Rick, is this ribbon bar from Österreich

[Bill Gracie]

G'day Rick or little Rick,

could you please tell if this bar is from Österreich and if it is what are they?

I've tried to find them myself but the picture isn't that great.
I can id: EK2, 14 -18, Kreigs Service medal, 25 yr service medal, Mil- Verd Kreuz, ????

Is the last ribbon Bulgarien ?

[stogieman]

RE; The ribbons

Hi Bill, last two awards are:
(a) Hungarian WW1 Service Medal
(b) Bulgarian WW1 Service Medal
Don't think these would have been to an Austrian, most likely a German "other-ranks" .

[Klaus O.]

Hi Bill,

1) Iron Cross 2nd Class
2) Frontkämpfer-Ehrenzeichen (German Commemorative WWI cross for front soldiers)
3) Commemorative Austrian Medal for WWI
4) Treuedienst-Ehrenzeichen f. 25 Jahre (if it's Gold is 40 years), long service award for civilians
5) Commemorative Hungarian Medal for WWI
6) Commemorative Bulgarian Medal for WWI

The owner of the bar was definetely a German Soldier who very likely fought either on the Russian or Italian Front during WWI.

I hope that this helped you.

Ciao,

Claudio

[Bill Gracie]

G'day Rick & Claudio

Thanks for the quick responses your input has helped me a great deal. Getting there slowly identifying these ribbons.

Why would the Commemorative Austrian Medal for WWI come before the Treuedienst-Ehrenzeichen f. 25 Jahre ?

I would have thought that all commemorative medals would be lower in the order of precedence.

Is there any books that can help with the study of this area when trying to identify the order in which medals are worn?

Thanks again
Bill

[Klaus O.]

Bill,

The Austrian commemorative medal was very likely put before the "Frontkämpfer-Ehrenzeichen", because this bar was made after Austria (Ostmark afterwards) was annexed to the German Reich and therefore considered a German medal. Foreing awards are always put behind the long service awards.

Just my 0.2 cents...

Ciao,


Claudio

[Rick Research]

The January 1939 Precedence Regulations page in the Regulations section of the Ribbon Bar Article will show this post-Anschluss change.

Before Anschluss, Austrian awards were "foreign," but afterwards they were just a part of the Thousand Year Reich like Bavaria or Saxony.