A Major Mystery

[McCulloh]

Here's a photo that I got off ebay.de last month.
On the back is written "Major Bold, Gaufuhrer der Stahlhelme, gestorben, Dec. 1929".
I find no "Bold" or "Bald" nor even a "Rold" or a "Rald" in my "Ehrenrangelist" nor my 1914 ranklists, nor in my 1926 list. I had assumed when I bought the picture, that this was an example of a promoted deck officer, given the LS placement and the plentiful group of non-Prussian awards. But apparently he was army by the rank.
Does anybody have a 1923 listing of this ostensibly promoted, rather elderly, former NCO who became a Major dR? I find a Major dR. unusual, but no other explanation given the medals. Or perhaps some kind Stahlhelm expert knows a bit about this man's life and career?
Thanks for the help.

[McCulloh]

close up

the money shot:

[Rick Research]

A Gebirgsmütze!!! ???

Sprinkle the Magic Pixie Dust... ****


There, that's allll better!

Rudolf BOLDT:

Sekondelieutenant 27.1.96 Uu (typo "25.11.96" in 1919 Seniority List)
Oberleutnant 18.5.07 E
Hauptmann 1.10.12 O26o (1917 Seniority List etc confirm correct SL date above)
Major 18.10.18 L5l

and....

"Major aD"

There were two OTHER BoldTs who were Hauptleute in 1914... both retired as Oberstleutnants.

Served entire career before the war in Feldartillerie Regt 5,

Bavarian Military Merit Order 4th Class with Swords 15 January 1915.

Sorry, no Württemberg Friedrich Order-Knight 1st X or Anhalt Friedrich or Hamburg Hanseatic Crosses rolls (yet).

Honor Rank List (confirming alive 1926, check) shows last WW1 assignment for major Rudolf BoldT:

Adjutant of High Command, Armee-Abteilung "Strantz."

You may now

[Mike Kenny]

Hi Rick,

Is that a Bav MVO4 in the image? It looks more like an MVK2/1?

Regards
Mike K

[stogieman]

Good eye!

Mike has a good eye Rick, no way that piece on the bar is the BMVO4, has to be a BMVK 1./2. klasse. What makes no sense to me at all are the 2 veteran's medals mounted before the non-Prussian bravery awards??

[McCulloh]

Heres' the back of the card.
Thanks Rick. I too saw Boldt and the age seems right, but I convinced myself that the LS medal was the XV/XX type and not the officers-hence my "rising star NCO" theory.
Rick V. It was not uncommon for the vets' medals-which served as "I was there in WW1" campaign medals before the HK, to be mounted this way. I have 2 groups with this and several photos of 1920s vets with this arrangement.
I think its an MVO4 by the :additional "flames/flashing" between the rims of the cross.
So, anybody want to go to Hamburg and rescue the medal rolls?

[Rick Research]

What-- you don't like soft focus enamel?

Hang your heads in shame, people!!!

Flames between the arms on the MVO4X...

RAYS between the arms on the Friedrich Order.



Tch tch, time for Some People to see an optometrist!!!!

[Mike Kenny]

Hi Rick,

As soon as Jeff pointed out the flames, I said "DOH" OK

Regards
Mike K

[Sal Williams]

Hi Guys,
I feel so in the dark about ribbon bars or medal bars and I don't even know if they are 2 different things. How do you guys know how to read them, and how on earth does Rick find out all the info on the people like he does? I wanna know how too!! Can I play, can I, huh,...puleeeeze! How do I learn?
Best, Sal

[Rick Research]

How to recognize Researchers: Hunched over & covered with old paper cuts scars

Ah! First you must begin very very young, because it takes a very very long time. You must be able to read hideous medieval Gothic German typeface. Then you must assemble an enormous library of VERY odd reference books

http://dev.wehrmacht-awards.com/foru...ght=Rank+Lists

because Imperial is a galactically vast subject area.

After decades of poring over period references and long boring nights when nothing is on television, remembering groups and patterns of combinations, because unlike the 50 or so boring old zinky Third Reich medals, there are HUNDREDS of Imperial ones (Even the Semi-Amazing Ricky Does Not Go Before 1897 ), THEN being able to tell "colors" from black and white or sepia smudges comes into play...

not as easy as it sounds since yellow is darker than navy blue in these old photos.

And of course it is important to network with fellow Servants of the Secret Fire, the Flame of Anor... because all those books are EXPENSIVE and so asking somebody with the ones you DON'T have is much cheaper.

Boldt was EASY. (Unlike my "It Isn't Easy Being Green" ribbon bar... which still eludes me ) The typo was obvious. There WERE no "Bolds." Of the three POSSIBLE Boldts, two were retired at a rank higher than him, so he was the ONLY "Major aD." And thanks to WW1 award rolls being published, although he had nothing to show in a Rank List, his senority proves he had the 1897 Centenary Medal just before the Bavarian Order, and there he was on the published Bavarian roll.

