Preussen Dienstauszeichnung Medals

[John F.]

How many types and classes of Long Service medals did the Prussian Army have? From the below picture there seem to be a lot. Where different ranks awarded different classes? Can’t seem to crack the nut on this alone.

John

PS: Pics are from www.weitze.net

[Daniel Krause]

Hi John,

Officers got a golden Cross for 25 years.
Enlisted and NCO´s had first the "ugly" brooches for 9, 15 and 21 years and from 1913 a medal for 9, a medal for 12 and a cross for 15 years.
(Numbers are all on the reverses of the awards.)
The brooches were black for 9 years, silver for 15 and golden for 21 years.

The Landwehr (reserve forces) had own awards.
For Officers a silver cross with golden center for 20 years
and a embroidered brooch for all ranks. This one was also turned into a medal 1913.

Best regards

Daniel

[Daniel Krause]

forgot to say,

1 is a early XXV for officers
2 M 1913 medal for 9 years
3 Landwehr long service 2nd class (brooch)
4 m 1913 for 9 years private gilt
5 unofficial variant to wear a Landwehr brooch award as private purchased piece on the medal bar
6 M 1913 medal for 12 years
7 M 1913 cross for 15 years

[John F.]

Daniel: Thank you. Were these solider authorized to wear all their Long Service Awards together (like their III Reich Counterparts) or did they replace the 9-year medal when they were awarded the 15-year, etc…

John

[Daniel Krause]

noooooo!

a higher grade replaced a lower one.
Just (if awarded of course) a regular long service and a Landwehr long service could be worn together.

Best regards

Daniel

[Rick Research]

a career military official (Beamter) who also did part time duty in the reserves or Land-/See- wehr could wear both, though Beamten weren't authorized the XXV until 1914-- and the first awards under those regulations were made AFTER the war, since Prussia and the navy strangely suspended awards "for the duration." (Bavaria and Württemberg quite logically continued awarding regulars' long service awards during WW1-- when war years counted double for THEM but not reservists or draftees. I don't know what Saxony or the other states which bestowed NCO long services actually did during the war.)

Old soldiers who remained in the "active" reserves also could wear both, so you will find M1913 career long services and Landwehr Medal together in 1870 veteran groups and so on.

Imperial long services are sonmetimes found on medal bars doubled-- an XXV with an XV, or an XV with an XII, due to misinterpretation of the 1936 regulations illogically authorizing two Wehrmacht long service awards to be worn together. They wromgly assumed that referred retroactively to them. A medal bar with two ACTIVE duty Imperial long services invariably dates after October 1936, and is a period mistake.

Here is an example of that, for a former Chief petty Officer discharged as a Lweutnant der Marine aD for having over "18" "pensionable" years of service--


http://dev.wehrmacht-awards.com/foru...ight=Venezuela

[John F.]

Gentleman,

Thank you! Another fine answer from two very knowledgeable people! God I love this web-site!

John

[Christian L]

nr e i have in this type on a bar, also without emaille, only silver looking on a bar - for how long was this awarded and it is also unofficial?
christian

[Christian L]

oh, sorry - i ment nr. 5!
not e
if someone will post them i will look to get pics into my computer (could need a bit of time)
christian

[McCulloh]

Here is an illustration of the "double wear" Rick mentioned as used by Beamters-

[McCulloh]

a close up

a close up view of the medal bar-classic .

[McCulloh]

Damn it! These new size restrictions are infuriating! The pic was 701x 440! Second attempt .
By the way, I tried to delete post #2 above, but am not allowed.

[Christian L]

very nice foto jeff!

and what is the difference between both?
for how long service is the gold one (infront of the other one)
and for how long service is the silver one (no emaille - at last at the bar)?
is the ribbon with the thin black boder line on each side for landwehr dienstauszeichnungen?
christian

[Rick Research]

Bearing in mind the very weird distortions in "colors" in these old photos (do a search in this Forum on "spectrum shift"), the medals on Jeff's photo are the M1825-1913 IX Years, followed by the "LD2" or Reserve-Landwehr Decoration 2nd Class.

This fellow was a career 12 year NCO enlistee (there was no XII Medal until 1913) who then continued to serve in the Reserves and Landwehr after his discharge from active duty.

Before WW1, a draftee (not a regular!) who took part in a war like 1866 or 1870-71 got an "immediate" award of the M1825 LD2, since one qualification BEFORE 1914 was taking part in a(ny) war. In peacetime, or for a veteran who never saw combat, the "normal" time was 12 more years worth of reserve calls up, or a total of specific number of days.

[CRBeery]

Does anyone have an extra #5? I need one to complete a medal bar.

CRBeery