Is this possible?

[anguspm]

Hi Guys,

Sorry no pics but is these possible combinations?

Question 1:

EK2 1914 (Made from a EK1 that has had the back ground off, marked "FR" although that may be in doubt with my eyes!)

Front fighter with swords

Hessian silver honor badge

Oldenberg Freidrich August cross

Just the four medals but I'm in the dark when it comes to the imperial bars!

Question 2:

Two medal bar,

Friedrich august medaille

EK2

Why does the medaille take precedence?

Many thanks in advance for any/all answers.

Regards,

[AOK4]

Hello,

Answer to question 2:
Soldiers that weren't from Prussia often put the medals of their own Land before the EK.

Greetings,
Jan

[Christian L]

in my opinion thes both are possible.

but i've never seen an EK2 made out of an EK1!

and to the second, it could be a frackspange or (i think it woud be either this) that the medal winner was prouder of the freidrich auguste medal, perhaps of his home state, and so he wore it infront of the EK2

hope i could helped

[anguspm]

Thanks Jan!

I never realized how popular the Prussians were at that time!

Regards,

[anguspm]

Hi Christian,

It is odd to see the way its been done. The catch has been ground off level with the back. The hinge is still present but has had the pin removed and a loop of very thin wire attached to a suspension ring tied to the remaining hinge.

All in all an interesting bar!

Thanks for the help.

regards,

[Rick Research]

Bavarians and Saxons, as members of "equal" Kingdoms (Prussia awarding Iron Crosses as a Kingdom rather than Empire), wore their awards before the Iron Cross, up to 1935.

Württemberg was also a "co-equal" Kingdom, but wearers there seem to have generally given precedence to the EK2 and then mixed around their own and Prussian awards after that.

I've never heard of anyone ruining an EK1 to make an EK2 either-- weird!!!!!

[PaulHD]

That is just too wierd! No winner of an EK I would
mutilate it to down grade to an EK II, just so it would fit
on a medal bar. It could only have been done by a
disinterested, and ignorant third party.

[anguspm]

Hi guys,

Thanks for the detailed explanations.

It's difficult to understand why anyone would want to downgrade the EK1 to 2 but at least I can say that it wasn't done to increase the value of the bar! I have pics (which I can't post here until I have some money in paypal!). But if anyone want's them feel free to email to:

anguspm@yahoo.co.uk

Thanks again all and best regards,

[John Skandalis]

I post these pictures for Angus.

First, the medal bar.

[John Skandalis]

Second, the back of the EK2, or EK1?

[anguspm]

Many thanks John,

Although the picture isn't the best you can see at the bottom a slight imprint beneath where the catch once of a makers stamp "FR".

Regards,

[Rick Research]

OK, that is VERY much a "homemade" bar. Could be 1930s... or 1990s.

I've never been able to figure out why anyone entitled to awards, and wearing them, would go for something as ugly and crappy looking at THAT, rather than a decently mounted set.

I'm not saying the original recipient didn't slop these together over his kitchen table in 1934, but this type of home made bar is jiust so ugly I can't bear looking at them!

Type in a search in here or in the general Wehrmacht forum on "medal bar" and see some NICE ones, the way they were supposed to look!

[Eric Stahlhut]

Another mangled EK1

Here's a 'KO' marked example that has ostensibly been converted
to a piece of jewelry, I guess. The broach pin is long gone.

As to who made this and why it was done is anyone's guess. Could have been made as a post-war souvenier by a French villager. There was a booming business for items of this sort as touring the battlefields was quite popular. Villagers fashioned items from whatever they could find. It could also be something made by an Allied soldier in order to send home to his sweetheart. Or it could have been made by a German POW, whi were known to do this sort of thing in order to eat.Who knows? In any case, I think it's interesting...

[Eric Stahlhut]

.

[anguspm]

Having had a closer look at the backing of the "bar" it looks as if the group has previously been sewn on to something. Also the Hessian ribbon is white on the front and pale blue on the front. Whenever this bar was made it certainly wasn't recently.

For me its interesting to see something different......I just wish they hadn't damaged the EK!

Interesting cross you've got there Eric, I like it.

Regards,