Here is just a sample of what a Rank List page looks like. Now imagine these 1,200 pages long. ANNUAL editions. And if you don't find Officer X in one edition, it's look in the OTHERS!

"Fun?" Oh yeah! You bet!

[stogieman]

big sigh..............

duh! It gust joes to show ya.... first coffee..
.. then forums...

[Mike Downey]

Rick.I too am fascinated by your ability to "read" a medal bar.Do the rank lists carry (or has this web site) a list of abbreviations and what they denote.For example the gent at the top of the rank list you showed has HEK2b SLH2c WK2c WF3a WMD1 and NN3 amongst other odd little symbols of noughts and crosses.Any chance of getting out here for a week or two to discuss the above? Best wishes
Mike Downey (Australia)

Ah! First you must begin very very young, because it takes a very very long time. You must be able to read hideous medieval Gothic German typeface. Then you must assemble an enormous library of VERY odd reference books

http://dev.wehrmacht-awards.com/foru...ght=Rank+Lists

because Imperial is a galactically vast subject area.

After decades of poring over period references and long boring nights when nothing is on television, remembering groups and patterns of combinations, because unlike the 50 or so boring old zinky Third Reich medals, there are HUNDREDS of Imperial ones (Even the Semi-Amazing Ricky Does Not Go Before 1897 ), THEN being able to tell "colors" from black and white or sepia smudges comes into play...

not as easy as it sounds since yellow is darker than navy blue in these old photos.

And of course it is important to network with fellow Servants of the Secret Fire, the Flame of Anor... because all those books are EXPENSIVE and so asking somebody with the ones you DON'T have is much cheaper.

Boldt was EASY. (Unlike my "It Isn't Easy Being Green" ribbon bar... which still eludes me ) The typo was obvious. There WERE no "Bolds." Of the three POSSIBLE Boldts, two were retired at a rank higher than him, so he was the ONLY "Major aD." And thanks to WW1 award rolls being published, although he had nothing to show in a Rank List, his senority proves he had the 1897 Centenary Medal just before the Bavarian Order, and there he was on the published Bavarian roll.

Here is just a sample of what a Rank List page looks like. Now imagine these 1,200 pages long. ANNUAL editions. And if you don't find Officer X in one edition, it's look in the OTHERS!

"Fun?" Oh yeah! You bet!

[Rick Research]

You paying for the plane tickets? Ask me again around the second week of January!

Yep, abbreviations and Mysterious Little Symbols all in front. Of course they are not listed in the precedence they were WORN. Oh no no no no no... THAT would be Too Logical. And the NAVY used different abbreviations for the same awards than the ARMY's, AND the civilian vanity press German Orders Almanac had THEIR own system too, just to be "special." Württemberg used MLSs for their OWN section of the Listen, and so had abbreviations for Prussian Thingums that were MLSs in the Prussian bits.

Occasionally causing Ricky's brain to glaze over and miss things, you betcha. That's what makes having picked up the "feel" for Who Got What often leads to narrowing down a search into the Top Suspects areas first. STILL have to go through everything else to make sure the combination WAS actually unique, but it helps to find it sooner rather than later.

"One that got away" on eGermany recently I went through all 1,2XX pages of 1914 when, as my Subconscious Mind had TOLD me, I had the guy on the first page I turned to. Had my thumb over him, actually. Doh!

It's hard work. Unpleasant. Definitely non lucrative.

But a joy especially to put back a life on something "anonymous."

[Sal Williams]

Hi Rick,
Well I am not young anymore,so I'm in trouble there. Thanks for the explaination which was still a bit over my head (Which is quite a climb to miss the point on top of it). I still want to give it a go anyways, any good book to start me off with? Something really basic just to learn about possible awards and how they are worn? Are they called ribbon bars or medal bars? Where would you start if you knew nothing? Ive never been that interested before because it was all just a big unfathomable mystery to me, but seeing what you can do really put a fire to know under me. But I must disagree with you about the 50 boring third reich medals,... they have the hypnotic all engrosing SWASTIKA on them!!!

Best, Sal

[McCulloh]

Sal:
Rick is modest, but the place to start is his ribbon bars article on this forum. It is a classic. People have received PhDs. for less research and for articles far less well written.
By the way, most ranklists have explanations for the abbreviations and the medal minis that are represented in the books.
Then take a gander at some of the other members' sites and lastly, read this forum's archives. Theres' a topic below on 'best sites" and "research".
Lastly, ribbon bars are made up of ribbons only. Medal bars have the medals on 'em.
The below is a guy wearing a ribbon bar-and a bauble or two: