, except, you know, that Oldenburg Friedrich August cross under his EK1).  What are the last two medal on this medal bar, just after the Centenary medal?

    HB.jpg

    Edited by filfoster
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    Really? No guesses? The next to last, with a solid dark ribbon (yeah, I know yellow photographs dark back then) could be a Saxe Coburg Gotha silver medal of merit decoration - not really significant enough? and the last one could be the Queen Victoria golden jubilee...but neither are likely.

    Edited by filfoster
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    Deruelle: Thank you.  I have seen a listing of his gongs in one of the German Army 'rangliste', which is comprehensive but won't narrow it down to what he chose to wear among his many medals. I date this photo to sometime in 1915, before he received the Grand Cross of the Iron Cross, or the oak leaves to his Pour le Merite,  but after he received his promotion to Field Marshal.

     

    By their placement after the Centenary medal, it's likely they were either 'commemorative' or anniversary medals of some sort or non-Prussian German states medals.

    Edited by filfoster
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    I've spent a  long time trying to ascertain all his decorations, as far as his medal bar goes, the two he seems to have been photographed the most with are these two, I think I've got them correct, they are digital recreations, they might help, comments, if wrong are welcome

     

     

     

    regards Alex K

    hindenburg medal bars1000d copy.JPG

    Edited by Alex K
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    Alex K: Thank you!  I think this has it!  Still a puzzle why he wore these last two, in favor of others he might have done.

    The last one seems to be a Saxon decoration, Order of Albert the Glorious?  Or the the 1903 Saxe-Altenburg Duke Ernest 1 Jubilee medal? The next to last, perhaps the 1902 Baden Jubilee medal?

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    It should be the memory medal for the 50th jubilee of the reign of duke Ernst of Sachsen-Altenburg celebrated in August 1903. In January 1903 Hindenburg was appointed commanding general of the IV. Armeekorps. The military contingent from the small duchy Sachsen-Altenburg of two battalions belongs to the 8. Thüringisches Infanterie-Regiment Nr. 153 (16. Infanterie-Brigade, 8. Division, IV. Armeekorps) of the Prussian Army. It can be taken for granted, that the commanding general of the dutchies military contingent was invited to the celebrities of the reigning jubilee and got the medal emitted because of this event.

    From July 1900 until January 1903 Hindenburg was commanding the 28. Division of the Prussian Army in Karlsruhe. As this was the capital of the grand duchy of Baden the same as for the medal of Sachsen-Altenburg can be concluded for the medal of the 50th reigning jubilee of the grand duke Friedrich I. of Baden.

    Edited by Komtur
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    7 hours ago, Komtur said:

    It should be the memory medal for the 50th jubilee of the reign of duke Ernst of Sachsen-Altenburg celebrated in August 1903. In January 1903 Hindenburg was appointed commanding general of the IV. Armeekorps. The military contingent from the small duchy Sachsen-Altenburg of two battalions belongs to the 8. Thüringisches Infanterie-Regiment Nr. 153 (16. Infanterie-Brigade, 8. Division, IV. Armeekorps) of the Prussian Army. It can be taken for granted, that the commanding general of the dutchies military contingent was invited to the celebrities of the reigning jubilee and got the medal emitted because of this event.

    From July 1900 until January 1903 Hindenburg was commanding the 28. Division of the Prussian Army in Karlsruhe. As this was the capital of the grand duchy of Baden the same as for the medal of Sachsen-Altenburg can be concluded for the medal of the 50th reigning jubilee of the grand duke Friedrich I. of Baden.

    So I'm assuming Hindenburgh received the silver grade based on the link you provided? 

    Edited by Alex K
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    42 minutes ago, Alex K said:

    So I'm assuming Hindenburgh received the silver grade based on the link you provided? 

    Yes, you’re assuming correctly...

    https://www.ehrenzeichen-orden.de/deutsche-staaten/medaille-zum-50-regierungsjubilaum-1903.html

    As you can read here above, the Sachsen-Altenburg 1903 50th years Jubilee Medal in Silver was given to Generals and high functionaries.

    Furthermore on the picture here below you can see that the tone of the last medal is a bit brighter than the to before in bronze, hence we could deduce, it was silver the silver one.

     

    6565E937-4BBE-415C-AEBC-36175DD4FCE5.jpeg

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    19 minutes ago, Claudio said:

    ... Furthermore on the picture here below you can see that the tone of the last medal is a bit brighter than the to before in bronze, hence we could deduce, it was silver the silver one.

     

    6565E937-4BBE-415C-AEBC-36175DD4FCE5.jpeg

    Additionaly on this portrait both medals are easily to recognise ?

    Could you be so kind and show the whole portrait?

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    11 hours ago, Komtur said:

    Additionaly on this portrait both medals are easily to recognise ?

    Could you be so kind and show the whole portrait?

    Of course, the portrait was shown on this very forum and already having been abundantly discussed before here ...

    But there’re plenty of them on the www.... ?

     

    41AD5804-2979-4BAD-83D3-F00C01F3B6A0.jpeg

    87F80C9C-5445-4C69-842F-A5B23F0AEA6F.jpeg

    0798C65A-FC0B-4E21-9944-039B7DEB384A.jpeg

    DD8AF06A-B0FB-43E0-90E1-5C8C7B6797FF.jpeg

    915DD848-625E-458A-9422-5040854EFD62.jpeg

    871AAB17-1E83-4A80-9E0A-2095C79C23EA.png

    139B7FF0-21FA-4630-8A42-06385D9CECFC.jpeg

    Edited by Claudio
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