Central Powers WW1 Commemorative Medals: Tyrol

[Rick Research]

Although this was a provincial award from the first Austrian Republic, I will place it here in Imperial to go along with individual threads on the other awards, to German WW1 veterans.

Any German veteran, upon application, could receive not only the Hindenburg Cross, but medals from the Austrian Republic, Hungarian "Regency," and Kingdom of Bulgaria.

The Tyrolean Provincial Commemorative Medal 1914-1918 was created 7 February 1928 for award to veterans from the Tyrol and others "who served in the war sector of the Tyrol in defense of the province." It is thus frequently found in German groups, although it is the scarcest of the WW1 Central powers commemoratives, with only roughly 120,000 bestowed.

Bizarrely enough, though German state awards had been done away with by 1936, after the Austrian Anschluss of March 1938, this medal continued to be awarded, cut off date being applications received by March of 1940 (!) and final wrap up by 31 July 1941.

The ORIGINAL "1928" version is rather crude. German made wearing duplicates are better quality.

[Rick Research]

Notice that the eagle's two legs are asymmetrical, as are the edge beads. Normally fakes are better quality than originals, but the opposite is true in this case. This WAS the original issue medal. Note the suspension.

[Rick Research]

and the reverse:

[Rick Research]

And an award document from 1929 to August Mitterwallner, Hauptmann aD--

[Glenn2438]

Mitterwallner

Hauptmann August Mitterwallner was a regular officer of the famous Infanterieregiment Erzherzog Rainer Nr. 59, the Salzburger house regiment. He started the war as a platoon commander in the 7th company. Following Italy's entry into the war he was a company commander in the 10th March Battalion fighting in the Monte Piano sector of the East Tyrol. Following service in the Ersatz Battalion he was by October 1917 the company commander of the IV Machine Gun company on the Isonzo. I believe he remained the commander of this company until war's end.

Leutnant: 1 May 1912
Oberleutnant: 1 Jan 1915
Hauptmann: 1 Feb 1918

Among his awards:

Military Merit Cross 3rd Class with War Decoration and Swords
Silver Military Merit Medal (Signum Laudis)
Bronze Military Merit Medal (Signum Laudis)

Regards
Glenn

[Rick Research]

Wow!!! Thanks, Glenn!!!

Here is an issue type medal on a post 1939 Frackspange, mounted in post-Anschluss German precedence, after the Hindenburg Cross and ahead of the Hungarian WW1 Commemorative:

[Glenn2438]

Stumpf

Rick,

by the way, the award document is signed by the then Landeshauptmann of the Tyrol from 1921 to 1935, one Doktor Franz Stumpf (30 March 1876 - 28 Feb 1935).

Regards
Glenn

[Rick Research]

I'm not sure what the autograph value of such an august personage might be-- but it is only a printed facsimile.

That is, however, interesting info-- since it would then be likely that the documents CHANGED to reflect who was Top Tyrolean at issue time! Anybody else got other versions?

[Dave Danner]

And on a less serious note, that has to be one of the freakiest looking German eagles:



Think of those stuffed cat toys in car windows with the suction cups on the paws.

Dave

[Klaus O.]

Dear Forumites,

I just wanted to show my brother's medal bar with the "Tyrolean Provincial Commemorative Medal 1914-1918". In this particular medal bar there are five (!!!) commemorative WWI medals.

Ciao,

Claudio

[JensF.]

Very nice bar Claudio! That was the "official" way to upgrade medal-bars

[Brian R]

Here's a very late Tyrolean document I just received in the mail... dated March 31, 1940 in Innsbruck by the Gauleiter of Tyrol to a Karl Philip of Vienna. Thought it would go well in this thread - it's interesting that someone would wait so long to apply for this award (unless he applied years earlier and the actual awarding of the medal took a while to materialize).

Brian

[Rick Research]

.

[landsknechte]

Here's a very late Tyrolean document I just received in the mail... dated March 31, 1940 in Innsbruck by the Gauleiter of Tyrol to a Karl Philip of Vienna. Thought it would go well in this thread - it's interesting that someone would wait so long to apply for this award (unless he applied years earlier and the actual awarding of the medal took a while to materialize).

Brian

Perhaps he waited until he had to get back into uniform again.

--Chris