Bavarian Prince Albert shooting ass'n

[eschena]

Hello everyone:

Is anyone familiar with the shooting badges awarded by the Bavarian Prince Albert Shooting Association? Specifically, I am looking to find out what types of badges were awarded by this club and if they were officially sanctioned.

I have a badge from this association, however, I cannot determine what class it is. My badge has the gilt crowned "A" cypher (and is marked M.HEINLOTH on the reverse) but the whole device is mounted on a very large light blue/green ribbon with blue edges that have white triangles pointing towards the center of the badge. Detlev Niemann had both the silver and gold classes recently and the ribbon base was much smaller (the crowned wreath was taller than the ribbon) and of a different color scheme.

The whole badge is quite attractive and it's unfortunate I cannot find out any more info on the badge.

Thanks in advance
-Eric

[Rick Research]

I had to root back in my "archives" to the January 1976 OMSA "Medal Collector" to find anything on these badges.

I don't think they were shooting badges, just yet more of the myriad of unofficial local veterans' or "patriotic" associations self-created awards from the 1920s and early 1930s.

The award document illustrated in the 1976 article calls the badge the "Prinz Alfons-Erinnerungszeichen," with no mention of class, and is dated 1 August 1927

The one I have on hand is the frosted silver base metal alloy type, marked M.HEINLOTH on the reverse pin plate. The wreath is 42mm high by 45mm wide, on a horizontal pale blue ribbon 33mm "tall" (2mm white edges on each side) by 50mm "wide" (horizontally behind the wreath).

The gold "class" is certainly much scarcer than the silver, but as to value-- virtually none, over here anyway.

If dim memory serves, these were patriotic rather than military related, and thus would fall into more or less the same category as similar civilian "club" type ephemera.

VK????....

[eschena]

Hi Rick:

Thanks for the info - I'll have to dig up a copy of that OMSA journal sometime.

The one "gold class" badge I have seen also had the 33 mm tall light blue ribbon background, as have all three of the silver ones I have seen. Mine is the only one with a substantially larger ribbon (it is at least as tall as the wreath if not taller) and a different ribbon edge design/color.

As for value, to me it's worth what I paid for it since I think it is a most attractive badge - I have always liked that style of badge, like the Imperial Russian long service badges. Now to find out more on that association. FWIW, Niemann's badges were listed as Imperial items. Ahh, I love a good mystery

Is the Prince Alfons mentioned the same one whose uniform that Ken Greenfield has for sale?

Thanks again,
Eric

[Rick Research]

Alfons was the son of Prince Adalbert--brother of Prince-Regent Luitpold. Alfons was also, alas, the dimmest bulb on the Wittelsbach string of lights.

One of my buddies, among the top Imperial uniform guys in this country, has a lot of Alfons's stuff. (Somebody down the line of descent is obviously cleaning out castle closets!) I have seen there a pre-war "fitness review" in which the Chief of the Bavarian General Staff," reporting to Luitpold, AGAIN flunked Alf for promotion to Brigade Commander, and told the Regent, bluntly, that there was "no hope of ever seeing any improvement" and "considering the embarassment involved to your House and the Army, please do not place us in the position of again having to reject another promotion." !!!!

The Regent advanced his nephew anyway--he ended up a full General der Kavallerie---but was never let near command of so much as a platoon. He spent WWI strutting around in splendid uniform, not even attached to a staff as a lounge lizard!

Too bad, because the right moron in the right place at the right time... and how different would our world be today if that war HAD ended "by Christmas"?...

[Rick Research]

Elephants never forget! Just located my scans of this badge, in the second class silver one I have:

[Rick Research]

Heinloth was apparently the sole maker of both grades

[Mike Dunn]

Rick--that is a great looking badge! Mike

[McCulloh]

here's one in use @1931. Of the 100 photos that are in this roll of film-63 vets are wearing the Alfons badge.

[eschena]

...and now I can post a scan of my badge...

...and in the time since I first posted this query, I a.) became an association member and b.) got a scanner

The scan shows the obverse and reverse of my badge - I moved the pin out of the way to show the HEINLOTH mark.

-Eric Schena

[Rick Research]

Very nice. That is the class the Old Boy in Jeff's photo is wearing.

What ELSE Heinloth ever made is a mystery to me!

[Eric Stahlhut]

Yup!

.

[Eric Stahlhut]

Sho' nuff!

Heinloth!

[Tom Y]

I just dug mine out. It's marked DRGM 854276

[Christian L]

does anyone of you how often this award was issued?
and how much one will cost?
is a variaty with golden metall parts and an red horizontal ribbon with small light green borders?
christian

[translator]

I have a "Konvolut" of Prince Alfons material, among which are his EK2, several photos and various other Abzeichen, including a cased shooting medallion and a MINT, still in the tissue example of one of "his" cypher "A" badges on a light blue cloth backing (although I thought this was a "Prince Alfons Landwehrabzeichen"). The Konvolut also includes a typed postcard with Alfons' OU referencing "his" Abzeichen. I acquired this Konvolut from a Munich militaria auction sale. It seems there's this "Kerl" who keeps coming in with consignments from various members of the erstwhile Bavarian nobility. This fellow runs in "their" circles and thus has access to this kind of material on a fairly regular basis. By the way, anyone interested in acquiring my "Konvolut" of Prince Alfons material should contact me via private e-mail. This very interesting group of material happens to be for sale, and at a reasonable price.