WWI Group queston

[Fred Borgmann]

Back in the late 1970's when hotel buyers were running all over the USA buying silver and gold I was lucky to know one and got to buy a few items like this group. Since it has orders from Prussia, Wuerttemberg, Austria, Bulgaria and Turkey, I was wondering if you guys could come up with the name of the original owner? Thanks, Fred

[Chip M]

Fred,

I can't help you with the ID, but that is a beautiful group.

Chip

[David Müldner]

empty ribbon

Maybe a bit stupid, but I take it the last, empty ribbon is for the osman star award? If the specific ID on this ribbon would be impossible could one say something about the rank of this person or the area of his actions (austrian and bulgarian awards= east front e.g.)

What do you think?

David

Fred,

I can't help you with the ID, but that is a beautiful group.

Chip

[McCulloh]

WOW!!!
What an amazing bar. Smells middle-ranker officer to me...battalion/regimental commander..... or Flieger???
Interesting points:
No Crown Order
No REO
Bulgarian MMO 5th awarded by Tzar from 1916-18.
No TR LS awards (so not recalled:too old or injured??)
-survived to 1935+
HHOx and FO have awards lists available. The Bulgarians might also, but nobody has looked in their archives.

[Dave Danner]

The Württemberg Friedrich Order, Knight 1st Class with Swords would typically be awarded to a captain. The lack of pre-war awards argues against it being for someone of higher rank, and also means it would be hard to find a match. There were likely several hundred recipients of both the HHO and the Friedrich Order in these grades, and the lack of any rarer German state award makes it hard to narrow down the pool. Even knowing Balkan service might not help too much.

That particular class of the Order of Military Merit would also not be atypical for a captain on staff.

The bar was likely made after 1934 but before 1938, as it has the Honor Cross for Combatants (post-'34) but the Austrian Military Merit Cross is still treated as a foreign award (pre-Anschluss).

[Fred Borgmann]

Maybe a bit stupid, but I take it the last, empty ribbon is for the osman star award? If the specific ID on this ribbon would be impossible could one say something about the rank of this person or the area of his actions (austrian and bulgarian awards= east front e.g.)

What do you think?

David

Good question Dave. Yes the ribbon on the end is for the Turkish star. Fred

[Fred Borgmann]

Thank you all. Your answers and comments are what I feared. I thought the group indicated that the original owner was a good soldier but not a member of the royalty. Sure would have been nice to be able to hang a name on it. Fred

[webr55]

A very nice group, however not traceable, as he didn't stay in the Reichsheer.

Regards
Chris

[McCulloh]

As an aside, many Regular Army Hauptmans (and I assume this guy was one) got a bump up to Major during the war. Regular Captains commanded battalions by 1917 and Majors often had regiments (esp. in the higher numbers, made up of Ersatzers, LW, Reservists etc.). .

My guess is somebody who was involved in crushing Rumania.

I have no navy lists and see no obvious navy state awards. Did anybody look at the navy?